ELECTROCHEMICAL TREATMENT OF SUBSTRATES

• Main Author: EGELAND, RYAN, D
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 26.07.2006
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMISTRY; COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; LIBRARIES, e.g. CHEMICAL LIBRARIES, IN SILICOLIBRARIES; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

A method of electrochemically treating a substrate is provided comprising the steps of: (a) providing an electrolyte in contact with the substrate; (b) providing a device which faces the substrate and is in contact with the electrolyte, the device having: (i) a common first electrode arranged to define cells therein; and (ii) a plurality of individually addressable second electrodes, wherein a plurality of the cells contain individually addressable second electrodes; and (c) altering the potential of at least one of the second electrodes relative to the common first electrode so that: (i) the common first electrode generates a first redox product; and (ii) the at least one of the second electrodes generate a second redox product which is able to modify a region of the substrate facing the at least one electrodes, wherein the electrolyte is such that the second redox product is quenchable by the first redox product.