JP2009091628A - Particle sticking preventive cover, vapor deposition system provided with the particle sticking preventive cover, and vapor deposition method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To securely suppress the contamination of the object to be vapor-deposited caused by particles generated within a vacuum deposition system. <P>SOLUTION: Disclosed is a dome cover 118 mounted with the object 200 to be vapor-deposited and fitted to a substrate dome 104 arranged inside a vacuum deposition system 100, and is composed so as to cover the upper part of the substrate dome 104 mounted with the object 200 to be vapor-deposited. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a particle adhesion prevention cover, a vapor deposition apparatus provided with the particle adhesion prevention cover, and a vapor deposition method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vacuum deposition apparatus that deposits an antireflection film or the like on the surface of an object to be deposited such as a lens or a prism is known. In such a vacuum deposition apparatus, an object to be deposited is placed in a vacuum container kept in a vacuum, a target is placed in a crucible, and the target is irradiated with electrons by an electron gun to evaporate from the target. The deposited material is deposited on the deposition object.

  Usually, the deposition object is placed on a dome-shaped (conical) base plate called a substrate dome disposed in the upper part of the vacuum vessel. The substrate dome is provided with holes corresponding to the deposition object. The vapor deposition material generated from the target flies upward in the vacuum vessel, passes through the hole of the substrate dome, and is deposited on the deposition target.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-51947 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-239761

  However, the above-described vacuum vapor deposition apparatus has a problem that the vapor deposition material flying upward in the vacuum vessel adheres to and accumulates on the ceiling and side walls of the vacuum vessel. And, when the deposited vaporized material is peeled off and flies as particles (dust) during vapor deposition, it adheres to the surface opposite to the vapor deposition surface of the material to be deposited and contaminates the surface of the material to be deposited. There is. In this case, the deposition object is heated, and the state changes when taken out to the atmosphere, so it is difficult to remove the adhered particles. For this reason, there exists a problem that deposition objects, such as a lens and a prism, cannot exhibit a desired characteristic, and a manufacturing cost rises by the fall of a yield. In addition, many man-hours are required to remove the adhered particles, resulting in an increase in manufacturing cost.

  More specifically, the substrate dome is rotationally driven for the purpose of uniform vapor deposition on the deposition target, and a drive mechanism for rotationally driving the substrate dome is provided in the upper part of the vacuum vessel. In addition, a structure such as a heater for heating the deposition object and a film thickness meter for measuring the film thickness of the deposition material is provided in the upper part of the vacuum vessel. The vapor deposition material evaporated from the target easily adheres to these structures, and when the amount of deposition increases, there is a problem that it falls downward and adheres to the upper surface of the deposition target. Further, when removing the deposited vapor deposition material, these structures become an obstacle, and it is not realistic from the viewpoint of manufacturing cost to stop the operation of the apparatus for a long time for the removal.

  Note that Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a cylindrical shield is provided in a thin film forming apparatus in order to avoid deposition of a sputtering substance at a place other than a desired place. Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in a sputtering apparatus that suppresses generation of dust due to collision of inert gas ions with the inner wall of a vacuum chamber. However, in any method, it is difficult to fundamentally solve the problem of particles adhering to the deposition object.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is a novel that can reliably suppress contamination of an object to be deposited by particles generated in a vacuum deposition apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved particle adhesion prevention cover, a vapor deposition apparatus and a vapor deposition method provided with the particle adhesion prevention cover.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a particle adhesion prevention cover mounted on a substrate dome on which a deposition target is placed and placed in a vacuum deposition apparatus, A particle adhesion prevention cover is provided that covers an upper portion of the substrate dome on which an object is placed.

  According to the above configuration, the particle adhesion prevention cover is attached to the substrate dome on which the deposition object is placed and placed in the vacuum deposition apparatus, and the deposition object is placed on the particle adhesion prevention cover. It is comprised so that the upper part of a board | substrate dome may be covered. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress adhesion of particles floating in the vacuum deposition apparatus to the deposition target.

  Further, the particle adhesion preventing cover may include a skirt that extends downward from the peripheral portion and has a lower end that comes into contact with the upper surface of the substrate dome. According to such a configuration, the skirt extending downward from the peripheral portion comes into contact with the upper surface of the substrate dome, so that particles that wrap around from the side of the substrate dome can be prevented from reaching the substrate dome. Further, in order to prevent the cover from coming into contact with the deposition object and damaging the deposition object, the cover functions as a spacer for securing a space for installing the deposition object between the substrate dome.

  The particle adhesion prevention cover is provided with a circular opening, and a peripheral portion of the opening is formed on the upper surface of the stepped portion provided on the outer periphery of the cylindrical mounting jig attached to the upper surface of the substrate dome. It may be placed so that the opening is closed. According to this configuration, it is possible to accurately define the position of the particle adhesion prevention cover with respect to the substrate dome and to reliably prevent particles from entering from the opening.

  In addition, the particle adhesion prevention cover is attached to the substrate dome by its own weight with the peripheral portion in contact with the stepped portion of the mounting jig and the lower end of the skirt portion in contact with the upper surface of the substrate dome. It may be a thing. According to this configuration, since the particle adhesion preventing cover is attached to the substrate dome by its own weight, the particle adhesion preventing cover can be easily attached and detached.

  Further, the particle adhesion preventing cover may be made of aluminum or a resin material. According to this configuration, the particle adhesion prevention cover can be configured to be lightweight and inexpensive.

  Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, according to another viewpoint of this invention, the vapor deposition apparatus provided with said particle adhesion prevention cover is provided.

  According to the above configuration, the particle adhesion prevention cover is configured to cover the upper part of the substrate dome on which the deposition object is placed, so that it is ensured that particles floating in the deposition apparatus adhere to the deposition object. Can be suppressed.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, a particle adhesion prevention cover is placed so as to cover an upper part of the substrate dome on which the deposition target is placed, and the substrate dome and the particle adhesion are covered. A deposition method is provided in which a prevention cover is disposed in a vacuum deposition apparatus, and a deposition material is deposited on an object to be deposited on the substrate dome.

  According to the above configuration, the upper part of the substrate dome on which the deposition object is placed is covered with the particle adhesion prevention cover, and the substrate dome and the particle adhesion prevention cover are disposed in the vacuum deposition apparatus, A deposition material is deposited on the object. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress adhesion of particles floating in the vacuum deposition apparatus to the deposition target.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to suppress reliably the contamination of the to-be-deposited object by the particle which generate | occur | produces in a vacuum evaporation system.

  Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in this specification and drawing, about the component which has the substantially same function structure, duplication description is abbreviate | omitted by attaching | subjecting the same code | symbol.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a vacuum deposition apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vacuum deposition apparatus 100 includes a vacuum container 102, and a substrate dome 104 on which an object to be deposited 200 (for example, an optical lens element, a prism, etc., not shown in FIG. 1) is placed is disposed in the vacuum container 102. ing. A pump 106 is connected to the vacuum container 102, and the inside of the vacuum container 102 is kept in a vacuum state of about 10 ⁻² Pa to 10 ⁻³ Pa by scavenging the gas in the vacuum container 102 with the pump 106. Yes.

  A crucible 108 and an electron gun filament 110 are provided in the lower part of the vacuum vessel 102. A target 112 is placed in the crucible 108, and by heating the target 112, the material of the target 112 evaporates and soars upward. Further, in order to evaporate the material of the target 112, the target 112 is irradiated with electrons emitted from the electron gun filament 110.

Examples of the vapor deposition material deposited on the optical lens element and prism as the deposition object 200 include titanium dioxide (TiO ₂ ), zirconium dioxide (ZrO ₂ ), silicon dioxide (SiO ₂ ), fluorine used as an antireflection film and the like. Examples thereof include materials such as magnesium halide (MgF ₂ ), and these are used as the material of the target 112.

  A shutter 114 is provided above the crucible 108. The shutter 114 is opened after the evaporation amount of the vapor deposition material from the target 112 reaches a steady state. Thereby, the vapor deposition material evaporated from the target 112 is sent toward the lower surface of the substrate dome 104. Then, when the film thickness measured by a film thickness meter 116 described later reaches a desired value, the shutter 114 is closed and the vapor deposition is completed.

  The substrate dome 104 is formed in a dome shape or a conical shape, and the substrate dome 104 is provided with a plurality of through holes 104a. The through hole 104 a has a shape corresponding to the deposition object 200. The deposition object 200 is placed on the upper surface of the substrate dome 104 so as to block the through hole 104a. Alternatively, a jig attached to the through hole 104a may be used. In this case, one or a plurality of deposition objects 200 are placed on the jig, and through holes corresponding to these deposition objects 200 are provided in the jig. The substrate dome 104 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the central axis in the vertical direction, and a mechanism (not shown) for transmitting a driving force for rotating the substrate dome 104 is provided in the vacuum vessel 102.

  A film thickness meter 116 is provided on the upper part of the vacuum vessel 102. The film thickness meter 116 includes a light projecting unit 116a, a light receiving unit 116b, and a monitor glass 116c. The light projected from the light projecting unit 116a to the monitor glass 116c is reflected by the monitor glass 116c and received by the light receiving unit 116b. The The vapor deposition material evaporated from the target 112 adheres to the monitor glass 116c. The film thickness meter 116 measures the film thickness of the vapor deposition material deposited on the monitor glass 116c by receiving the light projected from the light projecting unit 116a with the light receiving unit 116b and measuring the reflectance on the monitor glass 116c. .

  In addition, a heating wire 117 for heating is provided above the vacuum vessel 102 in order to heat the inside of the vacuum vessel 102 and adjust the deposition target 200 to a desired temperature.

  Although the dome cover 118 according to the present embodiment is put on the substrate dome 104, the dome cover 118 is not shown in FIG. The substrate dome 104 is unloaded from the vacuum container 102 with the dome cover 118 covered, and is loaded into the vacuum container 102. Then, by removing the dome cover 118 from the substrate dome 104 outside the vacuum vessel 102, the deposition target 200 before deposition is placed on the substrate dome 104, and the deposition target 200 after deposition is taken out.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a state in which the dome cover 118 is put on the substrate dome 104, and shows a state in which the substrate dome 104 and the dome cover 118 are carried out from the vacuum container 102. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the dome cover 118.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the dome cover 118 has a dome shape or a conical shape corresponding to the substrate dome 104, and a skirt portion 118a extending downward is provided on the periphery of the dome cover 118. The lower end of the skirt 118 a is in contact with the upper surface of the substrate dome 104.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an opening 118 b is provided at the center of the dome cover 118. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening 118 b is inserted into a cylindrical mounting jig 120 that is fixed to the substrate dome 104 and protrudes upward, and its peripheral portion is a step provided on the outer periphery of the jig 120. It is in contact with the upper surface of the portion (step surface 120b). Thereby, since the opening part 118b is block | closed, it can suppress reliably that a particle penetrate | invades from an opening part. Moreover, you may comprise so that the outer diameter of the jig | tool 120 and the internal diameter of the opening 118b may fit. As described above, the mounting jig 120 functions as a spacer that blocks the opening 118b of the dome cover 118 and prevents the dome cover 118 from contacting the deposition target.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the dome cover 118 is attached to the substrate dome 104, and shows a cross section along the rotation center axis of the substrate dome 104. As shown in FIG. 4, a jig 120 is attached to the center of the substrate dome 104 with a screw 122 with respect to a jig attachment portion 104 b integrated with the substrate dome 104.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a contact portion 120 a with the substrate dome 104 is provided at the lower end of the jig 120. The contact portion 120 a is a conical surface corresponding to the upper surface of the substrate dome 104, and the contact portion 120 a contacts the upper surface of the substrate dome 104 when the jig 120 is attached to the jig attachment portion 104 b.

  A step surface 120 b is provided on the outer periphery of the jig 120. When the opening 118b of the dome cover 118 is inserted into the outer periphery of the jig 120 and the dome cover 118 is placed on the substrate dome 104, the peripheral portion of the opening 118b abuts on the step surface 120b and the peripheral skirt 118a The tip contacts the upper surface of the substrate dome 104. Here, by making the height from the contact surface 120a to the step surface 120b of the jig 120 substantially the same as the height of the skirt 118a of the dome cover 118, as shown in FIG. The space in the height direction of the space between the covers 118 can be made substantially uniform. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, parts other than the skirt part 118a of the dome cover 118 are comprised by the conical surface, and can process it easily.

  Thereby, a substantially sealed space is formed between the substrate dome 104 and the dome cover 118, and the upper surface of the deposition object 200 is covered with the dome cover 118.

  Therefore, even when the vapor deposition material attached to the ceiling part and the side wall part of the vacuum vessel 102 is detached and falls downward, the dropped particles adhere to the upper surface of the dome cover 118, so It is possible to reliably suppress the adhesion of particles.

  Further, the tip of the skirt 118a abuts on the upper surface of the substrate dome 104, and the peripheral portion of the opening 118b abuts on the step surface 120b, whereby a predetermined distance is provided between the upper surface of the substrate dome 104 and the lower surface of the dome cover 118. Can be secured. Therefore, a necessary space can be secured between the deposition object 200 and the dome cover 118 according to the shape of the deposition object 200.

  Further, since the skirt portion 118a of the dome cover 118 completely covers the side portion of the substrate dome 104, particles flowing around the substrate dome 104 from the lateral direction are surely blocked by the air flow in the vacuum vessel 102. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent particles flying from the lateral direction from adhering to the deposition object 200 on the substrate dome 104.

  Further, at the center of the substrate dome 104, the peripheral portion of the opening 118b of the dome cover 118 is in contact with the stepped surface 120b of the jig 120, and the contact portion 120a of the jig 120 is in contact with the upper surface of the substrate dome 104. Since they are in contact with each other, it is possible to reliably prevent flying particles from adhering to the deposition object 200 on the substrate dome 104 from the center.

  Furthermore, since the dome cover 118 is covered on the substrate dome 104 when the substrate dome 104 is carried into and out of the vacuum vessel 102, it is not only contaminated by particles in the vacuum vessel 102 but also when carrying it in and out. Contamination can also be reliably suppressed.

  Here, when the defective rate of the product when the dome cover 118 is used is compared with the defective rate when the dome cover 118 is not used in an actual manufacturing site, when the dome cover 118 is used, particle adhesion is observed. It was possible to reduce the defect rate due to the above to almost 0%. In particular, the defect rate due to particle adhesion in the vacuum deposition apparatus 100 could be reduced to almost zero.

  In the present embodiment, the dome cover 118 is placed on the substrate dome 104 by its own weight. Accordingly, when the substrate dome 104 and the dome cover 118 are carried out of the vacuum container 102, the dome cover 118 can be easily and instantaneously removed from the substrate dome 104. Therefore, the work time required to attach and remove the dome cover 118 when placing the deposition object on the substrate dome 104 or taking out the deposition object from the substrate dome 104 is extremely short. Even if the cover 118 is used, the process time may be slightly extended. If a pair of handles are provided on the upper surface of the dome cover 118, the workability at the time of attachment / detachment can be further improved.

  The substrate dome 104 is made of metal such as aluminum, iron, and stainless steel having a thickness of about 3 mm to 5 mm, for example. The dome cover 118 is made of a metal such as aluminum having a thickness of about 1 mm, or a resin material such as plastic. The material of the dome cover 118 can be appropriately selected according to the temperature in the vacuum vessel 102 during vapor deposition as long as it does not generate gas in a vacuum. When the deposition target is glass, the inside of the vacuum vessel 102 is heated to 200 ° C. to 400 ° C. or higher. In this case, it is desirable to use a metal dome cover 118. On the other hand, when the deposition object is a resin material such as plastic, the inside of the vacuum vessel 102 is at a temperature of about 60 ° C. In this case, a dome cover 118 made of a resin material can be used.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the dome cover 118 is placed on the substrate dome 104 on which the deposition target is placed so as to cover the upper part of the deposition target, and therefore the floating in the vacuum deposition apparatus 100. It is possible to reliably suppress the particles to adhere to the deposition object. Therefore, it can suppress reliably that the characteristic of a to-be-deposited object deteriorates with a particle.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described referring an accompanying drawing, it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to the example which concerns. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

It is a mimetic diagram showing a vacuum evaporation system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state in which the dome cover was covered on the board | substrate dome. It is a perspective view which shows a dome cover. It is sectional drawing which shows the state by which the dome cover was mounted | worn with the board | substrate dome.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Vacuum evaporation apparatus 104 Substrate dome 118 Dome cover 118a Bottom part 118b Opening 120 Mounting jig 200 Deposited object

Claims (7)

A particle adhesion prevention cover mounted on a substrate dome on which an object to be deposited is placed and placed in a vacuum deposition apparatus,
A particle adhesion preventing cover, which covers an upper part of the substrate dome on which the deposition object is placed.   The particle adhesion preventing cover according to claim 1, further comprising a skirt portion extending downward from a peripheral portion and having a lower end in contact with an upper surface of the substrate dome.   A circular opening is provided, and the periphery of the opening is placed on the upper surface of the stepped portion provided on the outer periphery of a cylindrical mounting jig attached to the upper surface of the substrate dome, and the opening The particle adhesion prevention cover according to claim 2, wherein the particle adhesion block is blocked.   The peripheral portion is in contact with the step portion of the mounting jig, and the lower end of the skirt portion is in contact with the upper surface of the substrate dome, and is attached to the substrate dome by its own weight. Item 4. The particle adhesion prevention cover according to Item 3.   The particle adhesion prevention cover according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein aluminum or a resin material is used as a raw material.   A vapor deposition apparatus comprising the particle adhesion prevention cover according to claim 1.   Cover the particle dome cover so as to cover the top of the substrate dome on which the deposition object is placed, place the substrate dome and the particle adhesion prevention cover in a vacuum deposition apparatus, A vapor deposition method comprising depositing a vapor deposition material.

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