CN110777338A

CN110777338A - Film forming apparatus and method for manufacturing electronic device

Info

Publication number: CN110777338A
Application number: CN201910586973.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 菅原洋纪; 内田敏治
Original assignee: Tokki Corp
Current assignee: Canon Tokki Corp
Priority date: 2018-07-31
Filing date: 2019-07-02
Publication date: 2020-02-11
Also published as: JP7138504B2; JP2020019991A; KR20200014170A; JP7461427B2; JP2022179487A

Abstract

The present invention provides a technique capable of improving the utilization rate of a target material. A film forming apparatus (1) is provided with: a chamber (2) in which an object (10) to be film-formed and a target (30) are disposed; and a magnetic field generation mechanism (31) disposed in the chamber (2) at a position facing the object (10) to be film-formed with the target (3) therebetween, the film-forming apparatus (1) being characterized by comprising: a plurality of conductive members (4A, 4B) arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction of the target (30); and a potential applying mechanism (26A, 26B) for applying a potential to at least one of the plurality of conductive members (4A, 4B) so that the potentials of at least two of the plurality of conductive members (4A, 4B) are different.

Description

Film forming apparatus and method for manufacturing electronic device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a method of manufacturing an electronic device.

Background

Sputtering is known as a method for forming a thin film made of a material such as a metal or a metal oxide on a film formation object such as a substrate or a laminate formed on a substrate. A sputtering apparatus for forming a film by a sputtering method has a structure in which a target made of a film forming material is disposed to face an object to be film formed in a vacuum chamber. When a negative voltage is applied to the target, the surface of the target is sputtered with an inert gas element ionized by generating plasma in the vicinity of the target, and the emitted sputtering particles are deposited on the object to be film-formed to form a film. Also, a magnetron sputtering method is known in which a magnet is disposed on the rear surface of a target (inside the target in the case of a cylindrical target) and sputtering is performed by increasing the electron density near the cathode by a generated magnetic field.

In a film forming apparatus (also referred to as a sputtering apparatus or a sputtering apparatus) of a magnetron sputtering method, there is known an apparatus configuration for forming a film by rotating a target (rotating cathode) formed in a cylindrical shape (patent document 1). In this configuration, by rotating the cylindrical target surrounding the outer periphery of the fixed magnet unit, sputtering can be performed while changing the portion of the target surface exposed to the high-density plasma formed by the magnetic field generated by the magnet unit. This makes it possible to equalize the consumption of the target in the circumferential direction, and to realize consumption of the target material with less waste.

[ Prior Art document ]

[ patent document ]

[ patent document 1 ] Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2013-237913

Disclosure of Invention

[ problem to be solved by the invention ]

In the magnetron sputtering method, a leakage magnetic field leaking from the rear surface (inner surface) toward the front surface (outer surface) of the target is formed by the magnet unit, but an elliptical colloidal magnetic field tunnel extending in the longitudinal direction of the target is generally formed. Electrons are confined by the magnetic field tunnel, and the orbit of the confined electrons is formed into an elliptical shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the target. At this time, the target is sputtered more in a portion where the curvature of the ellipse is large, that is, in the vicinity of the longitudinal end portion of the target, than in a portion where the curvature of the ellipse is small, that is, a portion corresponding to the longitudinal center portion of the target. Therefore, the consumption of the target material near the end portions of the target length is locally increased as compared with the central portion of the target length, and the consumption distribution of the target material may become uneven along the target length direction. Since the target life is determined based on a portion that is largely consumed, the target material is sufficiently left in the center portion of the length, but the target has to be replaced, and effective use of the target material may be difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique capable of improving the target utilization rate.

[ MEANS FOR solving PROBLEMS ] A method for solving the problems

A film forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a chamber in which a film formation object and a target are arranged; and a magnetic field generating mechanism disposed at a position facing the object to be film-formed via the target in the chamber, the film forming apparatus including: a plurality of conductive members arranged in a row along a longitudinal direction of the target; and a potential applying mechanism that applies a potential to at least one of the plurality of conductive members so that potentials of at least two of the plurality of conductive members are different.

In addition, a film deposition apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes: a chamber in which a film formation object and a target are arranged; and a magnetic field generating mechanism disposed at a position facing the object to be film-formed via the target in the chamber, the film forming apparatus including: a conductive member that is opposed to the target in a region of a part of a surface of the target in a longitudinal direction; and a potential applying mechanism that applies a potential to the conductive member.

In addition, a method for manufacturing an electronic device according to another aspect of the present invention includes a sputtering film forming step of disposing a film formation object in a chamber and depositing sputtering particles flying from a target disposed to face the film formation object to form a film, wherein the sputtering film forming step is a step of forming the film in a state where a spatial potential distribution around the target in a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the target is different between a central portion and an end portion of the target.

[ Effect of the invention ]

According to the present invention, the target utilization rate can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a film formation apparatus according to example 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a target driving apparatus according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of an adhesion preventing member according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a graph showing the experimental results regarding the relationship between the magnitude of the applied potential and the film formation rate ratio.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state of a local consumed portion of the target.

Fig. 6 is a graph showing the experimental results of the temporal change in the film thickness distribution in the rotating cathode.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the structure of an adhesion preventing member according to a modification example of embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a film forming apparatus according to example 2 of the present invention.

[ description of reference ]

1 … film forming device, 10 … substrate, 11 … film forming surface, 2 … sputtering chamber, 3 … cathode unit, 30 … target, 31 … magnet unit, 32 … casing (cathode electrode), 4A, 4B … anti-adhesion plate, 26A, 26B … power supply, 5 … control part

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the following embodiments and examples merely illustrate preferred configurations of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these configurations. In the following description, the hardware configuration and software configuration of the device, the flow of the process, the manufacturing conditions, the size, the material, the shape, and the like are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these unless otherwise specifically stated.

(example 1)

< film Forming apparatus >

A film deposition apparatus according to example 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 6. The film deposition apparatus of this embodiment is a magnetron sputtering apparatus in which a magnet unit is disposed inside a cylindrical target. The film forming apparatus of the present embodiment is used for depositing and forming a thin film on a substrate (including a structure in which a laminate is formed on a substrate) in the production of various electronic devices such as a semiconductor device, a magnetic device, and an electronic component, an optical component, and the like. More specifically, the film formation apparatus of the present embodiment is preferably used for manufacturing electronic devices such as a light-emitting element, a photoelectric conversion element, and a touch panel. Among these, the film forming apparatus of the present embodiment is particularly preferably applicable to the production of organic light emitting elements such as organic EL (organic electroluminescence) elements and organic photoelectric conversion elements such as organic thin film solar cells. The electronic device of the present invention also includes a display device (for example, an organic EL display device) or a lighting device (for example, an organic EL lighting device) including a light-emitting element, and a sensor (for example, an organic CMOS image sensor) including a photoelectric conversion element. The film formation apparatus of the present embodiment can be used as a part of a film formation system including a vapor deposition apparatus and the like.

The film forming apparatus of the present embodiment is used for manufacturing an organic EL device, for example. In the case of an organic EL element, an anode, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an organic light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a cathode are generally formed in this order on a substrate. The film forming apparatus of the present embodiment can be preferably used for forming an electron injection layer or a laminated film of a metal or a metal oxide used for an electrode (cathode) on an organic film by sputtering. The film formation on the organic film is not limited to the above, and the film formation may be performed on various surfaces by lamination as long as the film formation is performed by a combination of materials such as a metal material and an oxide material which can be formed by sputtering.

Fig. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing the overall configuration of the film formation apparatus according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of the target driving device of the present embodiment. Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of the adhesion preventing member of the present embodiment. Fig. 4 is a graph showing the experimental results regarding the relationship between the magnitude of the potential applied to the deposition preventing plate and the film formation ratio of the sputtered film (without the deposition preventing plate). Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a case of local consumption of the target. Fig. 6 is a graph showing the experimental results of the temporal change in the film thickness distribution in the rotating cathode.

As shown in fig. 1, a film deposition apparatus (sputtering apparatus) 1 of the present embodiment includes a sputtering chamber (film deposition chamber) 2 as a chamber, a cathode unit 3 and an adhesion preventing plate 4 disposed in the sputtering chamber 2, and a control unit 5 including a CPU, a memory, and the like. The adhesion preventing plates 4 are arranged to face each other with the cathode unit 3 interposed therebetween. The substrate 10 as a film formation object is carried into and out of the sputtering chamber 2 through a gate valve not shown. An exhaust unit 23 including a cryopump, a TMP (turbo molecular pump), or the like is connected to the sputtering chamber 2, and the pressure in the chamber can be adjusted. The sputtering chamber 2 can be sent to the substrate 10 in a state of being exhausted to a predetermined pressure by the exhaust device 23.

As shown in fig. 2, the substrate 10 is placed (held) on a substrate holder 20 in the sputtering chamber 2, and is conveyed at a constant speed along a conveyance guide 22 extending at a predetermined facing distance from the cathode unit 3. The substrate holder 20 is provided with an opening 21 for opening a film formation surface (surface to be processed) 11 of the substrate 10, and the film formation process is performed on the film formation surface 11 through the opening 21.

< sputtering Chamber and cathode Unit >

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the sputtering chamber 2 is provided with a transport path for the substrate 10 on the upper side, and the cathode unit 3 is disposed below the transport path. The sputtering chamber 2 is adjusted to a pressure (for example, 2 × 10Pa to 2 × 10 Pa) preferable for the sputtering process by the exhaust device 23, more specifically, by the opening degree of a valve connected to the exhaust device 23 ^-5Pa) and a sputtering gas is supplied from a gas supply source, not shown, through the gas introduction pipe 24 with a flow rate controlled. Thereby, a sputtering atmosphere is formed inside the sputtering chamber 2. As the sputtering gas, for example, a rare gas such as Ar, Kr, or Xe, or a reactive gas for film formation can be used. The arrangement of the gas introduction pipe 24 is not limited to this example.

The cathode unit 3 includes a target 30, a magnet unit 31, and a case 32 as a cathode electrode for supporting the target 30. The target 30 is a film forming material formed in a cylindrical shape, and is disposed at a position spaced apart from the transport path of the substrate 10 by a predetermined distance so as to be parallel to the film formation surface 11 (transport direction) of the substrate 10 and so that the central axis (or generatrix) thereof is perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate 10. The inner peripheral surface of the target 30 is in close contact with the outer surface of the case 32 serving as a cathode electrode. The magnet unit 31 is disposed in a hollow portion inside the target 30 (a case 32 as a cathode electrode). The power supply 25 is connected to the casing 32, and the sputtering chamber 2 is grounded. When a voltage is applied from the power supply 25, the case 32 serves as a cathode (cathode) and the wall of the sputtering chamber 2 serves as an anode (anode).

Examples of the material of the target 30 include metal targets such as Cu, Al, Ti, Mo, Cr, Ag, Au, and Ni, and alloy materials thereof. Further, it is also possible to add a reactive gas (O) to a metal target of Si, Ti, Cr, Al, Ta, or the like ₂、N ₂、H ₂O, etc.) or SiO ₂、Ta ₂O ₅、Al ₂O ₃Etc. insulating material. The target 30 may be formed with a layer made of another material such as a filler tube inside the layer formed with the film-forming material. The target 30 is a cylindrical target, but the term "cylindrical" as used herein refers not only to a mathematically exact cylinder but also includes a shape in which a generatrix is not a straight line but a curve, or a shape in which a cross section perpendicular to a central axis is not a mathematically exact "circle". That is, the target 30 in the present invention may have a cylindrical shape rotatable about the central axis.

The magnet unit 31 includes a yoke 310, a center magnet 311 as a first magnet, and an outer peripheral magnet 312 as a second magnet. The yoke 310 is a magnetic member having a longitudinal shape whose longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the substrate 10. A center magnet 311 extending in the longitudinal direction is provided at the center of the upper surface of the yoke 310. An outer circumferential magnet 312 formed in a ring shape so as to surround the outer circumference of the center magnet 311 is provided on the upper surface of the yoke 310. The center magnet 311 and the outer magnet 312 have poles of opposite polarities at ends facing the inner peripheral surface of the target 30. In the present embodiment, the center magnet 311 has an S-pole as a first pole, and the outer magnet 312 has an N-pole as a second pole. The magnet unit 31 is disposed inside the target 30 to form an annular leakage magnetic field extending in the longitudinal direction of the target 30.

< sputtering >

By the formation of the sputtering atmosphere, the application of voltage from the power supply 25 to the case 32 as a cathode electrode, and the formation of a predetermined magnetic field on the surface of the target 30 by the magnet unit 31 as a magnetic field generating means, a plasma region P is generated in the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the target 30. The sputtering gas ions generated by the generation of the plasma region P collide with the target 30, and target particles are discharged from the outer peripheral surface of the target 30. Target particles emitted from the target 30 fly toward the substrate 10 and are deposited, thereby forming a film on the film formation surface 11 of the substrate 10.

As shown in fig. 2 (a), the target 30 and the magnet unit 31 are supported at both ends in the central axis direction of the cylindrical target 30 by an endblock 33 and a support block 34. The magnet unit 31 is fixedly supported by the sputtering chamber 2, and the target 30 is supported to be rotatable about the central axis thereof. The film deposition apparatus 1 includes a drive mechanism for rotating only the target 30 while keeping the magnet unit 31 stationary.

Fig. 2 (b) is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure of a drive mechanism for rotating the target 30. In fig. 2 (b), the configuration of the magnet unit 31 is not shown. As shown in fig. 2 (b), the film deposition apparatus 1 includes a motor 70 as a power source for obtaining a driving force for rotating the target 30. The case 32 as the cathode electrode includes shaft portions 321 and 322 at both ends in the central axis direction. One shaft portion 321 is rotatably supported by the shaft hole of the support block 34 via a bearing 72. The other shaft portion 322 is rotatably supported in the shaft hole of the end block 33 via a bearing 72, and is connected to the motor 70 via a belt 71. The rotational driving force of the motor 70 is transmitted to the other shaft portion 322 via the belt 71, whereby the case 32 as the cathode electrode rotates relative to the end block 33 and the support block 34. Thereby, the cylindrical target 30 provided on the outer periphery of the housing 32 rotates around the central axis thereof. The target driving device 7 including the motor 70 and the belt 71 as a rotation mechanism for rotating the target 30 is controlled by the control unit 5.

On the other hand, the magnet unit 31 includes shaft portions 131 and 132 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. One shaft portion 131 is rotatably supported via a bearing 72 at one end of the case 32 serving as the cathode electrode. The other shaft 132 is rotatably supported via a bearing 72 on the inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole of the other shaft 322 of the case 32 serving as the cathode electrode, and is fixed to the end block 33. That is, the magnet unit 31 is fixed and supported by the end block 33 via the other shaft portion 132, and is relatively rotated with respect to the housing 32 rotated by the driving of the motor 70 via the bearing 72, and is maintained in a stationary state with respect to the sputtering chamber 2. The driving mechanism shown here is an example, and other conventionally known driving mechanisms can be used.

The target 30 rotates relative to the magnet unit 31. Since the portion dug by the sputtering on the surface of the target 30 is locally formed in the circumferential direction, the scraping of the target surface is made uniform in the circumferential direction by rotating the target 30, and the consumption of the target material with less waste can be realized. In the present embodiment, the target 30 is controlled to rotate at a constant speed of 10 to 30 rpm.

< features of the present embodiment >

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the film formation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes, as a characteristic configuration of the present embodiment, adhesion preventing plates 4(4A, 4B) divided in a longitudinal direction of a target 30. As shown in fig. 1, the

adhesion preventing plates

4A and 4B are arranged in parallel to each other so as to face each other with the target 30 and the plasma region P generated thereabove interposed therebetween. That is, the

adhesion preventing plates

4A and 4B are disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the target 30 so as to face the erosion region formed by the generation of the plasma region P. The extension directions of the

adhesion preventing plates

4A and 4B are parallel to the longitudinal direction (bus direction) of the target 30 and orthogonal to the substrate 10 at the film formation position.

The

adhesion preventing plates

4A and 4B are adhesion preventing members that structurally restrict the flight path of the target particles to the substrate 10 (define the flight range) and control the incident angle of the target particles to the substrate 10, and are conductive members that form a potential difference in the longitudinal direction by potential application control described later and control the film formation rate in the longitudinal direction.

The adhesion preventing plate 4 is made of a member having conductivity (for example, a metal plate such as SUS), and can be controlled to a predetermined potential by applying a potential from a connected power source 26. With the above configuration, the film formation rate of the thin film formed on the substrate 10, that is, the consumption degree of the target material of the target 30 can be adjusted and controlled in the same direction, by adjusting and controlling the film formation rate in the direction (longitudinal direction) perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate 10.

Fig. 4 is a graph plotting the ratio of the film formation rate when the deposition preventing plate 4 is provided and a predetermined potential is applied to the film formation rate when the deposition preventing plate 4 is not provided with respect to the film formation rate when the substrate 10 is formed with respect to the film thickness when the potential is applied. When a potential of about +100V was applied to the adhesion preventing plate 4, the film formation rate ratio increased by 1.25 times, that is, the film thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate 10 was 1.25 times, as compared with the case where the bias voltage was 0V or the negative bias voltage was applied. That is, by applying a positive bias of a predetermined magnitude to the adhesion preventing plate 4, more target material is excavated (consumed) from the surface of the target 30 during sputtering.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a case where the consumption of the target material described in the background art section is locally increased at the end of the target length. A plasma region P is generated in the vicinity of the surface of the target 30 by the magnetic field of the magnet unit 31 and the magnetic field generated on the surface of the target 30 by applying an electric potential to the cathode electrode (housing) 32. The plasma region P is formed in an elliptical shape that is long in the longitudinal direction of the target 30. It has been empirically found that the end portion of the length of the target 30, which is opposed to the portion extending in a folded manner in the plasma region P having the above-described shape, generates a portion 301 in which the consumption of the target material is more significant than that of the other portion.

Fig. 6 is a graph showing the results of an experiment in which the temporal change in film thickness corresponding to a target length position is measured, with the horizontal axis representing the target length position (0 mm in the center of the length) and the vertical axis representing the film thickness of a thin film formed on a substrate. In the initial stage of use (5 hours), the film thickness was substantially uniform in length, but the film thickness at the center of the length was reduced thereafter, whereas the film thickness at the ends of the length was increased. That is, it is known that the degree of consumption of the local consumption portion 301 described above deteriorates with time.

As shown in fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the adhesion preventing plates 4A are arranged so as to be divided into 3 pieces in the longitudinal direction of the target 30. That is, the adhesion preventing plate 4A is constituted by 3 adhesion preventing plates 4A1, 4A2, 4A3 arranged in series along the longitudinal direction of the target 30. Power supplies 26a1, 26a2, and 26A3 as individual potential applying means are connected to the 3 anti-sticking plates 4a1, 4a2, and 4A3, respectively, and the magnitude of the applied potential can be individually variably controlled. The adhesion preventing plate 4B is also configured similarly, but illustration and description are omitted. With the above configuration, the deposition rate can be adjusted and controlled for each of the 3 regions divided in length on the surface of the target 30, corresponding to the anti-adhesion plate 4 divided in length by 3. That is, the degree of consumption of the target material can be individually adjusted and controlled for each divided region of the length. This can suppress the local consumption as described above, and improve the consumption efficiency of the target material.

Specifically, in the control of the potential applied to the adhesion preventing plate 4 in the present embodiment, the potential applied to the adhesion preventing plate 4a2 facing the longitudinal center portion of the target 30 is set to be higher than the potentials applied to the adhesion preventing plates 4a1 and 4A3 facing the longitudinal end portions of the target 30. This increases the film formation rate of the substrate 10 corresponding to the center portion of the length of the target 30, as compared with the case where no difference is applied. That is, the consumption amount of the target material at the center portion of the length of the target 30 is increased as compared with the case where no difference is applied in potential. This can suppress the relative and local consumption of the target material only in the longitudinal end region of the target 30, and can reduce the variation in the consumption of the target material in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the consumption efficiency of the target material can be improved.

The film deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes displacement meters 8(81, 82, 83) as surface shape measurement means for measuring the thickness of the target 30. The displacement gauge 8 is disposed so as to face the outer peripheral surface of the target 30 through a detection window 28 provided in a wall portion of the sputtering chamber 2 in a region of the outer peripheral surface of the target 30 that is deviated from the region facing the substrate 10. The displacement meter 8 is an optical sensor that irradiates detection light onto the surface of the target 30 through the detection window 28 and detects the reflected light to acquire thickness information of the target 30. In the present embodiment, 3

displacement meters

81, 82, and 83 are disposed along the longitudinal direction of the target 30 in order to measure the thickness of the target 30 in each of the 3 regions on the surface of the target 30. This enables the surface shape of the target 30 in the longitudinal direction to be measured.

The film deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a displacement meter 9 as film thickness distribution measuring means for measuring the film thickness of a film deposited on a substrate 10. The displacement meter 9 is an optical sensor similar to the displacement meter 8, and the displacement meter 9 is disposed so as to face the substrate 10 at a position deviated from a facing region (a region where the plasma generating region P) of the cathode unit 3 and the substrate 10 in the sputtering chamber 2. The displacement meters 9 are also arranged in plural in the longitudinal direction in the same manner as the displacement meter 8, and the control section 5 can obtain the distribution in the longitudinal direction of the film thickness of the film formed on the substrate 10 and use it for the control of the applied potential of the adhesion preventing plate 4. For example, by adjusting the applied potentials of the adhesion preventing plates 4 divided in length based on the acquired film thickness distribution of the substrate 10, the spatial potential distribution around the target 30 is adjusted in the length direction to adjust the film formation rate in the length direction, and feedback control for making the film thickness uniform in the length direction can be performed.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the applied potential of the adhesion preventing plate 4 divided in the longitudinal direction can be controlled based on either (i) the surface shape of the target 30 or (ii) the film thickness distribution of the film formed on the substrate 10 along the longitudinal direction of the target 30. According to the present embodiment, when the film formation process is performed in a plurality of steps by reciprocating and transporting the substrate 10 in the sputtering chamber 2 a plurality of times, the target material can be efficiently consumed and the film can be formed on the substrate 10 with high accuracy.

The control of the applied potential of the adhesion preventing plate 4 can be performed by various methods. For example, the method of controlling the applied potentials of both the pair of

adhesion preventing plates

4A and 4B is not limited to the method, and for example, the applied potential of at least one of them may be controlled, and the applied potential of the other may be fixed without changing. Alternatively, a potential may be applied only to one adhesion preventing plate 4A, and no potential may be applied to the other adhesion preventing plate 4B. Further, the control is not limited to the control in which the potential difference is provided between the anti-adhesion plates 4 corresponding to the both ends in the longitudinal direction by changing (raising) the applied potential value of the anti-adhesion plate 4 corresponding to the center in the longitudinal direction. The control may be such that a potential difference is provided between the anti-sticking plates 4 corresponding to the longitudinal center by changing (decreasing) the applied potential values of the anti-sticking plates 4 corresponding to the longitudinal ends. In addition, it is also possible to store past control information such as a change in the film thickness distribution of the film formed on the substrate 10, a change in the length distribution of the surface shape of the target 30, and the applied potential value at that time in advance, and to set the applied potential value based on the information. The applied potential value may be controlled to be a constant value during the film formation process, or may be variably controlled during the film formation process.

< modification example >

Fig. 7 (a) is a schematic view showing the structure of the adhesion preventing member according to modification 1 of the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, only the anti-adhesion plate 4a2 at the center of the length is connected to the power supply 26a2, and potential application control is enabled. The anti-adhesion plates 4a1 and 4A3 at both longitudinal ends may be set to the same potential (ground potential) as the sputtering chamber 2 (chamber). By reducing the number of power supplies compared to example 1 and appropriately controlling the central anti-adhesion plate 4a2, the same effects as in example 1 can be expected.

Fig. 7 (b) is a schematic view showing the structure of the adhesion preventing member according to modification 2 of the present embodiment. As shown in the drawing, the anti-sticking plates 4a1 and 4A3 at both ends of the length are connected to the power supplies 26a1 and 26A3, respectively, and are configured to be capable of individually controlling the potential application. The anti-adhesion plate 4a2 at the center of the length may be set to the same potential (ground potential) as the sputtering chamber 2 (chamber). By controlling the potential application, a potential difference is formed such that the film formation rates at both ends of the length are suppressed as compared with the film formation rate at the center of the length, and thereby the length distribution can be made uniform to the extent that the target material is consumed.

Fig. 7 (c) is a schematic view showing the structure of the adhesion preventing member according to modification 3 of the present embodiment. Only the adhesion preventing plate 4a2 facing the center of the length of the target 30 may be disposed, and no adhesion preventing plate may be disposed at both ends of the length. That is, the adhesion preventing plate is disposed only in a partial region of the surface of the target 30 where the film formation rate (the degree of consumption of the target material) needs to be adjusted by the potential control.

(example 2)

Referring to FIG. 8, a film deposition apparatus 1b according to example 2 of the present invention will be described. In the configuration of embodiment 2, the same components as those of embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of embodiment 1, and the description thereof is omitted. In example 2, the same matters not specifically described here are the same as in example 1. In fig. 8, the same components as those of embodiment 1 are partially omitted from illustration.

As shown in fig. 8, in the film forming apparatus 1b of example 2, the target 30b is a flat plate-like target (planar cathode), and is installed in a wall portion of the sputtering chamber 2 so as to be disposed parallel to (the transfer path of) the substrate 10. The magnet unit 31 is set outside the sputtering chamber 2 so as to face a surface of the target 30b opposite to the surface facing the substrate 10. In such a planar cathode type sputtering apparatus, local consumption of the target 30b may occur in the same manner as in example 1. Specifically, local target material consumption portions where the consumption of the target material is more significant than other portions may occur at both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the plate-shaped target 30b (the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the substrate 10 and the facing direction in which the substrate 10 and the target 30b face each other).

The film formation apparatus 1B of example 2 includes the

adhesion preventing plates

4A and 4B divided in the longitudinal direction of the target 30B, and the

power supplies

26A and 26B for applying a potential to them, as in example 1. Similarly to example 1, by appropriately controlling the applied potential to the

adhesion preventing plates

4A and 4B, the occurrence of local target consumption can be suppressed, and the consumption efficiency of the target material can be improved.

(others)

In the present embodiment, the number of divisions of the adhesion preventing plate 4 in the longitudinal direction is 3, but the division into 4 or more is also possible, and the length of each of the divided adhesion preventing plates 4 in the longitudinal direction is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments and the like, and various combinations can be appropriately adopted.

In the present embodiment, since the flight path of the target particles is structurally uniformly restricted in the longitudinal direction, the heights of the divided adhesion preventing plates 4 (the positions of the upper end portions facing the substrate 10) are the same, but may be different from each other. For example, the height of the adhesion preventing plate 4a2 corresponding to the center of the length of the target 30 among the divided adhesion preventing plates 4 may be set lower than the height of the adhesion preventing plates 4a1 and 4A3 corresponding to the both ends of the length of the target 30. This can increase the film formation rate at the center of the length of the target 30, and can improve the uniformity of the film thickness of the film formed on the substrate 10.

In the present embodiment, the case 32 is configured to include the shaft portions 321 and 322 at both ends in the center axis direction, respectively, but is not limited thereto. The members constituting the shaft portions 321 and 322 and the housing 32 may be detachable. In this case, the housing 32 may be a filler tube of the target 21.

In the present embodiment, the film formation apparatus including 1 cathode unit 3 is exemplified, but the present invention is also applicable to a film formation apparatus including 2 or more cathode units 3.

In the present embodiment, the substrate 10 as the object to be film-formed is disposed above the cathode unit 3, and the film formation is performed in a state where the film formation surface of the substrate 10 is oriented downward in the gravity direction, so-called upward deposition apparatus configuration. The substrate 10 may be disposed below the cathode unit 3, and a film may be formed in a state where the film formation surface of the substrate 10 faces upward in the direction of gravity, that is, in a so-called downward deposition apparatus configuration. Alternatively, the film formation may be performed in a state where the substrate 10 stands vertically, that is, in a state where the film formation surface of the substrate 10 is parallel to the gravity direction.

In the present embodiment, the cathode unit 3 is fixed in the sputtering chamber 2 and the substrate 10 is moved relative to the cathode unit 3, but the present invention is not limited to the above configuration. For example, the cathode unit 3 may be configured to move relative to the fixed (stationary) substrate 10 in the sputtering chamber 2, or both may be configured to move relative to each other.

In the embodiments and the modifications described above, the respective configurations may be combined with each other as much as possible.

Claims

1. A film forming apparatus includes:

a chamber in which a film formation object and a target are arranged; and

a magnetic field generating mechanism disposed in the chamber at a position facing the object to be film-formed with the target interposed therebetween,

the film forming apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a plurality of conductive members arranged in a row along a longitudinal direction of the target; and

a potential applying mechanism that applies a potential to at least one of the plurality of conductive members so as to make potentials of at least two of the plurality of conductive members different.

2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the plurality of conductive members includes at least three conductive members arranged in a row along a longitudinal direction of the target.

3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2,

the potential applying mechanism applies a potential such that a potential of the conductive member corresponding to a central portion of the target among the plurality of conductive members is higher than potentials of the conductive members corresponding to both ends of the target.

4. A film forming apparatus includes:

a chamber in which a film formation object and a target are arranged; and

the film forming apparatus is characterized by comprising:

a conductive member that is opposed to the target in a region of a part of a surface of the target in a longitudinal direction; and

a potential applying mechanism that applies a potential to the conductive member.

5. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4,

the partial region is a portion that is offset from both longitudinal ends of the surface of the target.

6. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5,

the partial region is a central portion in a longitudinal direction of the surface of the target.

7. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4,

the partial region is at least one of both ends of the surface of the target in the longitudinal direction.

8. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the film forming apparatus includes:

a surface shape measuring mechanism that measures a surface shape of the target; and

and a control unit that controls the potential applied by the potential applying unit based on the surface shape of the target measured by the surface shape measuring unit.

9. The film forming apparatus according to claim 8,

the surface shape measuring means measures the surface shape of a portion of the target that does not face the object to be film-formed.

10. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the film forming apparatus includes:

a film thickness distribution measuring unit that measures a film thickness distribution of a film formed on the object to be film-formed; and

and a control unit that controls the potential applied by the potential applying unit based on the film thickness distribution of the film measured by the film thickness distribution measuring unit.

11. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the conductive member constitutes an adhesion preventing member.

12. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the target is cylindrical, and the film forming apparatus further includes a rotating mechanism for rotating the target.

13. The film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

the film forming apparatus includes a plurality of cathode units in the chamber, the cathode units include the magnetic field generating mechanism and the target, and the magnetic field generating mechanism is disposed inside the target.

14. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising a sputtering film formation step of disposing a film formation object in a chamber and depositing sputtering particles flying from a target disposed to face the film formation object to form a film,

the sputtering film formation step is a step of forming a film in a state in which a spatial potential distribution around the target in a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the target is different between a central portion and an end portion of the target.

15. The method of manufacturing an electronic device according to claim 14,

the sputtering film formation step is a step of forming a film in a state in which a spatial potential distribution around the target in a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the target is made different between a central portion and an end portion of the target by applying a potential to a conductive member disposed around the target.

16. The method of manufacturing an electronic device according to claim 15,

a plurality of the conductive members are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the target,

in the sputtering film formation step, a potential is applied to at least one of the plurality of conductive members so that potentials of at least two of the plurality of conductive members are different from each other.

17. The method of manufacturing an electronic device according to claim 15,

the conductive member is disposed at a central portion in a longitudinal direction of the target.

18. The method of manufacturing an electronic device according to claim 16,

the conductive members are disposed at both ends of the target in the longitudinal direction.