JP2006111930A - Film deposition system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a film deposition system by an arc type PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) where a film(s) with a uniform, reduced surface roughness can be deposited with the satisfactory uniformity in film thickness over a wide range(s), that is, over the whole of the objective face to be film-deposited in the work to be film-deposited having the objective face to be film-deposited with a relatively large area or over the respective objective faces to be film-deposited in a plurality of works to be film-deposited dispersively arranged in a wide range. <P>SOLUTION: In the film deposition system A by arc type PVD, shielding members 51, 52 for droplets which suppress the progress of droplets to the work W to be film-deposited, and, on the other hand, allow the progress of an ionized cathode material to at least a part of the work W are provided so as to be located between a cathode 31 and the work W, and also, they are provided at intervals in succession to a plurality of steps along the progressing direction of droplets so that the progress of droplets is suppressed over the whole of the objective face to be film-deposited and the ionized cathode material uniformly goes over the whole of the objective face to be film-deposited. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a film on an article such as a molding die such as a mold used for molding automobile parts, various machine parts, various tools, and further automotive parts, machine parts, etc. The present invention relates to a PVD film forming apparatus.

  By forming a film on the surface of the article, the properties of the article such as wear resistance, slidability with other articles, chemical stability, optical properties, etc. are improved, and the performance required for the article is further improved. It is widely used for automobile parts, parts for various machines (for example, sliding parts), various tools, various molds, and medical articles and members.

  As one of such film formation techniques, the cathode material is evaporated by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode, and plasma containing the ionized cathode material is generated, and the ionized cathode material is allowed to fly to the film-forming article. An arc type PVD method (an arc type physical vapor deposition method) called an arc type ion plating method for forming a film on an article, a vacuum arc vapor deposition method or the like is known.

  Film formation by arc-type PVD has advantages such as good adhesion of the film to the film-formed article, high film formation speed, and high film productivity, and is widely used in surface treatment of tools and the like. Yes.

  One example of such an arc type PVD film forming apparatus is shown in FIG. The film forming apparatus includes a film forming chamber 1, a holder 2 ′ that supports a film-formed article W ′ installed in the chamber 1, an evaporation source 3 attached to the chamber 1, and an exhaust device that exhausts and depressurizes the chamber 1. 4 etc. are included.

The chamber 1 is also provided with a gas introduction port 11 for introducing a predetermined gas into the chamber as necessary.
A bias voltage, that is, a bias voltage for attracting ions for film formation, can be applied to the holder 2 ′ from the bias power source PW to the film forming article W ′ supported by the holder during film formation. is there.

The evaporation source 3 includes a cathode 31, a trigger electrode 32, an arc discharge power source 33, a shield plate 34, a magnetic field forming unit 35, and the like.
The cathode 31 is formed of a material selected according to the film to be formed. An end surface (evaporation surface) 311 of the cathode 31 is directed to the holder 2. In this example, the anode for the cathode serves as the grounded film forming chamber 1. The anode may be provided separately.

The trigger electrode 32 faces the end surface (evaporation surface) 311 of the cathode 31 and can be brought into contact with and separated from the cathode evaporation surface by a reciprocating drive device (not shown).
The arc discharge power supply 33 can apply a voltage for arc discharge between the cathode 31 and the anode, and trigger between the cathode 31 and the trigger electrode 32 to induce arc discharge between the cathode 31 and the anode. Wiring is connected to the cathode 31 and the like so that a working voltage can be applied.

  A DC reactor 36 for stabilizing the arc discharge is connected between the arc discharge power source 33 and the cathode 31, and the trigger electrode 32 is grounded via a resistor 37 so that no arc current flows. Yes.

In this example, the shield plate 34 is made of a magnetic material, and is provided close to the side circumferential surface of the cathode 31 at a position close to the cathode evaporation surface 31, so that the electrode has the same potential as the trigger electrode 32. Electrically connected.
In this example, the magnetic field forming unit 35 is made of a permanent magnet and is installed behind the cathode 31.

The evaporation source 3 is also provided with a gas introduction port 38 for introducing a predetermined gas as required.
The exhaust device 4 can maintain the film forming chamber 1 and the area around the cathode 31 communicating with the film forming chamber 1 at a predetermined film forming pressure.

  According to the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 9 described above, a film can be formed on the film-formed article W ′ as follows. For example, a case where an alumina film is formed on a substrate type article W ′ using a cathode made of high-purity aluminum as the cathode 31 will be described. First, the deposition target substrate W ′ is supported on the holder 2 ′, and then The exhaust device 4 is operated to exhaust from the inside of the film forming chamber and the area around the cathode 31 communicating with the film forming chamber, and maintain them under reduced pressure at the film forming pressure.

  Further, a bias voltage for attracting film forming ions is applied from the power source PW to the substrate W ′ on the holder 2 ′. Further, in order to introduce an oxygen-containing gas (in this case, oxygen gas) from the gas introduction port 11 into the chamber 1 and to prevent oxidation of the aluminum cathode 31 from the gas introduction port 38 in the evaporation source 3, an inert gas such as argon gas is used. Gas is introduced into the area around the cathode 31.

  In this state, when the trigger electrode 32 in the evaporation source 3 is brought into contact with the evaporation surface 311 of the cathode 31, a current flows through the closed loop including the DC reactor 36, the cathode 31, the trigger electrode 32, and the resistor 37 by the discharge power supply 33. Subsequently, when the trigger electrode 32 is moved away from the evaporation surface 311 of the cathode 31, arc discharge is induced. Using this as a trigger, arc discharge is started between the cathode 31 and the anode (here, chamber 1), and the cathode 31 is melted and evaporated. At the same time, a plasma containing the ionized cathode material is formed in front of the cathode.

  The trigger electrode 32 is moved away from the cathode 31 after the arc discharge is induced, but since the resistor 37 is included, almost no current flows in the closed loop including the trigger electrode 32 and inducing the arc discharge (preliminary arc discharge). The arc discharge is maintained in a closed loop including the cathode 31, the chamber 1, and the DC reactor 36 by the discharge power source 33. The DC reactor 36 stabilizes the discharge.

  The magnetic field forming unit 35 forms a magnetic field along the evaporation surface 311 of the cathode 31 by the shield plate 34 formed of a magnetic material, and moves the arc spot generated on the evaporation surface 311 of the cathode 31 uniformly over the entire surface. . Thereby, the wear of the cathode 31 is equalized and the evaporation of the cathode material is made efficient. The magnetic field also serves to efficiently confine plasma generated by arc discharge and increase plasma density. Since the shield plate 34 is normally at the same potential as the trigger electrode 32 as shown in the figure, almost no current flows through the plate, and also serves to suppress the movement of the arc spot to the side surface of the cathode 31.

  From the arc spot, aluminum as the cathode material melts and evaporates, and as described above, an ionized cathode material, that is, a plasma containing aluminum ions in this example, is generated, and the aluminum ions are biased from the power source PW. The film is accelerated toward the deposition target substrate W ′, and further reacts with the oxygen gas introduced into the chamber 1 to become aluminum oxide (alumina), which is deposited on the substrate W ′ to form an alumina film.

  However, the arc spot on the cathode 31 generates a large amount of giant particles having a diameter of about 0.1 μm to several hundreds of μm, in addition to atoms and molecules. If such a droplet is left as it is, it will adhere to the film to be formed or mixed into the film, the surface roughness of the film will be deteriorated, or the film hardness will be extremely reduced, etc. Cause problems. Deterioration of the surface roughness of the film causes a decrease in film performance such as sliding characteristics and wear resistance.

  According to the experiment of the present inventor, in the film forming apparatus of FIG. 9, the oxygen introduction amount: 50 sccm, the argon gas introduction amount: 35 sccm, the gas pressure in the chamber: 7 mTorr (about 0.93 Pa), the discharge current: 100 A, and the bias by the power source PW. When an alumina film having a film thickness of 1 μm was formed under a film forming condition of voltage: −30 V, the surface roughness Ra of the alumina film was extremely poor at 0.5 μm.

  In the film formation by arc PVD, the material of the cathode is not limited to aluminum, but titanium, chromium, graphite, etc. may be used. Even when a cathode other than aluminum is used, droplets are generated. And cause similar problems.

  In order to solve such a problem, for example, US Pat. No. 4,511,593, Japanese Patent No. 3026425 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-25565), and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-97569 are formed by inserting a shielding plate between the evaporation source and the article to be deposited. It is disclosed to prevent druplets from being mixed into the film.

This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 10 shows an arc type PVD film forming apparatus, which basically has the same configuration as the film forming apparatus of FIG. The same reference numerals as those in FIG. 9 are attached to the same parts and portions as those in the apparatus shown in FIG.

  Also in the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 10, aluminum ions are generated when electrons in the plasma collide with atoms, molecules, clusters, droplets and the like evaporated from the cathode 31, but the ions are actually atoms or molecules. And so on, giant droplets are hardly ionized. However, since the droplets only move substantially straight, in the apparatus of FIG. 10, the droplets fly in the direction of the substrate W ′ by the shielding plate 5 ′ disposed between the evaporation source 3 and the deposition target substrate W ′. It is blocked and does not reach the substrate W ′.

  On the other hand, atoms, molecules, and the like are ionized, and the movement of the ionized particles is not only a linear movement, but also receives a force from an electric field or a magnetic field to perform a non-linear movement such as a circular movement or a helical movement. For this reason, some of the ions are prevented from advancing by the shielding plate 5 ′, but the remaining ions bypass the shielding plate 5 ′ and proceed to the substrate W ′, react with oxygen gas and react with the alumina on the surface of the substrate W ′. A film is formed. This alumina film is suppressed from being mixed with droplets, has good surface roughness, and high hardness.

According to the experiment by the present inventor, for example, in the film forming apparatus of FIG. 10, the film formation target area of the substrate W ′: 28.3 cm ² , the area of the shielding plate 5 ′: 38.5 cm ² , and the position of the shielding plate 5 ′. Is aligned with the line connecting the center of the cathode evaporation surface 311 and the center of the substrate W ′ so as to be at a substantially intermediate position between them. Further, the oxygen introduction amount: 50 sccm, the argon gas introduction amount: 35 sccm, and the gas pressure in the chamber: 7 mTorr. When an alumina film having a film thickness of 1 μm is formed under the film forming conditions of discharge current: 100 A, bias voltage by power source PW: −30 V (approximately 0.93 Pa), the surface roughness Ra of the alumina film becomes 0.01 μm, which is shown in FIG. The surface roughness of the alumina film was improved as compared with the film formation by the film forming apparatus.

U.S. Pat. 4,511,593 Japanese Patent No. 3026425 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-25565 JP 2002-97569 A

  However, even when the shielding plate 5 ′ is employed as in the apparatus of FIG. 10, as shown in FIG. 11, a film-formed article (substrate W in the illustrated example) supported by the holder 5 and having a large film formation target area. In the case of forming a film on each other or forming a film on a plurality of film-formed articles having a small film formation target area of each film-formed article by dispersing and holding them over a wide range of holders, FIG. As shown by the line connecting the “●” dots, an alumina film that is excellent in terms of surface roughness and film hardness is formed in the projection plane of the shielding plate 5 ′, in which droplet adhesion and mixing are suppressed. However, an alumina film having low surface roughness and low hardness, in which many droplets are mixed, is formed almost outside the projection plane of the shielding plate 5 ′.

  Further, as shown by the line connecting the “●” dots in FIG. 3, the film formation speed of the shielding plate 5 ′ substantially outside the projection surface is significantly higher than the film formation speed of the shielding plate 5 ′ substantially within the projection surface. Thus, the film thickness uniformity over the entire substrate W is significantly deteriorated.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, when a large shielding plate 5 ″ is used in correspondence with a large area deposition target substrate W, these problems are solved as shown by a line connecting “■” dots in FIG. . However, as shown by the line connecting the “■” dots in FIG. 3, the film formation speed at the center of the substrate is lower than the film formation speed at the peripheral edge of the substrate, and the film thickness uniformity in the entire substrate W is deteriorated. .

  Such a problem occurs not only when the cathode material is aluminum but also when the cathode is titanium, chromium, graphite, or the like.

  Therefore, the present invention evaporates the cathode material by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode, generates plasma containing the ionized cathode material, and flies the ionized cathode material to the article to be deposited to form a film on the article. An arc type PVD film forming apparatus for forming a film forming target surface having a film forming target surface having a relatively large area. It is an object of the present invention to provide a film forming apparatus capable of forming a film having a small surface roughness uniformly over a wide range on each film forming target surface of an article to be formed with good film thickness uniformity.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention evaporates the cathode material by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode, generates plasma containing the ionized cathode material, and causes the ionized cathode material to fly to the article to be deposited. A film forming apparatus using arc PVD for forming a film on the article, which suppresses the progress of droplets generated from the cathode to the film-formed article while at least part of the ionized cathode material proceeds to the film-formed article. A droplet shielding member is provided so as to be positioned between the cathode and the article to be deposited, and the shielding member allows the droplet to travel over the entire film formation target surface of the article to be deposited. And along the droplet traveling direction, the ionized cathode material is directed over the entire target surface of the film formation. To provide a film forming device provided at a sequential intervals stage.

  According to the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the droplet shielding member that suppresses the progress of the droplets generated from the cathode to the film forming article while allowing the ionized cathode material to advance to the film forming article. Is provided between the cathode and the article to be deposited. Further, the droplet shielding member is provided on the film formation target surface of the film-formed article (when there is one article supported by the holder, the film formation target surface; when there are a plurality of articles supported by the holder, The film formation target surface) is provided in a plurality of stages along the droplet traveling direction so that the progress of the droplets is suppressed over the entire film formation target surface and the ionized cathode material is directed over the entire film formation target surface.

  Therefore, the plurality of droplet shielding members can sufficiently suppress the progress of the droplets generated from the cathode to the film forming article, and can sufficiently suppress the adhesion and mixing of the droplets to the formed film. Thus, a film having a small film surface roughness can be formed. In addition, the film surface roughness is uniform and small over the entire film formation target surface of the article to be deposited, and a film excellent in film thickness uniformity can be formed.

  In the film forming apparatus according to the present invention, the droplet shielding members may be arranged in a plurality of stages at intervals, but a representative example is a case where the droplet shielding members are provided in two stages for simplification. When the shielding members are provided in two stages, the cathode-side shielding member may be a holeless shielding member, and the film-forming article support holder side (film-forming article side) shielding member may be a ring-shaped shielding member.

  When employing the non-hole shielding member and the ring-shaped shielding member in this manner, for example, with respect to the non-hole shielding member, when viewed from the cathode side, the hole of the ring-shaped shielding member is substantially hidden while the ring-shaped shielding member The peripheral edge can be seen, and the ring-shaped shielding member can be seen from the cathode side, along with the non-hole shielding member, the film formation target surface of the article to be deposited (if there is only one article supported by the holder, the film formation target When there are a plurality of articles supported by the surface and the holder, the respective shielding members are formed so as to substantially hide the film formation target surfaces (formed by adjusting the shape, size, etc.) The case where the position is defined can be illustrated. Here, “substantially conceal” includes not only completely concealing but also the case where it can be said that it is almost completely concealed so that the progression of droplets can be prevented.

  In addition, the film forming apparatus according to the present invention may have one or more evaporation sources. Therefore, the number of cathodes may be only one or plural. In any case, the droplet shielding members only need to be sequentially arranged in a plurality of stages with respect to individual cathodes.

  For example, when there are a plurality of cathodes, a set of shielding members composed of a plurality of stages of shielding members may be provided for the plurality of cathodes, or a plurality of cathodes may be provided for each cathode. A set of shielding member groups formed of stepped shielding members may be provided separately. In the latter case, if the number of cathodes is two, a set of shielding members for each cathode is provided for each cathode, and in total, two sets of shielding members composed of a plurality of shielding members are provided. A group will be provided.

  Further, whether the number of cathodes is one or two or more, at least one cathode may be provided with a plurality of sets of shielding member groups including a plurality of stages of shielding members. For example, when there is one cathode, two sets of shielding member groups composed of a plurality of stages of shielding members may be provided for the one cathode. In this case, for example, the plurality of sets of shielding member groups may be arranged in a direction crossing the traveling direction of the droplet (for example, a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction connecting the cathode and the holder (film formation article)).

  In any case, at least one or all of the shielding members arranged in a plurality of stages along the droplet traveling direction pass through the ionized cathode material (ions) to be used for film formation from the power supply unit. A bias voltage for promoting the above may be applied.

  In any case, a magnetic field forming unit for forming a magnetic field that promotes the passage of the ionized cathode material through the shielding member may be provided. For example, a magnetic field forming unit is attached to at least one shielding member (for example, the shielding member closest to the holder (film formation article)) among the shielding members arranged in a plurality of stages along the droplet traveling direction. May be.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the cathode material is evaporated by the vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode, the plasma containing the ionized cathode material is generated, and the ionized cathode material is caused to fly to the article to be deposited. An arc-type PVD film forming apparatus for forming a film on the article, which is dispersed over the entire film forming target surface of the film forming target object having a relatively large film forming target surface or over a wide range. Provided is a film forming apparatus capable of forming a film having a small and uniform surface roughness with good film thickness uniformity over a wide range on each film forming target surface of a plurality of film forming articles to be arranged. Can do.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an outline of the configuration of an example of a film forming apparatus according to the present invention. The film forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1 is the same as the film forming apparatus of the conventional example shown in FIG. The holder 2 can hold a large film-formed article W, and droplet shielding members 51 and 52 are provided between the cathode 31 and the holder 2 in a set of two stages.

Also in the film forming apparatus A, basically, a film can be formed on an article to be formed (a substrate in the illustrated example) W in the same manner as the film forming apparatus shown in FIG.
For example, a cathode made of high-purity aluminum is adopted as the cathode 31, a bias voltage is applied to the deposition target substrate W from the power source PW, and the chamber 1 and the area around the cathode 31 are reduced to a predetermined deposition pressure by the exhaust device 4. While maintaining, an oxygen-containing gas (in this case, oxygen gas) is introduced into the chamber 1 from the gas introduction port 11 and an inert gas such as argon gas is introduced into the peripheral region of the cathode 31 from the gas introduction port 38 in the evaporation source 3. To do.

  In this state, arc discharge is generated in the evaporation source 3 to melt and evaporate the cathode 31 and to generate plasma containing a cathode material ionized in front of the cathode, that is, plasma containing aluminum ions in this example. The aluminum ions are accelerated toward the deposition target substrate W to which a bias is applied, react with oxygen gas to become aluminum oxide (alumina), and deposit on the substrate W to form an alumina film.

  Also in the film forming apparatus A, aluminum ions are generated when electrons in the plasma collide with atoms, molecules, clusters, droplets, and the like evaporated from the cathode 31, but the ions are actually atoms, molecules, and the like. , Giant droplets hardly become ions. However, since the droplets only move substantially straight, in the film forming apparatus A, the droplets in the direction of the substrate W are provided by the two-stage shielding members 51 and 52 disposed between the evaporation source 3 and the deposition target substrate W. Flying is blocked.

  On the other hand, atoms, molecules, and the like are ionized, and the movement of the ionized particles is not only a linear movement, but also receives a force from an electric field or a magnetic field to perform a non-linear movement such as a circular movement or a helical movement. For this reason, some of the ions are prevented from advancing by the shielding members 51 and 52, but the remaining ions pass through the shielding members 51 and 52 and proceed to the substrate W, react with oxygen gas, and react with the oxygen on the surface of the substrate W. A film is formed. The alumina film is suppressed from being mixed with droplets, has a uniform surface roughness, is small, and has high hardness. Also, the film thickness uniformity is good.

The two-stage type shielding members 51 and 52 will be further described. The front-side shielding member 51 on the cathode side is a disk-shaped plate member having a relatively small diameter, and the rear-stage shielding member 52 on the holder 2 (substrate W) side is It is a circular ring-shaped plate member having a relatively large outer diameter. Here, the inner diameter of the hole 521 of the rear-stage shielding member 52 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of the front-stage shielding member 51, but is not necessarily limited thereto.
In this example, the shielding members 51 and 52 are both made of a conductive material (stainless steel, molybdenum, etc.) and are grounded.

  The outer diameter of each of the shielding members 51, 52, the inner diameter of the shielding member 52, the distance between them, the position of the shielding members 51, 52 between the cathode 31 and the substrate W, etc. When the droplet generated from the part also goes straight toward the film formation substrate W, it passes through the gap of the shielding members 51 and 52 into the hole of the shielding member 52 or passes outside the shielding members 51 and 52. It is determined not to go to the substrate W.

  Further, the outer diameter of each of the shielding members 51 and 52, the inner diameter of the shielding member 52, the distance between them, the position of the shielding members 51 and 52 between the cathode 31 and the substrate W, and the like contribute to film formation. Even if a part of the material (ion) is blocked by the two-stage shielding members 51 and 52, the remaining ions pass through the shielding members 51 and 52 toward the substrate W and are used for film formation. It is also determined to be.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, the evaporation surface 311 of the cathode 31 is a circular surface, and its diameter is 64 mm. The deposition target substrate W is circular and has an outer diameter of 250 mm.
The outer diameter of the front shielding member 51 is 70 mm, the outer diameter of the rear shielding member 52 is 170 mm, and the inner diameter is 70 mm. The thickness of each shielding member is 3 mm. The distance from the cathode evaporation surface 311 to the front shielding member is 60 mm, the distance between both shielding members is 25 mm, and the distance from the cathode evaporation surface 311 to the substrate W is 150 mm.
The shielding members 51 and 52 have their centers aligned with a line connecting the center of the cathode evaporation surface 311 and the center of the substrate W.

  When viewed from the cathode 31 side, the front shielding member 51 substantially hides the hole of the rear shielding member 52, but the peripheral portion of the shielding member 52 is visible. Further, when viewed from the cathode 31 side, the deposition target substrate W cannot be seen because it is shielded by the shielding members 51 and 52 in the entire and subsequent stages.

Therefore, in this film forming apparatus A, the droplets generated at the cathode 31 are blocked from traveling by the front and rear shielding members 51 and 52, and are located inside the geometric projection plane on the substrate W of the rear shielding member 52. Is virtually unreachable.
On the other hand, some of the ions to be used for film formation are prevented from advancing by the shielding members 51 and 52, but the remaining ions pass through the shielding plates 51 and 52. Between the shielding member 52 and the substrate W through the hole 521 of the shielding member 52, or further through the outside of the shielding members 51 and 52 to the substrate W, reacting with oxygen gas and the substrate. An alumina film is formed on the W surface.

  Thus, although the film formation target surface of the substrate W has a relatively large area, the adhesion and mixing of droplets to the formed film are suppressed over the entire film formation target surface, and the film has a rough surface. The degree becomes uniform and becomes smaller as a whole, and the hardness becomes high. Further, the film thickness uniformity is also improved as compared with the case where one large shielding member 5 ″ is installed as illustrated in FIG.

  In the film forming apparatus A of FIG. 1, the amount of oxygen introduced: 50 sccm, the amount of argon gas introduced: 35 sccm, the gas pressure in the chamber: 7 mTorr (about 0.93 Pa), the discharge current: 100 A, and the bias voltage by the power source PW: −30 V When an alumina film having a film thickness of 1 μm was formed on the substrate W under the conditions, the surface roughness Ra of the alumina film over the entire substrate W (over the entire film formation target surface) as shown by the line connecting the “♦” dots in FIG. Was uniformly small, approximately 0.01 μm. Further, as shown by the line connecting the “♦” dots in FIG. 3, the film formation rate was made uniform over the entire substrate W, and an alumina film with good film thickness uniformity could be formed.

  As described above, in the film forming apparatus A shown in FIG. 1, each of the two-stage shielding members 51 and 52 is formed of a conductive material (for example, stainless steel or molybdenum) and is grounded. However, as in the film forming apparatus B of FIG. 4, a bias may be applied to each shielding member separately from a bias power source. In the apparatus B, a negative bias can be applied to the shielding member 51 from the power source PW1, and a negative bias can be applied to the shielding member 52 from the power source PW2. The film forming apparatus B has the same configuration as the film forming apparatus A except that a bias is applied to the shielding members 51 and 52. The same parts, parts, etc. as in apparatus A are given the same reference numerals as in apparatus A.

In the apparatus B, by applying a bias to each of the shielding members 51 and 52 during film formation in this way, ions to be used for film formation can easily pass through the shielding members 51 and 52, and the film formation speed is increased accordingly. Can do.
The bias polarity applied to the shielding member is not limited to the negative polarity, and may be positive depending on the state of the plasma formed in the evaporation source 3 and the positional relationship between the evaporation source 3 and the shielding member or film-forming article. One of the shielding members 51 and 52 may be positive, and the other may be negative. Further, a bias may be applied to both the shielding members from a common power source.

In some cases, instead of applying a bias from the power source, the shielding member is grounded via a resistor to place the shielding member in a kind of floating state, thereby setting the shielding member to an appropriate potential and passing ions. Can also be smoothed.
Alternatively, the same effect may be obtained by setting the shielding member electrically in a completely floating state or by forming the shielding member with an insulating material.

  FIG. 5 shows another example of the film forming apparatus according to the present invention. The film forming apparatus C of FIG. 5 is the apparatus A of FIG. 1 in which a ring-shaped magnet 6 that is a permanent magnet as an example of the magnetic field forming unit is provided near the substrate side outlet of the hole 521 of the rear shielding member 52. . The other points are the same as those of the device A, and the same parts and parts as those of the device A are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the device A.

  In the film forming apparatus C, the ionized cathode material (ion) that is going to pass through the latter-stage shielding member 52 receives Lorentz force from the magnetic field of the magnet 6 and moves while clinging to the magnetic field lines. The passage rate is increased, and the film formation rate is improved.

  The magnetic field forming unit need not be provided in the vicinity of the shielding member as long as the effect of promoting the passage of ions through the shielding member can be obtained, and the installation position may be anywhere as long as such an effect can be obtained. Further, the magnetic field forming unit need not be a permanent magnet as in the apparatus C, and may be an electromagnet. Further, the bias application (or resistance insertion or the like) to the shielding member and the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field forming unit may be used in combination.

In the film forming apparatuses A, B, and C described above, the shielding member is provided in two stages, but the shielding member may be provided in three or more stages. Further, the shape of each shielding member is not limited to a circle, and may be another shape such as a rectangle or a rectangle depending on the shape of the film forming apparatus, the shape of the article to be deposited, the film forming conditions, and the like.
Further, in the film forming apparatuses A, B, and C, the small shielding member 51 is disposed at the front stage and the large shielding member 52 is disposed at the rear stage. If there is no problem, the large shielding member is disposed at the front stage and the small shielding member is disposed at the rear stage. You may arrange.

Even when the shielding member is provided in three or more stages, a shielding member that increases as it goes from the front stage to the rear stage may be adopted, or conversely, a shielding member that becomes smaller as it goes from the front stage to the rear stage may be adopted.
As described above, a conductive material can be usually used for the material of the shielding member. However, when the heat radiation is strongly received from the evaporation source 3 or when the heat load is large, the conductive material is used. A refractory metal such as molybdenum or tungsten is preferable. Even when an insulating material is used, a refractory material such as alumina or boron nitride (BN) is preferable.

  In the film forming apparatuses A, B, and C, the number of evaporation sources, that is, the number of cathodes is one, and the shielding members are installed in two sets. However, two sets of shielding member groups each composed of a plurality of stages of shielding members may be provided for one evaporation source (cathode). FIG. 6 shows an example in which two sets of shielding members each including a front-stage shielding member 51a and a rear-stage shielding member 52a are provided for one cathode 31. In the illustrated example, the two sets of shielding members are arranged in a direction perpendicular to a line connecting the center of the cathode evaporation surface and the center of the substrate (not shown in FIG. 6).

  Further, the number of evaporation sources is not limited to one, and two or more evaporation sources may be provided. When two or more units are provided, a plurality of sets of shielding member groups common to each evaporation source may be provided, or a plurality of sets of shielding member groups may be provided separately for each evaporation source. FIG. 7 shows an example in which a pair of shielding member groups each including a front shielding member 51b and a rear shielding member 52b are provided in common to two evaporation sources (two cathodes 31, 31 '). FIG. 8 shows an example in which a pair of shielding member groups each including a front-stage shielding member 51c and a rear-stage shielding member 52c are provided for each of two evaporation sources (two cathodes 31, 31 ').

  In any case, the shielding member can exhibit not only the progress of the droplet but also a kind of reflector effect that prevents the heat release from the film-formed article side. For example, in the film forming apparatuses A, B, and C, when the film is formed while heating the substrate W to a predetermined film forming temperature with a heater (not shown), the temperature of the substrate W does not increase easily because heat escapes from the surface of the substrate W. In such a case, if the heater itself is to be heated to a considerably high temperature in order to increase the substrate temperature, such a heater is expensive and the surrounding heat-proof measures become large.

  However, for example, in the case of the film forming apparatuses A, B, and C, heat that escapes as radiation from the surface of the substrate W is reflected by the shielding members 51 and 52, so that the heat becomes difficult to escape, and as a result, the surface temperature of the substrate W is It gets higher quickly. Further, since the temperature of the heater itself can be lower than when the shielding members 51 and 52 are not provided, the cost can be reduced by that amount, and the surrounding heat prevention measures do not have to be so large.

  For example, in the apparatus A of FIG. 1, when each of the front-stage disc-shaped shielding member 51 and the rear-stage circular ring-plate-shaped shielding member 52 is composed of two or more layers, the reflector effect becomes higher.

  In the present invention, film surface roughness is uniformized in articles such as molding parts such as molds used for molding automobile parts, various machine parts, various tools, and automobile parts, machine parts, etc. In addition, it can be used to form a small film with good film thickness uniformity.

It is a figure which shows one example of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the film | membrane surface roughness in each part of the film formation object surface obtained by the film formation experiment by each film-forming apparatus of FIG.1, FIG.11, FIG.12. It is a figure which shows the film-forming speed | rate in each part of the film formation object surface obtained by the film formation experiment by each film-forming apparatus of FIG.1, FIG.11, FIG.12. It is a figure which shows the other example of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the further another example of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the method of installation of a shielding member. It is a figure which shows the further another example of the method of installation of a shielding member. It is a figure which shows the further another example of the method of installation of a shielding member. It is a figure which shows the prior art example of the film-forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the other conventional example of the film-forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the other prior art example of the film-forming apparatus. It is a figure which shows the other prior art example of the film-forming apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

A, B, C Film formation apparatus 1 Film formation chamber 11 Gas introduction port 2, 2 ′ Film formation article support holder 3 Evaporation source 31, 31 ′ Cathode 311 Cathode evaporation surface 32 Trigger electrode 33 Arc discharge power supply 34 Shield plate 35 Magnetic field forming part 36 Reactor 37 Resistance 38 Gas introduction port 4 Exhaust devices 51, 51a, 51b, 51c Front-stage shielding members 52, 52a, 52b, 52c Rear-stage shielding members 521 Holes 5 ', 5 "of shielding members W, W' Deposition substrate (example of deposition object)
PW, PW1, PW2 Bias power supply 6 Magnet (example of magnetic field forming unit)

Claims (4)

  By arc PVD, in which a cathode material is evaporated by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode, a plasma containing the ionized cathode material is generated, and the ionized cathode material is made to fly to the article to be deposited to form a film on the article. A film forming apparatus, wherein a droplet shielding member that suppresses the progress of droplets generated from the cathode to the film forming article while allowing at least a part of the ionized cathode material to advance to the film forming article is the cathode The shielding member suppresses the progress of the droplet over the entire film formation target surface of the film formation article and over the entire film formation target surface. Sequentially spaced in multiple stages along the droplet traveling direction so that the ionized cathode material faces Film-forming apparatus according to claim Rukoto.   The shielding member is provided in two stages, and the shielding member arranged on the cathode side of the two-stage shielding members is a holeless shielding member, and the shielding member arranged on the film-formed article side is A ring-shaped shielding member, wherein the holeless shielding member and the ring-shaped shielding member are configured such that when viewed from the cathode, the hole of the ring-shaped shielding member is substantially concealed but the peripheral portion is visible. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ring-shaped shielding member is formed so as to substantially hide the film-formed article together with the holeless shielding member when viewed from the cathode.   3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a power supply unit that applies a bias voltage for promoting passage of the ionized cathode material to at least one of the plurality of stages of shielding members.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a magnetic field forming unit configured to form a magnetic field that promotes passage of the ionized cathode material through the shielding member.