JP2002117595A - Sputtering system and optical information recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent film deposition on a substrate holder and a disk substrate conveying trouble by reliably detecting the existence/non-existence of a disk substrate at the time of depositing a film by sputtering in a sputtering system for producing an optical information recording medium. SOLUTION: A plurality of substrate holders 1 in the sputtering system are respectively provided with an optical sensor 28 for detecting the substrate and an optical fiber 31, the existence/non-existence of the disk substrate 10 on each substrate holder 1 is detected, and when the disk substrate 10 exists, a film depositing operation by sputtering is performed. A control system monitors the existence/non-existence of the disk substrate 10 on each substrate holder 1 from loading by the disk substrate up to unloading of the disk substrate, and when a disk substrate loading request is different from the information of the disk substrate on the substrate holder and when the information of the existence of the disk substrate 10 is lost by the time when the disk substrate is unloaded in the substrate holder 1 where the disk substrate is detected to be loaded, the operation of the sputtering system is immediately stopped and information on the substrate holder 1 is notified to an operator.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an optical disk medium (CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, D
VD-R, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, DVD-RA
The present invention relates to a sputtering apparatus for producing an optical information recording medium such as M) and an optical information recording medium manufactured by the apparatus, and particularly to a structure of a substrate holder for holding a substrate on which a film is to be formed during sputtering film formation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, in a technique proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-140643, malfunction of a sputtering apparatus is prevented by reliably detecting a transparent substrate such as an optical disk medium in the sputtering apparatus. In order to prevent this, the production efficiency of the optical disk media production line is improved. Further, as an apparatus for forming a thin film on an optical disk substrate, there has been proposed a film forming apparatus characterized in that at least a part of a back surface of a thin film forming portion of the optical disk substrate is formed in close contact with a substrate holder.

[0003] In various optical disk media, a process of forming a reflective layer, a recording layer, a dielectric layer, or a protective layer by a sputtering apparatus is indispensable. In a sputtering apparatus, a method of detecting a disk substrate by an optical sensor when the disk substrate is input is generally used to manage the loading of the disk substrate into the sputtering apparatus.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a disk substrate 10 is held by a sputter substrate holder holder 29 via an inner peripheral mask 3 and the like, and the disk substrate 10 is spun by the expansion and contraction rotation of a sputter substrate input arm 30. For example, a method of installing the substrate detection optical sensor 28 on the surface of the sputter substrate insertion machine holder 29 and managing the input disk substrate 10 is adopted. Normally,
On the basis of the input disk substrate information, an interlock function is provided for sputter deposition in each chamber, and management is performed such that deposition is performed in the sputtering chamber only when the disk substrate 10 is disposed.

[0005]

However, in the above-mentioned method, since only the disk substrate arrangement information before input to the sputtering device can be managed, the disk substrate falls off during the input of the disk substrate, and the disk substrate in the sputtering device is lost. If the board is dropped or a board is misdetected during loading,
A discrepancy occurs between the actual disk substrate arrangement status and the information managed by the sputtering apparatus.

[0006] The inconsistency of the information causes a problem that a sputter film is formed without the disk substrate or a sputter film is not formed despite the presence of the disk substrate. In particular, in the former case, a film-forming material is deposited on the surface of the substrate holder, and this deposited layer causes flakes. This flake is
It is highly likely to adhere to the back surface of the disk substrate, which is a factor that greatly reduces the quality of the optical disk. In the latter case, the disc substrate is not carried out due to a lack of disc substrate information, the next lot of disc substrates is carried in, and two substrates are stacked on the same substrate holder. Occurs, causing troubles in the transport system.

In the case of sputtering film formation on a thin substrate such as a DVD substrate, the present applicant has proposed a method in which the back surface of a disk substrate is brought into close contact with a substrate holder in order to reduce substrate deformation. Also in this method, film deposition and flake generation on the surface of the substrate holder as described above cause scratches on the back surface of the disk substrate, and cause a serious quality deterioration.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent a film deposition on a substrate holder by real-time detection of a disk substrate in a corresponding chamber during sputtering film formation in a sputtering apparatus for producing an optical information recording medium. The purpose is to prevent substrate transport trouble.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, in a sputtering apparatus according to the present invention, any one of a reflective layer, a recording layer, a protective layer, a dielectric layer, etc., In a sputtering apparatus for manufacturing an optical information recording medium laminated with a combination of at least two layers, a substrate holder for holding a disk substrate during the film formation and a substrate detection mechanism provided on the substrate holder are provided.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 shows an example of a schematic top view of a general single-wafer sputtering apparatus for multilayer film formation to which the present invention can be applied.
6, reference numeral 41 denotes a substrate loading / unloading chamber, 42 denotes a film forming chamber (1), 43 denotes a film forming chamber (2), 44 denotes a film forming chamber (3), 4
5 is a film forming chamber (4), 46 is a film forming chamber (5), 47 is a film forming chamber (6), 48 is a film forming chamber (7), 1 is a plurality of substrate holders,
Reference numeral 49 denotes a rotating shaft to which the plurality of substrate holders 1 are attached, 5
0 is an arm. In the present embodiment, the sputter apparatus having the above configuration will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.

The sputter apparatus according to the present invention is characterized by the structure of the substrate holder mechanism as the above-described substrate detection mechanism. FIG. 1 shows a central sectional view of the substrate holder mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 1 is a substrate holder, 3 is an inner peripheral mask, 4 is a magnet, 10
Is a disk substrate, 28 is an optical sensor for detecting a substrate, and 31 is an optical fiber. It should be noted that this drawing is shown in a simplified manner. Naturally, in the actual configuration, other components such as the outer peripheral mask are added. Further, the fixing mechanism of the inner peripheral mask 3 is not limited to this.

Next, the operation will be described. 6 using the substrate holder 1 provided with the optical sensor 28 for detecting a substrate.
The disk substrate 10 is continuously charged by the sputtering apparatus described above to form a sputter film. In the substrate loading / unloading chamber 41, after the presence or absence of the substrate to be unloaded from the corresponding substrate holder 1 is confirmed by the substrate detection optical sensor 28, a substrate unloading request is issued to the post-process, and the substrate is unloaded. The disk substrate is loaded according to the loading substrate request, and after the substrate detection optical sensor 28 confirms that the substrate has been loaded into the corresponding substrate holder 1, the disk substrate 10 is transported to the film forming chamber (1).

Each of the film forming chambers (1) to (7) 42 to 48
In the above, after the substrate holder 1 is moved to the position where the sputter film is formed, the substrate detection optical sensor 28
The presence or absence of 0 is checked, and only when the disk substrate 10 is present, sputter deposition is performed under predetermined conditions.

The presence or absence of the disk substrate 10 on each substrate holder 1 from the loading of the disk substrate to the unloading is constantly monitored by the control system of the sputtering apparatus, and the disk substrate loading request differs from the disk substrate information on the corresponding substrate holder 1. In the case, and when the presence information of the disk substrate 10 is lost before the disk substrate is unloaded in the substrate holder 1 that has detected the loading of the disk substrate, the operation of the sputtering apparatus is immediately stopped, and the information on the corresponding substrate holder 1 is sent to the operator. It is possible to report.

Further, as shown in FIG.
And a sputter power supply line 27 connecting the sputter cathode 4 and the sputter cathode 26.
In addition to the sputter power supply control line 3, an interlock mechanism for interrupting the sputter power supply line by the circuit breaker 25 was added only when the disk substrate 10 was not placed in the corresponding substrate holder 1. This makes it possible to reliably prevent film deposition on the surface of the substrate holder even when the sputter power supply is manually operated in an irregular production trial or the like.

By the above-described operation using the substrate holder 1 according to the present embodiment, the arrangement state of the disk substrate in the sputtering apparatus can be reliably grasped, and film deposition on the substrate holder 1 can be completely eliminated. This prevents the occurrence of flakes caused by film deposition on the substrate holder surface,
Deterioration of the quality of the optical disk due to the deposited film and flakes can be eliminated.

Further, it is possible to immediately detect an abnormality such as a disc substrate falling off during the operation of the sputtering apparatus, and to completely prevent a trouble such as the pinching of the dropped substrate in the movable moving portion which may have a great influence on the transporting system. Can be dispelled.

In this embodiment, one substrate detecting optical sensor 28 is provided at a position of a disk substrate radius of 40 mm. However, a plurality of substrate detecting optical sensors 28 can be provided. The substrate detection sensor may be disposed at any location as long as it can detect the disk substrate.

FIG. 2 is a central sectional view of a substrate holder mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, 1
Is a substrate holder, 3 is an inner peripheral mask, 4 is a magnet, 10 is a disk substrate, 20 is a substrate detection switch, and 21 is a substrate detection circuit. It should be noted that this drawing is shown in a simplified manner. Naturally, in the actual configuration, other components such as the outer peripheral mask are added. Also, the fixing mechanism of the inner peripheral mask is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, a substrate detection switch 20 which is pushed by the disk substrate 10 when the disk substrate is disposed is disposed on the substrate holder 1, and the substrate detection switch 20 is disposed when the substrate is disposed as shown in FIG. Is pressed so that the board detection switch 21 is released when the board is not arranged, as shown in FIG. 2 (c).

Considering the damage to the back surface of the disk substrate,
The board detection switch 21 is provided at a position in contact with a portion of the disk board 10 other than the information recording area. In the present embodiment, the position of the board detection switch 20 is set to the position directly below the inner peripheral mask 3, but is not limited to this.
For example, the same operation can be performed on the outer peripheral mask side. The operation using the substrate holder 1 is similar to that of the first embodiment, and the same operation and effect can be obtained.

FIG. 3 is a central sectional view of a substrate holder mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, 1
Is a substrate holder, 3 is an inner peripheral mask, 4 is a magnet, 10 is a disk substrate, 20 is a substrate detection switch, and 21 is a substrate detection circuit. It should be noted that this drawing is shown in a simplified manner. Naturally, in the actual configuration, other components such as the outer peripheral mask are added. Further, the fixing mechanism of the inner peripheral mask 3 is not limited to this.

In the present embodiment, when the inner (or outer) mask 3 is set on the substrate holder 1 when there is no disk substrate 10, as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3C, when the disk substrate 10 is arranged, a substrate detection switch 20 that is not pressed is provided at a portion other than the disk substrate installation surface of the substrate holder 1, and the presence or absence of the disk substrate 10 is determined. on/
It is designed to switch off.

In the present embodiment, the position of the board detection switch 20 is set to a position immediately below the inner peripheral mask 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the same operation can be performed on the outer peripheral mask side. The operation when the substrate holder 1 is used is similar to that of the first embodiment, and similar operations and effects can be obtained.

FIG. 4 is a central sectional view of a substrate holder mechanism according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, 1
Is a substrate holder, 3 is an inner peripheral mask, 4 is a magnet, 10 is a disk substrate, 20 is a substrate detection switch, 20 is a substrate detection circuit, and 22 is an insulating member. In this case, the substrate detection switch 21 uses a conductive member. It should be noted that this drawing is shown in a simplified manner. Naturally, other components such as an outer peripheral mask are added in an actual configuration. Further, the fixing mechanism of the inner peripheral mask 3 is not limited to this.

In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral mask 3 or the outer peripheral mask and the substrate holder 1 are made of a conductive material, and then, when the disk substrate is not disposed, the inner peripheral mask 3 or the outer peripheral mask is in contact with the inner peripheral mask 3 or the outer peripheral mask. Sometimes, a conductive member which is insulated from the mask by the disk substrate 10 and is movable in the substrate attaching / detaching direction is provided on the surface of the substrate holder, and the electrical connection between the conductive member and the mask is detected to thereby detect the disk. The presence or absence of the substrate 10 is detected.

At the time of arranging the substrate, as shown in FIG.
0, and when the substrate is not arranged, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the inner peripheral mask 3 and the substrate detection switch 20 are in contact with each other and are electrically connected. The electrical connection between the inner peripheral mask 3 and the substrate detection switch 20 is determined by the substrate detection circuit 2.
The presence / absence of the substrate can be detected by performing the detection by (1).

In this embodiment, the position of the board detection switch 20 is set to a position immediately below the inner peripheral mask 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the same operation can be performed on the outer peripheral mask side. The operation when the substrate holder 1 is used is similar to that of the first embodiment, and similar operations and effects can be obtained.

[0029]

As described above, claims 1 and 2,
According to the inventions of the third, fifth and sixth aspects, real-time monitoring of the arrangement state of the disk substrates in the sputtering apparatus becomes possible. It is possible to directly control the discharge in the sputter deposition chamber based on the detection information by detecting the presence or absence of the disk substrate, and to perform the desired film formation only when the disk substrate is present in the sputter deposition chamber. By performing the operation, when there is no disk substrate, the operation of stopping the discharge can be reliably performed.

By realizing this operation, film deposition on the surface of the substrate holder can be reliably prevented, flakes generated when a deposited film is formed on the substrate holder can be eliminated, and the quality of the optical information recording medium can be greatly improved. It became possible to improve it.

Further, when loading / unloading the substrate into / from the sputtering apparatus, the presence / absence of a disk substrate on the substrate holder can be detected, and the delivery of the disk substrate can be reliably managed, so that reliable loading / unloading of the substrate can be realized.

By realizing this operation, it is possible to prevent troubles such as a plurality of discs being stacked on the substrate holder beforehand, and to achieve a smooth substrate transfer system.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, it is possible to perform the disk detection according to the invention of claim 3 without affecting the characteristics of the optical information recording medium. Further, according to the invention of claim 8, it has become possible to provide an optical information recording medium having good media signal characteristics.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a substrate holder mechanism in a sputtering apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a substrate holder mechanism in a sputtering apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a substrate holder mechanism in a sputtering apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a substrate holder mechanism in a sputtering apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an interlock mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram showing a branch and leaf sputtering apparatus for multilayer film formation to which the present invention can be applied.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing a substrate holder mechanism in a conventional sputtering apparatus.

[Description of Signs] 1 Substrate holder 3 Inner peripheral mask 10 Disk substrate 20 Substrate detection switch 21 Substrate detection circuit 22 Insulating member 23 Controller 24 Sputter power supply 25 Breaker 28 Substrate detection optical sensor 31 Optical fiber 41 Substrate loading / unloading chamber 42 ~ 48 Deposition chamber 49 Rotation axis 50 Arm

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A sputtering apparatus for manufacturing an optical information recording medium in which any one of a reflective layer, a recording layer, a protective layer, a dielectric layer, or the like, or a combination of two or more of the above-mentioned layer structures is laminated on a disk substrate. 3. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a substrate holder for holding a disk substrate during the film formation; and a substrate detection mechanism provided on the substrate holder. 2. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate detection mechanism is a substrate detection optical sensor provided on a substrate placement surface of the substrate holder. 3. The substrate detection mechanism is a push button switch which is pushed by the disk substrate when the disk substrate is arranged. The push button switch is provided on the surface of the substrate holder, and is turned on / off depending on the presence or absence of the disk substrate. 2. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting is switched. 4. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the push button switch is in contact with a portion of the disk substrate other than the information recording area. 5. When the inner or outer peripheral mask is provided on the substrate holder without the disk substrate, a push button switch which is pressed by any one of the masks and which is not pressed when the disk substrate is arranged is provided. 2. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate detecting mechanism is provided at a portion other than the disk substrate mounting surface of the substrate holder, and is turned on / off depending on the presence or absence of the disk substrate. 6. A substrate holder and an inner or outer peripheral mask provided on the substrate holder are formed of a conductive member, and are in contact with the inner or outer peripheral mask when the disk substrate is not disposed, and when the disk substrate is disposed, A conductive member insulated from the mask by the substrate and movable in the substrate attaching / detaching direction is provided on the surface of the substrate holder, and by detecting an electrical connection state between the conductive member and the mask, the presence or absence of the base is determined. 2. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the substrate detection mechanism for detecting the temperature. 7. A plurality of sputtering film forming chambers are provided,
2. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising management means for individually detecting presence / absence of the disk substrate in each of the sputter deposition chambers and managing discharge in the sputter deposition chamber based on the detection information. . 8. An optical information recording medium produced by the sputtering apparatus according to claim 1.