JP2003183825A - Apparatus for manufacturing multilayer film, and method and apparatus for manufacturing vertical magnetic recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for manufacturing a multilayer film of high quality, which does not make a mechanism so largely scaled and provides the excellent productivity. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus for manufacturing the multilayer film comprises a film forming chamber 1 for forming the multilayer film by sputtering, a cathode unit 3 having three targets 30, and a main rotation mechanism for rotating each target 30 around a rotation axis coaxial to a circumference tracing center of each target 30, both in the chamber 1. Substrate holders 90 hold two pieces of substrates 9 so as to make the center axis of each substrate 90 perpendicularly intersect with the circumference which traces the center of each target 30. A screening tool 39 and a shielding plate 391 prevent sputtered particles which are emitted from the target 30, from mixing with the sputtered particles from the other target 30. A magnet mechanism 5 for magnetron discharge is arranged behind each target 30, and revolves together with the target 30 by the action of the main rotation mechanism, while rotating around the center axis of the target 30 by the action of a secondary rotation mechanism. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-layer film forming apparatus for forming a multi-layer film on a surface of a substrate by sputtering, and more particularly to a multi-layer film forming apparatus preferably used for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The formation of a predetermined thin film on the surface of a substrate is performed by electronic devices such as LSI (Large Scale Integrated Circuit), LC.
It is widely used in the manufacture of various products including display devices such as D (liquid crystal display) and recording media such as magnetic recording disks. For forming such a thin film, sputtering is often used because a high quality thin film can be formed at high speed. In forming a thin film by such sputtering, a desired multilayer film may be formed in order to satisfy the function of the product. For example, in manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, a base film is formed on a substrate, and a magnetic film is laminated as a magnetic recording layer on the base film. The magnetic film is not limited to one kind, and several different magnetic films are often laminated.

In a multilayer film forming apparatus for forming such a multilayer film, there are roughly two patterns in the structure of a chamber in which a thin film is formed (hereinafter referred to as a film forming chamber). One is a structure in which a multilayer film is formed in one film forming chamber. In this case, there are a plurality of targets in one film forming chamber, and the substrate is sequentially transported to a position facing each target. The other is a configuration in which as many film forming chambers as the thin films are stacked so that each thin film is formed in a dedicated film forming chamber. The substrate is sequentially transferred to each film forming chamber to form a film.

[0004]

In the former single-chamber configuration, there is a problem of mutual contamination of the targets. That is, when a thin film of a certain layer is formed, sputtered particles (particles emitted from the target by sputtering, usually atoms) from a target that forms a thin film of another layer may reach the substrate. . For this reason, there is a problem that the quality of the thin film of each layer is likely to deteriorate. Although the latter multi-chamber configuration does not have such a problem, since it takes time for the substrate to move between the film forming chambers, the surface of the formed thin film may be oxidized to form a contaminated layer. is there. Particularly, in the production of a magnetic recording medium such as a perpendicular magnetic recording medium, there are cases where about 20 magnetic films are laminated. In the case of depositing a large number of layers in this way,
Since the number of times of movement between the film formation chambers increases, the possibility that a contamination layer is formed at the interface increases.

Further, in the multi-chamber system, since the film formation chambers are provided by the number of thin films, the mechanism for transferring the substrate through each film formation chamber becomes large, and the time is required for the transfer, so that the productivity is remarkably lowered. However, there is a problem that the area occupied by the device becomes large. When it is necessary to stack a large number of layers such as when manufacturing a magnetic recording medium such as a perpendicular magnetic recording medium, a multi-chamber method is adopted, and a large number of film formation chambers are continuously connected according to the number of layers. Must be done, and the occupying area of the device is remarkably increased.
Moreover, in each film forming chamber, the film forming conditions such as pressure and gas flow rate must be accurately controlled, and in order to operate the device with the required reliability, it is a very complicated and large-scale system. I will end up.

On the other hand, even in the former single chamber system, the substrate needs to be moved in the film forming chamber. Therefore, when the number of thin films to be laminated is large, the mechanism for the movement becomes large and the movement is required. There is a problem that time exerts pressure on productivity. The invention of the present application was made in order to solve such a problem, and is an apparatus capable of forming a high-quality multilayer film, which is not so large in mechanism and excellent in productivity. There is a technical significance to provide.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is a multilayer film forming apparatus for forming a multilayer film on a surface of a substrate by sputtering, wherein at least one substrate is provided. A substrate holder for holding, a film forming chamber in which a multilayer film is formed inside the substrate held by the substrate holder by sputtering, and a plurality of cathodes each provided with a target and provided in the film forming chamber. , A target is provided with at least one sputtering power source for applying a voltage to the cathode to generate a sputtering discharge, and a main rotation mechanism for integrally rotating each target, and the targets are arranged on a circle having their central axes. And the main rotation mechanism rotates the respective targets integrally around a rotation axis that is coaxial with the circumference. The substrate holder is for holding the substrate in a predetermined region when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis, and the predetermined region is formed by the loci of two points on the rotating target. One of the two points is closest to the rotation axis, and the other point is farthest from the rotation axis. In addition, in order to solve the above problems,
According to a second aspect of the invention, in the configuration of the first aspect,
The main rotation mechanism has a configuration in which each target is made to stand still during film formation at a position coaxially facing the substrate. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 3 is the structure according to claim 1 or 2,
It has a structure in which a shield for shielding sputter particles emitted from each of the targets from mixing with sputter particles from another target is provided. In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 4 is
The structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a power supply system that introduces power for the sputter discharge is provided to the plurality of targets, and the power supply system supplies power to each target. It has a structure that it is controlled independently. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 5 is the configuration according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a magnet mechanism for converting the sputter discharge into a magnetron discharge is provided, and the main rotation mechanism is The magnet mechanism is integrally rotated with the target. Further, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 6 is the same as that of claim 5.
In the above configuration, the magnet mechanism forms a magnetic field asymmetric with respect to the center axis of the target, and a sub-rotation mechanism that rotates the magnet mechanism around the center axis of the target is provided. It has the configuration. In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 7 is the structure according to claim 6, wherein the sub-rotating mechanism rotates the magnet mechanism by rotational power of the main rotating mechanism. Have. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 8 is the structure according to claim 6, wherein the sub-rotating mechanism rotates the magnet mechanism by a rotational power different from the rotational power of the main rotating mechanism. It has a structure of being made to be. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 9 is the above-mentioned claim 1.
8 to 8, the target and the main rotation mechanism are provided on both sides of the substrate. In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 10 is a perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium which is magnetized in the thickness direction of a magnetic recording layer to record information. The magnetic recording layer is composed of an artificial lattice in which first and second two kinds of thin films are alternately laminated, and a step of forming the first thin film forming the artificial lattice and a step of forming the second thin film. Is a method performed by sputtering in the same film forming chamber, the target for forming the first thin film and the target for forming the second thin film, the same rotation It has a structure including an operation of alternately laminating the first and second two kinds of thin films while rotating integrally about an axis and sequentially facing the substrate. In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 11 is a perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium for recording information by magnetizing in the thickness direction of a magnetic recording layer, The magnetic recording layer is composed of an artificial lattice in which first and second two kinds of thin films are alternately laminated, and the first thin film that constitutes the artificial lattice is created by sputtering, and then by sputtering in the same chamber. The film forming chamber for forming and stacking the second thin film is provided. The film forming chamber has a target for forming the first thin film and a target for forming the second thin film. Target and
It has a configuration in which a main rotation mechanism is provided that integrally rotates about the same rotation axis and sequentially faces the substrate.

[0008]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments (hereinafter, embodiments) of the present invention will be described below. In the following description, a multilayer film forming apparatus used when manufacturing a magnetic recording medium such as a hard disk is assumed. FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of a multilayer film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a film forming chamber 1 provided with an exhaust system 11, a substrate holder 90 for placing a substrate 9 at a predetermined position in the film forming chamber 1, and a cathode unit for generating a sputter discharge. It is mainly composed of 3 etc.

The film forming chamber 1 is an airtight vacuum container and has an opening (not shown) for loading and unloading the substrate 9. This opening is opened and closed by a gate valve (not shown). The film forming chamber 1 is provided therein with a gas introduction system 12 for introducing a gas for sputter discharge.
The gas introduction system 12 introduces a gas such as argon having a high sputtering rate.

The substrate holder 90 holds the substrate 9 in an upright posture. The substrate holder 90 can hold two substrates 9 at the same time. The two substrates 9 are along the same vertical plane and have the same height (that is,
The direction connecting the center points is horizontal). Figure 2
3 and FIG. 3 are views for explaining the configuration of the substrate holder 90 in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 is a schematic front view thereof, and FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic side sectional view. The substrate holder 90 is composed of a holder main body 92 and holding claws 91 provided on the holder main body 92. Six holding claws 91 are provided in total, and three holding claws 91 form a set to hold one substrate 9.

As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate holder 90 in this embodiment has a large number of small magnets (hereinafter, holder magnets) 96 at its lower end. Each holder side magnet 9
6 has magnetic poles on the upper and lower surfaces. As shown in FIG. 2, the holder-side magnets 96 have magnetic poles that are alternately opposite to each other in the arrangement direction. A magnetic coupling roller 81 is provided below the substrate holder 90 with the partition wall 83 interposed therebetween. The magnetic coupling roller 81 is a round bar-shaped member, and
As shown in FIG. 5, the magnet has a long and narrow magnet 82 (hereinafter, roller side magnet) that extends in a spiral shape. Two roller-side magnets 82 are provided with magnetic poles different from each other, and have a double spiral shape.

The magnetic coupling roller 81 includes a roller-side magnet 82.
Are arranged so as to face the holder-side magnet 96 with the partition wall 83 interposed therebetween. The partition wall 83 is formed of a material having a high magnetic permeability, and the holder-side magnet 96 and the roller-side magnet 82 are magnetically coupled through the partition wall 83. The partition wall 83
The space on the substrate holder 90 side of the chamber is on the vacuum side (deposition chamber 1
Of the magnetic coupling roller 81 is the atmosphere side. Such a magnetic coupling roller 81 is provided along the transport line.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the substrate holder 90
Are mounted on a main pulley 84 which rotates about a horizontal axis of rotation. A large number of main pulleys 84 are provided along the moving direction of the substrate holder 90. Further, a pair of sub-pulleys 85, 85 that rotate around a vertical rotation axis are in contact with the lower end portion of the substrate holder 90. The sub pulleys 85, 85 press the lower end portion of the substrate holder 90 so as to sandwich it from both sides to prevent the substrate holder 90 from falling. The sub pulleys 85, 85 are also provided in large numbers in the moving direction of the substrate holder 90. As shown in FIG. 3, a drive rod 86 is connected to the magnetic coupling roller 81 via a bevel gear. A moving motor 87 is connected to the drive rod 86, and the magnetic coupling roller 81 is rotated about its central axis via the drive rod 86.

When the magnetic coupling roller 81 rotates, the double spiral roller-side magnet 82 shown in FIG. 2 also rotates. At this time, when the roller-side magnet 82 is rotated, when viewed from the holder-side magnet 96, a plurality of small magnets having different magnetic poles are alternately arranged in a line and are linearly moved integrally along the direction of the arrangement. It is equivalent to. Therefore, the holder-side magnet 96 coupled to the roller-side magnet 82 moves linearly as the roller-side magnet 82 rotates, and as a result, the substrate holder 90 linearly moves overall and the substrate 9 is conveyed. become. At this time, the main pulley 84 and the sub pulley 8 shown in FIG.
5,85 are driven.

In this embodiment, since the films are simultaneously formed on both sides of the substrate 9, the cathode units 3 are arranged on both sides of the substrate 9 held by the substrate holder 90. The cathode unit 3 includes a target 30 and a magnet mechanism 5.
The detailed structure of the cathode unit 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows the cathode unit 3 shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing details of FIG. The left and right cathode units 3 shown in FIG. 1 have the same structure (symmetrical structure across the substrate 9), and FIG. 4 shows the details of the left cathode unit 3 among them. In addition, for convenience of illustration, FIG.
X-X in FIG. 5, not a cross-sectional view in a complete vertical plane
It is a cross section viewed from the direction of the arrow on the surface.

First, the side wall of the film forming chamber 1 is provided with an opening slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of the cathode unit 3. The cathode unit 3 is inserted through this opening. A unit mounting frame 6 is fixed to the outer surface of the side wall of the film forming chamber 1. The unit mounting frame 6 is
It is a cylinder having a sectional shape with steps as shown in FIG. The end surface of the unit mounting frame 6 has a sealing member 6 such as an O-ring.
It is fixed to the outer surface of the side wall portion of the film forming chamber 1 through 0.

A main holder 31 is provided inside the unit mounting frame 6. The main holder 31 is also substantially cylindrical and is provided coaxially with the unit mounting frame 6. Hereinafter, the central axis of the main holder 31 will be referred to as the "reference axis",
This is indicated by A in FIG. A right holder flange 311 is provided at the right end of the main holder 31. The cathode mounting frame 32 is fixed to the right holder flange 311. The cathode mounting frame 32 has a substantially cylindrical cross section as shown in FIG. 4, and is provided coaxially with the reference axis A.

The right end face of the cathode mounting frame 32 is located inside the film forming chamber 1, and the cavity forming plate 33 is fixed to this end face. A backing plate 34 is fixed to the cavity forming plate 33. The target 30 is detachably attached to the backing plate 34 by a target holder 310. One cavity forming plate 33, one backing plate 34, and one target 30 are superposed in order from the left, and one cathode is constituted by these. Each cathode has a cathode mounting frame 3
It is fixed to the right end surface of 2. Although not apparent from FIG. 4, three circular openings are formed on the right end surface of the cathode mounting frame 32 so as to correspond to the positions of the three targets 30. Each cathode is fixed to this opening. The cavity forming plate 33 and the backing plate 34 are
It is substantially disk-shaped and slightly larger than the target 30. still,
The cathode means a member to which a voltage for sputter discharge is applied, and in the present embodiment, the target 30, the cavity forming plate 33, the backing plate 34 and the like constitute one cathode.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining the shape, arrangement position, etc. of the target 30. As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, one cathode unit 3 is provided with three targets 30. Each target 30 has a disk shape of the same size. Each target 30 has a reference axis A
Evenly spaced (ie, 120
It is provided every time). The cavity forming plate 33 is shaped so as to form a cavity 330 together with the backing plate 34. Inside the cavity 330, as will be described later,
Refrigerant is supplied.

The first major feature of the apparatus of this embodiment is that the main rotation mechanism that rotates about a rotation axis coaxial with the circumference through which the center point of each target 30 passes (that is, around the reference axis A). It is a point provided. The main rotation mechanism is composed of the above-mentioned main holder 31, the rotary drive source 351 such as a motor for rotating the main holder 31, and the like. More specifically, a left holder flange 312 is provided at the left end of the main holder 31. The peripheral surface of the left holder flange 312 has gear teeth (hereinafter, flange side gear teeth). Then, the rotary drive source 35
A drive gear 352 having gear teeth meshing with the gear teeth on the flange side is connected to the output shaft of No. 1. Rotary drive source 35
When 1 is driven, the main holder 31 rotates around the reference axis A via the drive gear 352. The main holder 31 is
It is held by the unit mounting frame 6. A bearing 7 is provided between the unit mounting frame 6 and the main holder 31 to allow the main holder 31 to rotate.

A magnet mechanism 5 is provided in the cathode mounting frame 32. The magnet mechanism 5 is provided behind each target 30. The magnet mechanism 5 includes a central magnet 51 and a cylindrical peripheral magnet 52 surrounding the central magnet 51.
And a yoke 53 that connects the central magnet 51 and the peripheral magnet 52.
It is mainly composed of and. Central magnet 51 and peripheral magnet 5
As shown in FIG. 4, the magnetic force line 50 due to 2 penetrates the target 30 and is formed in an arc shape in the discharge space in front of the target 30. Electrons are trapped in the closed space formed by the target 30 and the magnetic lines of force 50 while magnetron moves, and a highly efficient magnetron discharge is achieved.

The yoke 53 has a disk shape slightly smaller than the target 30 and is provided upright. The central magnet 51 has, for example, a cylindrical shape, and the peripheral magnets 52 have, for example, an annular shape. The central axis of the target 30 and the central axis of the yoke 53 are coaxial, but the arrangement and shape of the central magnet 51 and the peripheral magnets 52 are asymmetric with respect to the central axis of the target 30. That is, the magnetic field formed by the magnet mechanism 5 is asymmetric with respect to the central axis of the target 30. This is to make the time-averaged magnetic field strength on the surface of the target 30 uniform when the magnet mechanism 5 rotates, as will be described later.

The second major feature of the apparatus of this embodiment is that a sub-rotating mechanism for rotating each magnet mechanism 5 around a rotation axis coaxial with the central axis of the target 30 is provided. The sub rotation mechanism rotates each magnet mechanism 5 by the rotation power of the main rotation mechanism described above. More specifically, the sub-rotation mechanism is mainly composed of a driven gear 361 provided in each magnet mechanism 5 and a stationary gear 362 that converts the rotational power of the main rotation mechanism into the rotational power of each magnet mechanism 5. ing. The driven gear 361 is fixed to the lower surface of the yoke 53. The driven gear 361 is the target 3
It is coaxial with the central axis of 0. A shaft rod 363 is fixed so as to extend horizontally from the center of the driven gear 361. The shaft rod 363 is held by the cathode mounting frame 32 via the bearing 7.

On the other hand, the rotary drive source 3 of the main rotating mechanism described above.
51 is attached to the base plate 300. The base plate 300 is provided in a vertical posture. Base plate 3
00 has a spindle opening through which the spindle is inserted. A gear holder 360 is provided so as to extend horizontally from the edge of the spindle opening. The gear holder 360 has a substantially cylindrical shape that is coaxial with the reference axis A. The stationary gear 362 is provided in the gear holder 3
It is fixed to the tip of 60. The gear teeth of the stationary gear 362 are coaxial with the reference axis A and face outward with respect to the reference axis A. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the stationary gear 362
Mesh with each driven gear 361. Stationary gear 362
The positional relationship and meshing of each driven gear 361 with each other are also shown in FIG.

As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5, since each magnet mechanism 5 is connected to the cathode mounting frame 32 via the shaft rod 363, the main holder 3 is rotated by the rotary drive source 351.
When 1 rotates and each target 30 rotates around the reference axis A, each magnet mechanism 5 and each driven gear 361 also integrally rotate around the reference axis A that is eccentric from its own center axis. Hereinafter, such rotation about the eccentric axis is referred to as revolution. Since the driven gear 361 meshes with the stationary gear 362 at a position from the reference axis A, the driven gear 361 is engaged during the revolution.
Rotates about a central axis coaxial with the target 30.
Since the driven gear 361 is coaxial with the target 30, the driven gear 361 will eventually rotate around a rotation axis that is coaxial with its own central axis. Hereinafter, such rotation that is coaxial with its own central axis is referred to as rotation. As the driven gear 361 rotates, the magnet mechanism 5 also rotates integrally. Eventually, the magnet mechanism 5 simultaneously revolves around the reference axis A and rotates about the center axis of the target 30. A bearing 7 is provided between the gear holder 360 and the unit mounting frame 6.

On the other hand, a spindle 37 is provided so as to penetrate the center of the main holder 31. Spindle 37
Is the cavity forming plate 33 or the backing plate 3 at the tip.
Holds 4th magnitude. The right side portion of the spindle 37 has a cylindrical shape, and the left side portion has a cylindrical shape with substantially the same diameter. A coolant introducing passage 371 for introducing a coolant into the cavity 330 is provided in a cylindrical portion (hereinafter, a column portion) on the right side of the spindle 37. The refrigerant introduction path 371 is branched into three in the middle, and the branched ends are connected to the cavities 330 behind each target 30. Further, the columnar portion is provided with a coolant discharge path 372 for discharging the coolant from each cavity 330. Although not shown in FIG. 4, three refrigerant discharge paths 372 are provided in each of the cavities 330. A refrigerant introduction pipe 373 connected to the refrigerant introduction passage 371 and a refrigerant discharge pipe 374 connected to the refrigerant discharge passage 372 are provided in a cylindrical portion on the left side of the spindle 37 (hereinafter, referred to as a cylindrical portion). Although only one is shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerant discharge pipes 374 are connected to the respective refrigerant discharge passages 37.
It is provided in each of the two.

Further, a power feeding rod 381 is provided so as to penetrate the cylindrical portion and the cylindrical portion of the spindle 37.
The power supply rod 381 supplies electric power for sputter discharge to each target 30. Although only one power feeding rod 381 is illustrated in FIG. 4, three power feeding rods 381 are actually provided. As shown in FIG. 4, the tip of the power feeding rod 381 is in contact with the cavity forming plate 33. The cavity forming plate 33 and the backing plate 34 are metals such as stainless steel and copper, and power is supplied to the target 30 via the cavity forming plate 33 and the backing plate 34. An insulating material (not shown) is provided between the power feeding rod 381 and the spindle 37, and between the cavity forming plate 33 or the backing plate 34 and the spindle 37. Therefore, the electric power supplied by the power feeding rod 381 does not leak to the spindle 37 side. An insulating material (not shown) is also provided between the cathodes, and the cathodes are insulated from each other.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view for explaining the introduction / discharge position of the refrigerant and the power feeding position. As shown in FIG. 6, the power feeding rod 381 is in contact with the cavity forming plate 33 at a position closest to the reference axis A of the cavity forming plate 33. When the contact position of the power feeding rod 381 is 0 degree with the center of the cavity forming plate 33 as the origin, the coolant introducing passage 371 and the coolant discharging passage 372 are connected to the cavity 330 at a position with a slight angle sandwiching the power feeding rod 381. ing.

With the above-mentioned rotation, the spindle 37 also rotates about the reference axis A. A slip ring 382 and a rotary joint 375 are provided so that power can be supplied and a refrigerant can be circulated regardless of the rotation of the spindle 37. As shown in FIG. 4, the slip ring 382 is
It is provided so as to surround the left end of the spindle 37. Each power supply rod 381 is connected to the slip ring 382 by a cable. Then, to the slip ring 382, three sputtering power sources 4 provided corresponding to the respective targets 30 are connected.
The slip ring 382 is a member for bringing a leaf spring-like member into contact with the outer surface of the rotating cylindrical body to ensure conduction.
The slip ring 382 used here is, for example, “φ150-60 3ch S manufactured by Globetech Co., Ltd.
R ”and the like.

The rotary joint 375 is connected to the left end of the spindle 37. The rotary joint 375 is provided with a refrigerant inlet port 376 connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 373 and three refrigerant outlet ports 377 respectively connected to the refrigerant outlet pipe 374. The rotary joint secures communication between the refrigerant introduction pipe 373 and the refrigerant introduction port 376, and communication between each refrigerant discharge pipe 374 and each refrigerant discharge port 377 regardless of the rotation of the spindle 37. As such a rotary joint 375, for example, a rotary joint 375KT-4-02-1W manufactured by Koyo Hydraulics Co., Ltd. can be used.

The refrigerant inlet 376 and each refrigerant outlet 377 of the rotary joint 375 are connected through a pipe 378 and a circulator 379 as shown in FIG. The coolant maintained at a predetermined temperature by the circulator 379 is the coolant introduction port 376 and the coolant introduction pipe 37.
It is introduced into each cavity 330 via 3 and each refrigerant introduction path 371. Then, the refrigerant flows from each cavity 330 to each refrigerant discharge path 372, each refrigerant discharge pipe 374, and each refrigerant discharge port 3.
After 77, return to the circulator 379. The three power supply rods 381, the slip rings 382, and the three sputtering power sources 4 described above constitute an electric power supply system that supplies electric power for sputtering discharge to the target 30. The output voltage of each sputtering power source 4 can be adjusted independently, and the power supplied to the target 30 can be controlled independently.

In the structure of the cathode unit 3,
A sealing member such as an O-ring is provided at a necessary position so that there is no vacuum leak maintained in the film forming chamber 1. In particular, in this embodiment, the magnetic fluid seal 61 is used between the unit mounting frame 6 and the main holder 31. The magnetic fluid seal 61 is a sealing member that uses magnetic fluid, and allows the main holder 31 to rotate, while preventing leakage from the space between the main holder 31 and the unit mounting frame 6.

The apparatus of this embodiment is an in-line type apparatus in which a plurality of vacuum chambers including the above-described film forming chamber 1 are connected along a transfer line of the substrate 9.
The configuration and layout of each vacuum chamber can be referred to the disclosure of JP-A-8-274142. Further, regarding the details of the structure for moving the substrate holder 90 holding the substrate 9 to each vacuum chamber, the same one as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-274142 can be adopted.

Next, each target 30 and substrate 9 during film formation
FIG. 7 illustrates the positional relationship with FIG.
Each target 3 at the time of film formation in the apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIG.
It is a front schematic diagram explaining the physical relationship of 0 and substrate 9. As described above, the respective targets 30 are provided at positions where the centers thereof are located 120 degrees apart from each other on the circumference around the reference axis A. Hereinafter, this circumference is referred to as a reference circumference and is indicated by SC in FIG.

On the other hand, the substrate holder 90 is, as described above,
The two substrates are held at the same height, that is, the line connecting the center points is horizontal. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7, the substrate holder 90 holds the two substrates 9 in a positional relationship in which the center points of the two substrates 9 are located on the reference circumference SC when viewed from the front. It is like this. More generally speaking, the central axes of the respective substrates 9 are held in a positional relationship where they intersect perpendicularly to the reference circumference SC. A transport system (not shown) stops the substrate holder 90 at a position in the film formation chamber 1 where the positional relationship is as shown in FIG. 7, and film formation is performed at this position.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the apparatus of this embodiment includes a shield 39. Shield 39
Is sputtered particles emitted from each target 30,
The target 30 is shielded so as not to be mixed with sputtered particles from another adjacent target 30. The configuration of the shield 39 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 8. FIG. 8 is a schematic front view of the shield 39 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the shield 39 includes the spindle 37 and the cavity forming plate 3.
It is fixed at 3. As can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 8, the shield 39 has a configuration in which strip-shaped members are combined,
It is provided so as to partition the space in which each target 30 is provided. In this embodiment, since the three targets 30 are provided, the shield 39 has a three-pronged shape when viewed from the front.

In FIG. 4, without the shield 39, the problem of mutual contamination of the target 30 arises. That is, sputtered particles emitted from one target 30 may adhere to another target 30. The sputtered particles from the other attached targets 30 are re-sputtered and emitted, but when each target 30 is formed of a different material, the target 30 emits a substance other than the original material of the target 30. Will be done. In such a case, the components of the thin film of one layer are mixed as impurities in the thin film of one layer, and the quality of the multilayer film deteriorates. In the present embodiment, the shield 39 prevents the sputtered particles emitted from one target 30 from adhering to another target 30. Therefore,
Cross contamination as described above is prevented. Incidentally, the shield 39
This also prevents sputtered particles from another target 30 from reaching the substrate 9 directly.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A shield plate 391 is provided between and the substrate 9. The shield plate 391 is in a posture parallel to the substrate 9 and the target 30, and has an opening having substantially the same size as the substrate 9. This opening is also circular, and when the substrate 9 is stopped at the above-mentioned position by the substrate holder 90, the opening of the shield plate 30 is positioned coaxially with the substrate 9. Two openings are provided in accordance with the substrate 9. This shield plate 391 is mainly used for another target 3
This is to prevent sputtered particles from 0 (targets 30 not facing each other) directly reaching the substrate 9. Along with the shield 39, a shield plate 391 is provided to further improve the quality of the multilayer film.

Next, the operation of the multi-layered film forming apparatus of this embodiment having the above structure will be described. The substrate 9 is mounted on the substrate holder 90 in a load lock chamber (not shown). The substrate holder 90 is moved to a preheat chamber (not shown) to preheat the substrate 9. After that, the substrate holder 90 is attached to the film forming chamber 1 shown in FIGS.
Move to. As described above, the substrate holder 90 stops at the position where the center points of the two substrates 9 are located on the reference circumference SC in front view.

Then, the rotary drive source 351 operates, and as described above, the revolution of the target 30 and the magnet mechanism 5 and the rotation of the magnet mechanism 5 are started. Revolution speed is 10
~ 300 rpm, rotation speed of rotation is 16 ~ 500r
It is about pm. Further, the inside of the film forming chamber 1 is exhausted to a predetermined pressure by the exhaust system 11. After closing a gate valve (not shown), the gas introduction system 12 introduces a predetermined gas at a predetermined flow rate. In this state, each sputter power source 4 operates in a sequence described below, and a predetermined voltage is applied to the target 30 via each power feeding rod 381. This voltage is a negative high voltage or a high frequency voltage. By applying a voltage, an electric field is formed between the substrate 9 and the target 30, and sputter discharge occurs. In the process of sputter discharge, particles (usually atoms) are emitted from the surface of the target 30 bombarded with ions. The released particles (sputtered particles) reach the surface of the substrate 9, and the arrival is overlapped to form a thin film.

At the time of film formation, by optimizing the rotation of the cathode unit 3 and the operation timing of each sputtering power source 4, a desired multilayer film can be formed on the substrate 9.
This point will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the formation of the multilayer film in the apparatus shown in FIGS. For convenience of explanation, as shown in FIG. 9, three targets 30 are targets 30A, 30B, and 30C, and three thin films a are created by the target 30A.
It is assumed that the thin film b is created by the target 30B and the thin film c is created by the target 30C. As for the two substrates 9, as shown in FIG. 9, the left side is the substrate 9X and the right side is the substrate 9Y. Further, as for the sputtering power source 4 shown in FIG. 4, the one that supplies power to the target 30A is the sputtering power source 4A and the target 30.
A power supply for supplying power to B is a sputter power supply 4B, and a power supply for supplying power to the target 30C is a sputter power supply 4C.

First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the substrate 9X
Faces the target 30A, and the substrate 9Y is the target 3
The substrate holder 90 stops at a position facing 0B. At this time, when viewed from the front, the clockwise edge of the target 30A is located near the center of the substrate 9X. Figure 9 (1)
In the state shown in (1), first, the sputtering power source 4A starts operating, and the target 30A deposits a film on the substrate 9X. That is, the thin film a is created. During this film formation, the main rotation mechanism operates and the three targets 30A, 30B,
30C rotates integrally around the reference axis A in the clockwise direction.

After the target 30A passes in front of the substrate 9X, as shown in FIG. 9 (2), when the clockwise edge of the target 30B is located near the center of the substrate 9X in front view (that is, When the cathode unit 3 rotates 120 degrees clockwise), the sputter power supply 4B starts operating this time. As a result, the target 3
Film formation by OB, that is, formation of a thin film b is disclosed. The film formation on the substrate 9X by the target 30B continues until the target 30B passes in front of the substrate 9X. Then, when the cathode unit 3 further rotates clockwise by 120 degrees and the edge of the target 30C on the clockwise side is located near the center of the substrate 9X in front view, as shown in FIG. 4C starts operation. As a result, the film formation by the target 30C on the substrate 9X, that is, the formation of the thin film c is started.

Before the state shown in FIG. 9 (3) is reached,
The clockwise edge of the target 30A is located near the center of the substrate 9Y. At this time, the sputtering power source 4A is operating, and therefore, the target 30A is used to form a film on the substrate 9Y, that is, a thin film a is formed. It should be noted that the sputtering power source 4A may continue to operate from the state of FIG. 9 (2) to this time, but if the operation is interrupted and restarted, the consumption of the target 30A and power consumption are wasted. It is preferable because it can be eliminated. The film formation of the substrate 9Y by the target 30A continues until it becomes FIG. 9C. When the cathode unit 3 further rotates clockwise by 120 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 9 (3), the state shown in FIG. 9 (4) is obtained. Before this state is reached, the clockwise edge of the target 30B is placed on the substrate 9Y.
It is located near the center of. From this time, the substrate 9
The film formation by the target 30B for Y, that is, the formation of the thin film b is started, and continues until the state shown in FIG. Similarly, it is preferable to temporarily stop the operation of the sputtering power source 4B until the clockwise edge of the target 30B is located near the center of the substrate 9Y.

Then, when the cathode unit 3 further rotates clockwise by 120 degrees from the state shown in FIG. 9 (4),
The state shown in FIG. 9 (5) is obtained. Before this state is reached, the clockwise edge of the target 30C is located near the center of the substrate 9Y. From this time, film formation by the target 30C on the substrate 9Y, that is, formation of the thin film c is started, and continues until the state shown in FIG. 9 (5). Similarly, it is preferable to temporarily stop the operation of the sputtering power source 4C until the clockwise edge of the target 30C is located near the center of the substrate 9Y. In addition, after the state of FIG. 9C, the target 30A and the target 30B are again attached to the substrate 9
Although it passes in front of X, at this time, the sputtering power sources 4A and 4B are stopped so that the thin films a and b are not formed again on the substrate 9X. In the process from the state of FIG. 9 (1) to the state of FIG. 9 (5), the thin films a, b and c are laminated in this order on the substrates 9X and 9Y. This completes one tact operation in the film forming chamber 1. After that, the exhaust system 11 exhausts the inside of the film forming chamber 1 again, and then the substrate holder 90 moves and the substrate 9 is unloaded from the film forming chamber 1. After that, the substrate holder 90 moves to an unload lock chamber (not shown), and the substrate 9 on which the film is formed is removed from the substrate holder 90.
Is recovered.

Then, when another substrate holder 90 holding the other substrates 9X and 9Y is carried into the film forming chamber 1,
The same operation is repeated. By the time the next tact is started, the cathode unit 3 rotates 240 degrees (or 120 degrees in the opposite direction) from the state shown in FIG.
It is in the state of. As described above, in the apparatus of the present embodiment, the multilayer film is formed by sequentially facing each substrate 30 to the substrate 9 while rotating the cathode unit 3. That is, after forming a thin film of a certain layer, the thin film of the next layer is immediately formed in the same film forming chamber 1 without interposing the transfer operation of the substrate 9. Therefore, the productivity is high, an increase in the area occupied by the device is suppressed, and there is no problem of forming a contamination layer at the interface. Further, since the shield 39 and the shield plate 391 prevent mutual contamination of the target 30, the quality of the multilayer film does not deteriorate in this respect as well.

When the cathode unit 3 rotates,
When viewed from the front, the substrate 9 is placed on the locus (that is, the reference circumference SC) drawn by the center points of the targets 30A, 30B, and 30C.
Since the center points of X and 9Y are located, a more uniform thin film is formed on the surface of the substrate 9 in terms of film thickness and film quality. However, depending on the size of the targets 30A, 30B, 30C and the substrates 9X, 9Y, the substrates 9X, 9Y may have a reference circumference SC when viewed from the front.
Even if it is not located above, uniform film formation can be performed. That is,
For uniform film formation, it suffices that the substrates 9X, 9Y do not protrude from the targets 30A, 30B, 30C when viewed from the front. This point will be generally described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the dependence of the film formation uniformity on the substrate arrangement position. For uniform film formation, it is sufficient if the substrate 9 is held within a certain region when viewed in the direction along the reference axis A.
FIG. 10 shows this area. In FIG. 10, L
1 and L2 are loci drawn by two points on the rotating target 30. Of these, the locus L1 is a locus drawn by a point closest to the reference axis A. Locus L2
Is a locus drawn by a point farthest from the reference axis A. As shown in FIG. 9 (1), when viewed along the reference axis A, the substrate 9 is formed within the locus formed by the locus L1 and the locus L2.
Is positioned, the substrate 9 does not protrude from the target 30, so that uniform film formation can be performed. On the other hand, FIG.
As shown in (2), if the substrate 9 is not located within the region formed by the locus L1 and the locus L2, uniform film formation becomes difficult. Therefore, it is desirable that the substrate holder 90 and the transfer mechanism are designed to satisfy the relationship shown in FIG.

The targets 30A, 30B, 30
When C rotates, each magnet mechanism 5 also revolves, that is, the target 30.
It rotates with A, 30B and 30C. This has the technical significance of being able to produce a multilayer film while always achieving magnetron sputtering. In addition, the magnet mechanism 5
In addition to the revolution, the fact that it rotates also has the effect of extending the life of the target 30 by making the erosion uniform. As is well known, as the sputtering is repeated, the target 30 is eroded and gradually becomes thinner. The progress of erosion is not uniform in the surface direction of the target 30, and progresses quickly where sputter discharge is performed efficiently and slow where sputter discharge is not performed efficiently. The efficiency of the sputter discharge depends on the distribution of the magnetic field by the magnet mechanism 5. Therefore, when the magnet mechanism 5 does not rotate, the erosion is fast at a place where the magnetic field strength is high and slow at a place where the magnetic field strength is low. Therefore, even if the erosion progresses to about the thickness of the target 30 at the place where the magnetic field strength is high and the target 30 reaches the end of its life, a considerable thickness may still remain at the place where the magnetic field strength is low. Target 30 even in this state
Must be replaced and the remaining portion of target 30
The material is not used for film formation and is wasted.

However, when the magnet mechanism 5 rotates as in this embodiment, the magnetic field strength is made uniform in time (that is, the magnetic field strength integrated over time becomes uniform in the plane direction of the target 30). Erosion of 30 also progresses uniformly. Therefore, it is possible to extend the life of the target 30 and reduce the wasted material of the target 30. As described above, in the device of this embodiment, the sub-rotation mechanism uses the rotational power of the main rotation mechanism to rotate each magnet mechanism 5 about its own axis. This configuration has the technical significance of simplifying the mechanism as a whole by making the rotary drive source and the rotary drive introduction system one.

In addition, the power supply system can independently control the power supplied to each target 30 by independently adjusting the film formation conditions according to the characteristics of each film formation. There are technical implications for optimizing the fabrication of the membrane. For example, when the film forming rate of a thin film of a certain layer is likely to be slow due to the characteristics of the material, the output of the sputtering power source 4 for sputtering the target 30 is set to be higher than that of the other sputtering power source 4. The above points can be similarly applied to the magnet mechanism 5. That is, an electromagnet is used as the magnet mechanism 5, and the energizing current in each magnet mechanism 5 is controlled independently. This makes it possible to optimize the film forming conditions for the thin films of each layer.

Next, the multilayer film forming apparatus of the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a main part of the multilayer film production apparatus of the second embodiment, and is a schematic side sectional view showing details of the cathode unit 3 in the second embodiment. In the above-described first embodiment, the cathode unit 3
While rotating, each sputtering power source 4 was operated to form a film. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the cathode unit 3 rotates during film formation, but the cathode unit 3 is stationary during film formation, and the targets 30A, 30B and 30C are set on the substrates 9X and 9Y, respectively. Film formation is performed while facing each other stationary.

The apparatus of the second embodiment has substantially the same configuration as that of the first embodiment. However, the configurations of the main rotation mechanism and the sub rotation mechanism are slightly different. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, also in this embodiment,
A drive gear 352 having gear teeth that mesh with the flange-side gear teeth is connected to the output shaft of the rotary drive source 351.
When the rotary drive source 351 is driven, the main holder 31 rotates around the reference axis A via the drive gear 352. As a result, the targets 30A, 30B, 30C rotate integrally around the reference axis A.

On the other hand, the gear holder 360 and the stationary gear 362 shown in FIG. 4 are not attached to the base plate 300, and the gear holder 360 is attached to the base plate 300.
A stationary cylinder 364 of similar shape to is attached. The stationary cylindrical body 364 and each magnet mechanism 5 are separated from each other, and are not connected as in the first embodiment. The sub-rotation mechanism that rotates each magnet mechanism 5 is configured by the internal rotation drive source 54 connected to each magnet mechanism 5. Internal rotation drive source 54
Are provided in place of the shaft 363 and the bearing 7 surrounding the shaft 363 shown in FIG. 4, and rotate each magnet mechanism around a horizontal rotation axis like the shaft 363. The internal rotation drive source 54 is attached to the main holder 31 and revolves as the main holder 31 rotates.

FIG. 12 is a schematic front view for explaining the positional relationship between the targets 30A, 30B, 30C and the substrates 9X, 9Y during film formation in the second embodiment shown in FIG. As described above, the device of this embodiment is of the stationary facing type. As shown in FIG. 12, during film formation, when viewed from the front, the two substrates 9X and 9Y have substrate holders whose center points coincide with two center points of the three targets 30A, 30B, and 30C, respectively. 90 is stationary.

Next, the operation of the apparatus of the second embodiment having the above configuration will be described. For convenience of explanation, the three magnet mechanisms are referred to as 5A, 5B, and 5C, respectively. The three internal rotation drive sources are 54A, 54B, 54C. As in the case of the first embodiment, the substrate holder 90 holding the two substrates 9 is carried into the film forming chamber 2, and
Stop at the position shown in 2. In this state, first, the sputtering power source 4A of the target 30A facing the substrate 9X is operated to form the thin film a on the substrate 9X. The other sputtering power sources 4B and 4C remain stopped. At this time, the main holder 31 remains stationary, but the magnet mechanism 5A behind the target 30A is rotated by the internal rotary drive source 54A.

After the predetermined film formation time has elapsed, the sputtering power source 4A and the internal rotation drive source 54A are stopped. And
The main rotation mechanism operates, and the cathode unit 3
Rotate 0 degrees clockwise to stop. As a result, the target 30B is positioned coaxially and faces the substrate 9X. In this state, the sputtering power source 4B is operated to form the thin film b on the substrate 9X. At this time, the internal rotation drive source 54B that rotates the magnet mechanism 5B behind the target 30B operates. Other sputter power sources 4A, 4
C and the other internal rotary drive sources 54A, 54C remain stopped.

After the predetermined film formation time has elapsed, the sputtering power source 4B and the internal rotation drive source 54B are stopped. And
The main rotation mechanism operates, and the cathode unit 3
Rotate 0 degrees clockwise to stop. As a result, the target 30C is positioned coaxially and faces the substrate 9X, and the target 30A is positioned coaxially and faces the substrate 9Y. In this state, the sputter power source 4C and the sputter power source 4A operate to form the thin film c on the substrate 9X and the thin film a on the substrate 9Y.
Is created. At this time, the magnet mechanism 5C behind the target 30C is rotated by the internal rotary drive source 54C, and the magnet mechanism 5A behind the target 30A is rotated by the internal rotary drive source 54C.
Rotate by A. The sputter power source 4B and the internal rotation drive source 54B remain stopped.

After the predetermined film formation time has elapsed, the sputtering power sources 4C and 4A and the internal rotation drive sources 54C and 54A are stopped. Then, the main rotation mechanism operates to rotate the cathode unit 3 as a whole by 120 degrees clockwise and stop it.
As a result, the target 30B is coaxially positioned and opposed to the substrate 9Y. In this state, sputter power supply 4
B operates to form a thin film b on the substrate 9Y. On this occasion,
The internal rotation drive source 54B that rotates the magnet mechanism 5B behind the target 30B operates. The other sputtering power sources 4A and 4C and the other internal rotation driving sources 54A and 54C are
It remains stopped.

After the predetermined film formation time has elapsed, the sputtering power source 4B and the internal rotation drive source 54B are stopped. And
The main rotation mechanism operates, and the cathode unit 3
Rotate 0 degrees clockwise to stop. As a result, the target 30C is coaxially positioned and opposed to the substrate 9Y. In this state, the sputtering power source 4C is operated to form the thin film c on the substrate 9Y. At this time, the internal rotation drive source 54C operates to move the magnet mechanism 5 behind the target 30C.
Rotate C. The other sputtering power sources 4A and 4B and the other internal rotation drive sources 54A and 54B remain stopped.

When the predetermined film formation time has elapsed, the film formation on the two substrates 9X and 9Y is completed, and the substrate holder 9
0 is carried out of the film forming chamber 2. Then, by the time the next substrates 9X and 9Y are carried in, the cathode unit 3 rotates 240 degrees clockwise in its entirety and returns to the initial posture.

In the second embodiment, since the targets 30A, 30B and 30C are statically opposed to the substrates 9X and 9Y coaxially at the time of film formation, compared with the first embodiment in which film formation is performed while constantly rotating. Excellent in controllability of film formation. Further, since the magnet mechanisms 5A, 5B, 5C rotate even when the targets 30A, 30B, 30C are stationary, the effect of equalizing the erosion is similarly obtained. In the second embodiment, the internal rotation drive sources 54A, 54B, 54C are provided behind the magnet mechanisms 5A, 5B, 5C, respectively.
You may make it rotate 5C simultaneously. For example, the driven gear 361 and the stationary gear 362 are the same as in the first embodiment.
And. The stationary gear 362 is connected to the rotary drive source 35.
Rotation is performed by a rotary drive source provided separately from 1, and each magnet mechanism 5 is simultaneously rotated via a stationary gear 362 and a driven gear 361. At this time, the rotation drive source 351 generates a reverse torque so that the main holder 31 is not driven and rotated.

In each of the above embodiments, the substrate holder 90
There is no limitation in that two substrates 9 are held simultaneously, and only one substrate may be provided, or three or more substrates may be provided. When the substrate holder 90 holds three substrates 9, it is preferable that the center points of the substrates 9 be held 120 degrees apart. Further, in each of the embodiments, there is an idle state in which one of the sputtering power supplies 4 does not operate, but depending on the process content of the multilayer film formation, there may be no idle state or a shorter idle state. still,
The above-described multilayer film forming apparatus is used for the LS in addition to the magnetic recording medium.
I, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, etc. can be used for manufacture.

In the manufacture of magnetic recording media, magnetic heads and the like, a multilayer film having a so-called interlayer coupling structure may be formed, but the apparatus of each of the above embodiments can be applied to this field. For example, in manufacturing a magnetic recording medium (including longitudinal recording), the volume of the physical magnetic recording layer is increased in order to apparently reduce the thickness of the magnetic recording layer and solve the problem of thermal fluctuation. (Thickness may be increased). Specifically, for example, a magnetic recording layer having a structure in which a large number of magnetic films such as a CoCr film are stacked while a film such as ruthenium is inserted therebetween may be adopted. The amount of magnetization of the uppermost CoCr film is set to be a little larger than that of each lower layer, and C of each lower layer is set.
The oCr film is antiferromagnetically coupled between layers via the Ru film. Since the volume of the entire magnetic recording layer can be reduced by the multi-layer CoCr film that is antiferromagnetically coupled between layers, the problem of thermal fluctuation can be solved. The apparatus of each embodiment can also be effectively used for forming a multilayer film that causes such interlayer coupling.

Next, an embodiment of the invention relating to the manufacture of the perpendicular magnetic recording medium will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view of a perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufactured by the method and apparatus of the embodiment. The perpendicular magnetic recording medium shown in FIG. 13 includes a disk-shaped substrate 9 and a magnetic recording layer formed on the substrate 9. The magnetic recording layer is composed of a perpendicular magnetic film 901 on which recording is performed by magnetization in a direction perpendicular to the substrate 9. The magnetic recording medium according to the present embodiment has the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in an enlarged scale, the perpendicular magnetization layer 901 is composed of a multilayer film in which two types of layers 902 and 903 are alternately laminated.

The two kinds of laminated thin films 902 and 903 are
This constitutes a so-called artificial lattice. The perpendicular magnetization layer formed by laminating two kinds of thin films is called an artificial lattice. This is formed by alternately stacking two kinds of thin magnetic films each having a thickness of about one atom or two atoms. According to the artificial lattice, a high magnetic anisotropy that increases the coercive force in the stacking direction (the film thickness direction) can be obtained. The reason for this is considered to be that the magnetic moment in the interlayer direction becomes stronger than that in the plane direction of the layer due to the exchange interaction between the particles in one layer and the particles in the upper and lower layers sandwiching the layer. There is. The perpendicular magnetic layer made of an artificial lattice has a higher perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and a larger so-called squareness ratio than other magnetic layers, and is therefore considered promising for a perpendicular magnetic recording medium.

As an artificial lattice for a perpendicular magnetic recording medium,
For example, a film in which a Co film and a Pd film are alternately stacked, a film in which a Co film and a Pt film are alternately stacked, and the like are known (FIG. 13).
The example shown in is Co / Pd). Also, instead of the Co film, Co
In some cases, a Co-based film (alloy film or compound film) such as B is used (eg, CoB / Pd), Fe film or Fe film.
A system film may be used instead of the Co film. In any case, in order to form a perpendicularly magnetized layer having high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and good magnetic characteristics, it is preferable to thin one layer and stack as many layers as possible.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, a backing layer 904 is provided between the substrate 9 and the perpendicular magnetic layer 901. The backing layer 904 makes the magnetic field generated by the magnetic head during magnetic recording more perpendicular in the perpendicular magnetization layer. In addition, between the substrate 9 and the backing layer 904, and the backing layer 9
04 and the perpendicular magnetization layer 901, underlayers 905, 90
Have six. The underlayers 905 and 906 are also called seed layers, and are for controlling the crystallinity and orientation characteristics of the backing layer 904 and the perpendicular magnetization layer 901. A protective layer 907 is formed on the perpendicular magnetic layer 901.

The perpendicular magnetic recording medium shown in FIG. 13 can be manufactured by using a multilayer film forming apparatus. That is, the multilayer film forming apparatus of each of the above-described embodiments also corresponds to the embodiment of the invention of the perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus. The two types of thin films 902 and 903 shown in FIG. 13 are referred to as a first thin film 902 and a second thin film 903. For example, in FIG. 9, the target 30
A is for the first thin film 902, target 30B is the second thin film 9
03, and the target 30C is for the first thin film 902.
While rotating the cathode unit 3, the first thin film 902 is formed by the target 30A on the substrate 9X, and then the second thin film 903 is formed by the target 30B.
After that, the first thin film 902 is formed by the target 30C. This is not the end, but the rotation of the cathode unit 3 is continued and the formation of the first thin film 902 and the formation of the second thin film 903 are performed alternately. The same applies to the other substrate 9Y. Since the first thin film 902 is continuously formed by the two targets 30A and 30C, in this case, the film thickness is adjusted by, for example, reducing the outputs of the sputtering power supplies 4A and 4C.

In this way, while rotating the cathode unit 3, a predetermined number of layers of the first thin film 902 and the second thin film 903 are laminated to form an artificial lattice. By doing so, the second thin film 903 is formed in the same film forming chamber 1 immediately after the formation of the first thin film 902 without interposing the transfer operation of the substrate 9. Therefore, the productivity is high, an increase in the area occupied by the device is suppressed, and there is no problem that a contamination layer is formed at the interface. In particular, since the artificial lattice utilizes the exchange interaction between layers, if a contaminated layer is formed at the interface between layers, there is a problem that the perpendicular magnetic anisotropy is lowered or the magnetic characteristics are deteriorated. According to this embodiment,
There is no such problem. In addition, the shield 39 and the shield plate 391 may cause mutual contamination of the target 30 or another target 3.
Since the sputtered particles from 0 are prevented from being mixed in, the quality of the artificial lattice is also high in this respect.

In the above embodiment, the two targets 30A and 30C are used for the first thin film 902, and the one target 30B is used for the second thin film 903. However, only two targets are provided and one target is the first. The thin film 902 may be used, and the other may be used as the second thin film 903. Further, even when there are three targets, one target may be stopped and film formation may be performed using only two targets. Further, four targets may be provided, two of which may be used for the first thin film 902 and the other two may be used for the second thin film 903. In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, a plurality of sputtering power sources 4 are provided and a voltage is applied to each of the targets 30, but a plurality of targets 30 may share one sputtering power source 4. Therefore, at least one sputtering power source 4 is sufficient.

[0071]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1 of the present application, the productivity is high, the increase of the area occupied by the device is suppressed, and there is no problem that a contaminated layer is formed at the interface. In addition, a multilayer film made of a thin film that is more uniform in terms of film thickness and film quality is created on the substrate. Further, according to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the above effect, since the film formation is performed in a state where the target is coaxially stationary and opposed to the substrate, it is excellent in reproducibility and stability of the film formation. It becomes a thing. Further, claim 3
According to the invention described above, in addition to the above effects, the shield prevents mutual contamination of the target, so that the quality of the multilayer film does not deteriorate in this respect as well. Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the above effect, since the electric power supplied to each target can be controlled independently, it is possible to compensate for the nonuniformity of the sputtering conditions in each target. Thereby, more uniform film formation can be performed. According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the above effects, in addition to high-efficiency and high-speed sputtering by magnetron discharge, since the magnet mechanism rotates integrally with the target, more uniform film formation can be performed. In addition, the effect that the effect of the magnetic field can be used without waste is obtained. According to the invention of claim 6,
In addition to the above effects, the magnetic field generated by the magnet mechanism is asymmetric with respect to the center axis of the target, and the magnet mechanism rotates around the center axis of the target, so that the erosion on the target becomes uniform. Therefore, the target can have a long life. According to the invention of claim 7, in addition to the above effects, the sub-rotating mechanism rotates the magnet mechanism by the rotational power of the main rotating mechanism, so that the mechanism for introducing rotation is simplified. Further, according to the invention of claim 9, in addition to the above effect, since it is possible to perform film formation on both surfaces of the substrate at the same time, as compared with the case of film formation on each side
The effect that productivity is improved and the device can be downsized can be obtained. Further, according to the invention of claim 10 or claim 11, in the manufacture of the perpendicular magnetic recording medium, the productivity is high and the increase of the area occupied by the device is suppressed. Further, since there is no problem that a contamination layer is formed at the interface of the thin film forming the artificial lattice, it is possible to obtain the effect that a perpendicular magnetic recording medium having high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy and excellent magnetic characteristics can be manufactured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multilayer film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating the configuration of a substrate holder 90 in the device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side sectional view illustrating a configuration of a substrate holder 90 in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing details of the cathode unit 3 shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic side view for explaining the shape and arrangement position of the target 30.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view illustrating a refrigerant introduction / discharge position and a power feeding position.

FIG. 7 is a schematic front view illustrating the positional relationship between each target 30 and the substrate 9 during film formation in the apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6.

8 is a schematic front view of the shield 39 shown in FIGS. 1 and 4. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the formation of a multilayer film in the device shown in FIGS. 1 to 8;

FIG. 10 is a schematic front view showing the dependency of film formation uniformity on a substrate arrangement position.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a main part of a multilayer film production apparatus of a second embodiment, and is a schematic side sectional view showing details of a cathode unit 3 in the second embodiment.

12] Targets 30A, 30B, 30C and substrates 9X, 9 during film formation in the second embodiment shown in FIG.
It is a schematic front view explaining the positional relationship with Y.

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufactured by the method and apparatus of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Film forming chamber 11 Exhaust system 12 gas introduction system 3 cathode unit 30 targets 351 rotary drive source 4 Sputter power supply 5 Magnet mechanism 9 substrates 90 substrate holder

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Tetsuya Endo             5-8-1 Yotsuya, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo Anerva             Within the corporation (72) Inventor Miho Sakai             5-8-1 Yotsuya, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo Anerva             Within the corporation (72) Inventor Naoki Watanabe             5-8-1 Yotsuya, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo Anerva             Within the corporation F-term (reference) 4K029 BB02 BD11 CA05 DA10 DC16                       DC45 EA09                 5D006 BB08 DA08                 5D112 AA05 BB01 BB05 FA04 FB21                       FB24

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A multilayer film forming apparatus for forming a multilayer film on a surface of a substrate by sputtering, comprising: a substrate holder for holding at least one substrate; and a multilayer film formed on the substrate held by the substrate holder by sputtering. A film forming chamber created inside, a plurality of cathodes each provided with a target and provided in the film forming chamber, and at least one sputtering power source for applying a voltage to the cathode to generate a sputtering discharge, And a main rotation mechanism for rotating the target integrally, wherein the targets are arranged so as to be located on a circle having their central axes, and the main rotation mechanism is configured to rotate coaxially with the circumference. The targets are integrally rotated around an axis, and the substrate holder has the base within a predetermined region when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis. In the predetermined region is formed by the locus of two points on the rotating target, one of the two points is closest to the axis of rotation. A point, and the other point is a point farthest from the rotation axis. 2. The multilayer film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the main rotation mechanism makes each target stand still while being coaxially opposed to the substrate during film formation. 3. The multilayer structure according to claim 1, further comprising a shield for shielding sputter particles emitted from each target from mixing with sputter particles from another target. Membrane making device. 4. A power supply system for introducing power for the sputter discharge is provided to the plurality of targets, and the power supply system independently controls the power supplied to each target. The multilayer film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multilayer film forming apparatus is provided. 5. Each of the cathodes has a magnet mechanism that turns the sputter discharge into a magnetron discharge, and the main rotation mechanism rotates the magnet mechanism together with the target. The multilayer film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The magnet mechanism forms a magnetic field asymmetric with respect to the center axis of the target, and a sub-rotation mechanism that rotates the magnet mechanism around the center axis of the target is provided. The multilayer film forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein 7. The multilayer film forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sub-rotating mechanism rotates the magnet mechanism by the rotational power of the main rotating mechanism. 8. The multilayer film forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the sub-rotating mechanism rotates the magnet mechanism by a rotational power different from the rotational power of the main rotating mechanism. 9. The target and the main rotation mechanism are
9. The multilayer film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the multilayer film forming apparatus is provided on both sides of the substrate. 10. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing method for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium in which information is recorded by magnetizing in the thickness direction of the magnetic recording layer, wherein the magnetic recording layer is of the first or second type. Which comprises an artificial lattice in which the thin films of are alternately laminated, and a step of forming the first thin film constituting the artificial lattice,
The step of forming the second thin film is a method performed by sputtering in the same film forming chamber, and a target for forming the first thin film, and for forming the second thin film A perpendicular magnetic recording medium including an operation of alternately laminating the first and second two kinds of thin films while rotating the target and the target integrally around the same rotation axis to sequentially face the substrate. Production method. 11. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium which records information by magnetizing in the thickness direction of the magnetic recording layer, wherein the magnetic recording layer is of the first or second type. It is composed of an artificial lattice in which thin films are alternately laminated, and after the first thin film that constitutes the artificial lattice is created by sputtering, the second thin film is created by sputtering in the same chamber and then laminated And a target for forming the first thin film and a target for forming the second thin film are integrated around the same rotation axis. An apparatus for manufacturing a perpendicular magnetic recording medium, comprising: a main rotation mechanism that is rotated to face the substrate sequentially.