JP2019085603A - Sputtering apparatus and sputtering method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a sputtering apparatus securing an in-plane homogeneity of a film thickness distribution on a substrate when sputtering using a sputtering particle having an obliquely incident component, and capable of reducing a maintenance frequency, and a sputtering method.SOLUTION: A sputtering apparatus has a stage 5 which is arranged in a vacuum chamber 2 and has a substrate 10 arranged thereon, a shielding part 6 which is arranged in the vacuum chamber 2 and shields a sputtering particle which fries from a target 4 when sputtering and obliquely enters toward an outside vicinity of an edge part of the substrate 10 placed on the stage 5 from an outside of the substrate to an inside of the substrate. A shielding part lifting mechanism 7 is arranged for the shielding part 6 to move close to or away from the target 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to the field of deposition techniques by sputtering.

  In recent years, in the field of, for example, a lithium battery, it has been performed to form a relatively thick film by sputtering using aluminum.

  In this type of sputtering, a target having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the substrate may be used.

  When such sputtering is performed, sputtered particles flying from the edge of the target are obliquely incident on the substrate.

  On the other hand, in recent years, it has been required to form a film also at the edge portion (edge portion) of the substrate, but if film deposition is to be carried out at the edge portion of the substrate, spatter flying from the edge portion of the target There is a problem that particles reach a region near the outer edge of the substrate in the vacuum chamber and adhere to a stage or the like.

  In order to solve such problems, it is also conceivable to dispose a deposition preventing portion for blocking the flight of sputtered particles in the vicinity of the edge of the substrate to prevent the sputtered particles from adhering in the vacuum chamber.

  However, when the deposition preventing portion is disposed in the vicinity of the edge of the substrate, the film formed by the sputtered particles deposited on the deposition removing portion is raised as the number of times of sputtering increases, and the raised portion causes the edge of the substrate of sputtered particles. It is prevented from reaching the edge.

  As a result, the formation of the film is hindered at the edge of the surface of the substrate, the thickness is reduced, and the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness distribution on the substrate can not be ensured, and as a result, the maintenance period is shortened. Production efficiency will also deteriorate.

Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2010-111892

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to provide an in-plane film thickness distribution on a substrate when sputtering is performed using sputtered particles having an oblique incident component. It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology capable of reducing the frequency of maintenance while ensuring uniformity.

The present invention, which was made to solve the above problems, includes a vacuum chamber, a stage provided in the vacuum chamber, and a stage on which a substrate is disposed, and a stage provided in the vacuum chamber. A deposition prevention portion for shielding sputtered particles obliquely incident on the substrate from the outer side of the substrate toward the region near the outer side of the edge of the substrate disposed on the stage; Is a sputtering apparatus provided with an anti-adhesion part drive mechanism for causing the target to approach or separate from the target.
In the present invention, the deposition prevention part has an deposition prevention surface facing the target, and the deposition prevention surface can move within the area on the target side with respect to the surface of the substrate disposed on the stage. The sputtering apparatus is configured as follows.
The present invention is configured to control the operation of the deposition preventing portion drive mechanism so as to separate the deposition preventing portion from the target in accordance with the adhesion amount of the target material to the deposition prevention surface of the deposition preventing portion. It is a sputtering device.
The present invention is the sputtering apparatus, which is disposed on the stage so that the surface of the substrate is horizontal, and the attachment driving mechanism can move vertically upward or downward.
Further, the present invention is a sputtering method using the sputtering apparatus according to any one of the above, wherein the relationship between the amount of use of the target and the amount of adhesion of the target material to the adhesion surface of the adhesion portion is calculated in advance. The sputtering method may further include the step of controlling the operation of the deposition control unit driving mechanism to move the deposition protection unit away from the target based on the calculated usage amount of the target.
The present invention is a sputtering method using a substrate having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the target as the substrate.
The present invention is the sputtering method, wherein the target is made of aluminum.

  In the present invention, during sputtering, sputtered particles flying from the target and obliquely incident on the inner side of the substrate from the outer side of the substrate toward the region near the outer side of the edge of the substrate placed on the stage are shielded Because of the presence of the deposition prevention portion, the adhesion of sputtered particles can be reliably prevented in the vicinity of the stage in the vacuum chamber.

  Further, since the deposition preventing portion is made to approach or separate from the target by the deposition preventing portion driving mechanism, the sputtered particles can not reach the edge of the substrate due to the film by the sputtered particles attached to the deposition preventing portion. By separating the deposition preventing portion with respect to the target in advance, the sputtered particles flying from the target and obliquely incident on the substrate can be reliably made to reach the edge of the substrate, whereby the film thickness on the substrate is obtained. In-plane uniformity of distribution can be ensured.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, since the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness distribution on the substrate can be ensured for a long time, the frequency of maintenance can be reduced.

Partial cross-sectional view showing an internal configuration of an example of a sputtering apparatus according to the present invention Partial explanatory drawing which shows typically an example of the sputtering method concerning this invention (the 1) Partial explanatory drawing which shows typically an example of the sputtering method (the 2) Partial explanatory drawing which shows typically an example of the sputtering method (the 3) Partial explanatory drawing which shows typically an example of the sputtering method (the 4)

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partial sectional view showing an internal configuration of an example of a sputtering apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sputtering apparatus 1 has a vacuum chamber 2 connected to a vacuum evacuation unit (not shown).

  The vacuum chamber 2 is connected to a sputtering gas introducing unit (not shown) and configured to introduce a predetermined sputtering gas such as argon into the vacuum chamber 2.

  A sputtering target (hereinafter, referred to as a “target”) 4 attached to a backing plate 3 is provided, for example, on the upper part inside the vacuum chamber 2.

  In the case of the present embodiment, a target 4 made of aluminum (Al) is used as the target 4.

  The target 4 is configured such that a predetermined power is applied from a sputtering power source (not shown) provided outside the vacuum chamber 2 via the backing plate 3. In the vicinity of the backing plate 3, a magnet (not shown) is provided.

A stage 5 is provided, for example, at a lower portion in the vacuum chamber 2.
The stage 5 has a main body 50 on which a substrate 10 such as a silicon wafer is mounted, for example, and an electrostatic chuck (not shown) is provided in the main body 50.

  A pedestal 51 made of alumina, for example, is provided around the lower portion of the main body 50 of the stage 5, and a stage component 52 made of stainless steel, for example, surrounds the main body 50 on the pedestal 51. It is provided.

  In the case of the present embodiment, the mounting portion 53 is provided on the upper portion of the main body portion 50 of the stage 5, and the mounting portion 53 is formed in a horizontal surface shape.

  Then, as the substrate 10 disposed (mounted) on the mounting portion 53 of the stage 5, a substrate whose outer diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the target 4 is used.

  In addition, the substrate 10 used in the present embodiment is formed to have an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the mounting portion 53 of the stage 5, and the edge of the substrate 10 when disposed on the mounting portion 53 of the stage 5. Each dimension is determined such that the portion protrudes slightly outward from the edge of the mounting portion 53 of the stage 5.

  In the periphery of the mounting portion 53 of the stage 5, an adhesion preventing portion 6 for preventing adhesion of sputtered particles is provided so as to surround the mounting portion 53 of the stage 5.

The adhesion preventing portion 6 has an adhesion preventing surface 60 formed in, for example, a ring shape.
The adhesion preventing surface 60 is provided in parallel to the mounting portion 53 of the stage 5 and the surface of the substrate 10 mounted on the mounting portion 53.

  The deposition-proof part 6 of the present embodiment is connected to, for example, a deposition-proof part raising / lowering mechanism (a deposition-preventing part drive mechanism) 7 provided at the bottom of the vacuum tank 2. It is possible to move in the approaching or separating direction, that is, vertically upward or downward.

  In the case of the present invention, there is no particular limitation, but from the viewpoint of securing adhesion of sputtered particles on the upper part of the deposition preventing part 6 and uniform distribution of film thickness in the substrate surface, For example, it is preferable to use one that is driven by a stepping motor and controls its operation so as to move stepwise, for example, every 1 mm during descent.

  Although not particularly limited, from the viewpoint of reliably preventing the adhesion of sputtered particles to each part in the vacuum chamber 2, the adhesion prevention portion lifting mechanism 7 has the adhesion prevention surface 60 of the adhesion prevention portion 6. It is preferable to be configured to be able to move up and down at a position higher than the surface of the substrate 10 mounted on the mounting portion 53 of the stage 5, that is, in the area on the target 4 side with respect to the surface of the substrate 10.

  In addition, between the target 4 and the deposition prevention part 6, for example, an upper deposition prevention part (not shown) for preventing adhesion of sputtered particles to the inner wall of the vacuum chamber 2 is provided.

2 to 5 are partial explanatory views schematically showing an example of the sputtering method according to the present invention.
The example shown in FIG. 2 shows the film formation state at the time of sputtering immediately after maintenance.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the present example, for example, among the sputtered particles made of, eg, Al, flying from, eg, the peripheral portion of the target 4 having an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the substrate 10 The four sputtered particles S1, S2, S3 and S4 are obliquely incident in this order from the outer side to the inner side of the substrate toward the region of (in the following, “first sputtered particles S1,” “second Sputtered particles S2 ′ ′, “third sputtered particles S3”, and “fourth sputtered particles S4”.

  Then, among the first to fourth sputtered particles S1 to S4, an edge portion of the surface of the substrate 10 is a second sputtered particle S2 that is secondly incident from the outer side to the inner side with respect to the substrate 10 The edge portion 10a is set to reach.

  Further, among the first to fourth sputtered particles S1 to S4, the first sputtered particle S1 on the outermost side with respect to the substrate 10 is an inner end edge portion (edge portion) 61 of the deposition resistant surface 60 of the deposition resistant portion 6 It is assumed that it is set to reach.

  In this case, the deposition resistant surface 60 of the deposition resistant portion 6 is disposed at a position higher than the surface of the substrate 10 placed on the placement portion 53 of the stage 5 by a predetermined height. It is configured to be able to move (lift and lower) within the area on the target 4 side.

  In such a state, when sputtering is performed, the second sputtered particles S2 reach the edge portion (edge portion) 10a of the surface of the substrate 10 from the outer side to the inner side with respect to the substrate 10, The third sputtered particles S3 and the fourth sputtered particles S4 on the inner side of the substrate reach the surface of the substrate 10 with respect to the second sputtered particles S2, and an aluminum film 8 is formed on the surface of the substrate 10, for example.

  On the other hand, the first sputtered particles S <b> 1 on the outermost side with respect to the substrate 10 reach the inner end edge portion (edge portion) 61 of the deposition resistant surface 60 of the deposition resistant portion 6.

  Here, since the deposition resistant surface 60 of the deposition resistant portion 6 is disposed at a position higher than the surface of the substrate 10 placed on the placement portion 53 of the stage 5, the first sputtered particle S1 is a deposition resistant portion The flight is blocked by the inner edge 61 of the adhesion surface 60, and as a result, the first sputtered particles S1 do not move to the back side of the substrate 10, and the main body 50 of the stage 5 and the components of the stage 5 are also included. And adhere to the inner end edge 61 of the deposition resistant surface 60 of the deposition resistant portion 6.

  If sputtering is repeated in this state, the adhesion of the first sputtered particle S1 ejected from the target 4 to the inner edge 61 of the deposition resistant surface 60 of the deposition resistant portion 6 continues, as shown in FIG. The aluminum film 8 which is the material of the target 4 is thickened on the inner end edge 61 of the deposition resistant surface 60 of the attachment portion 6 to form a raised portion 8 a.

  Thereafter, when sputtering is further repeated, the height of the raised portion 8a of the aluminum film 8 at the inner end edge 61 of the adhesion surface 60 of the adhesion prevention portion 6 is increased, as shown in FIG. Thus, the second sputtered particles S2 are prevented from reaching the edge portion 10a of the surface of the substrate 10.

As a result, no film can be formed on the edge 10 a of the surface of the substrate 10.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the deposition prevention part lifting mechanism 7 is operated to move the deposition removal part 6 away from the target 4, that is, vertically downward (for example, about 1 mm) as shown in FIG.

  As a result, the raised portion 8a of the aluminum film 8 at the inner edge 61 of the adhesion surface 60 is retracted downward with respect to the flight route of the second sputtered particles S2 to the edge 10a of the surface of the substrate 10. Since the arrival of the two sputtered particles S2 on the edge 10a of the surface of the substrate 10 is resumed, the formation of the aluminum film 8 is performed at the edge 10a of the surface of the substrate 10.

  In this case, even if film formation on the edge portion 10a of the surface of the substrate 10 is resumed from the state where the film can not be formed at the edge portion 10a of the surface of the substrate 10 as shown in FIG. Since the film thickness at the end edge portion 10 a becomes thinner than that at the central portion, it is desirable to operate the anti-sticking part lifting mechanism 7 at a timing earlier than that to lower the anti-sticking part 6.

  For that purpose, for example, the operation of the adhesion preventing and lowering mechanism 7 is controlled to lower the adhesion preventing portion 6 according to the adhesion amount of the target 4 material to the adhesion preventing surface 60 of the adhesion preventing portion 6 and separate it from the target 4. .

  Specifically, for example, the relationship between the amount of use of the target 4 and the amount of adhesion of the target 4 material to the adhesion preventing surface 60 of the adhesion preventing portion 6 is calculated in advance, and prevention is performed based on the calculated amount of use of the target 4 The operation of the deposition prevention portion lifting mechanism 7 is controlled so that the attachment portion 6 is lowered and separated from the target 4.

  Thus, the aluminum film 8 can be continuously formed on the edge portion 10 a of the surface of the substrate 10, so that the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness distribution on the substrate 10 can be secured.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the in-plane uniformity of the film thickness distribution on the substrate 10 can be ensured for a long time, the frequency of maintenance can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.
For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although what used aluminum as a target was used, the present invention is not limited to this, and may also use what consists of other materials.

  In the above embodiment, although the case where the substrate having the outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the target is used is described as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a plurality of targets having the outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate Are arranged side by side, and sputtering particles flying from a predetermined target are applied obliquely to the inner side of the substrate from the outer side of the substrate toward the region near the outer side of the edge of the substrate placed on the stage. It is something that can be done.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ...... Sputtering apparatus 2 ...... Vacuum tank 3 ...... Backing plate 4 ...... Target 5 ...... Stage 6 ...... Adhesion part 7 ...... Adhesion part raising / lowering mechanism (adhesion part drive mechanism)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ...... Aluminum film 8a ... Protrusion part 10 ...... Substrate 10a ... Edge part 50 ...... Main body part 53 ...... Mounting part 60 ...... Bonding surface 61 ...... Inner edge part

Claims (7)

With a vacuum chamber,
A stage provided in the vacuum chamber and on which a substrate is disposed;
The sputtering is provided in the vacuum chamber, and spattered from the target toward the area outside the edge of the substrate disposed on the stage from the outside toward the inside of the substrate during sputtering. And a protection part for shielding particles,
A sputtering apparatus provided with a deposition prevention part drive mechanism for bringing the deposition prevention part close to or away from the target.   The anti-adhesion portion has an anti-adhesion surface facing the target, and the anti-adhesion surface is configured to be movable within the region on the target side with respect to the surface of the substrate disposed on the stage. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1.   2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation of the deposition control unit driving mechanism is controlled to separate the deposition protection unit from the target in accordance with the adhesion amount of the target material to the deposition deposition surface of the deposition storage unit. The sputtering apparatus according to any one of 2.   4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the substrate is disposed on the stage so as to be horizontal, and the deposition unit driving mechanism is configured to be able to move vertically upward or downward. Sputtering equipment. A sputtering method using the sputtering apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein
The relationship between the usage of the target and the adhesion of the target material to the deposition surface of the deposition part is calculated in advance, and the deposition part is separated from the target based on the calculated usage of the target. Controlling the operation of the deposition control part drive mechanism so as to cause the sputtering method.   The sputtering method according to claim 1, wherein a substrate having an outer diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the target is used as the substrate.   The sputtering method according to any one of claims 5 or 6, wherein the target is made of aluminum.

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