Patent ID: 7112264

Claim:
A plating apparatus comprising: a plating vessel for holding a plating bath containing at least metal ions; a conveying device for conveying a long conductive substrate and immersing the long conductive substrate in the plating bath; a facing electrode disposed in the plating bath so as to face one surface of the conductive substrate; voltage application means for performing plating on the one surface of the conductive substrate by applying a voltage between the conductive substrate and said facing electrode; and a member fixedly disposed in said plating vessel so that at least a portion of said member contacts a surface of the conductive substrate opposite to the one surface, at least the portion being conductive, wherein said member comprises a plurality of first members and a plurality of second members in a longitudinal direction of the conductive substrate, each of said first members being a flat plate, wherein a plurality of said first members are disposed with a gap between adjacent ones of said members and are fixed by supporting members, and wherein each of said second members is dispersed over upper surfaces of two adjacent first members, wherein a surface of said first member facing a surface of the conductive substrate is substantially flat, wherein said second member includes a projection for filling the gap, and wherein a surface of said projection facing the conductive substrate and a surface of said first member facing the conductive member are disposed on substantially the same plane, and wherein said second member is detachable from said member.