CN115074680B

CN115074680B - Sputter coating device and equipment and sputter coating assembly thereof

Info

Publication number: CN115074680B
Application number: CN202110269016.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 宗坚
Original assignee: Jiangsu Favored Nanotechnology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Jiangsu Favored Nanotechnology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-03-12
Filing date: 2021-03-12
Publication date: 2023-08-08
Anticipated expiration: 2041-03-12
Also published as: TWI805249B; JP2024510163A; CN115074680A; TW202239996A; WO2022188645A1

Abstract

The invention discloses a sputtering coating device and a sputtering coating assembly, wherein the sputtering coating device is used for bombarding a target material to form a film layer on the surface of a substrate in a sputtering coating mode, and comprises the following components: the reaction cavity is provided with a reaction cavity; the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are arranged in the reaction cavity, the substrate is accommodated in the reaction cavity during sputtering coating, the target material is arranged in the electrode assembly, the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are electrically connected with a radio frequency power supply, and working radio frequency current is provided for the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly through the radio frequency power supply so as to deposit and form a film layer on the surface of the substrate.

Description

Sputter coating device and equipment and sputter coating assembly thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of coating, in particular to a sputtering coating device and equipment and a sputtering coating assembly thereof.

Background

Sputtering is a widely used physical vapor deposition method for preparing surface coatings, which is a technique of bombarding the surface of a target with charged particles in a vacuum chamber, and depositing the bombarded particles on the surface of a substrate to form a coating. Compared with the traditional vacuum evaporation, the sputtering coating has a plurality of advantages, such as strong adhesion between the film layer and the substrate, convenient preparation of high-melting-point substance films, preparation of compound films by reactive sputtering, and the like.

The simplest sputtering coating method is direct current secondary sputtering, which is a method of forming a glow discharge structure by a pair of cathodes and anodes so as to carry out sputtering coating. In the DC secondary sputtering method, a cathode is used as a sputtering target, a substrate to be coated is placed on two electrodes or an anode, and under proper air pressure, a DC high voltage is applied between the two electrodes to enable gas discharge to generate plasma, wherein ions are acted by a cathode electric field to accelerate bombardment of the cathode target, so that target substances are sputtered from the surface and deposited on the surface of the substrate to form a coating. However, the lower plasma density due to the lower efficiency of dc diode discharge results in lower sputter yield and deposition rate. Direct current diode sputtering has been rarely used in practice.

In order to improve the sputtering coating efficiency, the common direct current diode sputtering is improved, a magnet is arranged behind a cathode target, a strong magnetic field with a height of hundreds of gauss or more is formed near the cathode, electrons are restrained near the cathode, the discharge efficiency is greatly improved, and the sputtering rate is greatly improved, so that the method is a well-known direct current magnetron sputtering method. The direct current magnetron sputtering method is widely applied to the preparation of metal, alloy and conductive compound coatings.

However, neither the direct current diode sputtering method nor the direct current magnetron sputtering method can be used for the preparation of the insulating material coating because the insulating material cannot produce discharge as a cathode. In order to be able to produce insulating material coatings using the sputtering effect, it is conceivable to use radio-frequency discharges; and applying radio frequency voltage between the two electrodes, fixing the insulating material target material into a sheet on the radio frequency driving electrode, and placing the substrate to be coated on the two electrodes or the grounding electrode. The radio frequency electric field can penetrate through the insulating material target to discharge between the two poles to generate plasma, and the plasma act on the surface of the insulating material target together to form self-bias, so that the ions are accelerated to bombard the target, and the target substance is sputtered out and deposited on the surface of the substrate to form a coating. This sputtering coating method using radio frequency discharge is called radio frequency sputtering. A typical rf sputtering frequency is 13.56MHz.

Similar to the direct current diode sputtering method, the radio frequency sputtering method also has the problems of lower discharge efficiency, lower plasma density, lower sputtering yield and lower deposition rate. To solve this problem, a seemingly natural solution is to combine the rf discharge with a magnetron cathode, i.e. to apply an rf voltage to the magnetron sputtering target, which is rf magnetron sputtering.

However, rf magnetron sputtering does not achieve as significant deposition efficiency improvement for dc diode sputtering as dc magnetron sputtering. Compared with radio frequency sputtering, the radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposition rate is improved very limited. Typical direct current magnetron sputtering deposition rates are hundreds of nanometers per minute, while typical radio frequency magnetron sputtering deposition rates are only a few nanometers per minute, so that the low deposition rate severely restricts the application of radio frequency magnetron sputtering in industry. The preparation of insulating films in many industries employs alternative means such as chemical vapor deposition to obtain acceptable coating efficiencies, although it is often accompanied by problems of impurities, contamination, etc. More of the rf magnetron sputtering is only being used in basic research without cost.

In fact, careful analysis using plasma physics knowledge may find that rf magnetron sputtering is not a reasonable solution. The presence of a magnetic field near the target causes the electron to gyrate, which suppresses its response to the radio frequency electric field and thus its absorption of radio frequency energy. This reduces ionization on the one hand and the self-biasing effect on the other hand, so that neither the energy nor flux of ions striking the target can be effectively increased. This is why the efficiency of the rf magnetron sputtering deposition cannot be significantly improved.

Disclosure of Invention

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a sputter coating apparatus and device and sputter coating assembly thereof that does not require the formation of a magnetic field to increase the plasma density and avoid electron cyclotron due to the presence of the magnetic field.

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a sputter coating apparatus and device and a sputter coating assembly thereof, which form high-density plasma in a space near a target by cooperation of a discharge coil and an electrode to rapidly form a film layer.

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a sputter coating apparatus and device and sputter coating assembly thereof that is capable of forming a film of an insulating or non-insulating material, that is, a film material of a less limited type.

One advantage of the present invention is to provide a sputter coating apparatus and sputter coating assembly thereof that does not utilize a magnetic field to operate, thereby avoiding spatial non-uniformity created by magnetically confined plasmas and resulting in a more uniform film.

One advantage of the invention is to provide a sputter coating device and apparatus, and sputter coating assembly thereof, wherein the electrode, target and discharge coil have a relatively large mutual coverage area, so that the target is etched uniformly and the target utilization rate is high.

One advantage of the present invention is to provide a sputter coating apparatus and sputter coating assembly thereof that utilizes a dielectric layer to isolate the electrode from the target so that different types of targets can be efficiently deposited on the substrate surface without affecting the deposition efficiency of the targets due to their electrical properties.

It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a sputter coating apparatus and device and sputter coating assembly thereof wherein in one embodiment, the spacer sleeve is utilized to confine the coil discharge area and cause the electrode discharge area and the discharge area of the discharge coil to positively bond and interact with the feed gas.

An advantage of the present invention is to provide a sputter coating apparatus and device and sputter coating assembly thereof wherein the sputter deposition area is located near the electrode and the discharge coil, such as above, below, vertically, diagonally upward or diagonally downward.

It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a sputter coating apparatus and device and sputter coating assembly thereof wherein in one embodiment the deposition area is located in a parallel area of the electrode and coil to facilitate multi-layer or batch coating around the target.

It is an advantage of the present invention to provide a sputter coating apparatus and device and sputter coating assembly thereof wherein in one embodiment, a plurality of sputter deposition areas are formed in parallel to facilitate sputter deposition coating over a large area or in bulk.

To achieve at least one of the above advantages, an aspect of the present invention provides a sputter coating apparatus for bombarding a target to form a film on a surface of a substrate by sputter coating, the sputter coating apparatus comprising:

the reaction cavity is provided with a reaction cavity;

an electrode assembly; and

the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are arranged in the reaction cavity, the substrate is accommodated in the reaction cavity during sputtering coating, the target material is arranged in the electrode assembly, the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are electrically connected to a radio frequency power supply, and working radio frequency current is provided for the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly through the radio frequency power supply so as to deposit and form a film layer on the surface of the substrate.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer is laminated on a discharge side of the discharge electrode, and the target is laminated on the dielectric layer.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode, and the target is directly disposed on a discharge side of the discharge electrode.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the discharge coil assembly is positioned below the electrode assembly, and the substrate is adapted to be positioned below the discharge coil assembly.

The sputter coating apparatus according to one embodiment, wherein the discharge coil assembly includes a coil and an isolation sleeve, the coil being wound around the isolation sleeve.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the isolation sleeve has a first opening, a second opening, and an isolation space, the isolation space is communicated with the outside through the first opening and the second opening, the first opening faces the target, and the second opening faces the substrate.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein one ends of the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are commonly connected to an output terminal of the radio frequency power source, and the other ends of the reaction chamber and the discharge coil assembly are commonly connected to a ground terminal of the radio frequency power source.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the central axis of the discharge coil assembly is perpendicular to the electrode assembly.

The sputter coating apparatus according to one embodiment, wherein the discharge coil assembly includes a coil, the coil being a planar solenoid coil, the coil being disposed at one side of the discharge electrode.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly has an inner space, and the discharge coil assembly is disposed in the inner space.

The sputtering coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly comprises a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer surrounds the discharge electrode, and the target is arranged on the outer side of the dielectric layer.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the discharge coil assembly and the electrode assembly are coaxially disposed.

The sputtering coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the discharge electrode comprises a plurality of electrode units, the plurality of electrode units are annularly arranged to form the inner space, and a gap is arranged between two adjacent electrode units.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein an insulating material is filled in the gap.

The sputter coating device according to one embodiment, wherein the dielectric layer is a continuous cylindrical structure.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a sputter coating apparatus for bombarding a target to form a layer on a substrate surface by means of sputter coating, the sputter coating apparatus comprising:

the reaction cavity is provided with a reaction cavity;

an electrode assembly;

a discharge coil assembly; and

the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are arranged in the reaction cavity of the reaction cavity, the target material is arranged in the electrode assembly, the substrate is contained in the reaction cavity during sputtering coating, the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are electrically connected to the radio frequency power supply, and working radio frequency current is provided for the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly through the radio frequency power supply so as to deposit a film layer on the surface of the substrate.

The sputter coating apparatus according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer is laminated on a discharge side of the discharge electrode, and the target is laminated on the dielectric layer.

The sputter coating apparatus according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode, and the target is directly disposed on a discharge side of the discharge electrode.

The sputter coating apparatus according to one embodiment, wherein the discharge coil assembly includes a coil, which is a planar solenoid coil, disposed at one side of the electrode assembly.

The sputter coating apparatus according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly has an inner space, and the discharge coil assembly is disposed in the inner space.

The sputter coating apparatus according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer surrounding the discharge electrode, and the target is disposed outside the dielectric layer.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a sputter-coating discharge assembly adapted to be mounted within a reaction chamber for sputter coating a substrate in the reaction chamber, the sputter-coating assembly comprising:

an electrode assembly; and

and the coil is arranged on the electrode assembly during sputtering coating, the coil is arranged on the target, the electrode assembly and the coil are electrically connected with a radio frequency power supply, and the radio frequency power supply supplies working radio frequency current to the electrode assembly and the coil so as to deposit and form a film layer on the surface of the substrate.

The sputtering coating discharge assembly according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly comprises a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer is laminated on the discharge side of the discharge electrode, and the target is laminated on the dielectric layer.

The sputter-coated discharge assembly according to one embodiment, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode, and the target is directly disposed on a discharge side of the discharge electrode.

The sputter-coated discharge assembly according to one embodiment, wherein the coil is a planar solenoid coil, the coil being disposed on one side of the discharge electrode.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a sputter coating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2A-2B are schematic views of relative positions of an electrode assembly and a discharge coil assembly in different implementations of a sputter coating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3A-3B are schematic diagrams of relative positions of a discharge coil assembly and a target in different implementations of a sputter coating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a sputter coating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a multilayer holder of a sputter coating device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a sputter coating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a sputter coating apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a sputter coating device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description is presented to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. The preferred embodiments in the following description are by way of example only and other obvious variations will occur to those skilled in the art. The basic principles of the invention defined in the following description may be applied to other embodiments, variations, modifications, equivalents, and other technical solutions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in the present disclosure, the terms "longitudinal," "transverse," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," etc. refer to an orientation or positional relationship based on that shown in the drawings, which is merely for convenience of description and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the apparatus or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore the above terms should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

It will be understood that the terms "a" and "an" should be interpreted as referring to "at least one" or "one or more," i.e., in one embodiment, the number of elements may be one, while in another embodiment, the number of elements may be plural, and the term "a" should not be interpreted as limiting the number.

References to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "example embodiment," "various embodiments," "some embodiments," etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, some embodiments may have some, all, or none of the features described for other embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a sputter coating apparatus 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2A-2B are schematic views of relative positions of an electrode assembly and a discharge coil assembly in different implementations of a sputter coating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3A-3B are schematic diagrams of relative positions of a discharge coil assembly and a target in different implementations of a sputter coating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1, the present invention provides a sputter coating apparatus 1, where the sputter coating apparatus 1 bombards a surface of a target 200 with energetic particles, so that the bombarded particles deposit on a surface of a substrate 100 to form a coating or film. That is, the sputter coating device 1 forms a thin film on the surface or a predetermined position of the substrate 100 using the principle of a sputter coating process.

The sputter coating device 1 is suitable for forming an insulating film layer or a non-insulating film layer by means of sputter coating, for example but not limited to, a coating layer formed of a metal, an alloy, a conductive compound, and an insulating coating raw material for example but not limited to: silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, boron nitride, and diamond-like carbon; conductive coatings are exemplified by, but not limited to: titanium nitride, chromium nitride, indium tin oxide, yttrium barium copper oxide, the target 200 is exemplified by, but not limited to, silicon, aluminum, titanium, chromium, graphite, boron nitride, indium tin oxide, yttrium barium copper oxide.

The sputter coating device 1 includes a reaction chamber 10, an electrode assembly 20 and a discharge coil assembly 30. The reaction chamber 10 has a reaction chamber 101, and the reaction chamber 101 is used for providing a working space for sputtering coating. At the time of sputter coating, the target 200 and the substrate 100 are accommodated in the reaction chamber 101, and the target 200 is mounted to the electrode assembly 20. The electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 are disposed in the reaction chamber 101 of the reaction chamber 10 so as to perform sputter coating by the cooperative discharge of the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30. Preferably, the reaction chamber 10 is a metal chamber to accommodate the discharge of the electrode assembly 20.

The reaction chamber 101 of the reaction chamber 10 is adapted to be filled with a reaction material, a plasma source gas or other auxiliary materials such as an inert gas required for coating. That is, at the time of sputter coating, the material constituting the target 200 and the reactive gas raw material introduced are co-deposited to form a film layer.

The electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 of the sputter coating device 1 can be electrically connected to a radio frequency power source 40, and the radio frequency power source 40 provides an operating radio frequency current to the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30. In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 are commonly connected to one of the rf power sources 40, that is, the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 share a power source, or are connected in parallel, which has a uniform operating potential. In another embodiment of the present invention, the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 may be electrically connected to two independent rf power sources 40, respectively, that is, the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 may be controlled independently of each other. When the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 are independently controlled, the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 may be controlled by two different frequency power sources, for example, the discharge coil assembly 30 is loaded with high frequency 13.56MHz-60MHz, and the electrode assembly 20 is loaded with low frequency 300kHz-13.56MHz, thereby preventing mutual interference between the two power sources. Preferably, the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 share a power source, and when the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 share the power source, there is no need to control a mutual synchronization problem between the power sources, and no mutual interference occurs.

It should be noted that the rf power source 40 may be a component included in the sputter coating device 1, or may be a separate device, such as a device directly purchased to cooperate with the sputter coating device 1, and the present invention is not limited in this respect. The radio frequency power supply 40 and the sputter coating device 1 form a sputter coating device. The rf power source 40 may be directly mounted to the sputter coating device 1 or may be independently configured.

In one embodiment of the present invention, one ends of the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 are commonly connected to an output terminal of the rf power source 40, and the other ends of the reaction chamber 10 and the discharge coil assembly 30 are commonly connected to a ground terminal of the rf power source 40.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sputter coating device 1 can be connected to a feeding device for feeding a reactive gas raw material or a plasma source, etc. into the reaction chamber 101 of the reaction chamber 10. The reaction chamber 10 can be connected to an air pumping device for pumping out the gas in the reaction chamber 101 of the reaction chamber 10 to maintain the reaction chamber 101 of the reaction chamber 10 within a predetermined air pressure range.

The electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 cooperate with each other to form a sputter coating assembly. The sputter coating assembly is disposed within the reaction chamber 101, and the sputter coating assembly is adapted to be connected to the rf power source 40 to sputter coat the surface of the substrate.

The electrode assembly 20 includes a discharge electrode 21 and a dielectric layer 22, the dielectric layer 22 being disposed on the discharge electrode 21. The target 200 is adapted to be connected to the dielectric layer 22. That is, the dielectric layer 22 is disposed between the discharge electrode 21 and the target 200, or the dielectric layer 22 separates the discharge electrode 21 and the target 200. Further, the dielectric layer 22 and the target 200 are disposed on the discharge side of the discharge electrode 21.

It should be noted that, when the target 200 is made of a metal material, if the target 200 is directly disposed on the discharge electrode 21, the target 200 is conducted on the discharge electrode 21 and becomes a direct discharge part instead of the excited target 200, so that the sputtering process cannot be performed, and the dielectric layer 22 is disposed to isolate the metal type or conductive type target 200 from the discharge electrode 21, so that the target 200 is located at a position closer to the discharge electrode 21 but not directly conducted with the electrode, thereby enabling the discharge electrode 21 to perform a better discharge effect.

The dielectric layer 22 is used for blocking the plasma and forming a conductive current between the discharge electrode 21, so that the surface of the target 200 generates a self-bias voltage, and high-efficiency sputtering is realized. Considering the combination of pressure resistance, heat transfer and capacitive coupling efficiency, the dielectric layer 22 material may be selected from: alumina, zirconia, boron nitride, quartz, mica, polytetrafluoroethylene. Preferably, the dielectric layer 22 has a thickness of 0.2-2mm. When the target 200 is a conductive material, the dielectric layer 22 is indispensable; when the target 200 is made of an insulating material, the target itself may also function as the dielectric layer 22, and the dielectric layer 22 may be omitted.

The target 200 is replaceably mounted to the dielectric layer 22, i.e. different types of targets 200 can be replaced according to the type of coating required.

In one embodiment of the invention, the discharge electrode 21 is a planar electrode, i.e. the discharge electrode 21 has a planar structure or the discharge region of the discharge electrode 21 has a planar position. Further, in operation, the discharge electrode 21 forms a discharge region below, and the discharge region covers the target 200.

In one embodiment of the invention, the dielectric layer 22 is arranged in a stack on the discharge electrode 21, i.e. the dielectric layer 22 is also a planar plate-type material.

The target 200 is laminated on the dielectric layer 22, and the target 200 is a planar plate material. That is, the discharge electrode 21, the dielectric layer 22, and the target 200 are sequentially stacked.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the discharge electrode 21, the dielectric layer 22 and the target 200 are laminated and fixed by a fixing element, and the fixing element is, for example but not limited to, clamping and pressing.

The discharge coil assembly 30 is disposed in the vicinity of the electrode assembly 20 at a position where the discharge region of the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge region of the discharge coil assembly 30 can be reinforced with each other. Preferably, in one embodiment of the present invention, the discharge coil assembly 30 is disposed below the electrode assembly 20, in which the discharge area of the discharge coil and the discharge area of the electrode assembly 20 are in a more positive overlap area, which is advantageous for enhancing the excitation effect on the target 200. In another embodiment of the present invention, the discharge coil assembly 30 may be disposed at the circumferential side of the electrode assembly 20, such as to be offset from each other or to be wound under. Fig. 2A, 2B are schematic diagrams of relative positions in different embodiments of an electrode assembly 20 and a discharge coil assembly 30 of a sputter coating device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

At the time of plating, the base 100 is disposed at a position below or near the discharge coil assembly 30. Further, the substrate 100 is disposed in a discharge region where the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil assembly 30 cooperate, or the substrate 100 is disposed in a region where the discharge region of the electrode assembly 20 coincides with the discharge region of the discharge coil assembly 30, so that the target 200 can be cooperatively acted upon by the rf discharge action of the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge action of the discharge coil assembly 30, thereby efficiently exciting atoms of the target 200 and rapidly forming a high-density plasma, i.e., a film layer on the surface of the substrate 100.

The discharge coil assembly 30 includes a coil 31 and an isolation sleeve 32, and the coil 31 is spirally wound around the isolation sleeve 32. Preferably, the spacer sleeve 32 is formed of an insulating material, such as a ceramic material. The isolation sleeve 32 restricts and isolates the inner and outer spaces of the isolation sleeve 32. The discharge coil assembly 30 is disposed substantially vertically below the discharge electrode 21. In other words, the central axis of the coil 31 is perpendicular to the electrode assembly 20.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the isolation sleeve 32 has a first opening 3201, a second opening 3202, and an isolation space 3203, wherein the first opening 3201 and the second opening 3202 are located on opposite sides, and the isolation space 3203 is respectively communicated with the outside through the first opening 3201 and the second opening 3202. The first opening 3201 is opposite to the electrode assembly 20, that is, a discharge region of the electrode assembly 20 faces the inside of the separation space 3203. In other words, the isolation sleeve 32 isolates, confines, and encloses the discharge region of the electrode assembly 20 within the isolation space 3203.

The spacer sleeve 32 provides a winding attachment location for the coil 31 while restraining a discharge area. In the isolation space 3203, a discharge region of the electrode assembly 20 and a discharge region of the coil 31 overlap. In other words, in operation, both the discharge action of the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge action of the coil 31 are generated in the isolation space 3203.

The base body 100 faces the second opening 3202, or the base body 100 is disposed near the second opening 3202. Further, the base 100 is disposed adjacent to the lower portion of the second opening 3202.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the spacer sleeve 32 is a cylindrical shape extending in a straight line, and the positions of the electrode assembly 20, the target 200, the spacer sleeve 32, and the coil 31 are set in a gravitational direction or arranged in a vertical direction. The sputter deposition area is located near the electrode and the discharge coil, such as above, below, vertically, diagonally upward, or diagonally downward.

In other embodiments of the present invention, the electrode assembly 20, the discharge coil assembly 30, and the base 100 may be disposed in a staggered manner.

Fig. 2A, 2B are schematic diagrams of the relative positions of the discharge coil assembly 30 and the target 200 in different implementations of the sputter coating apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, referring to fig. 1, the base 100 is disposed under the discharge coil, or the base 100 is disposed under the second opening 3202. Referring to fig. 2A, at least two of the discharge coil assemblies 30 are disposed at staggered positions, such as surrounding positions or symmetrically distributed, below the electrode assemblies 20. Referring to fig. 2B, at least two of the discharge coil assemblies 30 are disposed under the electrode assembly 20. In another embodiment, referring to fig. 3A, the base 100 is disposed at a laterally lower position of the discharge coil assembly 30. Referring to fig. 3B, a plurality of the substrates 100 are wound under the discharge coil assembly 30.

It should be noted that fig. 1, fig. 2A-2B and fig. 3A-3B illustrate the relative positional relationship between the discharge assembly and the discharge coil assembly 30, and the different embodiments of the discharge coil assembly 30 and the target 200, respectively, and in other embodiments of the present invention, the positional relationship among the discharge electrode 21, the coil 31 and the target 200 may be a combination of the above arrangements or other arrangement relationships, without departing from the basic interaction principle of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited in this respect.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the discharge electrode 21 and the coil 31 are connected to a water cooling device to avoid overheating of the discharge electrode 21 and the coil 31. A shielding layer is arranged on the periphery of the coil 31 to prevent the coil 31 from discharging.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the overall assembly mode of the sputter coating device 1 is as follows:

the rf power source 40 is installed outside the reaction chamber 10, and the discharge electrode 21, the dielectric layer 22, the target 200, the coil 31, and the isolation sleeve 32 are installed inside the reaction chamber 10. The dielectric layer 22 and the target 200 are sequentially installed below the discharge electrode 21. The isolation sleeve 32 is installed at a position below the target 200, and the coil 31 is wound outside the isolation sleeve 32. One end of the electrode and one end of the coil 31 are commonly connected to an output end of the rf power source 40 outside the reaction chamber 10. The other ends of the reaction chamber 10 and the coil 31 are commonly connected to the ground of the rf power source 40. The substrate 100 is disposed below the coil 31 and is placed facing the target 200 at a distance from the target 200, so that the sputtered atoms of the target 200 deposit on the surface of the substrate 100 to form a thin film.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the coating operation of the sputter coating device 1 is as follows:

during sputter coating, the reaction chamber 10 is vacuumized, filled with inert gas and reaction gas, and the radio frequency power supply 40 is started, on the one hand, the radio frequency current in the coil 31 induces discharge in the space inside the isolation sleeve 32, which is close to the target 200, to generate high-density plasma; on the other hand, the radio frequency voltage on the electrode and the plasma in the space near the target 200 work together to generate self-bias voltage on the surface of the target 200, so that the ions of the plasma are accelerated to bombard the target 200, the atoms of the target 200 are sputtered outwards to fly out, and the sputtered atoms of the target 200 are deposited on the surface of the substrate 100 positioned below to form a film.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a sputter coating device 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the electrode assembly 20 of the sputter coating device 1 has an inner space 201, and the discharge coil assembly 30 is disposed in the inner space 201. In other words, the electrode assembly 20 is enclosed outside the coil 31 assembly.

Further, the coil 31 is located inside the discharge electrode 21, the target 200 is located outside the discharge electrode 21, and the substrate 100 is adapted to be disposed in a space outside the target 200.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the coil 31 is a solenoid coil, and the coil 31 as a whole is disposed substantially parallel to the discharge electrode 21, by way of example and not limitation. The coil 31 and the discharge electrode 21 are both disposed in the vertical direction, i.e., in the gravitational direction. In another embodiment of the present invention, the coil 31 is a spiral coil, the coil 31 is disposed generally perpendicular to the discharge electrode 21 as a whole, for example, the discharge electrode 21 is disposed in a gravitational direction or a vertical direction, the coil 31 is disposed in a horizontal direction, or the discharge electrode 21 is disposed in a horizontal direction, and the coil 31 is disposed in a gravitational direction or a vertical direction.

The discharge electrode 21 includes a plurality of plate units surrounding the inner space 201 in isolation. In one embodiment of the present invention, a gap is provided between two adjacent pole plate units, and the gap isolates the two pole plate units from the eddy current induced in the discharge electrode 21 by the coil 31. In one embodiment of the invention, the gap is filled with an insulating material, avoiding that the coil 31 induces eddy currents in the discharge electrode 21. Adjacent two pole plate units are electrically connected through a wire.

Further, the dielectric layer 22 surrounds the discharge electrode 21. Accordingly, the dielectric layer 22 is disposed outside the discharge electrode 21 in a continuous annular structure.

In one embodiment, the target 200 is provided in a continuous loop shape, that is, the shape of the target 200 generally conforms to the shape of the dielectric layer 22. In another embodiment, the targets 200 are configured to conform to the shape of the pole plate units, such as elongated, spaced apart from the dielectric layer 22.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the discharge electrode 21, the dielectric layer 22 and the target 200 are sequentially coupled together from inside to outside, the coil 31 is mounted in the inner space 201 of the electrode assembly 20, and the coil 31 is disposed coaxially with the discharge electrode 21. The inner space 201 located inside the dielectric layer 22 is isolated from the reaction chamber 101 of the reaction chamber 10.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the sputter coating device 1 includes a set of sealing caps 23, wherein the set of sealing caps 23 are respectively disposed at two ends of the electrode assembly 20 in a sealing manner, preferably, two ends of the dielectric layer 22 protrude from the discharge electrode 21, and the set of sealing caps 23 are connected to two ends of the dielectric layer 22.

It should be noted that the inner space 201 of the discharge electrode 21 is sealed from the reaction chamber 101, so that the inner space 201 can be filled with a heat dissipating material or a heat dissipating liquid to dissipate heat generated during the operation of the coil 31. When the film plating work is performed, the inner space of the dielectric layer 22 is isolated from the reaction cavity 101, and the inner space 201 does not need to be vacuumized, so that the coil 31 is prevented from discharging inside; on the other hand, the inner space of the dielectric layer 22 is cooled by a cooling air flow to cool the discharge electrode 21 and the coil 31 therein so as to avoid overheating.

When the target 200 is made of a conductive material, the discharge electrode 21 is formed by a plurality of separated electrode units, and the gaps extending along the axial direction are arranged between two adjacent electrode units; when the target 200 is an insulating material, the discharge electrode 21 may be a cylindrical shape surrounded by the electrode units of a plate shape.

The substrate 100 is disposed outside the target 200, that is, the substrate 100 may be disposed around the cylindrical electrode assembly, that is, a large-sized coating space may be formed, thereby facilitating batch or large-area coating.

In one embodiment of the present invention, referring to fig. 5, the sputter coating device 1 includes a multi-layered support 50, and the multi-layered support 50 surrounds the outside of the electrode assembly 20. A plurality of the substrates 100 can be placed on the multi-layered stent 50. That is, the plating may be performed at different heights in the peripheral space outside the electrode assembly 20.

the rf power source 40 is installed outside the reaction chamber 10, and the discharge electrode 21, the dielectric layer 22, the target 200, the coil 31, and the isolation sleeve 32 are installed inside the reaction chamber 10. The electrode units in the shape of a plurality of cylindrical plates are enclosed into a cylinder, axial gaps or insulating materials are reserved among the cylindrical plates for filling, and the cylindrical plates are communicated by leads. The dielectric layer 22 is a complete cylinder. When the target 200 is made of conductive material, a plurality of cylindrical plates form a cylinder, axial gaps are reserved among the cylindrical plates, and when the target 200 is made of insulating material, the plurality of cylindrical plates form a cylinder, or a complete cylinder.

The discharge electrode 21, the dielectric layer 22 and the target 200 are sequentially sleeved from inside to outside. The coil 31 is installed inside the discharge electrode 21 coaxially with the discharge electrode 21; the internal space of the dielectric layer 22 is isolated from the reaction chamber 101, and no vacuum is drawn. One end of the discharge electrode 21 and one end of the coil 31 are commonly connected to an output end of the rf power source 40 outside the reaction chamber 10; the other ends of the reaction chamber 10 and the coil 31 are commonly connected to the ground of the rf power source 40. The substrate 100 is disposed outside the target 200 and is disposed facing the target 200 at a certain distance from the target 200, so that the sputtered atoms of the target 200 are deposited on the surface of the substrate 100 to form a thin film.

during sputtering coating, the reaction cavity 10 is vacuumized, filled with inert gas and reaction gas, and the radio frequency power supply 40 is started, on the one hand, the radio frequency current in the coil 31 induces discharge on the outer side of the target 200 to generate high-density plasma; on the other hand, the rf voltage on the discharge electrode 21 and the plasma in the space near the target 200 act together to generate a self-bias voltage on the surface of the target 200, so that the ions of the accelerated plasma bombard the target 200, and the atoms of the target 200 are sputtered to fly outwards, so that the sputtered atoms of the target 200 are deposited on the surface of the substrate 100 to form a thin film.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a sputter coating device 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment of the present invention, unlike the first embodiment, the sputter coating device 1 includes two sets of electrode assemblies 20 and discharge coil assemblies 30, each of which works cooperatively to increase the overall coating area.

Further, two sets of the electrode assemblies 20 and the discharge coil assemblies 30 are disposed in parallel. That is, one ends of the two sets of electrode assemblies 20 are commonly connected to the output terminal of the rf power source 40, one ends of the two sets of discharge coil assemblies 30 are respectively connected to the output terminal of the rf power source 40, the reaction chamber 10 is connected to the ground terminal of the rf power source 40, and the other ends of the two sets of discharge coil assemblies 30 are connected to the ground terminal of the rf power source 40.

Further, the two targets 200 of the two sets of electrode assemblies 20 are arranged in a coplanar and close relationship, and the two coils 31 of the two discharge coil assemblies 30 are wound in opposite directions to reduce the series inductance.

In this embodiment of the present invention, two sets of the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil are described as an example in parallel, and in other embodiments of the present invention, further sets of the electrode assembly 20 and the discharge coil may be included, which are horizontally expanded in a similar manner, and the coils 31 adjacent to each other are wound in opposite directions.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a sputter coating device 1 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment of the present invention, unlike the first embodiment described above, the dielectric layer 22 is not provided under the discharge electrode 21. That is, the target 200 is disposed directly under the discharge electrode 21. This embodiment is suitable for insulating material coating.

Similar variations are possible in the second embodiment described above, eliminating the dielectric layer 22 for insulating material coating.

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of a sputter coating device 1 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment of the invention, the discharge coil assembly 30 includes a coil 31, the coil 31 being a planar solenoid. The planar spiral coil is directly disposed at one side of the discharge electrode 21. Still further, the coil 31 is detachably fixed to the non-discharge side of the discharge electrode 21, in other words, the target 200 and the coil 31 are located on both sides of the discharge electrode 21, respectively.

Further, the discharge electrode 21 includes a plate unit, and a plurality of the plate units are provided in isolation. In one embodiment of the present invention, a gap is provided between two adjacent pole plate units, and the gap isolates the two pole plate units from the eddy current induced in the discharge electrode 21 by the coil 31. In one embodiment of the invention, the gap is filled with an insulating material, avoiding that the coil 31 induces eddy currents in the discharge electrode 21. Adjacent two pole plate units are electrically connected through a wire.

It should be noted that in this embodiment of the present invention, the discharge electrode 21 assembly 20 and the coil 31 are integrally disposed to form a single, movable assembly that is easily and integrally installed in different operating positions, avoiding providing additional installation conditions for the coil 31.

The electrode assembly 20 and the coil 31 of the discharge coil assembly 30 are matched with each other to form a sputter coating assembly. The sputter coating assembly is disposed within the reaction chamber 101, and the sputter coating assembly is adapted to be connected to the rf power source 40 to sputter coat the surface of the substrate.

As can be integrally understood from the above embodiments, the technical solution of the present invention has numerous advantages over the sputtering coating method in the prior art:

in principle, no magnetic field needs to be formed to improve the plasma density, and electron cyclotron caused by the existence of the magnetic field is avoided.

A high-density plasma is formed in a space near the target by the cooperation of the discharge coil and the electrode to rapidly form a film layer.

A film of insulating or non-insulating material can be formed, that is to say the type of film material is less limited;

the magnetic field is not utilized to work, so that the spatial non-uniformity generated by magnetic confinement plasma is avoided, and the formed film layer is more uniform.

The electrode, the target and the discharge coil have larger mutual coverage area, so that the target is uniformly etched and the utilization rate of the target is high.

The dielectric layer is used for isolating the electrode and the target, so that targets of different types can be efficiently deposited on the surface of the substrate, and the deposition efficiency of the targets cannot be influenced due to the electrical property of the targets.

And restraining the discharge area of the coil by using the isolating sleeve, and enabling the electrode discharge area to be directly deposited on the surface of the substrate after being positively combined with the discharge area of the discharge coil.

In one embodiment, the sputter deposition area is located below the electrode and the discharge coil, planarly coated in the direction of gravity.

In one embodiment, the deposition area is located in a parallel region of the electrode and coil to facilitate multi-layer or batch coating around the target.

In one embodiment, a plurality of sputter deposition areas are formed in parallel to facilitate sputter deposition plating over a large area or in bulk.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention described above and shown in the drawings are by way of example only and are not limiting. The objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively achieved. The functional and structural principles of the present invention have been shown and described in the examples and embodiments of the invention may be modified or practiced without departing from the principles described.

Claims

1. The sputtering coating device is used for bombarding a target material to form a film layer on the surface of a substrate in a sputtering coating mode, and is characterized by comprising the following components:

the reaction cavity is provided with a reaction cavity;

an electrode assembly; and

the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are arranged in the reaction cavity, the substrate is accommodated in the reaction cavity during sputtering coating, the target material is arranged on the electrode assembly, the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are electrically connected to a radio frequency power supply, and working radio frequency current is provided for the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly through the radio frequency power supply so as to deposit and form a film layer on the surface of the substrate;

the radio frequency current in the discharge coil assembly induces discharge in a space close to the target to generate high-density plasma, the radio frequency voltage on the electrode assembly and the plasma in the space close to the target act together to generate self-bias voltage on the surface of the target, and ions of the plasma are accelerated to bombard the target.

2. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly comprises a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer being laminated on a discharge side of the discharge electrode, the target being laminated on the dielectric layer.

3. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode, the target being disposed directly on a discharge side of the discharge electrode.

4. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the discharge coil assembly is positioned below the electrode assembly, the substrate being adapted to be positioned below the discharge coil assembly.

5. The sputter coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said discharge coil assembly comprises a coil and an isolation sleeve, said coil being wound around said isolation sleeve.

6. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 5, wherein the spacer sleeve has a first opening, a second opening, and a spacer space, the spacer space being in communication with the outside through the first opening and the second opening, the first opening being oriented toward the target, the second opening being oriented toward the substrate.

7. The sputter coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein one end of the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are commonly connected to an output terminal of the radio frequency power source, and the other ends of the reaction chamber and the discharge coil assembly are commonly connected to a ground terminal of the radio frequency power source.

8. The sputter coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a central axis of said discharge coil assembly is perpendicular to said electrode assembly.

9. A sputter coating apparatus according to any one of claims 2 or 3, wherein said discharge electrode assembly, said discharge coil assembly and said base are arranged in a vertical direction.

10. The sputter coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said discharge coil assembly comprises a coil, said coil being a planar solenoid coil, said coil being disposed at one side of said electrode assembly.

11. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrode assembly has an inner space, and the discharge coil assembly is disposed in the inner space.

12. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer surrounding the discharge electrode, the target being disposed outside the dielectric layer.

13. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 11, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode, the target being disposed directly on a discharge side of the discharge electrode.

14. The sputter coating device according to any one of claims 12 to 13, wherein said discharge coil assembly and said electrode assembly are coaxially arranged.

15. The sputter coating device according to any one of claims 12 to 13, wherein said discharge electrode comprises a plurality of electrode units, said plurality of electrode units being annularly arranged to form said inner space, a gap being provided between adjacent two of said electrode units.

16. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 15, wherein an insulating material is filled in the gap.

17. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 12, wherein the dielectric layer is a continuous cylindrical structure.

18. The sputtering coating device is used for bombarding a target material to form a film layer on the surface of a substrate in a sputtering coating mode, and is characterized by comprising the following components:

the reaction cavity is provided with a reaction cavity;

an electrode assembly;

a discharge coil assembly; and

the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are arranged in the reaction cavity of the reaction cavity, the target material is arranged in the electrode assembly, the substrate is contained in the reaction cavity during sputtering coating, the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly are electrically connected to the radio frequency power supply, and working radio frequency current is provided for the electrode assembly and the discharge coil assembly through the radio frequency power supply so as to deposit a film layer on the surface of the substrate;

19. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electrode assembly comprises a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer being laminated on a discharge side of the discharge electrode, the target being laminated on the dielectric layer.

20. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode, the target being disposed directly on a discharge side of the discharge electrode.

21. The sputter coating apparatus of any one of claims 18-20, wherein the discharge coil assembly comprises a coil and an isolation sleeve, the coil being wound around the isolation sleeve.

22. The sputter coating apparatus of any one of claims 18-20, wherein said discharge coil assembly comprises a coil, said coil being a planar solenoid, said coil being disposed on a side of said electrode assembly.

23. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electrode assembly has an inner space, the discharge coil assembly being disposed in the inner space.

24. The sputter coating apparatus of claim 23, wherein the electrode assembly comprises a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer surrounding the discharge electrode, the target being disposed outside the dielectric layer.

25. A sputter-coating discharge assembly adapted to be mounted within a reaction chamber for sputter coating a substrate in the reaction chamber, the sputter-coating assembly comprising:

an electrode assembly; and

a coil, a target is set on the electrode assembly, the coil is set on the target, the electrode assembly and the coil are connected with a radio frequency power supply, the radio frequency power supply provides working radio frequency current for the electrode assembly and the coil to deposit a film layer on the surface of the substrate;

the radio frequency current in the coil induces discharge in a space close to the target to generate high-density plasma, the radio frequency voltage on the electrode assembly and the plasma in the space near the target act together to generate self-bias voltage on the surface of the target, and ions of the plasma are accelerated to bombard the target.

26. The sputter coated discharge assembly of claim 25 wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode and a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer being laminated to a discharge side of the discharge electrode, the target being laminated to the dielectric layer.

27. The sputter coated discharge assembly of claim 25 wherein the electrode assembly includes a discharge electrode, the target being disposed directly on a discharge side of the discharge electrode.

28. The sputter coated discharge assembly of any one of claims 26-27 wherein the coil is a planar solenoid, the coil being disposed on a side of the discharge electrode.