JP2008266716A - Thin film deposition system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin film deposition system capable of fixedly retaining the intervals between electrodes. <P>SOLUTION: In the plasma CVD system 10, the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14 are provided so as to be confronted regarding a vertical direction Y. A supporting lift base 18 supports the lower electrode 14, and the lower electrode 14 can be freely dislocated from a movement prohibition position abutted against a spacing control stopper 19 and prohibiting the dislocation of the lower electrode 14 to the upper part Y1 to a movement allowing position separated from the spacing control stopper 19 and allowing the dislocation of the lower electrode 14 to the upper part Y1. Further, the supporting lift base 18 includes spring members 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate to be processed by chemical vapor deposition.

  FIG. 5 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing a conventional plasma chemical vapor deposition (abbreviated to CVD) apparatus 1. In forming a thin film of a semiconductor device, the parallel plate electrodes 2 and 3 are often used in the conventional plasma CVD apparatus 1, and the reaction of the material gas is promoted by the plasma generated between the parallel plate electrodes 2 and 3. A film is formed. Items that determine the quality of the thin film formed in this way include, for example, gas, pressure, electrode applied power, temperature, and electrode spacing h. The stability of quality is maintained by reproducing these items stably.

  Among these items, the electrode interval h between the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3 is such that the operation of transporting the substrate 4 during production, the cleaning of the reaction chamber 5 performed regularly, and maintenance work such as electrode replacement, etc. May change due to Specifically, due to mechanical errors during the operation of the lower electrode 3 accompanying the conveyance of the substrate 4 being processed, and errors in parallel adjustment of the electrode interval h performed during maintenance work, the positional deviations of the electrodes 2 and 3 and An inclination occurs, and the electrode interval h between the upper electrode 2 and the lower electrode 3 changes. Thus, when the desired electrode interval h changes due to the positional deviation as described above, the film quality and film thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate 4 are not uniform, which causes a decrease in yield and quality. Therefore, for the purpose of maintaining the stability of quality, the positional deviation and inclination of the two electrodes 2 and 3 are specified, and the amount of positional deviation is kept within the specification at the time of adjustment, so careful work is required.

  As a first conventional technique for improving the accuracy in such position adjustment, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus is disclosed in which a parallel adjustment mechanism is incorporated in an electrode and a means for improving the parallel accuracy of the electrode interval is provided. When such a parallel adjustment mechanism is a means for improving the accuracy of manual adjustment by an operator, a lot of time is required for the adjustment work. Even if the parallel adjustment mechanism is a mechanism that automatically adjusts, since it exists as an adjustment operation, a long time is required for adjustment after all. In addition, when the drive mechanism constituting the parallel adjustment mechanism is consumed and an error occurs, the adjustment work needs to be performed again. Further, since the drive mechanism is consumed and an error occurs, there is a problem with the sustainability of the adjustment effect of the parallel adjustment mechanism (see, for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  As a second conventional technique for solving such a problem of the first conventional technique, a technique is disclosed in which adjustment means for directly adjusting the electrode interval is provided between the electrodes instead of adjusting the position of each electrode. ing. Since such an adjusting means is provided between the electrodes, the adjusting means itself is close to the substrate. Therefore, the presence of the adjusting means between the electrodes may affect the plasma region or the gas flow, which may cause deterioration of the film thickness distribution (see, for example, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4).

  Further, as a third conventional technique for maintaining the electrode interval, a technique for forming a processing chamber with a stopper is disclosed. When the processing chamber is formed with the stopper, a large change factor such as a review of the film forming conditions occurs (see, for example, Patent Document 5 and Patent Document 6).

JP-A-3-127822 JP 2001-230307 A JP-A-6-120147 JP 7-153694 A JP 10-310870 A JP 2002-146537 A

  As described above, in the electrode structure of the conventional thin film forming apparatus, when the number of times of thin film formation increases, an error of the stop position sensor of the driving mechanism of the lower electrode and an error due to the accuracy of the driving system occur. Therefore, the stop position of the lower electrode gradually changes due to such an error, and the uniformity of the electrode spacing may deteriorate. Therefore, if a defective product occurs, it is necessary to interrupt production and adjust the electrode spacing. Further, in the conventional technique, a great deal of time is spent on the parallel adjustment work of the electrode interval during the maintenance work, and this adversely affects the production efficiency in order to maintain the quality.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a thin film forming apparatus capable of keeping the electrode interval constant.

The present invention is a thin film forming apparatus for introducing a source gas into a reaction chamber and forming a thin film on a substrate to be processed disposed in the reaction chamber.
An upper electrode provided on one side of a predetermined reference direction inside the reaction chamber;
A lower electrode provided on the other side in the reference direction from the upper electrode in the reaction chamber so as to face the upper electrode, and capable of supporting a substrate to be processed;
A positioning member provided on the other side in the reference direction from the upper electrode in the reaction chamber;
A supporting member for supporting the other side of the lower electrode in the reference direction, wherein at least one of the lower electrode and the supporting member is in contact with the positioning member, and the displacement of the lower electrode toward the one side in the reference direction A support member that is displaceable over a movement prohibition position that prohibits the movement and a movement allowable position that is spaced apart from the positioning member and allows displacement of the lower electrode to one side in the reference direction;
In a state where the support member is provided and the support member is disposed at the movement prohibition position, at least one of the lower electrode and the support member that are in contact with the positioning member is elastically moved in one reference direction. And a pressing means for pressing.

  Further, according to the present invention, the surface on one side in the reference direction of the lower electrode is disposed on one side in the reference direction from the surface on one side in the reference direction of the positioning member in a state where the support member is disposed at the movement prohibition position. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, the thin film forming apparatus includes an upper electrode, a lower electrode, a positioning member, and a support member, which are provided in the reaction chamber. The upper electrode and the lower electrode are provided to face each other with respect to the reference direction. The support member supports the lower electrode, and at least one of the lower electrode and the support member is in contact with the positioning member, and is moved away from the positioning member to prohibit the displacement of the lower electrode to one side in the reference direction. Thus, the lower electrode is freely displaceable over a movement allowable position that allows displacement in one direction of the reference direction. Therefore, in a state where the support member is disposed at the movement prohibition position, the support member cannot be displaced from the movement prohibition position to one side in the reference direction, so that the distance between the upper electrode and the lower electrode is constant.

  Further, the supporting member is provided with a pressing means. The pressing means includes at least one of the lower electrode and the support member that are in contact with the positioning member in a state where the support member is displaced to the movement prohibition position (hereinafter, a member that is in contact with the positioning member at the movement prohibition position). , Sometimes simply referred to as “contact member”). Therefore, since the contact member is elastically pressed against the positioning member in a state where the support member is disposed at the movement prohibition position, it is possible to ensure adhesion between the positioning member and the contact member. Thus, even when the mechanical positioning accuracy is lowered due to repeated displacement of the support member, the contact member can be reliably brought into contact with the positioning member to position the contact member. Accordingly, the lower electrode can be positioned at a desired position with high accuracy simply by bringing the contact member into contact with the positioning member. Therefore, it is possible to make the distance between the lower electrode and the upper electrode constant with a simple configuration and over a long period of time. Thereby, the film thickness distribution and reproducibility of the film formed on the substrate to be processed are improved, and the reliability of the thin film can be further improved. In addition, the maintenance work can be simplified and the adjustment work time can be shortened as compared with the conventional technique. Therefore, by simplifying the maintenance work and shortening the work time, the operating rate of the thin film forming apparatus can be improved and the productivity can be improved.

  According to the invention, the surface on the one side in the reference direction of the lower electrode is disposed on the one side in the reference direction from the surface on the one side in the reference direction of the positioning member in a state where the support member is disposed at the movement prohibition position. The Thus, in a state where the support member is disposed at the movement prohibition position, it is possible to prevent the positioning member from being interposed between the lower electrode and the upper electrode. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the positioning member from being interposed between the electrodes and affecting the gas flow or the like. Therefore, the film thickness distribution of the film formed on the substrate to be processed can be made constant.

  Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Portions corresponding to the matters described in the preceding forms in each embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description may be omitted. When only a part of the configuration is described, the other parts of the configuration are the same as those described in the preceding section. Not only the combination of the parts specifically described in each embodiment, but also the embodiments can be partially combined as long as the combination does not hinder.

FIG. 1 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing a plasma CVD apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the plasma CVD apparatus 10 in a simplified manner, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the plasma CVD apparatus 10 can form a film. The plasma CVD apparatus 10 is a thin film forming apparatus, and introduces a source gas into the reaction chamber 11 to form a deposited film made of a predetermined material on the substrate 12 to be processed disposed inside the reaction chamber 11. . The deposited film is an insulating film, a semiconductor film, a conductor film, or the like. The plasma CVD apparatus 10 is preferably used for forming semiconductor elements such as an optical semiconductor chip, a power transistor, and an integrated circuit. The plasma CVD apparatus 10 includes, for example, an optical transmission unit, a remote control light-receiving unit, a GP-IB (General Purpose) of a PC (Personal Computer).
It is suitably used for the production of electronic component equipment including a unit for Interface Bus) and a thyristor. In the present embodiment, the substrate 12 to be processed is realized by a semiconductor wafer. The plasma CVD apparatus 10 is a parallel plate electrode type CVD apparatus 10, and includes a reaction chamber 11, an upper electrode 13, a lower electrode 14, a driving means 15, a gas supply means 16, a high-frequency power supply 17, a support lift. A base 18, an interval adjusting stopper 19, and an exhaust unit 20 are included.

  The reaction chamber 11 is configured to be able to form a vacuum space. An openable / closable portion (not shown) is formed on the side wall of the reaction chamber 11 in order to carry the substrate 12 to be processed into the reaction chamber 11 or to carry the substrate 12 out of the reaction chamber 11. ing.

  The upper electrode 13 is provided on one side of a predetermined reference direction inside the reaction chamber 11. In the present embodiment, the reference direction is substantially parallel to the vertical direction Y (the term “substantially parallel” includes parallel), and one of the reference directions is an upper Y1 and the other of the reference directions is a lower Y2. Therefore, the upper electrode 13 is provided on the upper Y1 side inside the reaction chamber 11. The upper electrode 13 is provided to face the lower electrode 14. The lower end surface of the upper electrode 13, in other words, the first end surface 13a facing the lower electrode 14 of the upper electrode 13 is a flat surface. The upper electrode 13 has a substantially hollow box shape, and a gas introduction space 21 into which a source gas is introduced and a gas outflow hole 22 are formed in the upper electrode 13. The gas outflow hole 22 is formed in a portion of the upper electrode 13 facing the lower electrode 14. In FIG. 1, only one gas outflow hole 22 is shown, but the number is not limited to one, and the upper electrode 13 extends over the entire region of the first end surface 13 a of the upper electrode 13, that is, the lower electrode 14 of the upper electrode 13. A plurality of gas outflow holes 22 may be formed over the entire region of the portion facing the surface.

  The outer shape of the upper electrode 13 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. On the upper side Y1 of the upper electrode 13, in other words, on the opposite side of the upper electrode 13 from the side where the gas outflow hole 22 is formed, a gas inflow hole 23 for supplying a raw material gas from a gas supply means 16 described later is formed. The The gas inflow hole 23 communicates with the gas introduction space 21. The source gas flows into the gas introduction space 21 from the gas inflow hole 23 and out of the gas outflow hole 22. The upper electrode 13 is a so-called shower electrode.

  The lower electrode 14 is provided on the lower Y2 side from the upper electrode 13 inside the reaction chamber 11 so as to face the upper electrode 13, and is configured to be able to support the substrate 12 to be processed. The upper end surface 14a of the lower electrode 14, in other words, the second end surface 14a facing the upper electrode 13 of the lower electrode 14 is formed in a plane. The outer shape of the lower electrode 14 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The areas of the second end surface 14a and the first end surface 13a are selected to be equal. Further, the lower electrode 14 has a step portion 24 whose outer edge portion is separated from the second end surface 14a toward the lower side Y2. The upper end surface 24a of the stepped portion 24, in other words, the third end surface 24a facing the upper electrode 13 of the stepped portion 24 is formed in a plane, and the second end surface 14a and the third end surface 24a are formed substantially in parallel.

  The high frequency power source 17 applies a high frequency between the electrodes, generates plasma, and activates and reacts a plurality of material gases introduced into the reaction chamber 11. The high frequency power supply 17 generates a single phase high frequency voltage. By applying a predetermined potential to the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14 by the high-frequency power source 17, a predetermined voltage is applied between the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14, and a discharge occurs between the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14. As a result, the source gas is turned into plasma.

  The exhaust means 20 exhausts the reaction chamber 11. The exhaust means 20 includes an exhaust pipe 25 and a vacuum pump (not shown). The exhaust pipe 25 is connected to the reaction chamber 11. An exhaust hole 26 is formed in the bottom wall 11 a of the reaction chamber 11. The exhaust hole 26 is formed below the lower electrode 14 in Y2. The vacuum pump is realized by, for example, an oil rotary pump, an oil diffusion pump, a turbo molecular pump, or the like. A vacuum pump that can obtain a required degree of vacuum in the reaction chamber 11 in the formation of the deposited film is used. The vacuum pump exhausts the gas in the reaction chamber 11 through the exhaust pipe 25.

  The support lift base 18 is a support member that supports the lower Y2 side of the lower electrode 14, and the lower electrode 14 abuts against the interval adjustment stopper 19 to prohibit the displacement of the lower electrode 14 to the upper Y1. 2 (see FIG. 2) and a movement allowable position (see FIG. 1) that is spaced apart from the interval adjusting stopper 19 and allows the lower electrode 14 to be displaced upward Y1. In the present embodiment, the support lift base 18 is configured to be slidable between the movement prohibited position and the movement allowable position in the vertical direction Y. The plasma CVD apparatus 10 forms a film on the substrate 12 to be processed in a state where the lower electrode 14 shown in FIG. A specific configuration of the support lift base 18 will be described later.

  The drive means 15 slides and displaces the support lift base 18 with respect to an axis perpendicular to the second end face 14 a that holds the substrate 12 to be processed of the lower electrode 14. The drive means 15 includes an electric motor (not shown) and a transmission means (not shown) for transmitting the rotational force of the electric motor to the support lift base 18. The transmission means is realized by gears, pulleys, chains, and the like, for example, and converts the rotational force into a slide displacement force and transmits it to the support lift base 18. The support lift base 18 is displaced with respect to the vertical direction Y by driving the drive means 15 to slide.

  The interval adjusting stopper 19 is a positioning member and is provided inside the reaction chamber 11 on the lower Y2 side of the upper electrode 13. The interval adjusting stopper 19 is adjusted to an arbitrary length so as to surround the bottom wall 11 a of the reaction chamber 11 and the lower electrode 14, and is installed so as to extend from the bottom wall 11 a of the reaction chamber 11 toward the upper electrode 13. Is done. The interval adjustment stopper 19 is configured to restrict the displacement of the lower electrode 14 to the upper Y1 and to allow the displacement to the lower Y2, as shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the support lift base 18 is in the movement prohibition position. Is done. The spacing adjustment stopper 19 abuts on the third end surface 24a of the step portion 24 of the lower electrode 14 in a state where the support lift base 18 is in the movement prohibition position, and restricts the displacement of the lower electrode 14 to the upper Y1.

  The interval adjustment stopper 19 includes a support column 27 and a locking portion 28. The support column 27 is a long member extending along the vertical direction Y, and a plurality of support members 27 are provided so as to cover the support lift base 18 with an interval in the left-right direction X perpendicular to the vertical direction Y with respect to the lower electrode 14. Provided. The lower Y2 end of the support column 27 is connected to the bottom wall 11a of the lower Y2 of the reaction chamber 11. Referring to FIG. 2, the longitudinal dimension H1 of the support column 27 is the distance h1 in the vertical direction Y between the first end surface 13a of the upper electrode 13 and the second end surface 14a of the lower electrode 14 during film formation (hereinafter referred to as It is simply set based on “interval between electrodes h1”). The longitudinal dimension H1 of the support column 27 is set to be small when the distance h1 between the electrodes is large, and is set to be large when the distance h1 between the electrodes is small.

  The locking portion 28 is provided so as to protrude toward the support lift base 18 along the left-right direction X from the end portion of the upper portion Y <b> 1 of the support column portion 27. As shown in FIG. 2, the locking portion 28 has a substantially flat plate shape, and when the fourth end surface 28a of the lower Y2 is disposed at the movement prohibition position, the locking portion 28 and the third end surface 24a of the stepped portion 24 Abut. The dimension H2 in the vertical direction Y of the locking portion 28 is set to be equal to or less than the step height h2 of the step portion 24, that is, the distance h2 between the second end surface 14a and the third end surface 24a. By setting in this way, the second end surface 14a of the lower electrode 14 is higher than the fifth end surface 28b of the upper portion Y1 of the locking portion 28 above the Y1 when the support lift base 18 is disposed at the movement prohibition position. Placed in. In other words, the locking portion 28 is configured to be buried by the step portion 24 provided in the lower electrode 14 when contacting the lower electrode 14. Such an interval adjusting stopper 19 is preferably made of an insulating material.

  In the state where the lower electrode 14 is disposed at the movement prohibition position shown in FIG. 2, the first end surface 13a and the second end surface 14a are substantially parallel, and the interval adjusting stopper is set so that the interval h1 between the electrodes is constant. 19 shapes are set. Thus, the lower electrode 14 can be held such that one surface in the thickness direction of the substrate 12 to be processed is parallel to the first end surface 13 a of the upper electrode 13.

  Next, the support lift base 18 will be further described. The support lift base 18 includes a first support base 29, a second support base 30, a spring member 31, a support shaft 32, a heater 33, and power adjusting means (not shown). The first support 29 is provided with a built-in heater 33 and supports the lower portion Y <b> 2 of the lower electrode 14. The first support base 29 has a substantially flat plate shape, and one surface 29a in the thickness direction supports the surface 14b of the lower Y2 of the lower electrode 14. The first support 29 has the other surface 29 b in the thickness direction connected to one end of the spring member 31.

  The heater 33 heats the lower electrode 14 and holds the lower electrode 14 at an arbitrary set temperature. The heater 33 is provided integrally with the first support base 29. The heater 33 generates heat when electric power is supplied to heat the lower electrode 14. Accordingly, the heater 33 heats the substrate to be processed 12 placed on the lower electrode 14 and adjusts the substrate to be processed 12 to a desired temperature. The power adjusting unit adjusts the power supplied from a power source such as a commercial power source and supplies the power to the heater 33. The power adjusting means controls the heat generation of the heater 33 by adjusting the power from the power source so as to supply predetermined power to the heater 33.

  The second support base 30 supports the first support base 29 via the spring member 31. The second support base 30 is substantially flat like the first support base 29, and one surface 30 a in the thickness direction is connected to the other end of the spring member 31. Accordingly, the spring member 31 is provided between the first support base 29 and the second support base 30. The second support 30 has the other surface 30 b in the thickness direction coupled to one end of the support shaft 32. The spring member 31 is a spring force generating means and applies a spring force in a direction in which the first support base 29 and the second support base 30 are separated from each other.

  The support shaft 32 is a longitudinal member and supports the second support base 30. The support shaft 32 has an axis extending substantially parallel to the vertical direction Y, one end of the support shaft 32 is connected to the second support base 30, and protrudes outward from the reaction chamber 11. The other end portion of the support shaft 32 is configured to be able to transmit the driving force from the driving means 15. Therefore, when the support shaft 32 is driven by the driving means 15, the support shaft 32 is slid and displaced in the axial direction. As a result, the spring member 31 and the first support base 29 supported by the second support base 30 are slid and displaced.

  Since the support lift base 18 is configured in this way, the support shaft 32 is slid and displaced from the movement allowable position shown in FIG. Further, when the support shaft 32 is slid and displaced upward Y <b> 1 against the spring force of the spring member 31, the second support base 30 approaches the first support base 29. At such a position, the second support 30 is stopped. In such a state, since the spring force is continuously applied to the spring member 31 in the direction separating the first support base 29 and the second support base 30, the lower electrode 14 presses against the distance adjustment stopper 19. Is maintained. In other words, the spring member 31 functions as a pressing means, and the lower electrode 14 in contact with the interval adjusting stopper 19 is elastically moved upward Y1 in a state where the first support base 29 is disposed at the movement prohibition position. Press.

  As described above, in the plasma CVD apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14 are provided facing each other in the vertical direction Y. The support lift base 18 supports the lower electrode 14, the lower electrode 14 abuts against the interval adjustment stopper 19, and a movement prohibition position (see FIG. 2) that prohibits the displacement of the lower electrode 14 upward Y <b> 1 and interval adjustment. It is displaceable over a movement allowable position (see FIG. 1) that is spaced apart from the stopper 19 and allows the lower electrode 14 to be displaced upward Y1. Therefore, in a state where the lower electrode 14 is disposed at the movement prohibition position, the upper electrode 13 cannot be displaced upward Y1 from the movement prohibition position, so that the distance between the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14 is constant. Accordingly, the distance h1 between the electrodes and the parallelism are determined by the positional relationship between the distance adjusting stopper 19 and the lower electrode 14. Further, at the movement allowable position shown in FIG. 1, since the distance h1 between the electrodes becomes large, the substrate 12 to be processed can be easily placed on and released from the lower electrode.

  Further, the support lift base 18 includes a spring member 31. The spring member 31 elastically presses the lower electrode 14 in contact with the distance adjusting stopper 19 upward Y1 in a state where the first support 29 is displaced to the movement prohibition position. Therefore, since the lower electrode 14 is elastically pressed against the distance adjustment stopper 19 in a state where the lower electrode 14 is disposed at the movement prohibition position, the adhesion between the distance adjustment stopper 19 and the lower electrode 14 is ensured. Can do. Thus, even when the mechanical positioning accuracy is lowered due to repeated displacement of the support lift base 18, the lower electrode 14 is positioned by making the lower electrode 14 abut on the interval adjusting stopper 19 reliably. Can do. In other words, when the support lift base 18 is repeatedly displaced, even if a mechanical error occurs in the distance h1 between the electrodes, the spring member 31 absorbs the error and is adjusted at the desired distance h1 between the electrodes. Accordingly, the lower electrode 14 can be positioned at a desired position with high accuracy simply by bringing the lower electrode 14 into contact with the interval adjusting stopper 19. Therefore, the distance h1 between the lower electrode 14 and the upper electrode 13 can be made constant with a simple configuration over a long period of time. As a result, the film thickness distribution and reproducibility of the film formed on the substrate to be processed 12 are improved, and the reliability of the thin film can be further improved. Also, in the adjustment of the positional deviation and the inclination of the electrode interval at the time of maintenance work that spends a lot of time as in the prior art, the interval is determined by the interval adjustment stopper 19. Specifically, since there is a margin for the stroke of the spring material during the maintenance work, only the height adjustment work for the lower electrode 14 is required, which simplifies the maintenance work and greatly reduces the work. Therefore, by simplifying the maintenance work and shortening the work time, the operating rate of the plasma CVD apparatus 10 can be improved and the productivity can be improved.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the second end surface 14a of the lower electrode 14 is larger than the fifth end surface 28b on the upper side Y1 of the locking portion 28 of the interval adjusting stopper 19 in a state where the lower electrode 14 is disposed at the movement prohibition position. Arranged in the upper Y1. Thus, in the state where the lower electrode 14 is disposed at the movement prohibition position, it is possible to prevent the interval adjustment stopper 19 from being interposed between the lower electrode 14 and the upper electrode 13. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the gap adjusting stopper 19 from being interposed between the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14 and affecting the gas flow or the like. Therefore, the film thickness distribution of the film formed on the substrate to be processed 12 can be made constant.

  In the present embodiment, the interval adjustment stopper 19 is preferably made of an insulating material. As a result, even when the gap adjusting stopper 19 is provided near the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14, abnormal discharge may occur between the upper electrode 13 and the lower electrode 14 and the gap adjusting stopper 19. Absent. Therefore, the uniformity of the film thickness distribution of the deposited film deposited on the substrate 12 to be processed can be maintained. Therefore, the reproducibility of the film thickness distribution of the deposited film on the substrate 12 to be processed can be improved, and the yield can be improved.

  Next, a plasma CVD apparatus 10A according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a simplified cross-sectional view showing a plasma CVD apparatus 10A according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the plasma CVD apparatus 10A, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the plasma CVD apparatus 10A can form a film. In the plasma CVD apparatus 10A of the present embodiment, when the support lift base 18 is in the movement prohibition position, the point that the first support base 29 is in contact with the interval adjustment stopper 19 is that of the first embodiment described above. Different from the plasma CVD apparatus 10.

  The lower electrode 14 is always provided so as not to contact the interval adjusting stopper 19, and is formed in a flat plate shape without the stepped portion 24 being formed. The lower electrode 14 is set so that the dimension in the left-right direction X is smaller than that of the first support base 29. Therefore, the 1st support stand 29 is the surface of upper Y1, and an outer edge part is exposed to upper Y1. The sixth end surface 35 of Y1 above the exposed portion 34 abuts on the fourth end surface 28a of the locking portion 28 in the state where the sixth end surface 35 is disposed at the movement prohibition position. The dimension H2 in the vertical direction Y of the locking portion 28 is set to be equal to or less than the height dimension h3 of the lower electrode 14, that is, the distance h3 between the second end surface 14a and the sixth end surface 35. By setting in this way, the second end surface 14a of the lower electrode 14 is higher than the fifth end surface 28b of the upper portion Y1 of the locking portion 28 above the Y1 when the support lift base 18 is disposed at the movement prohibition position. Placed in. With such a configuration, the same operations and effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be achieved.

  In each of the embodiments described above, one end of the gap adjusting stopper 19 is connected to the bottom wall 11a of the reaction chamber 11. However, the configuration is not limited to such a configuration, and the interval adjusting stopper 19 is connected to the side wall of the reaction chamber 11. Also good. Moreover, it is preferable that the space | interval adjustment stopper 19 is a structure which does not prevent the flow of gas, for example, it is preferable to consist of a porous member which has several through-holes. The material and shape of the locking portion 28 of the interval adjusting stopper 10 are selected so as not to be deformed by repeatedly contacting the lower electrode 14 or the first support base 29. Further, since the stress applied to the locking portion 28 at the movement prohibition position is set based on the spring force of the spring member 31, a minimum spring force that does not shift during film formation is set. This can prevent the locking portion 28 from being deformed by the spring force. Further, the interval adjusting stopper 10 may be configured such that the locking portion 28 is detachable from the support column 27. By configuring the locking portion 28 to be detachable in this way, even when the locking portion 28 is damaged, the interval adjusting stopper 10 can be easily reproduced by simply replacing the locking portion 28 with a new locking portion 28. be able to.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the first support base 29 and the second support base 30 are connected by the spring member 31, but the material is not limited to the spring member 31 and may be any material having elasticity. The support lift base 18 may be configured so that the contact member can be elastically pressed against the interval adjusting stopper 19 in the state where the support lift base 18 is disposed at the movement prohibition position, and the support shaft 32 has elasticity. May be.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the support lift base 18 is configured to be slidable along the vertical direction Y. However, the support lift base 18 is not limited to such a slidable configuration. It may be a configuration that can be displaced over a distance, for example, a configuration that is angularly displaced.

It is sectional drawing which simplifies and shows the plasma CVD apparatus. It is sectional drawing which shows the plasma CVD apparatus 10 simplified, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the plasma CVD apparatus 10 can form a film | membrane. It is sectional drawing which simplifies and shows plasma CVD apparatus 10A. It is sectional drawing which shows plasma CVD apparatus 10A simplified, Comprising: It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which plasma CVD apparatus 10A can form a film | membrane. It is sectional drawing which simplifies and shows the plasma CVD apparatus 1 of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Plasma CVD apparatus 11 Reaction chamber 12 Substrate 13 Upper electrode 14 Lower electrode 18 Support lift base 19 Space | interval adjustment stopper 24 Step part 31 Spring member

Claims (2)

A thin film forming apparatus for introducing a source gas into a reaction chamber and forming a thin film on a substrate to be processed disposed in the reaction chamber,
An upper electrode provided on one side of a predetermined reference direction inside the reaction chamber;
A lower electrode provided on the other side in the reference direction from the upper electrode in the reaction chamber so as to face the upper electrode, and capable of supporting a substrate to be processed;
A positioning member provided on the other side in the reference direction from the upper electrode in the reaction chamber;
A supporting member for supporting the other side of the lower electrode in the reference direction, wherein at least one of the lower electrode and the supporting member is in contact with the positioning member, and the displacement of the lower electrode toward the one side in the reference direction A support member that is displaceable over a movement prohibition position that prohibits the movement and a movement allowable position that is spaced apart from the positioning member and allows displacement of the lower electrode to one side in the reference direction;
In a state where the support member is provided and the support member is disposed at the movement prohibition position, at least one of the lower electrode and the support member that are in contact with the positioning member is elastically moved in one reference direction. And a pressing means for pressing.   The surface on one side in the reference direction of the lower electrode is disposed on one side in the reference direction from the surface on one side in the reference direction of the positioning member in a state where the support member is disposed at the movement prohibition position. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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