JP2009127063A - Apparatus and method for forming thin film - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for forming a thin film which can suppress the generation of particles even when a gap between a rotating electrode and a substrate is set wider than a conventional gap and can form a high quality thin film containing substantially no particles at a high film-forming rate. <P>SOLUTION: In the apparatus for forming a thin film, electric power is fed to a cylindrical rotating electrode having a rotation center axis parallel to a film-forming target substrate to produce plasma in a gap between the rotating electrode and the film-forming target substrate, and the produced plasma is used to cause chemical reaction of a reactant gas which is fed to form a thin film on the film-forming target substrate. In order to form a flow of an inert gas which is dragged by the surface of the rotating electrode by the rotation thereof and moves along the surface of the rotating electrode in the plasma production region in the gap, there are provided an inert gas feeding means for feeding the inert gas to the surface of the rotating electrode and a reactant gas feeding means for feeding the reactant gas to a space between the flow of the inert gas and the film-forming target substrate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus and a thin film forming a thin film on a film formation target substrate by generating a plasma in a gap between the film formation target substrate and a rotating electrode and using the generated plasma by a chemical reaction of a supplied reaction gas. It relates to a forming method.

  In recent years, by applying high-frequency power or DC power to the drum-shaped rotating electrode, plasma is generated in the gap between the surface of the drum-shaped rotating electrode and the deposition target substrate, and the generated plasma is used to supply the plasma. A rotating electrode type plasma CVD apparatus and method are disclosed in which a reactive gas is activated to form a thin film on a substrate.

  In such a rotating electrode type plasma CVD apparatus, when the rotating electrode rotates, the reaction gas around the rotating electrode moves while being dragged to the rotating electrode, and plasma in the gap between the rotating electrode surface and the deposition target substrate. A flow of reactive gas supplied to the production zone is produced. In the rotating electrode type plasma CVD apparatus, the flow of the reaction gas can be controlled by the rotation of the rotating electrode. In such a rotating electrode type plasma CVD apparatus, the film is formed with the rotating electrode even under relatively high pressure conditions (for example, the inside of the container in which the rotating electrode is disposed is close to atmospheric pressure). The reactive gas can always be supplied to the plasma generation region in the gap with the target substrate. For this reason, according to the rotary electrode type plasma CVD apparatus, the reactive gas can be reacted with high efficiency in the plasma generation region, and a thin film can be formed on the surface of the film formation target substrate at high speed.

  Even in such a rotary electrode type CVD apparatus, among reaction products of reaction gas, which is usually a problem in the film forming process in the CVD apparatus, a product that is not formed as a film on a substrate but is solidified in a space (so-called Particles) are generated. Particles are mixed into the thin film by falling on the surface of the film formation target substrate during the film formation process, and mixed into the thin film during film formation (during the film formation reaction). The film quality of the thin film will deteriorate significantly. In addition, for example, particles adhering to the surface of the rotating electrode change the shape of the surface of the rotating electrode and the electric field generated in the gap between the rotating electrode and the deposition target substrate, resulting in continuous film formation. Even during the process, the film forming conditions (film forming speed, etc.) change. In addition, particles adhering to the surface of the rotating electrode may be separated from the surface of the rotating electrode and mixed into the thin film. In addition to particles adhering to the surface of the rotating electrode, the particles are scattered in the container in which the rotating electrode is disposed, so that the container is contaminated and the apparatus needs to be frequently cleaned. This also causes problems such as extra costs (labor and time). In particular, in a rotating electrode type CVD apparatus, since a relatively large amount of reaction gas can be supplied to the plasma generation region in the gap, plasma is formed when a relatively large amount of reaction gas is supplied to perform high-speed film formation. Reaction of the reaction gas occurs rapidly in the generation region, and particles are relatively easily generated.

  In the following Patent Document 1, a CVD apparatus for generating a plasma in a gap between a rotating electrode and a counter electrode to form a thin film on the surface of a substrate placed so as to cover the surface of the rotating electrode, There has been proposed a plasma discharge processing apparatus aimed at solving the problem of particles generated inside and adhering to a counter electrode facing a rotating electrode. In the plasma discharge processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 below, in order to prevent particles from adhering to the counter electrode, in addition to the flow of the reactive gas flowing along the surface of the rotating electrode, a rare gas flowing along the surface of the counter electrode is used. In a state where a gas flow (non-reactive gas flow) is generated, plasma is generated in the gap between the rotating electrode and the counter electrode. In the following Patent Document 1, a reactive gas flow is generated on the surface of the substrate, and a rare gas flow is generated on the counter electrode (the counter electrode is covered with the rare gas). However, the product from the reactive gas hardly accumulates on the surface of the counter electrode, and the counter electrode surface is not contaminated.

  Further, in Patent Document 2 below, a rotary electrode type CVD apparatus that controls the flow of a reaction gas by the rotation of a rotary electrode solves the problem of particles generated during film formation and adhering to the surface of the rotary electrode. A plasma processing apparatus for this purpose has been proposed. FIG. 8 is a schematic side view illustrating a main embodiment of the plasma processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 below. The plasma processing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 2 includes a substrate transfer table 102 (which is described in the specification of Patent Document 2, but is not illustrated) and a rotating electrode 106. The rotating electrode 106 is disposed so as to face the deposition target substrate 104 placed on the substrate transport table 102 with a slight gap D ′ (for example, 200 μm). Further, a separation gas jetting nozzle (nozzle) 108 that jets gas to the surface of the rotating electrode 106 is provided on the side of the rotating electrode 106 that is downstream of the rotating electrode 106 in the rotation direction. A gas recovery port (duct) 110 constituting a suction means for sucking particles around the rotary electrode 106 is provided below the separation gas jetting port 108.

  In the plasma processing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 2, a reaction gas is introduced from the reaction gas supply source (not shown) to the vicinity of the rotating electrode 106 in a state where the film formation target substrate 104 is placed on the substrate transport table 102, The rotating electrode 106 is rotated while high frequency power or DC power is applied to the rotating electrode 106 from a power source (not shown). The introduced reactive gas is guided to the plasma generation region 112 in the gap between the rotary electrode 106 and the deposition target substrate 104 by the rotation of the rotary electrode 106. Then, plasma is generated in the plasma generation region 112 by the applied electric power, and plasma processing such as film formation is performed on the film formation target substrate 104 on the substrate transfer table 102. In the plasma processing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 2, when such plasma processing is performed, gas is sprayed from the separation gas outlet 108 toward the surface of the rotating electrode 106 and adhered to the surface of the rotating electrode 106. The particles are forcibly separated from the surface of the rotating electrode. From the gas recovery port 110, particles generated in the plasma generation region 112 and floating in the gas phase, as well as particles that are forcibly removed from the surface of the rotating electrode 106, are removed by suction. In the plasma processing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 2, particles and the like attached to the rotating electrode surface can be effectively removed in this manner.

JP 2003-166063 A JP 2004-241510 A

  By the way, in the rotary electrode type CVD apparatus, plasma is generated in a portion where the gap between the rotary electrode and the substrate is narrowed, and a reactive gas is reacted using the generated plasma to form a thin film. The region where the is formed is limited to the vicinity of the portion where the gap between the rotating electrode and the substrate is the narrowest. Therefore, when a thin film is formed on the surface of a plate-shaped substrate, it is necessary to form the thin film while moving and transporting the substrate relative to the rotating electrode in the rotating electrode type CVD apparatus.

  Here, the plasma discharge treatment apparatus described in Patent Document 1 can form a thin film on the surface of a film-like substrate that can be placed on the surface of the rotating electrode. In the first place, a thin film cannot be formed. In addition, when a thin film is formed on the surface of the film-like substrate placed on the surface of the rotating electrode in this way, the relative movement speed of the substrate surface with respect to the plasma generation region is such that a thin film having a desired thickness is formed on the substrate surface. It needs to be slow enough so that it can be formed. That is, in the plasma discharge processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the moving speed of the rotating electrode surface, that is, the rotating speed of the rotating electrode is slow. With a rotating electrode with such a low rotational speed, both the reactive gas flowing along the surface of the rotating electrode and the flow of the rare gas flowing along the surface of the counter electrode are formed and controlled by the rotation of the rotating electrode. I can't. In fact, in the plasma discharge processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, in paragraphs [0041] to [0043], by adjusting the gas flow velocity, Two laminar flows are formed. However, by adjusting the gas flow rate, it is difficult to form two laminar flows of the reaction gas and the rare gas, and turbulent flow is likely to occur. As described in, for example, paragraph [0026] of Patent Document 1, once turbulent flow is generated, particles adhering to the counter electrode cannot be prevented. Thus, in the plasma discharge processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is not possible to form a thin film on a plate-like base material (that is, a substrate), and it is possible to significantly reduce particles adhering to the surface of the counter electrode. Can not. Moreover, the plasma discharge processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 does not suggest any means for preventing particles adhering to the substrate surface.

  On the other hand, in the plasma processing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 2, the entire surface of the film formation target substrate 104 is scanned by scanning the film formation target substrate 104 together with the substrate transfer table 102 in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the rotary electrode 106. The plasma treatment. In a rotary electrode type CVD apparatus such as the plasma processing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 2, the movement and transfer of a film formation target substrate is controlled via a driving means such as a substrate transfer table and a motor.

  Here, the plasma processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is an apparatus that performs processing for each substrate on a deposition target substrate 104 having an area similar to or smaller than that of the substrate transfer table 102. There is a so-called batch-type device. As described above, when the substrate transport table 102 itself is moved over the range of the relatively small substrate 104, it is relatively easy to suppress the fluctuation of the gap D ′ between the substrate 104 and the rotating electrode 106. However, the film formation target substrate 104, the rotating electrode 106, and the gap D ′ can be very narrow (for example, 200 μm in Patent Document 2).

  However, for example, in the plasma processing apparatus 100 of Patent Document 2, when plasma processing is performed on a substrate that is sufficiently long in the scanning direction compared to the size of the substrate transport table 102, instead of the substrate transport table 102, for example, It is necessary to use a roller-type substrate conveying means 202 as shown in FIG. In such an apparatus, the substrate sequentially contacts each rotating roller 204, and the substrate moves while being in contact with the plurality of rollers 204. Therefore, the substrate is likely to vibrate, and between the rotating electrode and the substrate. The gap D ′ is also likely to vary. Further, the larger the substrate, the more the gap D ′ between the rotating electrode and the substrate fluctuates even when vibration occurs at a position far away from the plasma generation region. In particular, in an apparatus that continuously processes a relatively large substrate surface without interruption (a so-called inline apparatus), it is possible to suppress fluctuations in the gap D ′ between the substrate 104 and the rotating electrode 106. It is very difficult. For this reason, the gap between the film formation target substrate and the rotating electrode needs to be relatively large, for example, when a process such as film formation is performed on a relatively large substrate using a rotating electrode type CVD apparatus. Arise.

  However, when the gap between the rotating electrode and the substrate is increased, the plasma generation region naturally becomes wider. For this reason, the reaction gas reacts in a large amount by plasma in the widened gas phase, and a large amount of particles are generated in the gas phase. In the plasma generation region, a large amount of generated particles accumulate on the substrate and adhere to the thin film, resulting in a problem that a high-quality thin film cannot be formed. In addition, since the plasma generation region becomes large and the concentration of the reactive gas in the plasma generation region becomes relatively thin, the reactive gas concentration particularly near the surface of the film formation target substrate becomes low. As described above, the reaction gas concentration in the vicinity of the surface of the film formation target substrate is lowered, resulting in a problem that the formation speed of the thin film is lowered. In the plasma processing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 2, when the gap D ′ between the rotating electrode 106 and the film formation target substrate 104 is increased, such a problem of a decrease in the thin film formation rate and particles generated in the gas phase are caused. Neither of these problems can be solved. For this reason, in the plasma processing apparatus 100 described in Patent Document 2, the gap D ′ between the rotating electrode 106 and the deposition target substrate 104 cannot be increased, and a relatively large substrate cannot be processed.

  Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention can suppress the generation of the particles even if the gap between the rotating electrode and the substrate is set wider than the conventional one. It is an object of the present invention to provide a thin film forming apparatus and a thin film forming method capable of forming a high-quality thin film with little contamination at a high film formation rate.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention supplies power to a cylindrical rotary electrode whose rotation center axis is parallel to the film formation target substrate, so that the gap between the rotation electrode and the film formation target substrate is reduced. A thin film forming apparatus that forms a thin film on the film formation target substrate by a chemical reaction of a supplied reactive gas using the generated plasma, and the rotating electrode is placed around the rotation center axis A driving means for rotating, and an inert gas flow that moves along the surface of the rotating electrode by being dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode by the rotation of the rotating electrode; A thin film forming apparatus comprising: an inert gas supply means for supplying an active gas; and a reaction gas supply means for supplying a reaction gas between the flow of the inert gas and the film formation target substrate. provide.

  In addition, the inert gas supply means is provided in a region corresponding to the vicinity of the plasma generation region at least on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotation electrode with respect to the plasma generation region, on the surface of the rotation electrode. It is preferable to supply an inert gas.

  Further, the inert gas supply means includes a container surrounding the rotating electrode in which a wall of a portion corresponding to the vicinity of the plasma generation region including the plasma generation region is opened, and the inert gas up to an open portion of the container. An inert gas introducing means for introducing the inert gas into the container so that the inert gas is supplied to a region corresponding to the vicinity of the plasma generation region on the surface of the rotating electrode. It is preferable that it is comprised.

  The reactive gas supply means includes a reactive gas supply port provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region, and the reactive gas is caused to flow out from the reactive gas supply port toward the film formation target substrate surface. Preferably, the reactive gas flow along the surface of the film formation target substrate is generated in the plasma generation region and flows in substantially the same direction as the inert gas flow.

  A gas that sucks and removes the reaction gas that has passed through the plasma generation region along the surface of the film formation target substrate and the reaction product of the reaction gas generated by the plasma from the vicinity of the plasma generation region. It is preferable to have a recovery means.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the gas suction port of the gas recovery means is disposed in the vicinity of the plasma generation region on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary electrode with respect to the plasma generation region.

  In addition, in order to separate the reaction product of the reaction gas generated by the plasma from the flow of the inert gas along the surface of the rotating electrode, the plasma gas passes through the plasma generation region along the surface of the rotating electrode. It is preferable to have a separation gas ejection means for ejecting a separation gas to the flow of the inert gas.

  Further, the separation gas is the same kind of gas as the inert gas, and the separation gas jetting means is configured such that a part of the gas component of the separation gas contains the inert gas that has passed through the plasma generation region. It is preferable that the separation gas is sprayed so as to be taken into the flow of the inert gas moving along the surface of the rotating electrode by the rotation of the rotating electrode after being sprayed against the flow.

  In addition, it is preferable that the separation gas ejection port of the separation gas ejection means is disposed in the vicinity of the plasma generation region on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating electrode with respect to the plasma generation region.

  Further, gas recovery for sucking and removing the reaction gas that has passed through the plasma generation region along the surface of the film formation target substrate and the reaction product of the reaction gas generated by the plasma from the vicinity of the plasma generation region. Preferably, the gas recovery means suctions and removes the reaction product of the reaction gas separated from the flow of the inert gas by the separation gas ejection means from the vicinity of the plasma generation region.

  Further, the gas recovery means includes a part of the separation gas sprayed from the separation gas ejection means with respect to the flow of the inert gas along the rotating electrode, and the inert gas along the rotating electrode. It is preferable that part of the inert gas separated from the flow of the active gas is also removed by suction from the vicinity of the plasma generation region.

The gas suction port of the gas recovery means is preferably disposed in the vicinity of the plasma generation region on the downstream side in the rotational drive direction of the rotary electrode with respect to the plasma generation region.
It is preferable that a rectifying gas layer forming means for forming a rectifying gas layer for adjusting the flow of the reaction gas in contact with the flow of the reaction gas in the vicinity of the plasma generation region.

  The present invention further provides thin film formation for forming a thin film on the film formation target substrate using plasma generated by supplying power to a cylindrical rotating electrode having a rotation center axis parallel to the film formation target substrate. A method of rotating the rotating electrode around the rotation center axis, and an inert gas that is dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode by the rotation of the rotating electrode and moves along the surface of the rotating electrode A step of supplying the inert gas to the surface of the rotating electrode, and a step of supplying a reactive gas between the flow of the inert gas and the deposition target substrate. A thin film forming method is provided.

  In the thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method of the present invention, the rotation electrode is dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode, and the plasma generation region in the gap between the rotating electrode and the substrate moves along the surface of the rotating electrode. Since the gas flow is formed, the adhesion of particles to the rotating electrode can be greatly reduced. In addition, since the reaction gas can be supplied only to the substrate surface portion in the plasma generation region, the reaction in the gas phase portion in the plasma generation region can be suppressed, and the generation of extra reaction products, that is, particles themselves can be suppressed. Can do. Further, the size of the space (the space portion on the side in contact with the substrate surface) where the reaction gas is supplied in the plasma generation region is reduced by the flow of the formed inert gas. As a result, the concentration of the reactive gas at the substrate surface portion in the plasma generation region can be improved, and as a result, the film formation rate on the substrate surface can be improved. For this reason, in the thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method of the present invention, even when the gap between the rotating electrode and the substrate is set wider than in the past, the generation of particles can be suppressed, and the mixing of particles can be prevented. It is possible to form a high-quality thin film with almost no film at a high film formation rate.

  In addition, a film is formed that flows in the plasma generation region in substantially the same direction as the flow of the inert gas by flowing the reaction gas toward the substrate surface from the reaction gas supply port provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region. A flow of reactive gas along the surface of the target substrate is generated, and a two-layer stable flow in which the reactive gas and the inert gas flow in substantially the same direction can be formed in the plasma generation region. While the generation of particles is suppressed by the stable flow of the two layers, the generated particles are removed from the plasma generation region along the flow of the inert gas, and the reaction gas is stably supplied to the substrate surface. For this reason, a thin film can be formed on the substrate surface under stable conditions.

  Further, a separation gas is sprayed on the flow of the inert gas that has passed through the plasma generation region along the surface of the rotating electrode, and the particles are separated from the flow of the inert gas along the surface of the rotating electrode. As a result, penetration into the inside of the film deposition system can be suppressed, and in particular, adhesion of particles to the surface of the rotating electrode can be greatly reduced, and a high-quality thin film with almost no particle contamination can be obtained under stable film deposition conditions. A film can be formed.

  In addition to the reaction gas that has passed through the plasma generation region, the reaction product of the reaction gas produced by the plasma contained in the reaction gas is removed by suction from the vicinity of the plasma generation region, so that particles adhere to the surface of the rotating electrode. Can be significantly reduced, and a high-quality thin film almost free of particles can be formed under more stable film formation conditions.

  In addition, since a rectifying gas layer is formed in contact with the flow of the reactive gas in the vicinity of the plasma generation region to regulate the flow of the reactive gas, the vortex of the reactive gas or the inert gas is generated in or near the plasma generation region. Can be prevented. This makes it possible to form a high-quality thin film with almost no particle contamination under more stable film formation conditions.

  Hereinafter, the thin film forming apparatus and the thin film forming method of the present invention will be described in detail based on the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

First, a schematic configuration of an example of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a thin film forming apparatus 10 (apparatus 10) which is an example of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention. The apparatus 10 generates power in the plasma generation region P in the gap between the rotating electrode 12 and the substrate S by supplying power to the cylindrical rotating electrode 12 whose rotation center axis 14 is parallel to the substrate S. A so-called plasma CVD apparatus in which a thin film is formed on the substrate S by a chemical reaction of the supplied reaction gas G using the generated plasma. The apparatus 10 generates plasma in a pressure atmosphere close to atmospheric pressure at a pressure of 900 hPa or more, and forms a thin film on the surface of the substrate S. Hereinafter, a case where a silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) film is formed on the surface of the substrate S, which is a transparent glass substrate, using the apparatus 10 will be described.

  The apparatus 10 includes a rotating electrode 12, a counter electrode 16, an electrode driving unit 20, a power source 22, a substrate transport unit 30, an inert gas supply unit 40, a reactive gas supply unit 50, a separation gas ejection unit 60, a gas recovery unit 70, and a rectification. The gas layer forming means 80 and the control means 90 are provided.

  The rotating electrode 12 includes a rotation center axis 14 parallel to the substrate, and is formed of a metal cylindrical rotating body having a smooth surface. The rotating electrode 12 is connected to electrode driving means 20 made of, for example, a driving motor, and rotates around the rotation center axis 14. The rotating electrode 12 is connected to a power source 22. A counter electrode 16 is provided below the rotating electrode 12. The power source 22 supplies power for generating plasma in the space between the rotating electrode 12 and the counter electrode 16 to the rotating electrode 12 and the counter electrode 16 (in FIG. 1, wiring to the counter electrode 16 is illustrated. Not) The substrate S, which is the film formation target substrate, is moved by the substrate transport means 30 in the direction along the surface of the substrate S from the right side to the left side in FIG. If necessary, the movement in the opposite direction may be performed, or the reciprocating movement may be performed a plurality of times).

  The apparatus 10 has a function of guiding the flow of the inert gas N that is dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode 12 by the rotation of the rotating electrode 12 and moves along the surface of the rotating electrode 12 to the plasma generation region P. . The device 10 reduces the adhesion of particles to the surface of the rotating electrode 12 by this characteristic function, and restricts the flow space of the reaction gas G in the plasma generation region P. As will be described in detail later, the flow of the inert gas N that moves along the surface of the rotating electrode 12 suppresses the generation of extra reaction products, that is, particles themselves during the film formation reaction, thereby preventing the mixing of particles. The effect of forming a high-quality thin film with almost no film at a high film formation speed can be obtained. In the apparatus 10, the flow of the inert gas N is mainly formed by the operation of the electrode driving means 20 that drives the rotary electrode 12 and the inert gas supply means 40. The inert gas supply means 40 is a means for supplying the inert gas N to the surface of the rotating electrode 12. The reactive gas supply means 50 is a means for supplying the reactive gas G between the flow of the inert gas N and the substrate S.

Here, the inert gas N is a non-reactive gas that does not generate an excessive reaction product with only the gas molecules even when exposed to the plasma generated in the plasma generation region P. As the inert gas N, for example, a rare gas or a low reactive gas may be used. In the apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, nitrogen (N ₂ ) is used as such an inert gas N. In addition, the reactive gas G is exposed to plasma generated in the plasma generation region P, whereby the gas molecules react to form a thin film on the surface of the substrate S (if necessary, 1 It may be a kind of gas or a mixture of a plurality of gases). For example, when an SiO ₂ thin film is formed on the substrate S, TEOS (tetraethoxysilane; tetraethyl silicate) as a raw material gas, oxygen (O ₂ ) gas as an oxidizing gas that contributes to a film forming reaction, and a carrier a mixed gas of nitrogen (N ₂₎ gas is a gas, may be supplied as the reaction gas G. Here, the carrier gas is a gas that does not contribute to the reaction itself, but adjusts the gas concentration, adjusts the volume, etc. that contributes to the film formation reaction. Even if the same kind of the inert gas N is mixed. The reaction gas.

  The device 10 also has a function of separating particles generated by plasma from the flow of an inert gas along the surface of the rotating electrode 12 and removing at least from the vicinity of the rotating electrode 12. The device 10 has an effect of preventing the adhesion of particles to the surface of the rotary electrode 12 and other parts in the device 10 by such a characteristic function. The apparatus 10 separates particles generated by plasma from the flow of inert gas along the surface of the rotating electrode 12 mainly by the operation of the separation gas jetting means 60 and the gas recovery means 70, and at least the rotating electrode 12. Remove from the vicinity of. The separation gas ejection means 60 is a means for ejecting a separation gas to the flow of the inert gas N that has passed through the plasma generation region P along the rotary electrode surface 12. The gas recovery means 70 sucks and removes particles contained in the reaction gas G together with the reaction gas G that has passed through the plasma generation region P from the vicinity of the plasma generation region P. The particles separated from the flow are also means for sucking and removing from the vicinity of the plasma generation region P.

Further, the apparatus 10 also has a function of forming a rectifying gas layer R that adjusts at least the flow of the reaction gas G in contact with the flow of the reaction gas G in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P. In the apparatus 10, such a characteristic function prevents the reactive gas G and the inert gas N from forming a vortex flow in or near the plasma generation region P. As a result, the vortex flow is the cause. This produces the effect of reducing particles generated in the process. The apparatus 10 forms the rectifying gas layer R that regulates at least the flow of the reaction gas G by the action of the rectifying gas layer forming means 80. In the apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, a gas of the same type as the inert gas N, that is, nitrogen gas (N ₂ ) is used as the separation gas and the rectifying gas. In this specification, even if the same type of gas is used, the gas supplied as the inert gas is the inert gas, the gas introduced as the separation gas is the separation gas, and the gas introduced as the rectification gas is rectified. Each gas is described separately.

  Each of the above means is connected to the control means 90. The control unit 90 receives an input from the operator, and according to the received input content, for example, the flow of the reactive gas G and the flow of the inert gas N are in a desired state, so that stable film formation can be realized at high speed. Thus, each operation of each means can be controlled.

  2 to 4 are diagrams for explaining specific configurations and functions of the respective units of the device 10 schematically shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective sectional view of the device 10, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of the device 10. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side sectional view of a part of the apparatus, specifically, the plasma generation region P and its peripheral portion. Hereinafter, the function of each unit will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 indicate the flow of the reaction gas G containing the TEOS gas that is the raw material gas. 3 and 4 indicate the flow of nitrogen gas (inert gas N, separation gas, and rectifying gas, respectively).

  The rotating electrode 12 is, for example, a cylindrical electrode having a diameter of 200 mm, and is disposed at a predetermined distance from the counter electrode 16. The substrate transfer means 30 is a known roller type substrate transfer means configured to include a plurality of rollers 32 connected to a drive means (not shown). The substrate S is sequentially brought into contact with the rotating rollers 32 and moved in contact with the plurality of rollers 32. The substrate S is a glass substrate that is sufficiently long in the left-right direction in FIG. 2, and the space between the rotating electrode 12 and the counter electrode 16 is moved from the right side to the left side in FIG. As described above, the apparatus 10 is an apparatus (so-called inline type apparatus) that continuously processes a substrate that is sufficiently long in one direction or a plurality of substrates without interruption. In such an in-line type apparatus, vibration generated at an arbitrary place on the substrate that is sufficiently long in the transport direction is easily transmitted to the gap D (see FIG. 2) between the rotating electrode and the substrate, and the distance D varies. easy. In the apparatus 10, the gap D between the rotating electrode 12 and the surface of the substrate S is set to be relatively large, for example, 5 mm, and even if such vibration occurs, the substrate S and the counter electrode do not come into contact with each other. . In order to stably form a thin film on the surface of the substrate S regardless of vibrations generated in a sufficiently long substrate S, the gap D is preferably 2 mm or more, particularly 3 mm or more, and 6 mm or less, particularly 5 mm or less. preferable.

  The rotating electrode 12 is disposed in a container 43 constituting a reaction chamber 42 surrounded by a wall surface, and is rotated in the reaction chamber 42 by the electrode driving means 20 (not shown in FIGS. 2 to 4). Driving. The electrode driving unit 20 is controlled by the control unit 90 to rotate the rotating electrode 12 so that the moving speed (circumferential speed) of the surface of the rotating electrode 12 becomes a predetermined speed (for example, 13 m / s).

  The inert gas supply means 40 described above includes the container 43 and an inert gas introduction means 45 (see FIG. 3). The container 43 includes an inert gas inlet 41 and an opening 44 on the wall surface. The inert gas inlet 41 is provided on the upper wall of the container 43 in FIG. The opening 44 is provided in a portion of the container 43 corresponding to the plasma generation region P in the gap between the rotating electrode 12 and the substrate S. The opening 44 of the container 43 is formed such that the side wall ends 42a and 42b of the container 43 and the surface of the rotary electrode 12 are spaced apart from each other while maintaining a certain distance. For example, the distance between the side wall end 42b of the container 43 and the surface of the rotating electrode 12 (the width of an inert gas return port 44b described later) is set to about 1.2 mm, for example.

  An inert gas introduction means 45 is connected to the inert gas introduction port 41. The inert gas introduction means 45 includes a gas introduction pipe (not shown) connected to the inert gas introduction port 41, an inert gas cylinder (not shown) connected to the gas introduction pipe, and a publicly known (not shown) provided in the gas introduction pipe. It has a gas flow rate adjusting means including a mass flow controller. The inert gas introduction means 45 is connected to the control means 90 described above. The inert gas introduction means 45 controls the operation of the gas flow rate adjustment means by the control means 90, and supplies the inert gas N into the reaction chamber 42 through the inert gas introduction port 41 at a desired gas flow rate. Let it flow.

The inert gas introduction port 41 is formed in the plane C in the apparatus of FIG. It is provided on the right side. Hereinafter, in this specification, the positional relationship is expressed with reference to the plane C and the rotation direction of the clockwise rotation electrode. When the rotating electrode is divided into two by the plane C, the side where the circumferential surface of the rotating electrode is directed to the plasma generation amount region P is referred to as “the right side of the plane C”. In FIG. , With the plane C as a reference, the side is perpendicular to the plane C and parallel to the substrate S. Also, with respect to the direction along the circumferential surface of the rotating electrode, the direction opposite to the rotating direction of the rotating electrode along the circumferential surface is the “upstream side of rotation” direction or simply the “upstream side of rotation” direction. In other words, the rotational direction and forward direction of the rotating electrode along the circumferential surface are referred to as the “downstream side in the rotational direction” direction or simply the “downstream side in the rotational direction”.
Since the inert gas inlet 41 is thus provided on the right side of the plane C, the inert gas N flowing from the inert gas inlet 41 has a velocity component along the rotation direction of the rotary electrode 12. is doing. As a result, the inert gas N flowing from the inert gas inlet 41 can smoothly move in the reaction chamber 42 along the surface of the rotating electrode 12, and is inert to the opening 44 of the reaction chamber 42. Gas N arrives smoothly. As described above, the inert gas N is smoothly supplied to the region corresponding to the vicinity of the plasma generation region P on the surface of the rotating electrode 12. The inert gas inlet 41 is provided, for example, on the right side of the plane C from the plane C at a position separated by, for example, about 7 mm. The width of the inert gas inlet (the width in the left-right direction in FIG. 2) is, for example, It is about 3 mm. The distance between the surface of the rotating electrode 12 and the inner wall surface on the upper side of the container 43 in the drawing is about 1.0 mm at the narrowest portion.

  As described above, the opening 44 of the container 43 is formed such that the side wall ends 42a and 42b and the surface of the rotary electrode 12 are spaced apart from each other while maintaining a certain distance. That is, an inert gas supply port 44a that is a gap between the rotating electrode 12 and the side wall end portion 42a is formed on the upstream side of the opening 44, and on the downstream side of the opening 44, the rotating electrode 12 and the side wall are formed. An inert gas return port 44b which is a gap with the end portion 42b is formed. The inert gas N flowing from the inert gas introduction port 41 moves smoothly along the surface of the rotary electrode 12 in the reaction chamber 42, and plasma is generated from the reaction gas supply port 44 a to the surface of the rotary electrode 12. It is supplied to a region corresponding to the vicinity of the region P. In particular, in a state where the rotating electrode 12 is rotating, the inert gas N in the reaction chamber 42 is dragged and moved to the surface of the rotating electrode 12 and is stably supplied to the inert gas supply port 44a.

  When the inert gas N is supplied into the reaction chamber 42 by the inert gas supply means 40, the inert gas N finally flows out from the inert gas supply port 44a. When the inert gas N is supplied to the inert gas supply port 44 a and the rotary electrode 12 is driven to rotate, the supplied inert gas N is dragged to the surface of the rotary electrode 12 by the rotation of the rotary electrode 12. The flow of the inert gas N which moves and moves along the surface of the rotating electrode 12 in the plasma generation region P is formed. The inner wall surface on the right side of the reaction chamber 42 in FIG. 2 is inclined from the right to the left in the drawing (that is, the lower wall surface on the upstream side of the plasma generation region of the reaction chamber is inclined toward the rotating electrode). It is preferable to incline the wall surface. Due to the inclination of the inner wall surface, the inert gas N is more efficiently supplied to the region corresponding to the vicinity of the plasma generation region P on the surface of the rotating electrode 12 and moves along the surface of the rotating electrode 12. This produces an effect that the flow of the inert gas N is more stably formed.

  The reactive gas supply means 50 has a reactive gas supply port 52, a reactive gas pipe 54, and a reactive gas introduction means 55 (see FIG. 3) provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P on the right side of the plane C. It is configured. The reaction gas pipe 54 is provided along the right wall of the container 43 in FIG. The reactive gas supply port 52 is an open end of the reactive gas pipe 54 and is arranged in the right direction of the plane C in the vicinity of the inert gas supply port 44a. Reactive gas introduction means 55 is connected to the reactive gas pipe 54. The reaction gas introduction means 55 gasses a reaction gas cylinder (not shown) connected to the reaction gas pipe 54 (TEOS gas cylinder, oxygen gas cylinder, nitrogen gas cylinder [may be shared with an inert gas cylinder (not shown))] or TEOS which is a liquid raw material. A liquid source supply mechanism for generating and supplying the gas, and a gas flow rate adjusting means including a known mass flow controller (not shown) provided corresponding to each gas cylinder. The reactive gas introduction unit 55 is connected to the control unit 90 described above. The reaction gas introducing means 55 causes the reaction gas G to flow into the reaction gas pipe 54 at a desired gas flow rate, particularly by controlling the operation of the gas flow rate adjusting means by the control means 90.

  The reactive gas G that has flowed into the reactive gas pipe 54 flows out from the reactive gas supply port 52 toward the surface of the substrate S. The reactive gas supply port 52 is disposed on the right side of the plane C near the inert gas supply port 44a and closer to the right side of the plane C than the inert gas supply port 44a, and reacts between the flow of the inert gas N and the substrate S. Gas G flows out. As described above, when the reaction gas G flows out from the reaction gas supply port 52 toward the surface of the substrate S between the flow of the inert gas N and the substrate S, the inert gas N enters the plasma generation region P. A flow of the reactive gas G is generated along the surface of the substrate S that flows in substantially the same direction as the flow of. When the rotary electrode 12 is driven to rotate, a flow of the inert gas N is formed along the surface of the rotary electrode 12, and the flow of the reactive gas G is stabilized by the flow of the inert gas N. Further, as will be described later, in the gas recovery means 70, the reaction gas G that has passed through the plasma generation region P is sucked from a gas recovery port 72 described later, and the flow of the reaction gas G is also stabilized by this suction effect. (See FIG. 4). The reaction gas pipe 54 is inclined from the right side of the drawing toward the left side along the inclination of the wall surface of the reaction chamber 42. Thus, it is preferable to incline the wall surface. By such an inclination, the reactive gas G flows out from the reactive gas supply port 52 toward the surface of the substrate S so as to have a velocity component along the surface of the substrate, and the flow of the reactive gas G along the surface of the substrate S. Can be formed more stably.

  Thus, by forming the flow of the inert gas N that moves along the surface of the rotating electrode 12 in the plasma generation region P, it is possible to greatly reduce the adhesion of particles to the rotating electrode. In addition, the flow of the inert gas N thus formed reduces the space (the space portion on the side in contact with the substrate surface) where the reaction gas G is supplied in the plasma generation region. As a result, the concentration of the reaction gas G at the substrate surface portion in the plasma generation region P (more specifically, the concentration of the raw material gas [TEOS gas in this embodiment] contained in the reaction gas G) is increased. The film forming speed can be improved. In addition, since the reactive gas G can be supplied only to the surface portion of the substrate S in the plasma generation region P, the reaction in the gas phase portion in the plasma generation region P is suppressed and generation of extra reaction products, that is, particles. It can suppress itself.

  In addition, the reaction gas G flows out from the reaction gas supply port 52 provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P toward the surface of the substrate S, so that the flow of the inert gas N is substantially the same as that in the plasma generation region P. The flow of the reactive gas G along the surface of the film formation target substrate flowing in the direction of the flow is generated, and the two-layer stable flow in which the reactive gas G and the inert gas N flow in substantially the same direction is generated in the plasma generation region P. Can be formed. The stable flow of the two layers removes particles from the plasma generation region P while suppressing the generation of particles, and stably supplies the reaction gas G to the surface of the substrate S, thereby forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate S. Can be formed under stable conditions.

  In this specification, the state in which the reaction gas G and the inert gas N flow in substantially the same direction and form a two-layer stable flow is a state in which each flows in one direction as a laminar flow. Alternatively, at least one of the gases may flow as a turbulent flow. The flow of the inert gas N is a viscous flow generated by being dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode 12 by the rotation of the rotating electrode 12. Normally, the concentration of the inert gas N is sufficiently high on the surface of the rotating electrode 12. As the distance from the surface increases, the concentration of the inert gas N gradually decreases. In the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the flow of the inert gas N along the surface of the rotating electrode is formed by the rotation of the rotating electrode as described above, so that the inert gas N having a sufficiently high concentration is formed on the surface of the rotating electrode. Is formed. In this state, since the reactive gas G is supplied between the flow of the inert gas N and the film formation target substrate, the concentration of the reactive gas G in the vicinity of the surface of the rotating electrode 12, more specifically, included in the reactive gas G. The concentration of the raw material gas [TEOS gas in this embodiment] is sufficiently small and kept stable. For this reason, in the apparatus 10, almost no particles are generated in the vicinity of the surface of the rotating electrode 12 in the plasma generation region P, that is, in the gas phase portion of the plasma generation region P.

In addition, if nitrogen (N ₂ ) gas is used as the carrier gas in the inert gas N or the reaction gas G in the apparatus 10, for example, it is relatively easy to handle and inexpensive compared to helium (He) gas. The cost for film formation (thin film formation) can be kept low. However, compared with helium gas, nitrogen gas tends to generate an extra reaction product in the film formation reaction process. For this reason, in the conventional rotating electrode type plasma CVD apparatus, when the reaction product is set to be relatively easily generated, that is, when the gap between the rotating electrode and the substrate surface is set to be relatively large, for example, 5 mm. Nitrogen gas could not be used. In the apparatus 10, the flow of the inert gas N formed on the surface of the rotating electrode 12 greatly reduces the adhesion of particles to the rotating electrode 12, and suppresses the generation of extra reaction products, that is, particles themselves. Therefore, even if a relatively inexpensive N ₂ gas is used as the inert gas N or carrier gas, the problem of particle generation does not occur. If the thin film formation apparatus of this invention is used, the cost concerning formation of a thin film can also be made comparatively low.

  The separation gas ejection means 60 includes a separation gas ejection port 62, a separation gas pipe 64, and a separation gas introduction means 65 provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P on the left side of the plane C. The separation gas pipe 64 is provided along the wall on the left side (left side of the plane C) of the container 43 in FIG. The separation gas jet port 62 is an open end of the separation gas pipe 64. The separation gas jet port 62 is provided in the vicinity of a gas recovery port 72 (described later) of the gas recovery means 70, and is located on the upper side in the drawing relative to the gas recovery port 72, that is, on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary electrode 12. Is arranged. A separation gas introduction means 65 is connected to the separation gas pipe 64. The separation gas introduction means 65 includes a separation gas cylinder (not shown) connected to the separation gas pipe 64 (may be common with an inert gas cylinder (not shown)), a gas flow rate adjustment means including a known mass flow controller (not shown), and the like. Has been. The separation gas introduction means 65 is connected to the control means 90 described above. The separation gas introduction unit 65 causes the separation gas to flow into the separation gas pipe 64 at a desired gas flow rate, particularly by controlling the operation of the gas flow rate adjustment unit by the control unit 90. The separation gas that has flowed into the separation gas pipe 64 is ejected from the separation gas ejection port 62 and sprayed onto the flow of the inert gas N that has passed through the plasma generation region P along the surface of the rotary electrode 12.

  The separation gas ejection means 60 sprays a separation gas against the flow of the inert gas N that has passed through the plasma generation region P, thereby generating a small number of particles generated in the plasma generation region and mixed in the flow of the inert gas N. Is separated from the flow of the inert gas N flowing along the rotating electrode surface 12 (see FIG. 4). If the separation gas ejection means 60 is not provided, most of the inert gas N that has passed through the plasma generation region P continues to flow along the surface 12 of the rotating electrode, and again passes through the inert gas supply port 44a. Then, it is supplied to the plasma generation region P. As described above, the apparatus 10 can largely prevent the generation of particles, but there is a possibility that particles may be formed with a small amount. In particular, when a film is formed over a long time on the substrate S having a relatively large area, the amount of particles formed cannot be ignored. The separation gas jetting means 60 sprays the separation gas to the flow of the inert gas N that has passed through the plasma generation region P, and the inert gas that flows along the rotating electrode surface 12 causes the particles mixed in the flow of the inert gas N to flow. By separating from the flow of N, the adhesion of particles to the inside of the apparatus 10, particularly the surface of the rotating electrode 12, can be greatly reduced. A part of the separation gas (nitrogen gas) is sprayed on the flow of the inert gas N (nitrogen gas) that has passed through the plasma generation region P, and then the rotating electrode 12 is rotated by the rotation of the rotating electrode 12. Is taken into the flow of the inert gas N moving along the surface. As a result, the flow of the inert gas N (the flow of nitrogen gas) along the rotating electrode surface 12 is stably formed even on the downstream side of the plasma generation region P. Thus, by having the separation gas jetting means 60, it is possible to form a higher quality thin film with almost no particle mixing under more stable film forming conditions.

  The gas recovery means 70 includes a gas recovery port 72, a gas recovery pipe 74, and a gas outlet means 75 provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P on the downstream side of the rotation. As shown in FIG. 2, the gas recovery pipe 74 is provided along the separation gas pipe 64 on the left side (left side of the plane C) of the container 43 in FIG. 2. The gas recovery port 72 is an open end of the gas recovery pipe 74. The gas recovery port 72 is disposed on the lower side in FIG. 2 with respect to the separation gas outlet 62, that is, on the upstream side of the rotation direction of the rotary electrode 12 with respect to the gas recovery port 72. Gas recovery means 75 is connected to the recovery gas pipe 74. The gas deriving means 75 includes an intake pump (not shown) connected to the gas recovery pipe 74, a gas exhaust amount adjusting means (not shown), and the like. The gas lead-out means 75 is connected to the control means 90 described above. The gas deriving means 75 exhausts various gases (and particles) through the gas recovery pipe 74 at a desired gas exhaust flow rate, particularly when the control means 90 controls the operation of the gas exhaust amount adjusting means.

  The gas recovery means 70 sucks and removes various gases in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P and particles mixed in the various gases from a gas recovery port 72 provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P. First, particles contained in the reaction gas G are sucked and removed from the vicinity of the plasma generation region P together with the reaction gas G supplied by the reaction gas supply means 50 and passed through the plasma generation region P. At the same time, the particles separated from the flow of the inert gas N by the separation gas jetting means 60 are also removed by suction from the vicinity of the plasma generation region P. Further, the gas recovery means 70 includes a part of the separation gas (nitrogen gas) sprayed from the separation gas outlet 62 toward the flow of the inert gas N (nitrogen gas), and the inert gas along the rotary electrode 12. Part of the inert gas N (nitrogen gas) separated from the flow of the active gas is also removed by suction from the vicinity of the plasma generation region P (see FIG. 4). If the gas recovery means 70 is not provided, a minute amount of particles generated in the plasma generation region P is mixed into the reaction chamber 42 and adheres to the inner wall surface of the reaction chamber 42 or the surface of the rotating electrode with a small amount. There is a fear. When the gas recovery means 70 is not provided, the reaction gas G that has passed through the plasma generation region P is mixed into the reaction chamber 42 and flows into the flow of the inert gas N that flows along the surface of the rotating electrode 12. There is also a risk of mixing. In this case, a relatively large number of particles are generated in the gas phase very close to the rotating electrode 12. In the apparatus 10, since the reactive gas G and particles are sucked and removed from the vicinity of the plasma generation region P by the gas recovery means 70, the adhesion of the particles to the surface of the rotating electrode 12 can be further greatly reduced. It is possible to form a high-quality thin film with almost no contamination by more stable film forming conditions.

  The rectifying gas layer forming means 80 includes an upstream gas layer forming means 80A for forming a rectifying gas layer on the right side of the plane C and a downstream gas layer forming means 80B for forming a rectifying gas layer on the left side of the plane C. And is configured. The apparatus 10 is an apparatus for forming a thin film on the surface of a substrate S that is sufficiently long in one direction, and the gap F between the sufficiently large substrate S and the rotary electrode 12 and various gas outflow inlets is determined by the apparatus 10 and The substrate S is opened to an atmosphere of a relatively large space (for example, a room). The rectifying gas layer forming means 80 (upstream gas layer forming means 80A and downstream gas layer forming means 80B) prevents the contamination from such an atmosphere, and the flow of the reactive gas G and the inert gas N A rectifying gas layer R for adjusting the flow rate is formed.

  The upstream gas layer forming means 80 </ b> A forms a rectifying gas layer R that at least regulates the flow of the reaction gas G in contact with the flow of the reaction gas G in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P in the gap F on the right side of the plane C. The upstream gas layer forming means 80A includes a rectifying gas inlet 82A, a rectifying gas introduction pipe 84A provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P on the right side of the plane C, a rectifying gas inlet / outlet means 85, and a rectifying gas outlet. 86A and a rectifying gas outlet pipe 88A. The rectifying gas inlet 82A is an open end of the rectifying gas inlet pipe 84A, and the rectifying gas outlet 86A is an open end of the rectifying gas outlet pipe 88A. The rectifying gas inlet 82 </ b> A is provided in the vicinity of the reaction gas outlet 52, and is arranged on the right side of the plane C with respect to the reaction gas outlet 52. Further, the rectifying gas outlet 86A is arranged on the right side of the plane C with respect to the rectifying gas inlet 82A. The rectification gas introduction / derivation means 85 causes the rectification gas to flow out from the rectification gas introduction port 82A via the rectification gas introduction pipe 84A, and discharges the rectification gas from the rectification gas introduction port 86A through the rectification gas extraction pipe 88A. The rectifying gas introduction / derivation means 85 includes a rectifying gas cylinder (not shown) (may be common to an inert gas cylinder (not shown)), a gas flow rate adjusting means including a known mass flow controller (not shown), an intake pump (not shown), and a gas exhaust amount (not shown). It has adjustment means and the like. The rectifying gas introduction / derivation means 85 is connected to the control means 90 described above. The rectifying gas introduction / derivation means 85 adjusts the flow of the rectifying gas in the rectifying gas layer R by controlling the operations of the gas flow rate adjusting means and the gas exhaust amount adjusting means by the control means 90. The downstream gas layer forming means 80B has the same configuration as the upstream gas layer forming means 80A, and is in contact with the flow of the reactive gas G in the vicinity of the plasma generation region P in the gap F on the left side of the plane C. The rectifying gas layer R that regulates at least the flow of the reaction gas G is formed.

  In the rectifying gas layer R, the rectifying gas forms a flow as shown in FIG. 4, for example. The rectifying gas layer R can prevent the gas in the external atmosphere from flowing in from the gap F. At the same time, in the plasma generation region P or in the vicinity thereof, the reaction gas G and the inert gas N are prevented from forming a spiral flow or turbulent flow, and the reaction gas G in the plasma generation region P is prevented. And the flow of the inert gas N can be stabilized. This makes it possible to form a high-quality thin film with almost no particle contamination under more stable film formation conditions.

  Each of the above-mentioned means for generating various gas flows is connected to the control means 90, and the control means 90 adjusts the degree of the gas flow rate and the gas exhaust amount in each means, thereby controlling the various gas flows. It can be adjusted to a desired state.

An electric field is formed in the space between the rotating electrode 12 and the counter electrode 16 using the power source 22 in a state where the flow of various gases is adjusted to a desired flow by the control means 90 of the apparatus 10. In the plasma generation region P, plasma is formed. Thus, by generating plasma in the plasma generation region P through which the reaction gas G flows, a silicon oxide film (SiO ₂ film) is formed in a region corresponding to the plasma generation region P of the substrate S by a chemical reaction of the reaction gas G. ) Is formed. At this time, there is almost no generation of particles in the plasma generation region P, and the thin film formation proceeds at a sufficiently high film formation rate as described above. In the apparatus 10, the control unit 90 controls the operation of the substrate transport unit 30 to move the substrate S from the right side to the left side in the direction along the surface of the substrate S in a state where such plasma is generated. Thus, a thin film is formed on the entire surface of the substrate S. The apparatus 10 is an in-line type film forming apparatus in which the gap D between the surface of the rotating electrode 12 and the substrate S is set to be relatively large, for example, 5 mm. However, at a sufficiently high film forming speed, there is almost no mixing of particles. A high-quality thin film can be formed.
That is, the thin film forming method of the present invention moves along the surface of the rotating electrode by being dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode 12 by rotating the rotating electrode 12 around the rotation center axis and rotating the rotating electrode 12. In order to form a flow of the inert gas N, a process of supplying the inert gas N to the surface of the rotating electrode 12 and a reaction gas G is supplied between the flow of the inert gas N and the deposition target substrate S. And performing the process.

Hereinafter, the result of the simulation using the model which reproduces the apparatus 10 about the effect of each means with which the apparatus 10 is provided is shown. The simulation was performed using STAR-CD version 3.24 manufactured by CDadapco. The model reproduces the device 10, using the two-dimensional reproduction model shown in FIG. 5, in the two-dimensional reproduction model, the diameter of the rotating electrode model 12 _M to reproduce the rotating electrode 12 was 200 mm. The distance between the surface and the substrate model _{S M} rotary electrode model 12 _M was 5 mm. Further, as illustrated, an inert gas inlet (model) 41 _M having a slit width of 3 mm is provided on the upper wall surface of the container model 43 _M provided with the rotating electrode model 12 _M. The center position of the inert gas inlet 41 _M from a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotary electrode perpendicular to the surface of the substrate model S _M, was set to 7mm spaced locations in the drawing right. On the right side of a plane passing through the rotation center axis, and a reaction gas supply pipe (Model) 54 _M and rectifying the gas introduction pipe (model) 82a _M reproduced, the width of each pipe was 5 mm. Then, on the left side from the plane passing through the rotation center axis, the separation gas pipe (model) 64 _M and the gas recovery pipe (model) 74 _M are reproduced, the width of each pipe is 3 mm, and the distance between the pipes is 10 mm. Set. The end portion of the gap F _M of the substrate S _M of the film-forming target, the inlet and outlet opening of the rotary electrode 12 _M and various gases were set to those open to the atmosphere.

In each simulation the following, the flow rate of the reaction gas flowing into the pipe from the end of the reaction gas supply pipe _{54 M 2.2 (m / s)} , and flows from the end portion of the rectifying the gas introduction pipe 82a _M in the pipe The flow velocity of the rectifying gas was set to 1.1 (m / s), and the flow velocity of the separation gas flowing into the pipe from the end of the separation gas pipe was set to 3.3 (m / s), which were constant values (however, The speed of the separation gas is changed under Condition 3-2 described later). These flow rates can be adjusted by various gas flow rate adjusting means and gas exhaust flow rate adjusting means in the actual apparatus 10, and correspond to actual film forming conditions performed using the apparatus 10. The reaction gas was assumed to be a mixed gas in which a source gas, TEOS gas, and a carrier gas, nitrogen gas, were mixed. The mixing ratio of each gas in the reaction gas was set to a mixing ratio (TEOS gas: nitrogen gas = 1: 99) corresponding to actual film forming conditions performed using the apparatus 10, and was always constant in each simulation.

In each simulation the following, the moving speed (peripheral speed) of the rotating electrode model 12 _M surfaces of r, the inert gas flowing out into the reaction chamber model 43 _M from the inert gas inlet 41 _M velocity v1 (in the drawing downward flow), separating the gas pipe 64 _M flow rates from the end of the separation gas flowing in the pipe of v2 (flow right from the left in the drawing), for each condition set respectively, the rotating electrode 12 _M and the substrate S _M The gradient of the concentration of the raw material gas (the concentration of TEOS gas contained in the reaction gas) in the reapproaching portion was calculated. The re-close portion, a portion corresponding to the plasma generation region P _M in the reproduction model, and more particularly, is at a position corresponding to a plane passing through the axis of rotation of the rotating electrode 12 _M perpendicular to the surface of the substrate S _M .

In the first simulation, as shown in Table 1 below, two conditions (condition 1-1 and condition 1-2) in which only the rotational peripheral speed r is different are set.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are graphs showing the simulation results of Condition 1-1 and Condition 1-2, respectively. In condition 1-2, the rotating electrode model 12 _M is rotated, but the rotational peripheral speed r is extremely slow (1.67 (m / s)). In such a peripheral speed, the flow of the inert gas is dragged in the rotating electrode model 12 _M surface flows along the rotating electrode model 12 _M surface, the flow rate itself (i.e. the amount of gas which moves with rotation) also The flow is unstable and the reaction gas is easily mixed by disturbance (for example, it corresponds to the flow of inert gas in which the turbulent flow easily occurs in Patent Document 1). Such even conditions 1-2, from the inert gas inlet 41 _M, because with a relatively large flow rate inert gas is supplied, the concentration of the reaction gas of the rotary electrode model 12 _M surface is made somewhat reduced . However, when the peripheral velocity r of the rotating electrode model 12 _M other conditions are identical to compare sufficiently fast conditions 1-1, the condition 1-2, so significantly higher raw material gas concentration of the rotating electrode model 12 _M surface Yes. FIGS. 6 (a) and (b), as shown in Table 1, conditions 1-1, that is, who is rotated sufficiently fast peripheral speed r of the rotating electrode model 12 _M, in the rotating electrode model 12 _M surface It can be confirmed that the concentration of the reaction gas is low. From the result of the first simulation as described above, by rotating the rotating electrode sufficiently fast, the flow of the inert gas that is dragged along the rotating electrode surface and flows along the rotating electrode surface is more reliably formed. It was confirmed that the reaction gas concentration in can be reduced. As a result, the amount of particles generated in the gas phase on the surface of the rotating electrode in the plasma generation region can be reduced. And since it can reduce that a particle adheres to a thin film, a good quality thin film can be formed. In addition, since the reaction gas concentration in the vicinity of the surface of the film formation target substrate is relatively higher than that of a conventional apparatus using the same amount of source gas, the thin film formation speed can be increased.

In the second simulation, the following table as shown in 2, the inert gas inlet 41 only velocity v1 of the inert gas flowing out into the reaction chamber model 43 _M from _M are different two conditions (condition 2-1, condition 2-2) was set.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are graphs showing the simulation results of conditions 2-1 and 2-2, respectively. Under condition 2-2, gas is allowed to flow into the reaction chamber from the inert gas inlet 41 _M provided on the upstream side of the rotation so as to have a velocity component along the rotational direction of the rotating electrode model 12 _M. However, the gas flow velocity v1 is extremely small (0.1 (m / s)). At such a gas flow rate, the inert gas is not sufficiently supplied to the surface of the rotating electrode model 12 _M , and the flow of the inert gas that is dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode model 12 _M and flows along the surface of the rotating electrode is rotated. Because it is fast, the flow rate of the inert gas is large, but it draws not only the inert gas but also the source gas. Such even conditions 2-2, since the rotating electrode model 12 _M are fast enough rotated, the concentration of the source gas of the rotary electrode model 12 _M surface is made somewhat reduced. However, other criteria are the same, when compared to the flow velocity v1 only faster condition 2-1 of the inert gas, the condition 2-2, raw material gas concentration of the rotating electrode model 12 _M surface is extremely high. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B and Table 2, the condition 2-1, that is, the case where the flow velocity v1 of the inert gas is sufficiently increased (the flow rate of the inert gas is sufficiently increased), It can be confirmed that the concentration of the source gas on the surface of the rotating electrode model 12 _M is low. From the result of the second simulation, a sufficient amount of inert gas having a sufficient speed component along the rotation direction of the rotary electrode is introduced from the inert gas inlet provided on the upstream side of the rotation. As a result, the inert gas flowing in from the inert gas inlet smoothly moves along the surface of the rotating electrode, and in the plasma generation region, the inert gas flows along the surface of the rotating electrode while being dragged by the surface of the rotating electrode. It was confirmed that the gas flow was more reliably formed and the reaction gas concentration on the surface of the rotating electrode could be reduced. As a result, the amount of particles generated in the gas phase on the surface of the rotating electrode in the plasma generation region can be reduced. And since it can reduce that a particle adheres to a thin film, a good quality thin film can be formed. In addition, since the reaction gas concentration in the vicinity of the surface of the film formation target substrate is relatively higher than that of a conventional apparatus using the same amount of source gas, the thin film formation speed can be increased.

In the third simulation, as shown in the following Table 3, the separation gas piping 64 _M of only the flow rate of the separation gas flowing into the pipe from the end portion v2 of two respectively different conditions (Conditions 3-1, Condition 3-2 )It was set.

In condition 3-2, the separation gas pipe 64 _M provided in the rotational downstream side, not ejecting the separation gas (inert gas) toward the surface of the rotating electrode model 12 _M. In this case, the surface of the rotating electrode model 12 _M would inert gas only from the inert gas inlet 41 _M is supplied. In this case, the inert gas to the rotating electrode model 12 _M surface is not sufficiently supplied, the flow of the inert gas is dragged in the rotating electrode model 12 _M surface flows along the rotating electrode surface, the flow rate itself (i.e. the rotation The amount of gas that moves with it is small. Even under such condition 3-2, since the rotating electrode is rotated sufficiently fast and the flow velocity v1 of the inert gas is sufficiently increased, the concentration of the raw material gas on the surface of the rotating electrode can be reduced to some extent. However, other conditions are the same, if fast enough conditions (i.e. sufficient gas flow rate) compared to the condition 3-1 is given as the flow velocity v2 separation gas, the condition 3-2, rotary electrode model 12 _M surface The raw material gas concentration is significantly high. As shown in Table 3 below, Condition 3-1, that is, when the separation gas flow velocity v2 is sufficiently increased (when the separation gas flow rate is sufficiently increased), the raw material gas on the surface of the rotating electrode model _12M It can be confirmed that the concentration is low. From the result of the third simulation, by introducing a sufficient amount of separation gas (inert gas) from the separation gas jet port provided on the downstream side of the rotation, a part of the separation gas is a rotating electrode. The inert gas flow along the surface of the rotating electrode is stably formed even on the downstream side of the rotating electrode. As a result, in the plasma generation region, the surface of the rotating electrode is It was confirmed that the flow of the inert gas flowing along the surface of the rotating electrode by being dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode was more reliably formed, and the reaction gas concentration on the surface of the rotating electrode could be reduced. As a result, the amount of particles generated in the gas phase on the surface of the rotating electrode in the plasma generation region can be reduced. And since it can reduce that a particle adheres to a thin film, a good quality thin film can be formed. In addition, since the reaction gas concentration in the vicinity of the surface of the film formation target substrate is relatively higher than that of a conventional apparatus using the same amount of source gas, the thin film formation speed can be increased.

The type of thin film formed by the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably an oxide film. For example, the glass substrate is selected from the group consisting of SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , ZnO, and SnO _2. One or more oxide films. More preferably, it is an oxide film of SiO ₂ or TiO ₂ formed on a glass substrate. In addition to TEOS, an organic metal compound such as a metal alkoxide, an alkylated metal, or a metal complex, a metal halide, or the like can be used as the source gas. For example, tetraisopropoxy titanium, tetrabutoxy titanium, dibutyl tin diacetate, zinc acetylacetonate and the like can be suitably used.

  The thin film forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to an in-line type thin film forming apparatus. For example, the thin film forming apparatus intermittently forms a film on a relatively small glass substrate placed on a relatively small transfer stage (thin film formation). It may be a batch type film forming apparatus. In addition, in the case of an in-line type thin film forming apparatus using a roller type substrate conveying means, a thin film can be formed on a relatively large substrate. By using the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention as such an in-line type thin film forming apparatus, the gap between the rotating electrode and the substrate is set wider than in the past, and excess reaction products (particles) are generated. It is possible to form a high-quality thin film that can be suppressed from being generated and that is hardly mixed with particles at a high film formation rate.

  In the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the inert gas supply means has the above-described configuration, that is, a container having an inert gas introduction port and an open port in which the rotation electrode is disposed, and the rotation electrode. It is not limited to the structure which has a means to introduce | transduce an inert gas into this. In the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the inert gas supply means is dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode by the rotation of the rotating electrode to form a flow of inert gas that moves in the plasma generation region along the surface of the rotating electrode. Therefore, what is necessary is just to supply the said inert gas to the surface of a rotating electrode. However, in the inert gas supply means 40 of the apparatus 10, the surface of the rotating electrode 12 is not exposed to excess outside air, and the surface of the rotating electrode is always mixed with new (excess reaction products and the like at all). The inert gas can be continuously supplied, and the inert gas can be smoothly supplied to the plasma generation region. The inert gas supply means of the present invention may include a container having an inert gas introduction port and an open port in which a rotating electrode is disposed, and means for introducing an inert gas into the rotating electrode. preferable.

  In the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the inert gas supply means has the above-described configuration (the inert gas introduction means 45 having the container 43 having the inert gas introduction port 41 and the open port 44 and the inert gas introduction means 45. The configuration of the supply unit 40 is not limited. However, in the inert gas supply means 40 of the apparatus 10, the rotating electrode 12 is provided in the container 43 filled with the inert gas N, and the rotating electrode 12 rotates in the container 43 from the inert gas inlet 41. The inert gas N is supplied so as to have a velocity component along the line, and can flow out from the opening 44 of the container 43. With this configuration, the surface of the rotating electrode 12 is not exposed to extraneous air, and the surface of the rotating electrode is always new (no extra reaction product or the like is mixed in). An active gas can be supplied, and an inert gas can be smoothly supplied to the plasma generation region. The inert gas supply means of the present invention preferably has a container having an inert gas introduction port and an open port, and an inert gas introduction means.

  Further, in the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the reactive gas supply means of the present invention, such as the arrangement and configuration of the reactive gas supply piping, is not limited to the above-described configuration. However, in order to form a stable reaction gas flow in the plasma generation region, the reaction gas supply port is preferably provided upstream of the plasma generation region P, and the reaction gas supply port is formed from the reaction gas supply port. It is preferable that the reaction gas flows out along the film target substrate.

  Similarly, the separation gas ejection means of the present invention, such as the arrangement and configuration of the separation gas ejection pipe, is not limited to the above-described configuration. Further, the gas recovery means of the present invention, such as the arrangement and configuration of the gas recovery piping, is not limited to the above-described configuration. Further, the rectifying gas layer forming means of the present invention, such as the arrangement and configuration of the rectifying gas introduction pipe and the rectifying gas outlet pipe, is not limited to the above-described configuration. However, in order to stably form the gas flow in the vicinity of the rotating electrode and the plasma generation region while reducing the size of the entire thin film forming apparatus, the configuration of each of the above means is the configuration of the above embodiment. Is preferred.

  As a thin film forming apparatus in the present invention and a comparative example, a thin film was formed using a conventional thin film forming apparatus.

[Comparative example]
As a conventional thin film forming apparatus, a thin film forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 10 was used. In the thin film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 10, a gas in which a source gas and an inert gas are mixed in a gap between the substrate S and the rotating electrode 304 by rotating the rotating electrode 304 (corresponding to a reaction gas in the embodiment). It forms the flow of The conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 10 is of a type in which the raw material gas stored in the chamber 302 is drawn into the gap portion by the rotational force.

Using such a conventional apparatus, film formation was performed while changing the conditions of the gap (gap) between the substrate S and the rotating electrode as shown in Table 4 below, and the haze ratio was measured as an index representing the unevenness of the thin film surface. The thin film was judged. A glass substrate was used as the substrate S, and an SiO ₂ film was formed on the substrate S. Under each condition, the diameter of the rotary electrode 12 was 100 mm, and the rotation speed of the rotary electrode was 1500 rpm (circumferential speed 7.9 m / s). In each condition, the substrate conveyance speed was 3.3 mm / s, and a DC pulse having a frequency of 20 kHz and a voltage of 7000 V was supplied to the rotating electrode. In the conventional apparatus, the film forming speed depends on the gap. When the gap is 5 mm, the film forming speed is 38 nm · m / min, when the gap is 3 mm, the film forming speed is 44 nm · m / min, and when the gap is 1.5 mm. The film formation rate was 50 nm · m / min. Further, the thickness of the formed thin film varies depending on the gap, and becomes a value represented by (film formation speed) / (transport speed).

Here, the haze ratio is a value used as an index of the uneven shape on the surface of the thin film, and by extension, it can be said that it represents the amount of particles mixed in the thin film. The haze ratio using light diffusion due to the unevenness of the surface to be measured is expressed as a percentage of the diffuse transmittance with respect to the total light transmittance. The details are defined in JIS K 7136 (2000) and JIS K 7361 (1997). When a haze ratio is 2% or more, a general person clearly sees cloudiness. Therefore, the film quality is NG when the haze ratio is 2% or more, and the film quality is OK when the haze ratio is less than 2%. As shown in Table 4 below, in the conventional apparatus, the haze ratio was relatively large when the gap was 3 mm or more, and the film quality was NG. This is because the amount of particles mixed in the formed thin film is remarkably large when the gap is 3 mm or more. In addition, when the gap is 3 mm or more, the film formation rate is also significantly reduced.

[Example 1]
On the other hand, a SiO ₂ film was formed on a glass substrate S similar to the comparative example using a thin film forming apparatus (the diameter of the rotating electrode was 100 mm) similar to the apparatus of FIG. The substrate transport speed and the power supplied to the rotating electrode were adjusted so that the thickness of the formed thin film was substantially the same as that of the comparative example. Using such a thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, film formation was performed with the gap changed as shown in Table 5 below, and the haze ratio was measured as an index representing the unevenness of the thin film surface as in the case of the comparative example. The thin film was judged.
As shown in Table 5, in the example, even when the film was formed with the gap (gap) D between the rotating electrode 12 and the substrate S set to 5 mm, the haze ratio was as small as 0.5%. It was. In addition, when the gap was formed to have a thickness of 5 mm, the film formation rate was sufficiently high as compared with the specific examples. From these results, by using the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, even if the gap between the rotating electrode and the substrate is set wider than before, the generation of extra reaction products (particles) is suppressed. In addition, it was confirmed that a high-quality thin film with little particle contamination could be formed at a high film formation rate.

[Example 2]
Further, as another embodiment of the present invention, a thin film forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 11 was used, and a SiO ₂ film was formed on a glass substrate S similar to the comparative example. The thin film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 11 is obtained by adding an inert gas supply means and a gas recovery means to the apparatus shown in FIG. The haze ratio when the gap was 3 mm was measured by adjusting the moving and conveying speed of the substrate and the electrode supplied to the rotating electrode so that the thickness of the formed thin film was substantially the same as in the comparative example.
In the comparative example, even under the condition of a gap of 3 mm, which was NG in haze ratio, in Example 2, the haze ratio was as low as 1.4%, and generation of particles could be suppressed thereby, and a high-quality thin film could be formed. .

  The thin film forming apparatus of the present invention has been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

It is a schematic block diagram explaining an example of the thin film forming apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic perspective sectional view of an example of the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional side view of an example of the thin film forming apparatus of this invention. It is the sectional side view which expanded a part of example of the thin film forming apparatus of this invention. It is a figure explaining the two-dimensional reproduction model which reproduces an example of the thin film formation apparatus of this invention. (A) And (b) is a graph which shows the result of the simulation using the model which reproduces an example of the thin film formation apparatus of this invention. (A) And (b) is a graph which shows the result of the simulation using the model which reproduces an example of the thin film formation apparatus of this invention. It is a schematic side view explaining an example of the conventional thin film forming apparatus. It is a schematic side view explaining the other example of the conventional thin film formation apparatus, and has shown about the case where a process is performed with respect to a comparatively large board | substrate using the conventional thin film formation apparatus. It is a schematic side view explaining the other example of the conventional thin film forming apparatus. It is a schematic block diagram of the other example of the thin film forming apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Thin film forming apparatus 12 Rotating electrode 12 _M Rotating electrode model 14 Rotation center axis | shaft 16 Counter electrode 20 Electrode drive means 22 Power supply 30 Substrate conveyance means 32 Roller 40 Inert gas supply means 41 Inert gas inlet 41 _M Inert gas inlet (model)
42 Reaction chambers 42a, 42b Side wall ends 43 Container 43 _M container model 44 Open port 44a Inert gas supply port 44b Inert gas return port 45 Inert gas introduction means 50 Reaction gas supply means 52 Reaction gas supply port 54 Reaction gas Piping 54 _M reactive gas supply piping (model)
55 Reactive gas introduction means 60 Separation gas ejection means 62 Separation gas outlet 64 Separation gas piping 64 _M separation gas piping (model)
65 Separation gas introduction means 70 Gas recovery means 72 Gas recovery port 74 Gas recovery piping 74 _M gas recovery piping (model)
75 Gas derivation means 80 Rectification gas layer formation means 80A Upstream gas layer formation means 80B Downstream gas layer formation means 82A, 80B Rectification gas inlet 84A Rectification gas introduction pipe 84a _M Rectification gas introduction pipe (model)
85 Commutation gas introduction / derivation means 86A Commutation gas exit port 88A Commutation gas extraction pipe 90 Control means C plane F gap G reaction gas N inert gas P plasma generation region R commutation gas layer S substrate S _M substrate model

Claims (14)

By supplying power to a cylindrical rotating electrode whose rotation center axis is parallel to the film formation target substrate, plasma is generated in a gap between the rotation electrode and the film formation target substrate, and the generated plasma is used. A thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on the film formation target substrate by a chemical reaction of a supplied reaction gas,
Driving means for rotating the rotating electrode around the rotation center axis;
In order to form an inert gas flow that moves along the surface of the rotating electrode by being dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode by the rotation of the rotating electrode, the inert gas is supplied to the surface of the rotating electrode. Active gas supply means;
A thin film forming apparatus comprising: a reactive gas supply unit configured to supply a reactive gas between the flow of the inert gas and the deposition target substrate.   The inert gas supply means is provided on the surface of the rotating electrode at least in the region corresponding to the vicinity of the plasma generating region on the upstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating electrode with respect to the plasma generating region. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a gas is supplied. The inert gas supply means includes
A container surrounding the rotating electrode, wherein a wall of a portion corresponding to the vicinity of the plasma generation region including the plasma generation region is opened;
The inert gas is supplied into the container so that the inert gas reaches the open portion of the container and is supplied to a region corresponding to the vicinity of the plasma generation region on the surface of the rotating electrode. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an inert gas introduction unit that introduces. The reactive gas supply means has a reactive gas supply port provided in the vicinity of the plasma generation region,
By flowing the reaction gas from the reaction gas supply port toward the film formation target substrate surface, the flow of the film formation target substrate flows in the plasma generation region in substantially the same direction as the flow of the inert gas. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a flow of the reaction gas along a surface is generated.   Gas recovery means for sucking and removing the reaction gas that has passed through the plasma generation region along the surface of the film formation target substrate and the reaction product of the reaction gas generated by the plasma from the vicinity of the plasma generation region The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:   6. The thin film formation according to claim 5, wherein the gas suction port of the gas recovery means is disposed in the vicinity of the plasma generation region on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotary electrode with respect to the plasma generation region. apparatus.   The inert gas that has passed through the plasma generation region along the surface of the rotating electrode to separate a reaction product of the reaction gas generated by the plasma from the flow of the inert gas along the surface of the rotating electrode. 5. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising separation gas ejection means for ejecting a separation gas to the gas flow. The separation gas is the same kind of gas as the inert gas,
The separation gas ejection means includes
A part of the gas component of the separation gas is sprayed against the flow of the inert gas that has passed through the plasma generation region, and then moves along the surface of the rotating electrode by the rotation of the rotating electrode. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the separation gas is sprayed so as to be taken into the flow of the inert gas.   The separation gas ejection port of the separation gas ejection means is disposed in the vicinity of the plasma generation region on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the rotating electrode with respect to the plasma generation region. 9. The thin film forming apparatus according to 8. Gas recovery means for sucking and removing the reaction gas that has passed through the plasma generation region along the surface of the film formation target substrate and the reaction product of the reaction gas generated by the plasma from the vicinity of the plasma generation region; Have
The gas recovery means sucks and removes the reaction product of the reaction gas separated from the flow of the inert gas by the separation gas ejection means from the vicinity of the plasma generation region. The thin film forming apparatus according to any one of 9.   The gas recovery means includes a part of the separation gas sprayed from the separation gas ejection means with respect to the flow of the inert gas along the rotating electrode, and the inert gas along the rotating electrode. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a part of the inert gas separated from the flow is sucked and removed from the vicinity of the plasma generation region.   12. The gas suction port of the gas recovery means is disposed in the vicinity of the plasma generation region on the downstream side in the rotational driving direction of the rotary electrode with respect to the plasma generation region. Thin film forming equipment.   13. A rectifying gas layer forming means for forming a rectifying gas layer for adjusting the flow of the reactive gas in contact with the reactive gas flow in the vicinity of the plasma generation region. A thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1. A thin film forming method for forming a thin film on the film formation target substrate using plasma generated by supplying power to a cylindrical rotating electrode whose rotation center axis is parallel to the film formation target substrate,
Rotating the rotating electrode around the rotation center axis;
The inert gas is supplied to the surface of the rotating electrode to form an inert gas flow that moves along the surface of the rotating electrode by being dragged to the surface of the rotating electrode by the rotation of the rotating electrode. Process,
And a step of supplying a reactive gas between the flow of the inert gas and the substrate to be deposited.