JP2010270367A - In-line type film-forming apparatus and method of producing magnetic recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an in-line type film-forming apparatus capable of conveying carrier at a high speed. <P>SOLUTION: The in-line type film-forming apparatus comprises: a plurality of chambers 2 for performing film-forming processing; carriers 4 for retaining base plates serving as objects to be film-formed in the plurality of chambers 2; and a conveyance mechanism 5 which successively conveys the carriers 4 between the plurality of chambers 2, wherein the conveyance mechanism 5 has a plurality of permanent magnets 22 arranged side by side on the under side of the carriers 4, has a plurality of electromagnets 23 arranged side by side in the conveyance direction of the carriers 4 oppositely to the plurality of permanent magnets 22 and is provided with a driving mechanism 20 which supplies a power to the magnets 23, thereby, magnetically combines the electromagnets 23 and the permanent magnets 22 and, at the same time, drives the carriers 4 in non-contact state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an in-line type film forming apparatus that performs processing such as film forming while sequentially transferring a substrate to be formed between a plurality of chambers, and a magnetic recording medium using such an in-line type film forming apparatus. It relates to a manufacturing method.

  In recent years, the application range of magnetic recording devices such as magnetic disk devices, flexible disk devices, and magnetic tape devices has been remarkably increased, and the importance has increased, and the recording density of magnetic recording media used in these devices has increased. Significant improvements are being made. Particularly in HDDs (hard disk drives), since the introduction of MR heads and PRML technology, the increase in surface recording density has become even more severe, and in recent years, GMR heads and TuMR heads have also been introduced. The surface recording density continues to increase at a pace of%.

  On the other hand, as a magnetic recording system for HDDs, the so-called perpendicular magnetic recording system has been rapidly used in recent years as a technique to replace the conventional in-plane magnetic recording system (recording system whose magnetization direction is parallel to the substrate surface). In this perpendicular magnetic recording system, crystal grains in the recording layer for recording information have an easy axis of magnetization in the direction perpendicular to the substrate. The easy magnetization axis means a direction in which the magnetization is easily oriented. In the case of a commonly used Co alloy, it is an axis (c axis) parallel to the normal line of the (0001) plane of the Co hcp structure. In the perpendicular magnetic recording method, since the easy axis of magnetization of such magnetic crystal grains is in the perpendicular direction, the influence of the demagnetizing field between the recording bits is small even when the high recording density is advanced, and also in magnetostatic manner. It is characterized by being stable.

  A perpendicular magnetic recording medium is generally formed on a nonmagnetic substrate in the order of an underlayer, an intermediate layer (orientation control layer), a recording magnetic layer, and a protective layer. Further, in many cases, a lubricating film is applied to the surface after forming a protective layer. In many cases, a magnetic film called a soft magnetic underlayer is provided under the underlayer. The underlayer and the intermediate layer are formed for the purpose of further improving the characteristics of the recording magnetic layer. Specifically, it functions to adjust the crystal orientation of the recording magnetic layer and at the same time to control the shape of the magnetic crystal.

  The magnetic recording medium described above is configured by laminating a plurality of thin films formed mainly using a sputtering method. For this reason, the magnetic recording medium is manufactured using an in-line type film forming apparatus in which a plurality of chambers (processing apparatuses) for forming each thin film constituting such a magnetic recording medium are connected in a row through a gate valve. It is common to be done. Here, each chamber includes a reaction container having a pair of electrodes, a gas introduction pipe for introducing gas into the reaction container, a vacuum pump for exhausting the gas in the reaction container, and the like. In this in-line film forming apparatus, a substrate to be processed is sequentially transferred into each chamber, and a predetermined thin film is formed in each chamber. Therefore, in the in-line type film forming apparatus, the number of thin films corresponding to the number of chambers can be formed on the substrate by making a round of the substrate (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By the way, the trouble that occurs most often when a magnetic recording medium is manufactured using such an in-line type film forming apparatus is the dropping of the substrate to be processed from the carrier holding the substrate to be processed in the reaction vessel. . Specifically, in an in-line type film forming apparatus, a carrier for holding a substrate to be processed is sequentially transferred between a plurality of chambers while a film is processed on the substrate to be processed. There was a problem that the substrate to be processed dropped and stopped the apparatus.

  Here, the conventional in-line film forming apparatus includes, for example, a transport mechanism for transporting the carrier 300 holding the substrate W ′ as shown in FIG. Specifically, in this transport mechanism, a plurality of magnets 301 are arranged below the carrier 300 so that N poles and S poles are alternately arranged, and below that, N poles and S poles are alternately arranged spirally. The rotating magnet 302 is arranged along the conveyance path, and the carrier 300 is rotated in the non-contact state by rotating the rotating magnet 302 around the axis while magnetically coupling the magnet 301 and the rotating magnet 302 on the carrier 300 side. Drive with.

  In manufacturing a magnetic recording medium using an in-line film forming apparatus, it is required to increase the conveyance speed of the carrier 300 in order to increase the production capacity. However, in the above-described conventional transport mechanism, there is a problem that by increasing the rotational speed of the rotating magnet 302, the roll of the carrier 300 becomes intense and the substrate W 'held by the carrier 300 is likely to fall.

  Specifically, in the conventional transport mechanism, as shown in FIG. 12, when the rotating magnet 302 rotates, the magnet 301 on the carrier 300 side magnetically coupled to the rotating magnet 302 is swung in the lateral direction. become. In this case, although the lateral vibration generated in the carrier 300 can be restricted by a bearing (not shown) that sandwiches the carrier 300, in order for the carrier 300 to move between the bearings, Since a certain gap (play) is required between them, it is difficult to prevent the roll generated in the carrier 300 described above. The carrier 300 is vibrated by the interaction with the force to return to the vertical direction by gravity.

  In the in-line type film forming apparatus, when a trouble such as the drop of the substrate W ′ from the carrier 300 occurs, first, the reaction vessel is opened after the inside of the reaction vessel is at atmospheric pressure, and the dropped substrate is removed. After removing from the reaction vessel, the pressure inside the reaction vessel is reduced again, and the apparatus is restarted. Here, although the work until the substrate is taken out from the reaction container is completed in a few minutes, it takes about several hours to reduce the pressure of the reaction container and then restart the apparatus. This causes a problem of lowering. In particular, since the thin film composing the magnetic recording medium is required to have higher crystallinity, the base pressure (maximum ultimate vacuum) in the reaction vessel is set to a higher vacuum side and the film is formed in an environment with less impurities. Need to do. Therefore, the time required for decompressing the reaction vessel is inevitably long.

JP-A-8-274142

  The present invention has been proposed in view of such conventional circumstances, and can carry a carrier at high speed, thereby enabling further improvement in production efficiency, and its It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium using such an in-line film forming apparatus.

The present invention provides the following means.
(1) a plurality of chambers for film formation;
A carrier for holding a substrate to be deposited in the plurality of chambers;
A transport mechanism for sequentially transporting the carrier between the plurality of chambers,
The transport mechanism includes a plurality of permanent magnets arranged side by side on the lower side of the carrier, and a plurality of electromagnets arranged side by side in the carrier transport direction so as to face the plurality of permanent magnets. An in-line film forming apparatus comprising: a driving mechanism that drives the carrier in a non-contact state while magnetically coupling the electromagnet and the permanent magnet by supplying electric power to the electromagnet.
(2) The electromagnet is disposed in a space formed by a magnetically permeable cover and is isolated from the internal space of the reaction vessel. Membrane device.
(3) The in-line film forming apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the transport mechanism includes a guide mechanism that guides a carrier driven by the drive mechanism.
(4) The guide mechanism is engaged with a guide rail provided on the carrier, and the main bearing that guides the carrier driven by the drive mechanism in the vertical direction and the carrier sandwiched therebetween, The in-line film forming apparatus according to (3), further comprising a sub-bearing that guides the carrier driven by the driving mechanism in a horizontal direction.
(5) A magnetic recording medium comprising a step of forming at least a magnetic layer on the surface of the substrate using the in-line film forming apparatus according to any one of (1) to (4). Manufacturing method.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the production efficiency of a magnetic recording medium by using an in-line film forming apparatus that can transport a carrier at high speed.

It is a partially cutaway sectional view showing an example of a processing device to which the present invention is applied. It is a front view of the processing apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view of the gas inflow tube with which the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is the side view which looked at the carrier with which the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is equipped, and the conveyance mechanism from the direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction. It is the side view which looked at the carrier and conveyance mechanism with which the processing apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided from the conveyance direction side. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the in-line type film-forming apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a side view which shows the case where it processes alternately with respect to two process substrates in the in-line type film-forming apparatus shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the magnetic recording medium manufactured by applying this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the discrete type magnetic recording medium manufactured by applying this invention. It is a perspective view which shows one structural example of a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus. It is the side view which looked at the carrier and conveyance mechanism with which the conventional in-line type film-forming apparatus is provided from the direction orthogonal to a conveyance direction. It is the side view which looked at the carrier and conveyance mechanism with which the conventional in-line type film-forming apparatus is provided from the conveyance direction side.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In the present embodiment, a case where a magnetic recording medium mounted on a hard disk device (magnetic recording / reproducing device) is manufactured using an in-line film forming apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described as an example.

(Processing equipment)
First, an example of the processing apparatus 1 included in the in-line film forming apparatus to which the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is applied will be described.
This processing apparatus 1 constitutes one processing chamber in an in-line type film forming apparatus that performs film forming processing and the like while sequentially transferring a substrate (substrate to be processed) W to be formed between a plurality of chambers to be described later. To do.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 1 includes a reaction vessel 2 in which a substrate to be processed W is arranged, and a holder 3 for holding the substrate to be processed W is attached in the reaction vessel 2. A carrier 4 and a transport mechanism 5 for transporting the carrier 4 are arranged.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the reaction vessel 2 is a vacuum vessel (chamber) that is hermetically configured by a pressure-resistant partition wall so that the interior thereof is in a high vacuum state. A flat internal space 7 is formed between 6a and the back-side partition wall 6b. The carrier 4 that holds the substrate W to be processed is disposed in the center of the internal space 7, and the transport mechanism 5 is disposed below the carrier 4.

  Note that two holders 3 are attached to the carrier 4 along a straight line in the transport direction. Further, the two holders 3 hold the substrate W to be processed vertically (a state where the main surface of the substrate W to be processed is parallel to the direction of gravity).

  Also, before and after the reaction container 2 in the transport direction, a substrate carry-in / out port (not shown) through which the carrier 4 passes between adjacent reaction vessels (chambers) and a pair of gates that open and close these substrate carry-in / out ports A valve 2A is provided. That is, the reaction vessel 2 is connected to the adjacent chamber via the gate valve 2A.

  The processing apparatus 1 includes a processing unit (processing means) 1A that performs film formation processing or the like on both surfaces of the substrate W to be processed held on the carrier 4 on the front partition 6a and the back partition 6b of the reaction vessel 2, respectively. I have.

  The processing unit 1 </ b> A is disposed to face both surfaces of the two substrates to be processed W held by the holder 3. For example, when the film forming process is performed by sputtering, the processing unit 1A is a cathode unit for generating sputter discharge. When the film forming process is performed by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method, the film is formed by the CVD method. In the case where the electrode unit for forming the space and the film forming process are performed by the PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) method, the electrode unit is constituted by an ion gun or the like. Thus, as the processing unit 1A, for example, a sputtering apparatus (including a magnetron sputtering apparatus, a DC sputtering apparatus, an RF sputtering apparatus, an MW sputtering apparatus, a reactive sputtering apparatus, etc.), a chemical vapor deposition apparatus (CVD apparatus), physical Examples thereof include processing units mounted on various processing apparatuses such as a vapor deposition apparatus (PVD apparatus), an ion implantation apparatus, a plasma etching apparatus, a substrate heating apparatus, a reactive plasma processing apparatus, and a substrate cooling apparatus.

  The processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment is an application of the present invention to, for example, a magnetron sputtering apparatus. In the magnetron sputtering apparatus, a target is placed facing a substrate placed in a reaction vessel and a magnetic field is generated near the surface of the target. Therefore, a magnet is placed on the back of the target, and these substrates are placed in an inert gas atmosphere. A high voltage such as radio frequency (RF) is applied between the target and the target, and the plasma is formed by colliding electrons ionized at this high voltage with an inert gas, and the target particles sputtered by cations in the plasma are formed on the substrate. The film is deposited on the surface for film formation. In addition, the magnet disposed on the back surface of the target is generally a magnet having a magnetization direction perpendicular to the main surface of the target, and a magnet having a magnetization direction opposite to this magnet. It is configured by placing it outside.

  Specifically, since the processing apparatus 1 simultaneously performs film formation on both surfaces of the two substrates to be processed W, the two substrates to be processed W held by the carrier 4 are provided in the reaction vessel 2. A total of four backing plates 8 are arranged so as to face the both surfaces of each. And the target T is attached to the surface (surface) which opposes the to-be-processed substrate W of these four backing plates 8. FIG. Each backing plate 8 is connected to a high-frequency power source (or microwave power source) (not shown), and a high-frequency voltage can be applied to the target T from the high-frequency power source via the backing plate 8. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the processing apparatus 1 includes a gas introduction pipe (gas introduction means) 9 for introducing a gas into the reaction vessel 2. The gas introduction pipe 9 has an annular portion 9a formed in a ring shape corresponding to the disk-shaped substrate W, and the gas supply source 10 is connected to the gas supply source 10 via a connecting portion 9b connected to the annular portion 9a. It is connected. Further, the annular portion 9 a of the gas introduction pipe 9 is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the reaction space R formed between the substrate to be processed W and the target T. Further, a plurality of gas discharge ports 9c are arranged in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral portion of the annular portion 9a, and the gas introduction pipe 9 is to be processed inside the plurality of gas discharge ports 9c. It is possible to release the gas G supplied from the gas supply source 10 toward the substrate W.

  In addition, about the aperture of the gas discharge port 9c, in order to make constant the quantity of the gas G discharged | emitted from each gas discharge port 9c, it is preferable to set it as the structure which changed the diameter of each gas discharge port 9c. Specifically, it is preferable to increase the diameter of the gas discharge port 9c according to the distance from the connecting portion 9b so that the amount of gas G discharged from each gas discharge port 9c is constant.

  An adjustment valve (not shown) is provided on the pipe between the gas introduction pipe 9 and the gas supply source 10. In the processing apparatus 1, it is possible to control the opening and closing of the adjustment valve and to adjust the flow rate of the gas G supplied to the gas introduction pipe 9 through the adjustment valve.

  Magnets (magnetic field generating means) 11 for generating a magnetic field are disposed on the surface (back surface) opposite to the target T of each backing plate 8. Each magnet 11 is attached to a rotation shaft 12 a of the drive motor 12 and is driven to rotate in a plane parallel to the backing plate 8 by the drive motor 12.

  The front side partition 6a and the back side partition 6b of the reaction vessel 2 are provided with an opening 13 facing the inside of the reaction vessel 2. The opening 13 is attached to the backing plate 8 to which the above-described target T is attached, the gas introduction pipe 9, and the magnet 11 at positions facing both surfaces of the two substrates to be processed W held by the holder 3. The processing unit 1 </ b> A including the drive motor 12 is formed in an oval shape (race track shape) with a size sufficient to arrange the processing unit 1 </ b> A. A cylindrical housing 14 that hermetically seals the periphery of the opening 13 is attached to the front-side partition wall 6a and the back-side partition wall 6b, and the drive motor 12 is fixed inside the housing 14. It is supported. The front-side partition wall 6a and the back-side partition wall 6b are attached to the reaction vessel 2 so as to be openable and closable in order to open the reaction vessel 2 during maintenance or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the processing apparatus 1 is disposed as a decompression means for decompressing and exhausting the inside of the reaction container 2, and a first vacuum pump 15 disposed above the reaction container 2 and a lower part of the reaction container 2. And a second vacuum pump 16.

  The first vacuum pump 15 is a turbo molecular pump attached via an upper pump chamber 17 </ b> A disposed above the reaction vessel 2. Since this turbo molecular pump does not use lubricating oil, it has a high cleanliness (cleanness) and a high exhaust speed, so that a high degree of vacuum can be obtained. Furthermore, it is suitable for exhausting highly reactive gas.

  The upper pump chamber 17 </ b> A is airtightly configured by a pressure-resistant partition wall, and is attached to the upper portion of the reaction vessel 2 to form an internal space 7 </ b> A continuous with the internal space 7 of the reaction vessel 2. And the 1st vacuum pump 15 is attached in the state which each opposed to the both side surfaces of this upper pump chamber 17A.

  On the other hand, the second vacuum pump 16 is a cryopump attached via a lower pump chamber 17B disposed below the reaction vessel 2. The cryopump creates a very low temperature and condenses or adsorbs the gas inside to obtain a high degree of vacuum, and is particularly superior to a turbo molecular pump in terms of pumping speed and cleanliness.

  The lower pump chamber 17B is hermetically configured by a pressure-resistant partition, and communicates with the internal space 7 of the reaction vessel 2 through a hole 6d formed in the bottom wall 6c of the reaction vessel 2. The second vacuum pump 16 is connected to the side surface of the lower pump chamber 17B.

  In the processing apparatus 1, the inside of the reaction vessel 2 is depressurized or the gas introduced into the reaction vessel 2 is exhausted while controlling the driving of the first vacuum pump 15 and the second vacuum pump 16. Is possible.

  In the present embodiment, two first vacuum pumps 15 are disposed on both side surfaces of the reaction vessel 2 and one second vacuum pump 16 is disposed below the reaction vessel 2, The arrangement and number of the vacuum pumps 15 and 16 can be changed as appropriate. For example, although the time required to evacuate the reaction vessel 2 under reduced pressure decreases as the number of vacuum pumps 15 and 16 increases, if the number of first and second vacuum pumps 15 and 16 increases, In order to increase the size of the apparatus 1 and increase the power consumption, it is desirable to determine the number of the first and second vacuum pumps 15 and 16 from such a viewpoint.

  Also, the cryopump used for the second vacuum pump 16 is different from a turbo molecular pump having a structure for discharging to the outside, and needs to be maintained at regular intervals because it is stored inside. When the gas introduced into the reaction vessel 2 is a highly reactive gas, the first vacuum pump 15 composed of the above-described turbo molecular pump is used to exhaust the gas to the outside of the reaction vessel 2. Is desirable. As a result, the reaction container 2 is kept clean while preventing the gas after reaction from flowing below the reaction space 7 and corroding metal parts such as the bearings 28 and 30 constituting the transport mechanism 5. It is possible to keep on. Note that a turbo molecular pump can be used as the second vacuum pump 16 instead of the cryopump.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the carrier 4 has a structure in which two holders 3 are attached in parallel to the support base 18 on an upper part of a support base 18 having a plate shape. In the holder 3, a circular hole 3 b having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the substrate to be processed W is formed in the plate material 3 a having a thickness of about 1 to several times the thickness of the substrate to be processed W. Thus, the substrate to be processed W is held inside the hole 3b.

  Specifically, a plurality of support arms 19 that support the substrate W to be processed are attached around the hole 3b of the holder 3 so as to be elastically deformable. The plurality of support arms 19 have a lower fulcrum positioned at the lowest position on the outer periphery of the substrate W to be processed disposed inside the hole 3b, and a gravity direction passing through the lower fulcrum. Three are arranged at predetermined intervals around the hole 3b of the plate member 3a so as to support at three points with a pair of upper side fulcrum located on the upper side on the outer periphery that is symmetrical with respect to the center line. It has been.

  Each support member 19 is made of a leaf spring bent in an L-shape, and its base end side is fixedly supported by the holder 3, and its distal end side protrudes toward the inside of the hole 3 b. 3 is disposed in a slit 3c formed around the hole 3b. In addition, although not shown in the drawings, a groove portion with which the outer peripheral portion of the substrate to be processed W is engaged is provided at the distal end portion of each support member 19.

  The holder 3 can detachably hold the target substrate W fitted inside each of the support arms 19 while bringing the outer peripheral portion of the target substrate W into contact with the three support arms 19. It has become. In addition, attachment / detachment of the to-be-processed substrate W with respect to the holder 3 can be performed by pushing down the support arm 19 of a lower side fulcrum.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the transport mechanism 5 includes a drive mechanism 20 that drives the carrier 4 in a non-contact state, and a guide mechanism 21 that guides the carrier 4 to be transported.
The drive mechanism 20 includes a plurality of permanent magnets 22 arranged so that N poles and S poles are alternately arranged below the carrier 4, and a plurality of permanent magnets 22 below the plurality of permanent magnets 22 in the conveying direction of the carrier 4. And a plurality of electromagnets 23 arranged side by side.

  The permanent magnet 22 is preferably made of, for example, a ferrite magnet or a rare earth magnet having a large attraction / repulsion force with respect to the electromagnet 23 in order to ensure high-speed response by the electromagnet 23. Among them, the ferrite magnet is easy to process and has high toughness, and therefore has an advantage that it can be easily held on the carrier 4 by a screw or the like. On the other hand, although the rare earth magnet is difficult and fragile, the carrier 4 can be moved at a higher speed because the attracting force and repulsive force against the electromagnet 23 are strong. In the case where a rare earth magnet is used, it is difficult to hold the carrier 4 by screwing or the like. Therefore, the surface is preferably covered with a nonmagnetic material such as a stainless steel plate and embedded in the carrier 4. . As the permanent magnet 22, it is preferable to use an SmCo-based or NdFeB-based sintered magnet because of its strong attraction and repulsive force.

  The electromagnet 23 is obtained by winding an electric wire around a magnetic core in a coil shape. However, the magnetic core and the electric wire are not often used in a vacuum, and the insulating coating of the electric wire is made of resin or the like and used in a vacuum. Is often not preferred. Therefore, in the present invention, the electromagnet 23 is disposed in the space formed by the magnetically permeable cover 24 so as to be isolated from the internal space 7 of the reaction vessel 2. Thereby, the electromagnet 23 can be disposed facing the outside (atmosphere side) of the reaction vessel 2.

  In the drive mechanism 20, by supplying electric power to the electromagnet 23, the carrier 4 can be driven in a non-contact state while the electromagnet 23 and the permanent magnet 22 are magnetically coupled. .

  The guide mechanism 21 has a plurality of main bearings 28 supported rotatably around a horizontal axis, and the plurality of main bearings 28 guide the carrier 4 in the vertical direction, They are arranged side by side on a straight line. On the other hand, the carrier 4 has a guide rail 29 in which a groove portion with which a plurality of main bearings 28 are engaged is formed on the lower side of the support base 18.

  The guide mechanism 21 has a pair of sub-bearings 30 supported so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. The pair of sub-bearings 30 guides the carrier 4 in the horizontal direction, and the carrier 4 is interposed therebetween. Are arranged to face each other. Further, like the plurality of main bearings 28, a plurality of the pair of sub bearings 30 are provided side by side in a straight line in the transport direction of the carrier 4.

  The guide mechanism 21 guides the carrier 4 moving on the plurality of main bearings 28 in a state where the plurality of main bearings 28 are engaged with the grooves of the guide rails 29, and a pair of sub bearings 30. By sandwiching the carrier 4 between the two, the carrier 4 is prevented from tilting during movement.

  The main bearing 28 and the sub-bearing 30 are constituted by rolling bearings in order to reduce friction of machine parts and ensure a smooth rotational movement of the machine. The rolling bearing is rotatably attached to a support shaft fixed to a frame provided in the reaction vessel 2 although not shown.

  In the processing apparatus 1 having the above-described structure, a high-frequency voltage is applied to the target T via the backing plate 8 to ionize the gas introduced from the gas introduction pipe 9 to surround the target T (reaction space R). While generating plasma, the ions in the plasma collide with the surface of the target T, so that the target particles knocked out of the target T can be deposited on the target substrate W to form a thin film. is there.

  By the way, the processing apparatus 1 includes a driving mechanism 20 that drives the carrier 4 in a non-contact state while magnetically coupling the electromagnet 23 and the permanent magnet 22 in the transport mechanism 5 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 described above. It has a configuration with.

  In this configuration, only the force in the transport direction acts on the carrier 4 by changing the excitation position of the electromagnet 23 that magnetically attracts the permanent magnet 22. Accordingly, in this transport mechanism 5, unlike the conventional transport mechanism shown in FIG. 11 described above, the carrier 300 does not roll, so that the carrier 4 can be moved at high speed.

(In-line deposition system)
Next, the configuration of an in-line film forming apparatus 50 to which the present invention shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6, the in-line type film forming apparatus 50 is adjacent to the substrate transfer robot chamber 51, the substrate transfer robot 52 installed on the substrate transfer robot chamber 51, and the substrate transfer robot chamber 51. A substrate mounting robot chamber 53, a substrate mounting robot 54 disposed in the substrate mounting robot chamber 53, a substrate replacement chamber 55 adjacent to the substrate mounting robot chamber 53, and a substrate adjacent to the substrate replacement chamber 55. A removal robot chamber 56, a substrate removal robot 57 disposed in the substrate removal robot chamber 56, and a plurality of processing chambers 58 to 55 disposed side by side between the entry side and the exit side of the substrate exchange chamber 55. 70 and spare chamber 71, a plurality of corner chambers 72 to 75, and the respective chambers 58 to 71 and the corner chambers 72 to 75 from the entrance side to the exit side of the substrate exchange chamber 55 are sequentially conveyed. It is schematically configured to include the above-described carrier 4 numbers.

  Further, openable and closable gate valves 76 to 93 are provided between the chambers from the entrance side to the exit side of the substrate exchange chamber 55. The chambers 58 to 71 can form independent sealed spaces by closing the gate valves 76 to 93.

  The substrate transfer robot 52 supplies the substrate to be processed W to the substrate mounting robot chamber 54 from a cassette (not shown) in which the non-processed substrate W before film formation is stored, and the substrate removal robot chamber 56. This is for recovering the substrate W after film formation. Gate portions 94 and 95 that can be freely opened and closed are provided between the substrate transfer robot chamber 51 and the substrate mounting and substrate removal robot chambers 53 and 56, respectively. Furthermore, openable and closable gate portions 96 and 97 are also provided between the substrate exchange chamber 55 and the substrate mounting and substrate removal robot chambers 53 and 56, respectively.

  The substrate attachment robot 54 attaches the substrate W to be processed before film formation to the carrier 4 in the substrate exchange chamber 55, while the substrate removal robot 57 performs film formation from the carrier 4 in the substrate exchange chamber 55 after film formation. The substrate W to be processed is removed.

  The plurality of processing chambers 58 to 70 and the spare chamber 71 basically have the same configuration as the reaction vessel 2 of the processing apparatus 1, and the carrier 4 is provided on both sides of each processing chamber 58 to 70. A processing unit 1A corresponding to the processing content for the held substrate W to be processed is arranged. Although not shown, the chambers 58 to 71 are connected to the above-described vacuum pumps, and each chamber 58 to 71 can be individually evacuated by the operation of the vacuum pumps. . Each corner chamber 72 to 75 is provided with a rotation mechanism (not shown) for changing the moving direction of the carrier 4.

  In the inline-type film forming apparatus 50, each carrier 4 is sequentially transported between the chambers 58 to 71 and the corner chambers 72 to 75 from the entrance side to the exit side of the substrate exchange chamber 55. A film forming process or the like can be performed on the substrate W to be processed (not shown in FIG. 6) held on the substrate.

  In this embodiment, it is possible to process two substrates to be processed W held on the holder 3 of the carrier 4 at the same time. However, only the substrate to be processed W held on one holder 3 is processed. In the case of a configuration to be performed, for example, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 7, after processing is performed on the target substrate W <b> 1 held by one holder 3 </ b> A of the carrier 4, the broken line in FIG. 7 indicates. As described above, the position of the carrier 4 is shifted in the reaction container 2, and processing is performed on the substrate W <b> 2 that is held by the other holder 3 </ b> B (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 6) of the carrier 4. Thereby, it is possible to alternately process the two substrates to be processed W1 and W2 held by the holder 3 of the carrier 4.

  In addition, in the in-line type film forming apparatus 50 to which the present invention is applied, the carrier 4 can be conveyed at a high speed by the above-described conveying mechanism 5, and thus when the magnetic recording medium is manufactured using the in-line type film forming apparatus 50. It is possible to increase the operating rate of the apparatus and increase the productivity of the magnetic recording medium.

(Method of manufacturing magnetic recording medium)
Next, a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium to which the present invention is applied will be described.
In the method of manufacturing a magnetic recording medium to which the present invention is applied, a nonmagnetic substrate to be processed W held by the carrier 4 is placed between the plurality of processing chambers 58 to 70 using the in-line film forming apparatus 50. A magnetic layer composed of a soft magnetic layer, an intermediate layer, and a recording magnetic layer, and a protective layer are sequentially laminated on both surfaces of the nonmagnetic substrate while being sequentially conveyed. Furthermore, after using the inline-type film forming apparatus 50, a lubricating film is formed on the outermost surface of the substrate W after film formation using a coating apparatus (not shown), whereby the magnetic recording medium is obtained. To manufacture.

  In the method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium to which the present invention is applied, it is possible to increase the production capacity of the magnetic recording medium and to manufacture a high-quality magnetic recording medium by using the in-line film forming apparatus 50.

(Magnetic recording medium)
Specifically, a magnetic recording medium manufactured using the inline-type film forming apparatus 50 includes, for example, a soft magnetic layer 101 on both surfaces of a nonmagnetic substrate 100 that is the substrate to be processed W, as shown in FIG. The intermediate layer 102, the recording magnetic layer 103, and the protective layer 104 are sequentially stacked, and the lubricating film 105 is further formed on the outermost surface. The soft magnetic layer 81, the intermediate layer 82, and the recording magnetic layer 83 constitute a magnetic layer 106.

  Examples of the nonmagnetic substrate 100 include an Al alloy substrate mainly composed of Al, such as an Al—Mg alloy, a glass substrate such as soda glass, aluminosilicate glass, or crystallized glass, a silicon substrate, a titanium substrate, a ceramic substrate, Various substrates such as a resin substrate can be mentioned, and among them, an Al alloy substrate, a glass substrate, and a silicon substrate are preferably used. Further, the average surface roughness (Ra) of the nonmagnetic substrate 100 is preferably 1 nm or less, more preferably 0.5 nm or less, and further preferably 0.1 nm or less.

The magnetic layer 106 can be broadly divided into a horizontal magnetic layer for in-plane magnetic recording media and a perpendicular magnetic layer for perpendicular magnetic recording media. In order to achieve a higher recording density, a perpendicular magnetic layer is used. Is preferably used. The magnetic layer 106 is preferably made of a Co alloy containing Co as a main component. Specifically, in the case of the perpendicular magnetic layer, for example, soft magnetic FeCo alloys (FeCoB, FeCoSiB, FeCoZr, FeCoZrB, FeCoZrBCu, etc.), FeTa alloys (FeTaN, FeTaC, etc.), Co alloys (CoTaZr, CoZrNB, CoB, etc.) ) And the like, an intermediate layer 102 made of Ru, and the like, and a recording magnetic layer 103 made of a 60Co-15Cr-15Pt alloy or a 70Co-5Cr-15Pt-10SiO ₂ alloy are used. Can do. Further, an orientation control film made of Pt, Pd, NiCr, NiFeCr or the like may be interposed between the soft magnetic layer 81 and the intermediate layer 82. On the other hand, in the case of a horizontal magnetic layer, for example, a nonmagnetic CrMo underlayer and a ferromagnetic CoCrPtTa magnetic layer laminated can be used.

  Further, the magnetic layer 106 needs to be formed with a thickness that can provide sufficient input / output characteristics of the magnetic head in accordance with the type of magnetic alloy used and the laminated structure. On the other hand, the magnetic layer 106 needs to have a certain thickness in order to obtain a certain output during reproduction, but various parameters representing recording / reproduction characteristics usually deteriorate as the output increases. Therefore, it is necessary to set an optimum thickness. Specifically, the total thickness of the magnetic layer 106 is preferably 3 nm or more and 20 nm or less, and more preferably 5 nm or more and 15 nm or less.

The protective layer 104 may be made of a material usually used in magnetic recording media. Examples of such a material include carbon (C), hydrogenated carbon (HXC), nitrogenated carbon (CN), and alumocarbon. Examples thereof include carbonaceous materials such as silicon carbide (SiC), SiO ₂ , Zr ₂ O ₃ , and TiN. The protective layer 104 may be a stack of two or more layers. If the thickness of the protective layer 104 exceeds 10 nm, the distance between the magnetic head and the magnetic layer 106 increases, and sufficient input / output characteristics cannot be obtained.

  The lubricating film 105 can be formed, for example, by applying a lubricant made of a fluorine-based lubricant, a hydrocarbon-based lubricant, a mixture thereof, or the like on the protective layer 104. The film thickness of the lubricating film 105 is usually about 1 to 4 nm.

  In addition, for the magnetic recording medium, the recording magnetic layer 103 is subjected to reactive plasma treatment or ion irradiation treatment using the in-line film forming apparatus 50 to improve the magnetic characteristics of the recording magnetic layer 103. Can do. For example, the magnetic recording medium shown in FIG. 9 is a so-called discrete type magnetic recording medium in which magnetic recording patterns 103a formed on the recording magnetic layer 103 are separated by nonmagnetic regions 103b.

  As for the discrete type magnetic recording medium, for example, a patterned medium in which the magnetic recording pattern 103a is arranged with a certain regularity for each bit, a medium in which the magnetic recording pattern 103a is arranged in a track shape, and a magnetic recording pattern A medium 103a includes a servo signal pattern or the like.

  Also, in order to increase the recording density of the discrete magnetic recording medium, the width L1 of the portion that becomes the magnetic recording pattern 103a of the recording magnetic layer 103 is 200 nm or less, and the width L2 of the portion that becomes the non-magnetized region 103b. Is preferably 100 nm or less. The track pitch P (= L1 + L2) of this magnetic recording medium is preferably 300 nm or less, and is preferably as narrow as possible in order to increase the recording density.

  In such a discrete type magnetic recording medium, a mask layer is provided on the surface of the recording magnetic layer 103, and a portion not covered with the mask layer is exposed to a reactive plasma treatment or an ion irradiation treatment. Thereby, the magnetic characteristics of a part of the recording magnetic layer 103 can be modified, and preferably obtained by forming the nonmagnetic region 103b modified from a magnetic material to a nonmagnetic material.

  Here, the modification of the magnetic characteristics of the recording magnetic layer 103 means that the coercive force, residual magnetization, etc. of the recording magnetic layer 103 are partially changed in order to pattern the recording magnetic layer 103, and the change This means that the coercive force is lowered and the residual magnetization is lowered.

  Specifically, when the magnetic characteristics of the recording magnetic layer 103 are modified, the magnetization amount of the recording magnetic layer 103 at a location exposed to reactive plasma or reactive ions is set to 75% or less of the initial (unprocessed). The coercive force is preferably 50% or less and the initial coercive force is preferably 50% or less, more preferably 20% or less. As a result, writing blur at the time of magnetic recording can be eliminated and a high surface recording density can be obtained.

  Further, the magnetic property is modified by exposing the already formed recording magnetic layer 103 to reactive plasma, reactive ions, etc., and separating the magnetic recording track and the servo signal pattern (nonmagnetic region 103b) from amorphous. It can also be realized by improving the quality.

  Here, making the recording magnetic layer 103 amorphous means modifying the crystal structure of the recording magnetic layer 103, and the atomic arrangement of the recording magnetic layer 103 is changed to an irregular atomic arrangement having no long-range order. Say to state. Specifically, when the recording magnetic layer 103 is amorphized, it is preferable that the atomic arrangement of the recording magnetic layer 103 is in a state where microcrystalline grains having a particle diameter of less than 2 nm are randomly arranged. Note that such an atomic arrangement state of the recording magnetic layer 103 can be confirmed by an analysis technique such as X-ray diffraction or electron beam diffraction as a state where no peak representing a crystal plane is observed and only a halo is recognized. It is.

(Magnetic recording / reproducing device)
An example of a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus using the magnetic recording medium is a hard disk drive (HDD) as shown in FIG. This magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus includes a magnetic disk 200 that is the magnetic recording medium, a medium driving unit 201 that rotationally drives the magnetic disk 200, a magnetic head 202 that performs recording and reproducing operations on the magnetic disk 201, and a magnetic head A head driving unit 203 that moves 202 in the radial direction of the magnetic disk 200 and a signal processing system 204 for performing signal input to the magnetic head 202 and reproduction of output signals from the magnetic head 202 are provided.

  In this magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus, when the discrete track type magnetic recording medium is used as the magnetic disk 200, it is possible to eliminate writing blur when performing magnetic recording on the magnetic disk 200 and to obtain a high surface recording density. It is. That is, by using the discrete track type magnetic recording medium, a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus having a high recording density can be obtained.

  Also, in this magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus, by conventionally processing the recording track magnetically discontinuously, the reproducing head width is conventionally made narrower than the recording head width in order to eliminate the influence of the magnetization transition region at the track edge. The corresponding ones can be operated with substantially the same width, which makes it possible to obtain a sufficient reproduction output and a high SNR.

  Further, in this magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus, it is possible to obtain a sufficient signal intensity even at a high recording density by configuring the reproducing unit of the magnetic head 202 with a GMR head or a TMR head. Furthermore, by raising the magnetic head 202 lower than before, specifically, by setting the flying height of the magnetic head 202 in the range of 0.005 μm to 0.020 μm, a higher SNR can be obtained by improving the output. Therefore, a magnetic recording / reproducing apparatus having a large capacity and high reliability can be obtained.

  Further, when the signal processing circuit based on the maximum likelihood decoding method is combined, it is possible to further improve the recording density. For example, a sufficient SNR can be obtained even when recording / reproducing is performed at a recording density of 100 kbit / inch or more, a linear recording density of 1000 kbit / inch or more, and a recording density of 100 Gbit or more per square inch.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Processing apparatus 1A ... Processing unit 2 ... Reaction container 2A ... Gate valve 3 ... Holder 3 4 ... Carrier 5 ... Transfer mechanism 6a ... Front side partition 6b ... Back side partition 6c ... Bottom wall 6d ... Hole 7, 7A ... Inside Space 8 ... Backing plate (cathode electrode) 9 ... Gas introduction pipe (gas introduction means) 10 ... Gas supply source 11 ... Magnet (magnetic field generation means) 12 ... Drive motor 13 ... Opening 14 ... Housing 15 ... First vacuum pump (Depressurized exhaust means) 16: Second vacuum pump (another decompressed exhaust means) 17A: Upper pump chamber 17B ... Lower pump chamber 18 ... Support base 19 ... Support arm 20 ... Drive mechanism 21 ... Guide mechanism 22 ... Permanent magnet 23 ... Electromagnet 24 ... Cover 28 ... Main bearing 29 ... Guide rail 30 ... Sub-bearing 31, 31A, 31B ... Shield plate 32, 32A, 3 B ... Baking heater W ... Substrate to be processed T ... Target R ... Reaction space G ... Gas 50 ... In-line type film forming apparatus 51 ... Substrate transfer robot chamber 52 ... Substrate transfer robot 53 ... Substrate mounting robot chamber 54 ... Substrate mounting Robot 55 ... Substrate exchange chamber 56 ... Substrate removal robot chamber 57 ... Substrate removal robot 58-70 ... Processing chamber 71 ... Spare chamber 72-75 ... Corner chamber 76-93 ... Gate valve 94-97 ... Gate unit 100 ... Nonmagnetic substrate 101 ... soft magnetic layer 102 ... intermediate layer 103 ... recording magnetic layer 103a ... magnetic recording pattern 103b ... non-magnetized region 104 ... protective layer 105 ... lubricating film 106 ... magnetic layer 107 ... mask layer 108 ... resist layer 109 ... Stamp 200 ... Magnetic disk 201 ... Medium drive unit 202 ... Magnetic head 203 ... Head Driver 204 ... signal processing system

Claims (5)

A plurality of chambers for film formation;
A carrier for holding a substrate to be deposited in the plurality of chambers;
A transport mechanism for sequentially transporting the carrier between the plurality of chambers,
The transport mechanism includes a plurality of permanent magnets arranged side by side on the lower side of the carrier, and a plurality of electromagnets arranged side by side in the carrier transport direction so as to face the plurality of permanent magnets. An in-line film forming apparatus comprising: a driving mechanism that drives the carrier in a non-contact state while magnetically coupling the electromagnet and the permanent magnet by supplying electric power to the electromagnet.   The in-line film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnet is disposed in a space formed by a permeable cover so as to be isolated from the internal space of the reaction vessel.   The in-line film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism includes a guide mechanism that guides a carrier driven by the driving mechanism.   The guide mechanism is engaged with a guide rail provided on the carrier, and a main bearing that guides the carrier driven by the drive mechanism in a vertical direction, and the drive mechanism in a state of sandwiching the carrier The in-line type film forming apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a sub-bearing that guides the carrier driven by the horizontal direction.   A method for producing a magnetic recording medium, comprising the step of forming at least a magnetic layer on the surface of the substrate using the in-line film forming apparatus according to claim 1.

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