CN115354284A

CN115354284A - Rotating cathode and target base distance online adjusting method

Info

Publication number: CN115354284A
Application number: CN202210840044.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王随心; 刘刚; 成秋云; 雷睿
Original assignee: Hunan Red Sun Photoelectricity Science and Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Hunan Red Sun Photoelectricity Science and Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-07-15
Filing date: 2022-07-15
Publication date: 2022-11-18

Abstract

The invention discloses a rotating cathode and an on-line target base distance adjusting method, wherein the rotating cathode comprises the following components: the device comprises a cathode cavity bottom plate, a target, a transmission module, a first end and a second end; the transmission module is arranged on the cathode cavity bottom plate and penetrates through the cathode cavity bottom plate to extend into the vacuum cavity; the target is positioned in the vacuum cavity, and two ends of the target are respectively connected with the transmission module through a first end and a second end; under the drive of the transmission module, the target material is driven to reciprocate in the vacuum cavity along the vertical direction. The invention realizes the on-line adjustment of the target base distance on the basis of the rotary cathode. The invention has the advantages of compact structure, simple operation, accurate adjustment, good sealing performance and the like, the coating equipment does not need to be restored to the normal pressure state from the vacuum state in the adjustment process of the target base distance, and the requirement on the professional skill of an operator is lower.

Description

Rotating cathode and target base distance online adjusting method

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the technical field of magnetron sputtering equipment, and particularly relates to a rotary cathode and a target-base distance online adjusting method.

Background

Vacuum coating, also known as thin film deposition, is a vacuum process that applies a very thin and stable coating layer to the surface of a substrate to perform some function. In recent years, with the updating of the process route, the revival and development of sputter coating have been actively applied in the technical field of vacuum coating as a new film preparation technique which is popular. Sputtering is a phenomenon in which atoms and molecules on the surface of a target material are scattered from the surface of the target material after the atoms and molecules exchange kinetic energy with incident particles by bombarding the surface of the target material with high-energy particles (usually positive ions accelerated by an electric field). The sputtered atoms (or radicals) have energy, and they can be re-deposited and condensed on the surface of the substrate to form a film, which is called sputtering coating. The rotary cathode is used as the most critical part in the sputtering coating equipment, and is widely applied to various industries due to the high utilization rate of the target material. According to different target materials and film properties, the distance between the target material and the substrate (target base distance) needs to be adjusted so as to obtain the film with optimal performance parameters.

The conventional method for adjusting the target base distance of the rotary cathode mainly comprises the following steps:

(1) the film coating equipment is shut down, and gas is filled into the vacuum cavity to recover the normal pressure state;

(2) separating the cathode cavity bottom plate and the rotary cathode together with the vacuum cavity, and placing and fixing the cathode cavity bottom plate and the rotary cathode on a support frame;

(3) dismantling the target and the magnetic rod;

(4) removing the screw for fixing the end head and taking down the end head;

(5) removing the screw and taking down the cushion block;

(6) a new cushion block is replaced and fixed by a screw;

(7) installing an end head and fixing the end head by using a screw;

(8) performing coaxiality correction on the end;

(9) adjusting the tensioning degree of the synchronous belt;

the rotary cathode part at r is electrically tested, and if there is no abnormality, the adjustment process is finished.

The above-mentioned rotary cathode target base distance regulating method mainly has the following disadvantages:

(1) Because the rotary cathode is separated from the vacuum cavity, the coating equipment needs to be shut down and recovered to the normal pressure state, and the subsequent vacuum recovery time is longer, so that the start-up rate of the equipment is seriously influenced;

(2) As can be seen from the target base distance adjusting step, the replacing step is more and complicated;

(3) It can be seen from the foregoing step of adjusting the target base distance that many of the operation steps need to be performed by a professional technician, such as detaching the target material from the magnetic rod, and aligning the coaxiality of the ends;

(4) Because the cushion block needs to be replaced, the seal ring is disassembled and assembled, and the vacuum performance of the equipment can be seriously influenced if the seal surface is not wiped clean or the seal ring is not installed in place.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a rotary cathode with compact structure, simple operation, accurate adjustment and good tightness and an on-line target base distance adjusting method.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention adopts the following technical scheme:

a rotating cathode, comprising: the device comprises a cathode cavity bottom plate, a target, a transmission module, a first end and a second end; the transmission module is arranged on the cathode cavity bottom plate and penetrates through the cathode cavity bottom plate to extend into the vacuum cavity; the target is positioned in the vacuum cavity, and two ends of the target are respectively connected with the transmission module through a first end and a second end; under the drive of the transmission module, the target material is driven to reciprocate in the vacuum cavity along the vertical direction.

As a further improvement of the present invention, the transmission module comprises a first lead screw assembly, a second lead screw assembly and a driving assembly; the first lead screw assembly is in transmission connection with the second lead screw assembly through a synchronous belt, and the fixed end of the first lead screw assembly is fixedly connected with the first end; the rotating end of the second lead screw assembly is connected with the output end of the driving assembly, and the fixed end of the second lead screw assembly is fixedly connected with the second end; under the drive of the driving assembly, the first screw rod assembly and the second screw rod assembly respectively drive the first end and the second end to reciprocate along the vertical direction, so that the target material can reciprocate in the vacuum cavity along the vertical direction.

As a further improvement of the invention, corrugated pipes are respectively arranged between the first end and the cathode cavity bottom plate and between the second end and the cathode cavity bottom plate, the fixed end of the first lead screw assembly penetrates through the corrugated pipes to be fixedly connected with the first end, and the fixed end of the second lead screw assembly penetrates through the corrugated pipes to be connected with the second end.

As a further improvement of the invention, both ends of the corrugated pipe are connected with the bottom plate and the end head of the cathode cavity through screw assemblies, and both ends of the corrugated pipe are provided with sealing elements.

As a further improvement of the invention, the cathode structure also comprises a first adjusting seat and a first fixed seat which are arranged in the corrugated pipe, wherein the top end of the first adjusting seat is arranged on the bottom plate of the cathode cavity, the bottom end of the first adjusting seat is fixedly connected with the first fixed seat, and the first fixed seat is fixedly connected with the first end; the fixed end of the first lead screw assembly penetrates through the first adjusting seat and the first fixing seat and then is fixedly connected with the first end.

As a further improvement of the invention, the first adjusting seat is arranged on the bottom plate of the cathode cavity through an adjusting screw, and the first fixed seat is fixedly connected with the first end head through a fixing screw.

As a further improvement of the invention, the device also comprises a second adjusting seat and a second fixed seat which are arranged in the corrugated pipe, wherein the top end of the second adjusting seat is arranged on the bottom plate of the cathode cavity, the bottom end of the second adjusting seat is fixedly connected with the second fixed seat, and the second fixed seat is fixedly connected with the first end; and the fixed end of the second lead screw component passes through the second adjusting seat and the second fixing seat and then is fixedly connected with the second end.

As a further improvement of the invention, the second adjusting seat is mounted on the cathode cavity bottom plate through an adjusting screw, and the second fixing seat is fixedly connected with the second end through a fixing screw.

As a general technical concept, the present invention also provides an on-line target base distance adjusting method based on the above-mentioned rotating cathode, comprising the steps of:

s1, respectively loosening adjusting screws connected with a first adjusting seat and a second adjusting seat;

s2, powering on the driving assembly, controlling the driving assembly to rotate by a control program so as to realize synchronous lifting of the first lead screw assembly and the second lead screw assembly along the vertical direction, further driving the target material to lift in the vacuum cavity, and powering off the driving assembly after the target base distance between the target material and the substrate is adjusted to a required distance;

s3, screwing the adjusting screw to enable the first adjusting seat and the second adjusting seat to be fixed on the cathode cavity bottom plate, and bearing the weight of the cathode through the adjusting seat and the fixing seat, so that the online adjustment of the target base distance is completed.

As a further improvement of the present invention, in the step S2, the control program is a PLC control program or a DCS control program.

Compared with the prior art, the invention has the advantages that:

1. according to the rotary cathode, the transmission module is arranged on the bottom plate of the cathode cavity and penetrates through the bottom plate of the cathode cavity to extend into the vacuum cavity, the transmission module is connected with two ends of a target, reciprocating lifting motion of the target in the vacuum cavity along the vertical direction is realized under the driving of the transmission module, so that the distance between the target and a substrate is adjusted, the coating equipment is not required to be stopped and restored to a normal pressure state, the target is not required to be separated from the vacuum cavity, and the accuracy of adjusting the target base distance is effectively ensured; furthermore, the end of the target is sealed by the metal corrugated pipe in the vacuum cavity, so that the coating equipment is always in a vacuum state, the time for recovering the vacuum of the equipment after the target base distance is adjusted is short, and the influence on the effective running time of the equipment is small.

2. According to the online adjusting method for the target-base distance, the first screw rod assembly and the second screw rod assembly are controlled to move up and down through the control program, the target is driven to lift up and down, the distance between the target and the substrate is further changed, the target does not need to be detached, the target-base distance can be quickly and conveniently adjusted to the preset distance, the adjusting steps are few, the method is simple and easy to implement, and the labor intensity of operators is greatly reduced; furthermore, the adjustment process does not involve the disassembly and assembly of the sealing element, the vacuum performance of the coating equipment is not affected, the coating equipment can be quickly restored to the process state, and the production efficiency of the coating equipment is effectively improved.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a rotary cathode of the present invention before adjusting the target base distance.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of the structure at a in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure at B in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the structure of the rotary cathode of the present invention after adjusting the target base distance.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of the on-line adjustment of the target base distance in the present invention.

Illustration of the drawings: 1. a cathode cavity floor; 2. a vacuum chamber; 3. a target material; 4. a substrate; 5. a transmission module; 51. a first lead screw assembly; 52. a second lead screw assembly; 53. a drive assembly; 6. an adjusting screw; 7. a bellows; 71. a seal member; 8. a first adjusting seat; 9. a first fixed seat; 10. a set screw; 11. a first end head; 12. a second adjustment seat; 13. a second fixed seat; 14. a second end.

Detailed Description

The invention is further described below with reference to the drawings and specific preferred embodiments of the description, without thereby limiting the scope of protection of the invention.

Examples

As shown in fig. 1 to 4, the rotary cathode of the present invention includes: the cathode cavity bottom plate 1, the target 3, the transmission module 5, the first end 11 and the second end 14. The transmission module 5 is arranged on the cathode cavity bottom plate 1 and penetrates through the cathode cavity bottom plate 1 to extend into the vacuum cavity 2. The target 3 is positioned in the vacuum cavity 2, and two ends of the target 3 are respectively connected with the transmission module 5 through a first end 11 and a second end 14; further, the target 3 is cylindrical, a bar-shaped magnetic bar is arranged inside the target 3, and the first end 11 and the second end 14 are respectively clamped at two ends of the target 3. Under the drive of the transmission module 5, the target 3 performs reciprocating lifting motion in the vacuum cavity 2 along the vertical direction, and then the distance between the target 3 and the substrate 4 is adjusted. It is understood that a motor, a speed reducer, an encoder, and the like are also provided to drive and control the rotation of the target 3.

In this embodiment, install on negative pole chamber bottom plate 1 through with transmission module 5, and pass negative pole chamber bottom plate 1 and stretch into in the vacuum chamber 2, be connected transmission module 5 and the both ends of target 3, under transmission module 5's drive, realized target 3 promptly and carry out reciprocating motion along vertical direction in vacuum chamber 2, and then realized the interval between target 3 and the substrate 4 and adjusted, neither need shut down the coating equipment and resume to the ordinary pressure state, also need not separate target 3 and vacuum chamber 2, and the precision of target base distance regulation has still effectively been ensured.

As shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, the transmission module 5 includes a first lead screw assembly 51, a second lead screw assembly 52 and a driving assembly 53. The first lead screw assembly 51 and the second lead screw assembly 52 are in transmission connection through a synchronous belt (not shown in the figure), and a fixed end of the first lead screw assembly 51 is fixedly connected with the first end 11. The rotating end of the second lead screw assembly 52 is connected with the output end of the driving assembly 53, and the fixed end of the second lead screw assembly 52 is fixedly connected with the second end 14. Under the driving of the driving assembly 53, the first lead screw assembly 51 and the second lead screw assembly 52 respectively drive the first end 11 and the second end 14 to reciprocate along the vertical direction, so as to realize the reciprocating lifting motion of the target 3 along the vertical direction in the vacuum chamber 2.

It is understood that the driving assembly 53 may specifically adopt a driving motor, and a handwheel may be provided to provide the driving force by manpower. The transmission module 5 can also be arranged in a belt transmission or chain transmission mode, so long as the first end head 11 and the second end head 14 can be driven to stably move along the vertical direction, the target 3 can be lifted and lowered in the vacuum cavity 2 in a reciprocating manner along the vertical direction, and the purpose of accurately adjusting the target base distance can be achieved.

As shown in fig. 2 and fig. 3, in this embodiment, the corrugated pipes 7 are disposed between the first end 11 and the cathode cavity bottom plate 1 and between the second end 14 and the cathode cavity bottom plate 1, and a fixed end of the first lead screw assembly 51 passes through the corrugated pipe 7 and is fixedly connected to the first end 11, and a fixed end of the second lead screw assembly 52 passes through the corrugated pipe 7 and is connected to the second end 14.

Further, the corrugated pipe 7 is made of a metal material, two ends of the corrugated pipe 7 are detachably connected with the cathode cavity bottom plate 1, the first end 11 and the second end 14 through screw assemblies, and two ends of the corrugated pipe 7 are provided with sealing pieces 71. Inside the vacuum cavity 2, the end of the target material is sealed by the metal corrugated pipe, so that the coating equipment is always in a vacuum state, the time for recovering the vacuum of the equipment after the target base distance is adjusted is short, and the influence on the effective operation time of the equipment is small.

As shown in fig. 2, in this embodiment, the cathode structure further includes a first adjusting seat 8 and a first fixing seat 9 disposed inside the bellows 7, the top end of the first adjusting seat 8 is mounted on the cathode cavity bottom plate 1, the bottom end of the first adjusting seat 8 is welded to the first fixing seat 9, and the first fixing seat 9 is fixedly connected to the first end 1. The fixed end of the first screw component 51 passes through the inside of the first adjusting base 8 and the first fixing base 9 and then is fixedly connected with the first end 11, and the first screw component 51, the first adjusting base 8 and the first fixing base 9 are coaxially mounted to improve the transmission stability.

Further, a first adjusting seat 8 is mounted on the cathode cavity bottom plate 1 through an adjusting screw 6, and a first fixing seat 9 is fixedly connected with a first end 11 through a fixing screw 10. In the process of adjusting the target base distance, the first adjusting seat 8 performs lifting motion, and the corrugated pipe 7 extends or contracts along with the lifting motion.

As shown in fig. 3, in this embodiment, the cathode structure further includes a second adjusting seat 12 and a second fixing seat 13 disposed inside the corrugated tube 7, a top end of the second adjusting seat 12 is mounted on the cathode cavity bottom plate 1, a bottom end of the second adjusting seat 12 is welded to the second fixing seat 13, and the second fixing seat 13 is fixedly connected to the first end 11. The fixed end of the second screw component 52 passes through the inside of the second adjusting base 12 and the second fixing base 13 and then is fixedly connected with the second end 14, and the second screw component 52, the second adjusting base 12 and the second fixing base 13 are coaxially mounted to improve the transmission stability.

Further, a second adjusting seat 12 is mounted on the cathode cavity bottom plate 1 through an adjusting screw 6, and a second fixing seat 13 is fixedly connected with a second end 14 through a fixing screw 10. During the process of adjusting the target base distance, the second adjusting seat 12 performs lifting movement, and the bellows 7 performs extension or contraction accordingly.

As shown in fig. 5, this embodiment also discloses an on-line target base distance adjusting method based on the above-mentioned rotating cathode, which includes the following steps:

s1, respectively loosening the parallel nuts on the adjusting screws 6 connected with the first adjusting seat 8 and the second adjusting seat 12. As shown in fig. 1, the distance between the target 3 and the substrate 4 before the adjustment is d1.

S2, the driving assembly 53 is powered on, the driving assembly 53 is controlled by a control program to rotate so as to realize synchronous lifting of the first lead screw assembly 51 and the second lead screw assembly 52 along the vertical direction, the target 3 is driven to lift in the vacuum cavity 2, and after the target base distance between the target 3 and the substrate 4 is adjusted to a required distance, the driving assembly 53 is powered off.

S3, screwing the adjusting screw 6 to enable the first adjusting seat 8 and the second adjusting seat 12 to be fixed on the cathode cavity bottom plate 1, and bearing the weight of the cathode through the adjusting seats and the fixing seats, so that the online adjustment of the target base distance is completed. As shown in fig. 4, after the adjustment is completed, the distance between the target 3 and the substrate 4 is d2.

Further, in step S2, the control program is a PLC control program or a DCS control program.

In this embodiment, the lifting movement of the first screw assembly 51 and the second screw assembly 52 is controlled by the control program, so as to drive the target 3 to lift, thereby changing the distance between the target 3 and the substrate 4, and the target 3 does not need to be detached, so that the dynamic and accurate adjustment of the target base distance to the preset distance can be quickly and conveniently realized, the adjustment steps are few, the operation is simple and easy, and the labor intensity of operators is greatly reduced. Furthermore, the adjustment process does not involve the disassembly and assembly of the sealing element, the vacuum performance of the coating equipment is not affected, the coating equipment can be quickly restored to the process state, and the production efficiency of the coating equipment is effectively improved.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments, it is not intended to be limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make many variations and modifications to the disclosed embodiments, or equivalent variations, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, using the methods and techniques disclosed above. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent substitutions, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments according to the technical essence of the present invention are within the scope of the technical scheme of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rotating cathode, comprising: the device comprises a cathode cavity bottom plate (1), a target (3), a transmission module (5), a first end (11) and a second end (14); the transmission module (5) is arranged on the cathode cavity bottom plate (1) and penetrates through the cathode cavity bottom plate (1) to extend into the vacuum cavity (2); the target (3) is positioned in the vacuum cavity (2), and two ends of the target (3) are respectively connected with the transmission module (5) through a first end (11) and a second end (14); driven by the transmission module (5), the target (3) is driven to reciprocate in the vacuum cavity (2) along the vertical direction.

2. The rotary cathode according to claim 1, wherein the transmission module (5) comprises a first lead screw assembly (51), a second lead screw assembly (52) and a drive assembly (53); the first lead screw assembly (51) is in transmission connection with the second lead screw assembly (52) through a synchronous belt, and the fixed end of the first lead screw assembly (51) is fixedly connected with the first end (11); the rotating end of the second lead screw component (52) is connected with the output end of the driving component (53), and the fixed end of the second lead screw component (52) is fixedly connected with the second end (14); under the drive of the driving assembly (53), the first lead screw assembly (51) and the second lead screw assembly (52) respectively drive the first end head (11) and the second end head (14) to move in a reciprocating mode along the vertical direction, and therefore the target (3) can move in a reciprocating mode in the vacuum cavity (2) along the vertical direction.

3. The rotating cathode according to claim 2, wherein corrugated pipes (7) are respectively arranged between the first end head (11) and the cathode cavity bottom plate (1) and between the second end head (14) and the cathode cavity bottom plate (1), and a fixed end of the first lead screw assembly (51) passes through the corrugated pipe (7) to be fixedly connected with the first end head (11), and a fixed end of the second lead screw assembly (52) passes through the corrugated pipe (7) to be connected with the second end head (14).

4. A rotating cathode according to claim 3, characterized in that both ends of the bellows (7) are connected to the cathode chamber bottom plate (1) and to the end by means of screw assemblies, and that both ends of the bellows (7) are provided with a seal (71).

5. The rotating cathode according to claim 3, further comprising a first adjusting seat (8) and a first fixing seat (9) disposed inside the corrugated tube (7), wherein the top end of the first adjusting seat (8) is mounted on the cathode cavity bottom plate (1), the bottom end of the first adjusting seat (8) is fixedly connected to the first fixing seat (9), and the first fixing seat (9) is fixedly connected to the first end (11); the fixed end of the first lead screw component (51) penetrates through the first adjusting seat (8) and the first fixing seat (9) and then is fixedly connected with the first end (11).

6. The rotating cathode according to claim 5, wherein the first adjusting seat (8) is mounted on the cathode cavity base plate (1) by an adjusting screw (6), and the first fixing seat (9) is fixedly connected with the first end head (11) by a fixing screw (10).

7. The rotating cathode according to claim 3, further comprising a second adjusting seat (12) and a second fixing seat (13) disposed inside the corrugated tube (7), wherein the top end of the second adjusting seat (12) is mounted on the cathode cavity bottom plate (1), the bottom end of the second adjusting seat (12) is fixedly connected to the second fixing seat (13), and the second fixing seat (13) is fixedly connected to the first end (11); the fixed end of the second lead screw component (52) penetrates through the second adjusting seat (12) and the second fixing seat (13) and then is fixedly connected with the second end (14).

8. The rotating cathode according to claim 7, wherein the second adjusting seat (12) is mounted on the cathode cavity base plate (1) by an adjusting screw (6), and the second fixing seat (13) is fixedly connected with the second end head (14) by a fixing screw (10).

9. An on-line target base distance adjusting method based on the rotary cathode of any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by comprising the following steps:

s1, respectively loosening an adjusting screw (6) connected with a first adjusting seat (8) and a second adjusting seat (12);

s2, powering on a driving assembly (53), controlling the driving assembly (53) to rotate by a control program so as to realize synchronous lifting of a first lead screw assembly (51) and a second lead screw assembly (52) along the vertical direction, further driving a target (3) to lift in the vacuum cavity (2), and powering off the driving assembly (53) after the target base distance between the target (3) and a substrate (4) is adjusted to a preset distance;

s3, screwing an adjusting screw (6) to enable a first adjusting seat (8) and a second adjusting seat (12) to be fixed on the cathode cavity bottom plate (1), and bearing the weight of the cathode through the adjusting seats and the fixing seats, so that the online adjustment of the target base distance is completed.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein in step S2, the control program is a PLC control program or a DCS control program.