JP2020037740A - Plasma treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a plasma treatment apparatus capable of performing a desired plasma treatment corresponding to a position having different passing speed of the surface of a rotor, to a workpiece conveyed circularly by the rotor.SOLUTION: A plasma treatment apparatus has a conveyance part 30 provided in a vacuum vessel 20, and having a rotor 31 for loading and rotating a workpiece W, for conveying circularly the workpiece W along a conveyance route, a side wall part 51c for defining a part of a gas space R into which reaction gas G is introduced, a defining part 51 having an opening 51a facing the conveyance route, a gas supply part for supplying the reaction gas G into the gas space R, and a plasma source 55 for generating plasma for plasma-treating the workpiece W to the reaction gas G. The gas supply part has a regulation part for supplying the reaction gas G from a plurality of supply spots each having different time for passing through a treatment region where plasma treatment is performed by the surface of the rotor 31, and for regulating a supply amount of the reaction gas G per unit time from the plurality of supply spots, individually corresponding to the time for passing through the treatment region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art In a manufacturing process of various products such as a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display, and an optical disk, a thin film such as an optical film may be formed on a work such as a wafer or a glass substrate. The thin film can be formed by forming a film of a metal or the like on the work, or performing film processing such as etching, oxidation, or nitridation on the formed film.

  Film formation or film treatment can be performed by various methods, and one of them is a method using plasma. In film formation, an inert gas is introduced into a chamber in which a target is placed, and a DC voltage is applied. The film is formed by causing ions of the inert gas that has been turned into plasma to collide with the target and depositing the material beaten from the target on the work. In the film processing, a process gas is introduced into a chamber in which electrodes are arranged, and a high-frequency voltage is applied to the electrodes. The film processing is performed by colliding active species such as ions and radicals of the process gas which has been turned into plasma with the film on the work.

  In order to perform such film formation and film processing continuously, a rotary table as a rotating body is mounted inside one chamber, and a film forming unit and a film processing unit are arranged in a circumferential direction above the rotary table. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). As described above, the work is held and transported on the rotary table, and is passed just below the film forming unit and the film processing unit, thereby forming an optical film and the like.

  In a plasma processing apparatus using a rotary table, a cylindrical electrode having a closed upper end and an opening at a lower end (hereinafter, referred to as a “cylindrical electrode”) may be used as a film processing unit. When a cylindrical electrode is used, an opening is provided in the upper part of the chamber, and the upper end of the cylindrical electrode is attached to this opening via an insulator. The side wall of the cylindrical electrode extends into the chamber, and the opening at the lower end faces the rotary table with a slight gap. The chamber is grounded, the cylindrical electrode functions as the anode, and the chamber and the turntable function as the cathode. A process gas is introduced into the cylindrical electrode, and a high-frequency voltage is applied to generate plasma. Electrons contained in the generated plasma flow into the rotary table, which is the cathode. By passing the work held on the turntable below the opening of the cylindrical electrode, active species such as ions and radicals generated by the plasma collide with the work and perform film processing.

Japanese Patent No. 4428873 JP 2011-103257 A

  In recent years, the size of a workpiece to be processed and an improvement in processing efficiency have been demanded, and the area in which plasma is generated to perform film formation and film processing tends to increase. However, when plasma is generated by applying a voltage to the cylindrical electrode, it may be difficult to generate plasma over a wide area and at high density.

  Therefore, a plasma processing system has been developed that can generate linear, high-density, uniform plasma and scan the workpiece in the direction perpendicular to the length direction of the plasma source to perform film processing on large workpieces. (For example, see Patent Document 2). Such a plasma processing apparatus performs film processing by generating plasma in a gas space into which a process gas is introduced by a plasma source.

  In a plasma processing apparatus using a rotary table as described above, a case is considered in which a film processing unit using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma is used as a film processing unit. In this case, it is conceivable that the range in which the film processing is performed in the circumferential direction of the rotary table, that is, the width of the processing region is formed in parallel in a direction along the radial direction of the rotary table. By the way, there is a difference between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the rotary table in the speed of passing through the processing area on the surface of the rotary table. That is, the passing speed within the same distance is faster on the outer peripheral side of the rotary table and slower on the inner peripheral side. When the width of the processing region is formed in parallel in the direction along the radial direction of the rotary table as described above, the surface of the rotary table passes through the processing region on the outer peripheral side more quickly than on the inner peripheral side. Will be. For this reason, the film processing rate after processing for a certain period of time is small on the outer peripheral side and increases on the inner peripheral side.

  Then, for example, when a niobium or silicon film formed by the film forming unit is subjected to oxidation or nitriding treatment as a film treatment to form a compound film, the niobium or silicon film is formed between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the turntable. The degree of oxidation or nitridation of the film is greatly different. Therefore, it is difficult to uniformly process the entire work or to change the degree of processing at a desired position on the work.

  This problem also occurs, for example, when a wafer such as a semiconductor as a work is arranged in a row in a circumferential direction on a rotary table to perform plasma processing. Further, from the viewpoint of processing efficiency and the like, when a plurality of plasma processing can be performed in the radial direction, the problem becomes more remarkable. Specifically, when the radius of the rotary table exceeds 1.0 m and the width of the processing area in the radial direction of the rotary table becomes large to reach 0.5 m, the difference between the inner and outer processing rates becomes extremely large. It becomes big.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of performing a desired plasma processing on a workpiece circulated and conveyed by a rotating body in accordance with a position at which a surface of the rotating body passes at a different speed.

  In order to achieve the above object, a plasma processing apparatus of the present invention includes a vacuum vessel capable of evacuating the inside thereof, and a rotating body provided in the vacuum vessel and holding and rotating a work. A conveying unit that circulates and conveys the work in a circumferential conveying path by rotating the rotating body, a side wall that defines a part of a gas space into which a reaction gas is introduced, and an inside of the vacuum vessel. A defining part having an opening facing the transfer path, a gas supply unit for supplying the reaction gas to the gas space, and the work passing through the transfer path to the gas space where the reaction gas is introduced. A plasma source for generating plasma for plasma processing, the gas supply unit, the surface of the rotating body, from a plurality of supply points different in time passing through the processing area to perform the plasma processing, Anti Gas supply, the supply amount of the reaction gas per unit time of said plurality of feed locations, with regulatory unit for adjusting individually according to the time of the passage.

  The adjusting unit may adjust a supply amount of the reaction gas introduced from each supply point according to a position in a direction intersecting the transport path.

  The plurality of supply points may be located at positions facing each other in the gas space, and may be arranged in a direction along the transport path.

  The controller may adjust a supply amount of the reaction gas supplied from each supply port according to a film thickness of a film formed on the work and the passing time.

  The workpiece has a projection on a surface to be processed on which the plasma processing is performed, and between the rotating body and a surface of the side wall of the defining portion facing the rotating body, the rotating body includes The work may have a gap through which the held work can pass, and the side wall may have a recess along a protrusion of the work.

  A plurality of trays for holding the work are held by the rotating body, and between the surface of the side wall of the defining portion facing the rotating body and the tray, the work held by the tray is provided. The tray may have a convex portion along a concave portion of the side wall portion. A surface of the rotating body facing the definition portion and a surface of the plurality of trays facing the definition portion may have a portion that is continuously flush with the circumference of the track. Good.

  The rotating body may hold the work on an installation surface side on which the vacuum vessel is installed, and the opening of the defining unit may face the work from the installation surface side.

  The plasma source may be an apparatus for generating an electron cyclotron resonance plasma in the gas space.

  The plasma source may be a device that generates inductively coupled plasma in the gas space.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, desired plasma processing can be performed with respect to the workpiece | work circulated and conveyed by a rotating body according to the position where the passing speed of the surface of a rotating body differs.

It is a see-through | perspective perspective view of the plasma processing apparatus of embodiment. It is a see-through | perspective bottom view of the plasma processing apparatus of embodiment. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2. It is a side view (A), a plan view (B), and a perspective view (C) of a work. It is the side view (A), top view (B), and perspective view (C) of a tray. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a shield member of a film forming unit. It is an enlarged sectional view (A) showing the interval between the work and the shield member, and an enlarged sectional view (B) showing the interval between the work and the defining portion. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a flow path of a process gas. It is a block diagram showing the composition of the control device of an embodiment. It is a perspective view showing a modification of a tray. It is a perspective view showing a modification of a tray. It is a perspective view showing a modification of a tray. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a tray and a rotating body. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a tray, (A) is a case where a workpiece | work has a convex part, (B) is a case where a workpiece | work is flat.

An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as the present embodiment) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[Overview]
The plasma processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus that forms a compound film on the surface of each work W using plasma. That is, in the plasma processing apparatus 100, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, when the rotating body 31 rotates, the work W on the tray 1 held by the rotating body 31 moves along a circumferential locus. By this movement, the work W repeatedly passes through the position facing the film forming unit 40A, 40B or 40C. Each time the particles pass, the particles of the targets 41A to 41C are attached to the surface of the work W by sputtering.

  The work W repeatedly passes through a position facing the film processing unit 50A or 50B. Each time the particles pass, the particles adhering to the surface of the work W combine with the substance in the introduced process gas G2 to form a compound film. 1 is a perspective perspective view of the plasma processing apparatus 100, FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. In the following description, the direction according to gravity is downward, and conversely, the direction against gravity is upward. When the vacuum vessel 20 of the plasma processing apparatus 100 is installed on a surface existing in a direction following gravity with respect to the vacuum vessel 20, such as a floor surface or the ground of a building, as an installation surface, the installation surface inside the vacuum container 20 is used. The side is down and the opposite side is up.

[work]
As shown in the side view of FIG. 5A, the plan view of FIG. 5B, and the perspective view of FIG. 5C, the work W is a surface facing the processing unit, that is, a surface to be processed (hereinafter, a processing target). This is a plate-shaped member having a convex portion Cp on a surface Sp) and a concave portion Rp on a surface opposite to the convex portion Cp. The convex portion Cp is a curved surface whose center of curvature is located on the opposite side to the processing target surface Sp or a different plane when the processing target surface Sp is configured by a plurality of planes having different angles. It refers to the part that connects them. That is, the convex portion Cp includes not only a case having a curved portion but also a case having a corner portion. The concave portion Rp is a portion on the opposite side of the convex portion Cp.

  In the present embodiment, the workpiece W is a rectangular substrate, and a convex portion Cp is formed on the processing target surface Sp by a curved portion formed on one short side. That is, in the present embodiment, the side extending by bending is the convex portion Cp, and the side extending and contracting is the concave portion Rp. The processing target surface Sp from the convex portion Cp of the work W to the other short side is a flat surface.

[tray]
The tray 1 is a member that holds the work W as shown in the side view of FIG. 6A, the plan view of FIG. 6B, and the perspective view of FIG. The tray 1 is a substantially fan-shaped plate-like body, and one surface is an opposing surface 11 that opposes the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 that are the processing units. In the present embodiment, when the tray 1 is mounted on the rotating body 31, the facing surface 11 faces downward as shown in FIGS. However, FIG. 6 shows the facing surface 11 side up. Here, the side of the tray 1 having the opposing surface 11 is referred to as an opposing portion X1, and the opposite side is referred to as a supporting portion X2.

  More specifically, the facing portion X1 has a pair of side surfaces along the V-shape, that is, a slope 12. The ends on the side where the pair of slopes 12 approach each other are connected by an inner peripheral surface 13 along a straight line. An outer peripheral surface 14 along a convex shape formed by combining sides orthogonal to each other in plan view is continuous with an end of the tray 1 on the side where the pair of slopes 12 are separated.

  The opposing surface 11 of the opposing portion X1 has a protruding portion 11a protruding toward the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50, which are processing units. The convex portion 11a has a shape along a concave portion 81 of the shield member 8 described later and a concave portion 51b of the side wall portion 51c in the defining portion 51. Along the concave portions 81 and 51b means that the shape follows the concave portions 81 and 51b. The convex portion 11a of the tray 1 faces the concave portions 81 and 51b in a non-contact manner (see FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the convex portion 11a is also a curved surface following the concave portion Rp of the work W. As shown in FIG. 6B, the convex portion 11a is formed along an arc connecting the centers of the pair of slopes 12 in plan view. The opposing surface 11 of the tray 1 is a flat surface on the inner peripheral surface 13 side close to the rotating body 31 and a flat surface on the outer peripheral surface 14 side separated from the rotating body 31 across the convex portion 11a. The work W is held by attaching the surface of the work W on the concave portion Rp side to the facing surface 11 via an adhesive material such as a double-sided adhesive tape so as to follow the convex portion 11a.

  The number of works W held on the tray 1 is not limited to a specific number. In the present embodiment, one tray 1 holds three works W. The means for holding the work W is not limited to an adhesive. The tray 1 may be provided with a holding mechanism such as a chuck mechanism for detachably holding the work W, or a holding mechanism for holding the work W with a claw member that can be held by fitting the work W.

  The outer shape of the support portion X2 is substantially the same as the outer shape of the facing portion X1, but the size is slightly larger than the facing portion X1. For this reason, the tray 1 has a projecting portion 15 in which the outer periphery of the support portion X2 projects outwardly over the entire periphery than the outer periphery of the facing portion X1.

  The material of the tray 1 is preferably a material having high thermal conductivity, for example, a metal. In the present embodiment, the material of the tray 1 is SUS. The material of the tray 1 may be, for example, ceramics or resin having good heat conductivity, or a composite material thereof.

[Plasma processing device]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the plasma processing apparatus 100 includes a vacuum vessel 20, a transport unit 30, film forming units 40A, 40B, 40C, film processing units 50A, 50B, a load lock unit 60, and a control device 70. .

[Vacuum container]
The vacuum container 20 is a container capable of evacuating the inside, that is, a so-called chamber. The vacuum chamber 20 has a vacuum chamber 21 formed therein. The vacuum chamber 21 is a cylindrical closed space formed by being surrounded by a bottom surface 20a, a ceiling 20b, and an inner peripheral surface 20c inside the vacuum vessel 20. The vacuum chamber 21 is airtight, and can be evacuated by reducing the pressure. The bottom surface 20a of the vacuum container 20 is configured to be openable and closable. Further, the vacuum vessel 20 is installed on a mounting surface (not shown) via a gantry in a direction in which the axis is substantially vertical. At this time, the bottom surface 20a is the lower side, that is, the installation surface side.

  A reaction gas G is introduced into a predetermined region inside the vacuum chamber 21. The reaction gas G includes a sputtering gas G1 for film formation and a process gas G2 for film processing (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In the following description, when the sputtering gas G1 and the process gas G2 are not distinguished, they may be referred to as a reaction gas G. The sputtering gas G <b> 1 is a gas for causing the generated ions to collide with the targets 41 </ b> A to 41 </ b> C by plasma generated by the application of electric power, thereby depositing the materials of the targets 41 </ b> A to 41 </ b> C on the surface of the work W. For example, an inert gas such as an argon gas can be used as the sputtering gas G1.

The process gas G2 is a gas for forming a compound film by causing active species generated by plasma generated by microwaves to penetrate into a film deposited on the surface of the work W. Hereinafter, such a surface treatment using plasma, which does not use the targets 41A to 41C, may be referred to as reverse sputtering. The process gas G2 can be appropriately changed depending on the purpose of the processing. For example, when oxynitriding a film, a mixed gas of oxygen O ₂ and nitrogen N ₂ is used.

  The vacuum container 20 has an exhaust port 22 and an inlet 24 as shown in FIG. The exhaust port 22 is an opening for performing the exhaust E by securing a gas flow between the vacuum chamber 21 and the outside. The exhaust port 22 is formed, for example, on a side surface of the vacuum container 20. An exhaust port 23 is connected to the exhaust port 22. The exhaust unit 23 has a pipe, a pump, a valve, and the like (not shown). By the exhaust processing by the exhaust unit 23, the pressure in the vacuum chamber 21 is reduced.

  The introduction port 24 is an opening for introducing the sputtering gas G1 into each of the film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C. The inlet 24 is provided, for example, at the bottom of the vacuum vessel 20. The gas supply unit 25 is connected to the inlet 24. The gas supply unit 25 has a gas supply source of a sputter gas G1 (not shown), a pump, a valve, and the like, in addition to the piping. The gas supply unit 25 introduces the sputtering gas G1 from the introduction port 24 into the shield member 8 described below. The bottom surface 20a of the vacuum vessel 20 is provided with a mounting hole 21a into which film processing units 50A and 50B described later are inserted.

[Transportation section]
The outline of the transport unit 30 will be described. The transport section 30 has a rotating body 31 provided in the vacuum container 20. The rotating body 31 holds the work W. The transport unit 30 is a device that circulates and transports the work W along a circumferential transport path T by rotating the rotating body 31. To hold the work W on the rotating body 31, the position of the work W with respect to the rotating body 31 may be specified so that the work W is circulated and conveyed with the rotation of the rotating body 31. Therefore, regardless of whether the workpiece W is directly held on the rotating body 31 or indirectly held on the rotating body 31 via another member such as the tray 1, the work W is held on the rotating body 31. included.

  The work W may be held below the rotating body 31 or may be held above it. The processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W may be held on the surface of the rotating body 31 facing the film processing unit 50 or the film forming unit 40. The case where the work W is placed on the rotating body 31 or the tray 1 is also included in the fact that the work W is held. In the present embodiment, the work W is held on the tray 1 held by the rotating body 31 and is circulated and transported.

  The circulating conveyance refers to repeatedly moving the work W around a circular locus. The transport path T is a trajectory along which the workpiece W or a tray 1 described later moves by the transport unit 30. Although the transport path T shown in FIG. 2 is linear, it is actually a ring having a toroidal width. Hereinafter, details of the transport unit 30 will be described.

  The rotating body 31 of the present embodiment is a circular plate-shaped rotating table. For example, the rotating body 31 may be formed by spraying aluminum oxide on the surface of a stainless steel plate member. Hereinafter, simply referring to “circumferential direction” means “circumferential direction of the rotating body 31”, and simply saying “radial direction” means “radial direction of the rotating body 31”.

  The transport section 30 has a motor 32 and a holding section 33 in addition to the rotating body 31. The motor 32 is a driving source that applies a driving force to the rotating body 31 and rotates around the center of the circle. The holding unit 33 is a component that holds the tray 1 conveyed by the conveying unit 30. On the surface of the rotating body 31, a plurality of holding parts 33 are formed at circumferentially equidistant positions. The surface of the rotating body 31 in the present embodiment is a surface that faces downward when the rotating plane of the rotating body 31 extends in the horizontal direction, that is, the lower surface. For example, a region where each holding unit 33 holds the tray 1 is formed in a direction parallel to a tangent of a circle in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 31 and is provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

  In the present embodiment, six holding units 33 are provided. Therefore, six trays 1 are held on the rotating body 31 at intervals of 60 °. However, the number of the holding units 33 may be one or plural. The rotator 31 circulates and conveys the tray 1 on which the work W is mounted, and repeatedly passes the position facing the film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C and the film processing units 50A and 50B.

  More specifically, the holding portion 33 is an opening 33 a provided in the rotating body 31. The opening 33a is a through hole provided at a circumferentially equal position where each tray 1 of the rotating body 31 is placed. The opening 33a has substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the support portion X2 of the tray 1, and is slightly larger than the outer shape of the support portion X2, so that the support portion X2 can be inserted.

  A mounting portion 33b is provided on the inner periphery of the opening 33a. The mounting portion 33b is a portion in which the inner periphery of the opening 33a has substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the facing portion X1, and protrudes so as to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the facing portion X1. Therefore, the facing portion X1 can be inserted into the mounting portion 33b. That is, when the support portion X2 of the tray 1 on which the work W is placed is fitted into the opening 33a, the projecting portion 15 is supported by the mounting portion 33b. Then, the facing surface 11 penetrates through the opening 33 a and is exposed below the rotating body 31. Thereby, the processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W held on the facing surface 11 moves downward.

[Deposition unit]
The film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C are processing units that are provided at positions facing the work W that is circulated and transferred along the transfer path T, and form a film by depositing a film forming material on the work W by sputtering. Hereinafter, when the plurality of film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C are not distinguished, the film forming unit 40 will be described. The film forming unit 40 includes a sputtering source 4, a power supply unit 6, and a shield member 8, as shown in FIG.

(Sputter source)
The sputtering source 4 is a supply source of a film forming material for depositing a film forming material on the work W by sputtering. The sputter source 4 has targets 41A, 41B, 41C, a backing plate 42, and an electrode 43, as shown in FIGS. The targets 41A, 41B, and 41C are formed of a film-forming material that is deposited on the workpiece W to form a film, and are disposed at positions facing the transport path T at a distance.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, three targets 41A, 41B, and 41C are provided at positions arranged on the vertices of a triangle in plan view. The targets 41A, 41B, and 41C are arranged in this order from the side closer to the rotation center of the rotating body 31 toward the outer periphery. Hereinafter, when the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C are not distinguished, the target 41 will be described. The surface of the target 41 faces the workpiece W moved by the transport unit 30 while being spaced apart therefrom.

  The area where the film forming material can be attached by the three targets 41A, 41B, and 41C is larger than the size of the tray 1 in the radial direction. As described above, an annular region along the transport path T corresponding to the region where the film is formed by the film forming unit 40 is referred to as a film forming region F (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 2). The radial width of the film formation region F is longer than the width of the tray 1 in the radial direction. Further, in the present embodiment, the three targets 41A to 41C are arranged so that the film-forming material can be attached without a gap over the entire radial width of the film-forming region F.

  As the film forming material, for example, niobium, silicon, or the like is used. However, various materials can be applied as long as the material is formed by sputtering. The target 41 has, for example, a cylindrical shape. However, other shapes such as an oval column shape and a prism shape may be used.

  The backing plate 42 is a member that individually holds the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C. The electrode 43 is a conductive member for individually applying power to each of the targets 41A, 41B, 41C from outside the vacuum vessel 20. The power applied to each target 41A, 41B, 41C can be individually changed. The sputter source 4 is provided with a magnet, a cooling mechanism, and the like as needed.

(Shield member)
As shown in the perspective views of FIGS. 3 and 7, the shield member 8 is a member that faces the work W placed on the tray 1 at intervals. The shield member 8 of the present embodiment has an opening 80 on the side where the work W passes, and forms a film forming chamber S in which a film is formed by the film forming unit 40. That is, the shield member 8 forms a space in which the sputtering gas G1 is introduced and generates plasma, and suppresses leakage of the sputtering gas G1 and the film forming material into the vacuum chamber 20.

  The shield member 8 has a bottom surface portion 82 and a side surface portion 83. The bottom surface portion 82 is a member that forms the bottom surface of the film forming chamber S. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the bottom surface portion 82 is a substantially fan-shaped plate-shaped member arranged in parallel with the plane of the rotating body 31. The size and shape of the targets 41A, 41B, 41C are provided at positions corresponding to the targets 41A, 41B, 41C on the bottom surface portion 82 so that the targets 41A, 41B, 41C are exposed in the film formation chamber S. The same target hole 82a is formed. The bottom surface portion 82 is attached to the bottom surface 20a of the vacuum vessel 20 so that the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C are exposed from the target holes 82a.

  The side surface portion 83 is a member that forms the periphery of the film forming chamber S. The side surface portion 83 has an outer peripheral wall 83a, an inner peripheral wall 83b, and partition walls 83c and 83d. The outer peripheral wall 83a and the inner peripheral wall 83b have a rectangular parallelepiped shape curved in an arc shape, and are plate-like bodies that stand upright in a direction orthogonal to the rotation plane of the rotating body 31. The lower edge of the outer peripheral wall 83a is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface portion 82. The lower edge of the inner peripheral wall 83b is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the bottom surface portion 82. Each of the partition walls 83c and 83d has a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is a plate-like body that stands upright in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the rotating body 31. The lower edges of the partitions 83c and 83d are respectively attached to a pair of radial edges of the bottom surface portion 82.

  The joint between the bottom surface portion 82 and the side surface portion 83 as described above is hermetically sealed. Note that the bottom surface portion 82 and the side surface portion 83 may be formed integrally, that is, continuously by a common material. With such a shield member 8, the lower and peripheral side surfaces are covered with the bottom surface portion 82 and the side surface portion 83, and a film forming chamber S having an opening 80 at an upper portion facing the work W is configured. The leading end of the gas supply unit 25 extends to the vicinity of the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C in the film forming chamber S.

  The shield member 8 has a substantially sector shape whose diameter increases outward from the center side in the radial direction of the rotating body 31 in a plan view. The term "substantially sector-shaped" as used herein means the shape of the sector of the fan. The opening 80 of the shield member 8 is also substantially fan-shaped. The speed at which the workpiece W held below the rotating body 31 passes over the opening 80 becomes slower toward the center in the radial direction of the rotating body 31 and becomes faster toward the outside. Therefore, when the opening 80 is rectangular or square in plan view, there is a difference in the time when the workpiece W passes immediately below the opening 80 between the center side and the outside in the radial direction.

  In the present embodiment, by increasing the diameter of the opening 80 from the center side to the outside in the radial direction, the time during which the workpiece W passes through the opening 80 can be constant, and the plasma processing described later can be made uniform. However, the shape may be rectangular or square in plan view as long as the difference between the passing times does not cause a problem in the product. As a material of the shield member 8, for example, aluminum or SUS can be used.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, a space D1 is formed between the upper ends of the partition walls 83c and 83d and the rotating body 31 so that the work W below the rotating rotating body 31 can pass through. That is, the height of the partition walls 83c and 83d is set so that a slight gap is formed between the upper edge of the shield member 8 and the work W.

  More specifically, the opening 80 of the shield member 8 has a concave portion 81 along the convex portion Cp of the work W held on the tray 1. Along the convex portion Cp means that the shape follows the convex portion Cp. In the present embodiment, the concave portion 81 is a curved surface that follows the curvature of the convex portion Cp. However, the space D1 is left between the concave portion 81 and the convex portion Cp as described above. That is, the upper edge of the partition walls 83c and 83d including the concave portion 81 is formed in a shape that does not contact the processing target surface Sp of the work W in a non-contact manner. The distance D1 between the processing target surface Sp of the work W and the shield member 8 is preferably 1 mm to 15 mm, including the distance between the convex part Cp and the concave part 81. This is to allow the passage of the work W and maintain the pressure of the internal film forming chamber S.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the shield members 8 partition the film forming positions M2, M4, and M5 where the work W is formed by the sputtering source 4, and the film processing positions M1 and M3 for performing the film processing. The shield member 8 can suppress the diffusion of the sputtering gas G1 and the deposition material in the deposition positions M2, M4, and M5 into the vacuum chamber 21.

  The horizontal range of the deposition positions M2, M4, and M5 is a region partitioned by each shield member 8. The work W circulated and conveyed by the rotating body 31 repeatedly passes through positions facing the target 41 at the film forming positions M2, M4, and M5, so that a film forming material is deposited as a film on the surface of the work W.

  The film forming chamber S defined by the shield members 8 at the film forming positions M2, M4, and M5 is an area where most of the film forming is performed. However, even in a region outside the film formation chamber S, there is leakage of the film formation material from the film formation chamber S. This is not to say that there is no film deposition at all. That is, the film formation region F where the film formation is performed in the film formation unit 40 is a region slightly larger than the film formation chamber S defined by the shield member 8.

  Such a film forming unit 40 can increase the film forming amount, that is, the film forming rate within a certain period of time, by simultaneously forming films on the plurality of film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C using the same film forming material. it can. Further, by simultaneously or sequentially forming films on the plurality of film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C using different kinds of film forming materials, a film including a plurality of layers of the film forming materials can be formed. .

(Power supply part)
The power supply unit 6 is a component that applies power to the target 41. When power is applied to the target 41 by the power supply unit 6, a sputter gas G1 that is turned into plasma is generated. When the ions generated by the plasma collide with the target 41, the film-forming material beaten from the target 41 can be deposited on the work W. For this reason, the power supply unit 6 can be regarded as a plasma source that generates plasma for performing plasma processing on the work W. The power applied to each target 41A, 41B, 41C can be individually changed.

  In the present embodiment, the power supply unit 6 is a DC power supply that applies a high voltage. In the case of an apparatus for performing high-frequency sputtering, an RF power supply may be used. Further, the power supply unit 6 may be provided for each of the film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C, or may be provided for only one of the plurality of film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C. When only one power supply unit 6 is provided, the power application is switched and used. The rotating body 31 has the same potential as the grounded vacuum vessel 20, and generates a potential difference by applying a high voltage to the target 41.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, three film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C are disposed between the film processing units 50A and 50B in the transport direction of the transport path T. The film forming positions M2, M4, and M5 correspond to the three film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C. The film processing positions M1 and M3 correspond to the two film processing units 50A and 50B.

[Film processing unit]
The film processing units 50A and 50B are processing units that perform film processing on the material deposited on the work W transported by the transport unit 30. This film processing is reverse sputtering without using the target 41. Hereinafter, when the film processing units 50A and 50B are not distinguished from each other, the description will be made as the film processing unit 50. The film processing unit 50 has a processing unit 5.

  The processing unit 5 has a defining unit 51 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8B. The defining part 51 is a component part having a side wall part 51c defining a part of the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced, and an opening 51a facing the transport path T inside the vacuum vessel 20. The gas space R is a space formed between the inside of the defining part 51, which is a space surrounded by the side wall part 51c, and the rotating body 31, and the work W circulated and conveyed by the rotating body 31 repeatedly passes. That is, the gas space R includes not only the space inside the defining part 51 but also the space between the end face of the opening 51 a, that is, the facing surface of the defining part 51 facing the rotating body 31 and the rotating body 31. . “Defining a part of the gas space R” means forming a part of the boundary of the gas space R. For this reason, the defining part 51 does not cover so as to form all of the gas space R, and does not cover the gas space R between the facing surface of the defining part 51 and the rotating body 31.

  The defining section 51 of the present embodiment is a cylindrical body having a horizontal cross section surrounded by a side wall section 51c and having a rounded rectangular shape. Here, the rounded rectangular shape is a track shape in a track and field competition. The track shape is a shape in which a pair of partial circles are spaced apart from each other with the convex side opposite to each other, and both ends are connected by straight lines parallel to each other. The defining part 51 is made of the same material as the rotating body 31.

  The defining portion 51 is disposed so that its major axis is parallel to the radial direction of the rotating body 31. In addition, it is not necessary to be strictly parallel, and there may be some inclination. The space inside the defining portion 51 has a rounded rectangular shape similar to the outer diameter of the defining portion 51 until the cross section orthogonal to the axis reaches the inner bottom surface from the facing surface, which is the end surface of the opening 51a. This space forms a part of the gas space R. For this reason, the plasma processing, that is, the processing area, which is the area where the film processing is performed, has a rounded rectangular shape similar to the opening 51 a of the defining section 51. Then, the length of the processing region in the rotation direction becomes substantially the same in the radial direction.

  The opening 51a at the upper edge of the defining portion 51 faces away from the rotating body 31 and faces the transport path. In other words, as shown in FIG. 8B, between the surface of the defining portion 51 facing the rotating body 31 and the rotating body 31, there is an interval D2 through which the work W held by the rotating body 31 can pass. Is formed. That is, the height of the side wall 51c of the defining part 51 is set so that a slight gap is formed between the upper edge of the defining part 51 and the work W.

  More specifically, the side wall portion 51 c of the defining portion 51 has a concave portion 51 b along the convex portion Cp of the work W held on the tray 1, similarly to the concave portion 81 of the shield member 8. Along the convex portion Cp means that the shape follows the convex portion Cp. In the present embodiment, the concave portion 51b is a curved surface along the curvature of the convex portion Cp. However, the space D2 is provided between the concave portion 51b and the convex portion Cp as described above. That is, the upper edge of the defining portion 51 including the concave portion 51b is formed in a shape that does not contact the processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W in a non-contact manner. The distance D2 between the processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W and the defining portion 51 is preferably 1 mm to 15 mm, including the distance between the convex portion Cp and the concave portion 51b. This is to allow the work W to pass through and to maintain the pressure inside the defining unit 51. Plasma is generated inside the defining unit 51 by the introduction of microwaves.

  As shown in FIG. 3, most of the side wall 51 c of the defining part 51 is housed in the vacuum chamber 21. However, the bottom surface of the defining portion 51 projects downward and is inserted into a mounting hole 21a provided in the bottom surface 20a of the vacuum vessel 20. The space between the defining part 51 and the vacuum vessel 20 is sealed by the O-ring 21b. A window 52 is provided on the bottom surface of the defining unit 51. The window 52 is a component that partitions the gas space R in the defining unit 51 from the outside and allows microwaves to be introduced.

  The window 52 of the present embodiment has a window hole 52a and a window member 52b. The window hole 52 a is a through hole formed on the bottom surface of the defining part 51. The shape of the window 52a can be changed according to the shape of the window 52a. In other words, the distribution shape of the plasma can be determined by the shape of the window 52a. In this embodiment, the horizontal cross section of the window hole 52a has a rounded rectangular shape, so that plasma having a shape substantially similar to the horizontal cross section of the gas space R can be generated. When the material forming the window 52a, that is, the material of the defining portion 51 is a dielectric such as quartz, the distribution shape of the plasma can be determined by the shape of the waveguide 55a described later. The window member 52b is a flat plate that fits inside the defining portion 51 and closes the window hole 52a. The window member 52b is placed on an O-ring 52c fitted around the window hole 52a on the inner bottom of the defining portion 51, and hermetically seals the window hole 52a. Note that the window member 52b may be a dielectric such as alumina or a semiconductor such as silicon.

  Further, the processing unit 5 includes a gas supply unit 53, an adjustment unit 54 (see FIG. 10), a plasma source 55, and a cooling unit 56. The gas supply unit 53 supplies the process gas G2 to the gas space R as shown in FIGS. The gas supply unit 53 is a device that supplies the process gas G2 from a plurality of supply points where the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through the processing region at different times. The plurality of supply points are provided at equal intervals along the long side direction of the defining portion 51, that is, the inner wall of the rotating body 31 in the radial direction, and along a pair of opposed inner walls. For this reason, the plurality of supply points are provided at opposite positions in the gas space R and also in a direction along the transport path T. The direction along the transport path T is a direction substantially parallel to the transport path T or a tangential direction of the transport path T.

  The gas supply unit 53 has a supply source of a process gas G2 such as a cylinder (not shown) and a plurality of pipes 53a connected to the supply source. The process gas G2 is, for example, oxygen and nitrogen. Each pipe 53a branches and is connected to an oxygen supply source and a nitrogen supply source. The end portions of the plurality of pipes 53a are arranged side by side in the long side direction in the defining portion 51, thereby forming the plurality of supply ports 531A to 531D and the supply ports 531a to 531d which are the above-described supply points. .

  Here, comparing the rotation center side (inner peripheral side) of the rotating body 31 of the workpiece W held by the rotating body 31 with the outer peripheral side, the length of the circumference traced by a point on the surface of the rotating body 31, that is, the circumference. Lengths are different. For this reason, a difference occurs in the speed at which a point on the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through a certain distance. In the present embodiment, the defining part 51 is arranged such that the major axis of the opening 51 a is parallel to the radial direction of the rotating body 31. Moreover, the straight portions of the opening 51a in which the plurality of supply ports 531A to 531D and the supply ports 531a to 531d are formed are parallel to each other in the radial direction. Hereinafter, when the supply ports 531A to 531D and the supply ports 531a to 531d are not distinguished from each other, the supply ports 531 will be described.

  In such a configuration, the time for the workpiece W to pass a fixed distance above the defining unit 51 is shorter on the outer peripheral side than on the inner peripheral side of the rotating body 31. For this reason, the rate of film processing is different between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side. The plurality of supply ports 531 are provided at a plurality of locations where the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through a processing region where plasma processing is performed at different times. The direction in which the plurality of supply ports 531 are juxtaposed intersects the transport path T. Further, the supply port 531 is provided at a position facing the gas space R. The arrangement direction of the supply ports 531 facing each other in the gas space R is along the transport path T.

  More specifically, each pipe 53a is branched to a position where one inner wall and the other inner wall of the defining portion 51 face each other, and the respective ends are provided with supply ports 531A to 531D and supply ports for the process gas G2. 531a to 531d. The supply ports 531A to 531D are juxtaposed at equal intervals along one inner wall in the longitudinal direction of the defining section 51. The supply ports 531a to 531d are arranged at equal intervals along the other inner wall in the longitudinal direction of the defining section 51.

  The supply ports 531A to 531D are arranged in the order of the supply port 531A, the supply port 531B, the supply port 531C, and the supply port 531D from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. Similarly, the supply ports 531a to 531d are arranged in the order of the supply port 531a, the supply port 531b, the supply port 531c, and the supply port 531d from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. The supply ports 531A to 531D are disposed downstream of the transport path T, and the supply ports 531a to 531d are disposed upstream of the transport path T. The supply port 531A and the supply port 531a, the supply port 531B and the supply port 531b, the supply port 531C and the supply port 531c, and the supply port 531D and the supply port 531d face the downstream side and the upstream side, respectively.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the innermost supply point and the outermost supply point are located outside the film formation region F. That is, the supply ports 531A and 531a are arranged inside the inner periphery of the film formation region F, and the supply ports 531D and 531d are arranged outside the outer periphery of the film formation region F.

  The adjusting unit 54 adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 introduced by the gas supply unit 53 according to the position in the direction intersecting the transport path T, as shown in FIG. The direction intersecting the transport path T is a direction that is not parallel to the transport path T, and is not limited to a direction orthogonal to the transport path T. That is, the adjustment unit 54 individually adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 per unit time at the plurality of locations of the gas supply unit 53 according to the time when the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through the processing region. The adjustment unit 54 has a mass flow controller (MFC) 54a provided on each of a pair of paths of the pipe 53a. The MFC 54a is a member having a mass flow meter that measures the flow rate of a fluid and an electromagnetic valve that controls the flow rate.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plasma source 55 is a component that generates plasma for processing the workpiece W passing through the transport path T in the gas space R into which the process gas G2 has been introduced. The plasma source 55 has a waveguide 55a and a coil 55b. The waveguide 55a is a tube having one end connected to a microwave transmitter (not shown) and the other end arranged outside the gas space R and near the window 52. The waveguide 55a guides the microwave from the microwave transmitter to the window 52. The microwave is introduced into the gas space R via the window member 52b of the window 52.

  The coil 55b is a member that generates a magnetic field in the gas space R by applying a voltage from a power supply (not shown). A magnetic field is generated by the coil 55b and a microwave is introduced into the gas space R into which the process gas G2 has been introduced. When the frequency of the electrons moving circularly around the magnetic field and the frequency of the microwave are matched, the electrons rotate at a high speed due to resonance, and the electrons collide with gas molecules to generate high-density plasma. . As a result, active species such as electrons, ions, and radicals are generated in the gas space R.

  The cooling unit 56 is a component that cools the defining unit 51. The cooling unit 56 has a pipe 56a and a cavity 56b. Although not shown, the pipe 56a is connected to a chiller, which is a cooling water circulating device that circulates and supplies the cooling water C, and is a circulation path through which the cooling water C circulates. The cavity 56b is formed inside the side wall 51c of the defining portion 51, is a space through which the cooling water C flows, and the supply side and the discharge side of the pipe 56a communicate with each other. The cooling water C cooled by the chiller is supplied from the supply side, flows through the cavity, and is discharged from the drain side, so that the defining part 51 is cooled and heating is suppressed.

[Load lock section]
The load lock unit 60 loads the tray 1 on which the unprocessed work W is loaded from the outside into the vacuum chamber 21 by a transport unit (not shown) while maintaining the vacuum in the vacuum chamber 21, and removes the processed work W from the outside. This is a device for carrying the loaded tray 1 out of the vacuum chamber 21. The load lock unit 60 may have a known structure, and a description thereof will be omitted.

[Control device]
The control device 70 is a device that controls each part of the plasma processing apparatus 100. The control device 70 can be constituted by, for example, a dedicated electronic circuit or a computer operated by a predetermined program. That is, control relating to introduction and exhaust of the sputtering gas G1 and the process gas G2 into the vacuum chamber 21, control of the power supply unit 6, control of rotation of the rotating body 31, introduction of microwaves in the plasma source 55, control of generation of a magnetic field, As for the control related to the cooling water C in the cooling section 56, the control contents are programmed. The control device 70 executes this program by a processing device such as a PLC or a CPU, and can correspond to various types of plasma processing specifications.

  The specific targets to be controlled are as follows. That is, the rotation speed of the motor 32, the initial exhaust pressure of the plasma processing apparatus 100, the selection of the sputtering source 4, the power applied to the target 41 and the coil 55b, the output of the microwave transmitter, the flow rates of the sputtering gas G1 and the process gas G2. , Type, introduction time and evacuation time, time of film formation and film processing, flow rate and temperature of cooling water C, and the like.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the control device 70 controls the film formation rate by controlling the application of power to the target 41 of the film formation unit 40 and the supply amount of the sputtering gas G1 from the gas supply unit 25. Further, the controller 70 controls the film processing rate by controlling the microwave output and the supply amount of the process gas G2 from the gas supply unit 53.

  The configuration of the control device 70 for executing the operation of each unit as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 10 which is a virtual functional block diagram. That is, the control device 70 includes a mechanism control unit 71, a power supply control unit 72, a gas control unit 73, a storage unit 74, a setting unit 75, and an input / output control unit 76.

  The mechanism control unit 71 includes a driving source such as an exhaust unit 23, a gas supply unit 25, a gas supply unit 53, a control unit 54, a motor 32, a chiller of a cooling unit 56, a load lock unit 60, an electromagnetic valve, a switch, and a power supply. This is a processing unit to be controlled. The power supply control unit 72 is a processing unit that controls the power supply unit 6, the microwave transmitter of the plasma source 55, the power supply of the coil 55b, and the like.

  For example, the power control unit 72 individually controls the power applied to the targets 41A, 41B, 41C. In order to make the film formation rate uniform over the entire work W, the power is sequentially increased in such a manner that the target 41A <the target 41B <the target 41C in consideration of the speed difference between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side. In other words, the power may be determined in proportion to the inner and outer speeds.

  However, the proportional control is an example, and the power may be increased as the speed increases, and the processing rate may be set to be uniform. In addition, the power applied to the target 41 may be increased for a portion where the film thickness formed on the workpiece W is to be increased, and the power applied to the target 41 may be decreased for a portion where the film thickness is desired to be reduced.

  The gas control unit 73 is a processing unit that controls the introduction amount of the process gas G2 by the adjustment unit 54. For example, the supply amount of the process gas G2 from each supply port 531 per unit time is individually controlled. When the film processing rate is desired to be uniform over the entire work W, the supply amount from each supply port 531 is directed from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side in consideration of the speed difference between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side. Increase sequentially. Specifically, the supply amount is set to supply port 531A <supply port 531B <supply port 531C <supply port 531D, supply port 531a <supply port 531b <supply port 531c <supply port 531d. That is, the supply amount may be determined in proportion to the inner and outer peripheral velocities.

  Further, the supply amount of the process gas G2 supplied from each supply port 531 is adjusted according to the film thickness formed on the work W. In other words, for a portion where the film thickness is increased, the supply amount of the process gas G2 is increased so as to increase the amount of the film processing. Then, at a portion where the film thickness is reduced, the supply amount of the process gas G2 is reduced so that the amount of the film processing is reduced.

  Further, for example, in the case of a film processing for a film formed so that the film thickness is increased toward the inner peripheral side, the supply amount of the process gas G2 may be set to be increased toward the inner peripheral side. Accordingly, in combination with the above-described relationship with the speed, the supply amount from each supply port 531 may eventually become uniform. That is, the adjusting unit 54 may adjust the supply amount of the process gas G2 supplied from each supply port 531 according to the film thickness formed on the work W and the time when the rotating body 31 passes through the processing region. Note that the gas control unit 73 also controls the introduction amount of the sputtering gas G1.

  The storage unit 74 is a configuration unit that stores information necessary for control of the present embodiment. The information stored in the storage unit 74 includes the exhaust amount of the exhaust unit 23, the power applied to each target 41, the supply amount of the sputtering gas G1, the power applied to the coil 55b, the output of the microwave transmitter, and the supply port. 531 includes the supply amount of the process gas G2. The setting unit 75 is a processing unit that sets information input from the outside in the storage unit 74.

  Further, the power applied to the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C may be linked to the supply amount of the process gas G2 from the supply ports 531A to 531D and 531a to 531d. That is, when the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotating body 31 is constant and the power applied to the targets 41A, 41B, 41C is set by the setting unit, the supply ports 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d May be set. When the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotating body 31 is fixed and the supply amount from each of the supply ports 531A to 531D and 531a to 531d is set by the setting unit, each of the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C is set in proportion to this. May be set.

Such a setting can be performed, for example, as follows. First, the relationship between the film thickness and the applied power or the supply amount of the process gas G2, and the relationship between the applied power and the supply amount of the process gas G2 corresponding thereto are determined in advance by experiments or the like. Then, at least one of them is tabulated and stored in the storage unit 74. Then, in accordance with the input film thickness, applied power, or supplied amount, the setting unit 75 determines the applied power or the supplied amount with reference to the table.

(Arithmetic processing)
When it is desired to form a film having a uniform film thickness and a uniform film quality over a large area, the following four conditions must be considered when adjusting the supply amount of the process gas G2.
[1] Thickness of the film formed in the film forming unit during one rotation of the rotating body [2] Thickness distribution of the formed film in the radial direction of the rotating body [3] Velocity of the inner and outer circumferences of the rotating body Difference [4] Width of plasma generation area (width of processing area)

  Here, the condition [2] can be excluded from the condition if electric power is individually applied to each of the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C of the film forming unit 40 so that a uniform film thickness is obtained. Further, as in the above-described embodiment, by forming the gas space R to have a rounded rectangular shape when viewed from the plane, the width of the processing region becomes the same from the innermost periphery to the outermost periphery of the film forming region F. . For this reason, the same plasma density can be obtained within the range of the width, so that the condition [4] can be excluded from the conditions.

  Therefore, the supply amount of each supply port 531 can be determined from the conditions [1] and [3]. That is, as the condition of [1], one of the innermost and outermost film thicknesses of the film formation region F and an optimum supply amount suitable for the film thickness are obtained by a preliminary experiment or the like. Since the speed difference between the inner circumference and the outer circumference in [3] is related (proportional) to the radius of the inner circumference and the outer circumference, the radial position of the plurality of supply ports 531 (the distance from the rotation center) and the above The supply amount of each of the plurality of supply ports 531 can be determined from the film thickness and the optimum supply amount. The thickness of the film formed while the rotating body 31 at the innermost periphery of the film forming region F makes one rotation, and the film is formed while the rotating body 31 at the outermost periphery of the film forming region F makes one rotation. The film thickness, the optimum supply amount suitable for the above film thickness, and the radial position of each supply port 531 are included in the information stored in the storage unit 74.

For example, the optimum supply amount of the innermost supply port 531 for a predetermined thickness of the film formed by the film forming unit 40 is a, the innermost radius is Lin, the outermost radius is Lou, and the outermost radius is Lou. The optimum supply amount of the supply port 531 is assumed to be A. First, a case where the optimum supply amount a of the supply port 531 on the innermost circumference is known will be described. The supply amount calculation unit acquires from the storage unit 74 the optimum supply amount a of the innermost circumference, the radius Lin of the circle passing through the innermost supply port 531, and the radius Luo of the circle passing through the outermost supply port 531. , The optimum supply amount A at the outermost periphery is obtained based on the following equation.
A = a × Lou / Lin

Similarly, the optimum supply amount of the other supply ports 531 can be determined according to the ratio of the radii. That is, assuming that the optimum supply amount of the supply port 531 is Ax and the radius of a circle passing through the supply port 531 is Px, the optimum supply amount Ax can be obtained based on the following equation.
Ax = a × Px / Lin

Conversely, when the optimum supply amount A of the outermost supply port 531 is known, the optimum supply amount ax of each supply port 531 is calculated from the radius px of the circle passing through the supply port 531 as follows. It can be determined based on the formula.
ax = Axpx / Lou

As described above, [1] if the film thickness of the film formed in the film forming unit 40 during one rotation of the rotating body is known, the supply amount from the plurality of supply ports 531 is automatically determined. For this reason, as an expected pattern of the supply amount from each supply port 531, the amount of data held in the storage unit 74 can be reduced as compared with the case where a large amount of data is held. For example, as SiON, when a film whose refractive index changes depending on the composition, since the supply amount of the supply port 531 from the thickness of the innermost or outermost of the deposition region F is determined automatically, N ₂ and O By adjusting the mixing ratio of ₂ , a film having a desired refractive index can be obtained.

  The input / output control unit 76 is an interface that controls signal conversion and input / output with each unit to be controlled. Further, an input device 77 and an output device 78 are connected to the control device 70. The input device 77 is an input unit such as a switch, a touch panel, a keyboard, and a mouse for an operator to operate the plasma processing apparatus 100 via the control device 70. For example, the selection of the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 to be used, the desired film thickness, the applied power of each of the targets 41A to 41C, the supply amount of the process gas G2 from each of the supply ports 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d, and the like. It can be input by input means.

  The output device 78 is an output unit such as a display, a lamp, and a meter that makes information for confirming the state of the device visible to an operator. For example, the output device 78 can display a screen for inputting information from the input device 77. In this case, the targets 41A, 41B, 41C and the supply ports 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d may be displayed in a schematic diagram so that the respective positions can be selected and numerical values can be input. Further, the targets 41A, 41B, 41C and the supply ports 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d may be displayed in a schematic diagram, and the values set for each may be displayed by numerical values.

[motion]
The operation of the present embodiment as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. Although not shown, loading, transporting, and unloading of the tray 1 holding the work W are performed in the plasma processing apparatus 100 by transporting means such as a conveyor and a robot arm.

  The plurality of trays 1 are sequentially loaded into the vacuum container 20 by the transport means of the load lock unit 60. The rotator 31 sequentially moves the empty holding unit 33 to a loading position from the load lock unit 60. The holding units 33 individually hold the trays 1 loaded by the transfer unit. In this way, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tray 1 holding the work W to be formed is all held on the rotating body 31.

  The process of forming a film on the work W introduced into the plasma processing apparatus 100 as described above is performed as follows. The following operation is an example in which one of the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 is operated to perform film forming and film processing, such as only the film forming unit 40A and only the film processing unit 50A. is there. However, the processing rate may be increased by operating a plurality of sets of the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50. An example of film formation and film processing by the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 is a process of forming a silicon oxynitride film. The formation of the silicon oxynitride film is performed by repeating the process of permeating oxygen ions and nitrogen ions while circulating and transporting the work W every time silicon is attached to the work W at the atomic level.

  First, the vacuum chamber 21 is constantly evacuated and depressurized by the exhaust unit 23. Then, when the vacuum chamber 21 reaches a predetermined pressure, the rotating body 31 rotates as shown in FIGS. Thus, the work W held by the holding unit 33 moves along the transport path T and passes over the film forming units 40A, 40B, 40C and the film processing units 50A, 50B. When the rotating body 31 reaches a predetermined rotation speed, next, the gas supply unit 25 of the film forming unit 40 supplies the sputtering gas G1 around the target 41. At this time, the gas supply unit 53 of the film processing unit 50 also supplies the process gas G2 to the gas space R.

  In the film forming unit 40, the power supply unit 6 applies power to each of the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C. Thereby, the sputtering gas G1 is turned into plasma. In the sputtering source 4, active species such as ions generated by plasma collide with the target 41 and fly particles of the film forming material. For this reason, on the surface of the work W passing through the film forming unit 40, particles of the film forming material are deposited every time the work W passes, and a film is generated. In this example, a layer of silicon is formed.

  The power applied by the power supply unit 6 to each of the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C is set in the storage unit 74 so as to sequentially increase from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side of the rotating body 31. The power supply control unit 72 outputs an instruction to control the power applied by the power supply unit 6 to each target 41 according to the power set in the storage unit 74. Due to this control, the film deposition amount per unit time by sputtering increases from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side, but the passing speed of the rotating body 31 increases from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. As a result, the entire film thickness of the work W becomes uniform.

  The work W is not heated even if it passes through the inactive film forming unit 40 or the film processing unit 50 because the film W and the film processing are not performed. In this non-heated region, the work W emits heat. The non-operating film forming unit 40 is, for example, the film forming positions M4 and M5. The inactive film processing unit 50 is, for example, the film processing position M3.

  On the other hand, the workpiece W on which the film is formed passes through a position of the processing unit 5 that faces the opening 51a of the defining unit 51. In the processing unit 5, as shown in FIG. 8, oxygen and nitrogen as the process gas G2 are supplied into the gas space R from the gas supply unit 53 through the supply port 531. When the coil 55b is energized, a magnetic field is generated. The plasma is generated in the gas space R by being formed and being introduced from the waveguide 55 a through the window 52. Oxygen ions and nitrogen ions generated by the generated plasma impinge on the film material by colliding with the surface of the formed work W.

  The flow rate of the process gas G2 introduced from the supply port 531 per unit time is set in the storage unit 74 so that the flow rate per unit time is smaller on the inner peripheral side of the rotating body 31 and larger on the outer peripheral side. The gas control unit 73 outputs an instruction to control the flow rate of the process gas G2 flowing through each pipe 53a according to the flow rate set in the storage unit 74. For this reason, the amount of active species such as ions generated per unit volume in the gas space R is larger on the outer peripheral side than on the inner peripheral side. Therefore, the amount of film treatment that depends on the amount of active species increases from the inner circumference to the outer circumference.

  However, the processing region to be subjected to the film processing has a rounded rectangular shape similar to the opening 51 a of the defining unit 51. For this reason, the width of the processing region, that is, the width in the rotation direction is the same in the radial direction. That is, the processing region has a constant width in the radial direction. On the other hand, the speed at which the work W passes through the processing region increases from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. For this reason, the time that the workpiece W passes through the processing area becomes shorter as going from the inner circumference to the outer circumference. By increasing the supply amount of the process gas G2 toward the outer peripheral side, the film processing amount increases toward the outer peripheral side, so that the short passage time of the processing region can be compensated. As a result, the entire film processing amount of the work W becomes uniform.

Further, in the case of performing the film processing using two or more types of process gas G2 as in the oxynitriding processing, the film formed in the film forming unit 40 is completely compounded during one rotation of the rotating body 31. At the same time as forming the film, it is necessary to make the composition of the film uniform over the entire film formation surface. The present embodiment is suitable for plasma processing for performing film processing using two or more types of process gases G2. For example, suppose that a film of silicon oxynitride (SiO _x N _y ) having a ratio of x to y of 1: 1 is desired. Then, it is necessary to control both the amount of the active species that makes the formed film sufficiently a compound film and the ratio of oxygen and nitrogen contained in the active species. In the present embodiment, a plurality of supply points of the process gas G2 are provided, and the supply amount of the process gas G2 at each supply point can be adjusted for each type of the process gas G2. It's easy to do.

  During the process of forming a film as described above, the rotating body 31 continues to rotate and continues to circulate and transport the tray 1 holding the work W. Thus, the compound film is formed by circulating the work W and repeating the film formation and the film processing. In the present embodiment, a silicon oxynitride film is formed on the surface of the work W as the compound film.

  When a predetermined processing time for the silicon oxynitride film to have a desired film thickness elapses, the operations of the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 are stopped. That is, application of power to the target 41 by the power supply unit 6, supply of the process gas G2 from the supply port 531, energization of the coil 55b, and introduction of microwaves from the waveguide 55a are stopped.

  After the process of forming a film is thus completed, the tray 1 on which the work W is mounted is sequentially positioned on the load lock unit 60 by the rotation of the rotating body 31, and is carried out to the outside by the transporting means.

  The flow rate of the process gas G2 at the outermost supply ports 531D and 531d outside the film formation region F may be smaller than the supply ports 531B, 531C, 531b, and 531c without being maximized. That is, the flow rates are set so that the supply port 531A <the supply port 531D <the supply port 531B <the supply port 531C, and the supply port 531a <the supply port 531d <the supply port 531b <the supply port 531c.

  Since the workpiece W does not pass through a position outside the film formation region F, there is no need to supply the process gas G2. However, as shown in FIG. 9, when the definition portion 51 is formed with a margin outside the film formation region F, the formation gas is not supplied at all outside the film formation region F unless the process gas G2 is supplied at all. The process gas G2 diffuses outside the film formation region F near the inner peripheral end or the outer peripheral end of the film region F. As a result, the processing rate decreases near the inner peripheral end or the outer peripheral end of the film formation region F. For this reason, the process gas G2 may be preliminarily supplied outside the film formation region F. At this time, the amount of the process gas G2 may be sufficient to compensate for the decrease due to the diffusion. Therefore, the amount of the process gas G2 may be an amount that can prevent the diffusion in relation to the size of the above-mentioned marginal area. However, the supply amount may need to be larger than the supply ports 531C and 531c.

  As described above, the supply ports 531A, 531a, 531D, and 531d located outside the film formation region F may be out of the adjustment target of the process gas G2 by the adjustment unit 54 according to the passage time.

  Further, the supply ports 531D and 531d outside the film formation region F have a low degree of involvement in film processing, and it is not necessary to maximize the flow rate of the process gas G2. Thereby, the degree of the film treatment can be made more uniform. The same applies to the supply ports 531A and 531a on the inner peripheral side. That is, even when the supply port 531 is provided outside the film formation region F, effects such as uniformization of the degree of film processing can be obtained.

[Effects]
(1) This embodiment has a vacuum vessel 20 capable of evacuating the inside, and a rotating body 31 provided in the vacuum vessel 20 and mounted and rotating with the work W, and rotating the rotating body 31 By doing so, the transport unit 30 that circulates and transports the work W along the circumferential transport path T, the side wall 51c that defines a part of the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced, and the transport inside the vacuum vessel 20 The transfer section T passes through the defining section 51 having the opening 51a facing the path T, the gas supply section 53 that supplies the process gas G2 to the gas space R, and the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced. A plasma source 55 for generating plasma for performing plasma processing on the workpiece W, wherein the gas supply unit 53 includes a plurality of supply points in which the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through a processing region where plasma processing is performed at different times. From Supplying a process gas G2, having the adjusting unit 54 for adjusting individually depending on the supply amount of the process gas G2 per unit time of a plurality of feed locations, time to pass through the processing region.

  For this reason, the degree of the plasma processing on the work W circulated and conveyed by the rotating body 31 can be adjusted according to the position where the passing speed of the surface of the rotating body 31 is different. Therefore, a desired plasma process can be performed, such as making the degree of processing on the work W uniform or changing the degree of processing at a desired position. This is effective as the diameter of the rotating body 31 is larger and the width of the film formation region F is larger, that is, the difference between the peripheral speeds on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the film formation region F is larger.

(2) The adjusting unit 54 adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 introduced from each supply point according to the position in the direction intersecting the transport path T. For this reason, the supply amounts of the process gas G2 at the plurality of supply points can be individually adjusted according to the positions where the passage speeds of the surface of the rotating body 31 are different.

(3) The plurality of supply points are opposed positions in the gas space R and are arranged in a direction along the transport path T. Therefore, the process gas G2 can be spread in the gas space R in a short time.

(4) The adjusting unit 54 controls the supply amount of the process gas G2 supplied from each supply point according to the thickness of the film formed on the workpiece W and the time when the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through the processing region where the plasma processing is performed. Adjust Therefore, a film treatment suitable for the film thickness can be performed.

(5) The present embodiment has a plurality of trays 1 that are held by the rotating body 31 and holds the work W, and a surface of the tray 1 that faces the defining portion 51 and a side wall portion 51 c of the defining portion 51. There is a gap through which the work W held on the tray 1 can pass between the surface and the rotating body 31, and the side wall 51 c is provided on a surface of the work W facing the defining portion 51. There is a concave portion 51b along the portion Cp.

  Therefore, when the workpiece W passes between the facing surface of the defining portion 51 and the rotating body 31, the distance between the facing surface and the rotating body 31 can be reduced, and the pressure due to the leakage of the process gas G2 can be reduced. Drop can be prevented. Further, by arranging a plurality of works W at a narrow interval, the next work W comes immediately after one work W passes, and the gap between the defining portion 51 and the rotating body 31 is formed. Is continuously reduced, so that the process gas G2 is more difficult to leak. Further, contamination due to the flow of the sputtering gas G1 into the gas space R can be prevented, and a decrease in the film processing rate can be prevented. Further, contamination due to the inflow of the process gas G2 flowing out of the gas space R into the film forming unit 40 can be prevented, so that a reduction in the film forming rate due to the reaction of the target 41, generation of an arc, and generation of particles can be prevented.

(6) The rotating body 31 holds the work W on the installation surface side on which the vacuum vessel 20 is installed, and the opening 51a of the defining unit 51 faces the work W from the installation surface side. For this reason, since the processing target surface Sp of the work W faces the installation surface side, it is possible to prevent dust, dust, a film-forming material or the like adhering to the inside of the apparatus from dropping due to gravity and adhering to the work W. Here, the installation surface is a surface such as a floor surface or the ground surface that exists in a direction according to gravity with respect to the vacuum container 20.

(7) The supply port 531 corresponds to a region where the film forming unit 40 forms a film, is provided in the film forming region F that is an annular region along the transport path T, and is provided outside the film forming region F. The supply port 531 provided outside the film formation region F is out of the adjustment target of the supply amount of the process gas G2 by the adjustment unit 54.

  As described above, even when the process gas G2 is supplied outside the film formation region F, shortage of the flow rate of the process gas G2 at the end of the film formation region F can be prevented. For example, even when the outermost supply port 531 or the innermost supply port 531 is outside the film formation region F, the process gas G2 can be supplied to achieve uniform film processing. However, the flow rate outside the outermost film formation region F can be saved because the flow rate in the film formation region F does not become insufficient even if the maximum flow rate is not set. That is, the supply location of the process gas G2 outside the film formation region F functions as an auxiliary supply location and an auxiliary supply port that supplement the flow rate of the process gas G2 within the film formation region F.

[Modification]
Embodiments of the present invention also include the following modifications.
(1) The supply port 531 for the process gas G2 may be provided in the defining unit 51. For example, the tip of each pipe 53 a in the gas supply unit 53 may be extended to a supply port 531 formed in the defining unit 51. The distal end of the pipe 53a may have a nozzle shape with a reduced diameter. Also in this case, the piping 53a may be provided not only in the film formation region F but also outside the film formation region F to function as an auxiliary supply port and an auxiliary nozzle for supplementing the flow rate of the process gas G2 in the film formation region F. Good.

(2) The number of locations where the gas supply unit 53 supplies the process gas G2 and the number of supply ports 531 may be a plurality of locations having different passing speeds on the surface of the rotating body, and are not limited to the numbers exemplified above. . By providing three or more in a line in the film formation region F, finer flow control according to the processing position can be performed. In addition, as the number of supply points and supply ports 531 increases, the distribution of gas flow rate becomes closer to linear, and local processing variation can be prevented. The supply ports 531 may be provided in any one row instead of being provided in two rows facing each other in the defining unit 51. Further, the supply ports 531 may not be arranged on a straight line, but may be arranged at positions shifted in the height direction.

(3) The configuration of the adjustment unit 54 is not limited to the above example. A mode in which a manual valve is provided in each of the pipes 53a to adjust manually may be used. Since it is sufficient that the supply amount of the process gas G2 can be adjusted, the pressure may be adjusted to be constant by opening and closing the valve, or the pressure may be increased and decreased. The adjusting section 54 may be realized by the supply port 531. For example, supply ports 531 having different diameters may be provided in accordance with positions at which the passage speed of the surface of the rotating body differs, and the supply amount of the process gas G2 may be adjusted. The supply port 531 may be replaceable with a nozzle having a different diameter. Further, the diameter of the supply port 531 may be changeable by a shutter or the like.

(4) Since the speed is the distance traveled per unit time, the supply amount of the process gas G2 from each supply port is set in relation to the time required to pass through the processing region in the radial direction. You may.

(5) The shapes of the defining portion 51 and the window portion 52 are not limited to those illustrated in the above embodiment. The horizontal section may be square, circular, or elliptical. However, since the passage time of the work W between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side is different in the shape having the same interval between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side, the supply amount of the process gas G2 is adjusted according to the difference in the processing time. Easy to do.

(6) Since the plurality of trays 1 are held by the rotating body 31, the opposing surfaces 11 of the plurality of trays 1 are formed so as to have a portion that is continuously flush along a circumferential locus. Is also good. Here, the phrase “the opposing surfaces 11 of the plurality of trays 1 are flush” refers to a case where the corresponding portions on the opposing surfaces 11 of the respective trays 1 have substantially the same height. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the facing portion X1 of the tray 1 is fitted into the opening 31a of the holding portion 33, the facing surface 11 of the tray 1 and the surface of the rotating body 31 facing the defining portion 51 are circular. The tray 1 and the rotating body 31 are formed so as to be continuously flush with each other along the peripheral locus. In this case, a slight groove may be formed at the boundary between the opening 31a and the facing surface 11.

  This prevents the distance between the surface of the tray 1 and the defining part 51 or the shield member 8 from being extremely increased compared to the distance between the surface of the work W and the defining part 51 or the shielding member 8. In addition, the leakage of the reaction gas G can be further suppressed. Further, in the case where a processing section using a different reaction gas G is included, mutual contamination due to leakage of the reaction gas G can be further prevented.

  Further, the processing target surface Sp of the work W and the opposing surface 11 of the tray 1 may be formed so as to have a portion which is continuously flush along a circumferential locus. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the tray 1 may be provided with a fitting portion 11b into which the work W is fitted. The fitting portion 11b is a recess in which a part or the whole of the work W in the thickness direction is embedded. The depth of the fitting portion 11b is set so that the surface of the tray 1 and the processing target surface Sp of the work W are flush.

  Thereby, the height difference between the processing target surface Sp of the work W and the surface of the tray 1 is reduced, and the gap between the surface of the tray 1 other than the work W, the shield member 8 and the defining portion 51 is increased. Thus, the leakage of the reaction gas G can be further suppressed.

  Alternatively, the work W may be directly held by the rotating body 31 or a holding unit provided on the rotating body 31 without using the tray 1. Also in this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the work W is fitted into the recess 31 d formed on the lower surface 31 c of the rotating body 31, so that the work W and the rotating body 31 move along the circumferential locus. It may be formed so as to have a portion that is continuously flush with each other.

(7) The shape of the tray 1 and the shape of the rotating body 31 are not limited to the above shapes. For example, the shape of the tray 1 may be a shape along the unevenness of the work W. That is, in the above-described example, the tray 1 has the convex portion 11a along the simple concave portion Rp. Alternatively, the work W may be stably held.

(8) The tray 1 and the rotating body 31 do not need to be provided with irregularities along the shape of the work W. That is, as long as the work W can be stably held, the holding surface of the tray 1 and the rotating body 31 for holding the work W may be flat. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the opposing surface 11 of the tray 1 may be flat, and the work W may be held on the opposing surface 11.

(9) The work W may be held by providing a holding portion for supporting the edge of the work W on the tray 1. For example, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, a plurality of openings 16 penetrating vertically are formed in the tray 1. FIG. 15A shows an example of a work W having a convex portion Cp, and FIG. Here, the opening 16 is slightly larger on the support portion X2 side than on the opposing portion X1 side. More specifically, the support portion X2 side of the opening 16 is an insertion portion 16a large enough to allow the work W to be inserted into the tray 1.

  Further, a holding portion 16b that can hold the tray 1 by being raised inward on the opposing portion X1 side of the opening 16 is formed. The inner periphery of the holding portion 16b has substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the work W, but is slightly smaller than the work W, and thus holds the outer periphery of the processing target surface Sp of the work W inserted from the insertion portion 16a. I do. In such an example, since the weight of the tray 1 is supported by the holding portion 16b, there is no need to provide a complicated mechanism for holding the work W. Note that such a holding portion 16b may be formed in an opening provided in the rotating body 31 so that the work W is held by the rotating body 31.

(10) The number of trays 1 and the number of workpieces W simultaneously transferred by the transfer unit, and the number of holding units 33 and 16b for holding the trays may be at least one, and are limited to the numbers exemplified in the above embodiment. Not done. That is, one work W may be circulated and conveyed, or two or more works W may be circulated and conveyed. The work W may be arranged in two or more rows in the radial direction and circulated and conveyed.

(11) In the above embodiment, the rotating body 31 is a rotating table, but the rotating body 31 is not limited to a table shape. A rotating body 31 that rotates while holding a tray or a work on an arm extending radially from the rotation center may be used. The installation surface of the vacuum vessel 20 is not limited to the floor surface or the ground, and may be above the ceiling or the like. Further, the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 may be located on the ceiling side of the vacuum container 20, and the vertical relationship between the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 and the rotating body 31 may be reversed. In this case, the surface of the rotating body 31 on which the holding unit 33 is provided is a surface facing upward when the rotating plane of the rotating body 31 extends in the horizontal direction, that is, the upper surface. The opening 80 of the shield member 8 and the opening 51a of the defining portion 51 face downward.

  In the above embodiment, the holding unit 33 is provided on the lower surface of the horizontally arranged rotating body 31, the rotating body 31 is rotated in a horizontal plane, and the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 are arranged below the rotating body 31. Although described as being arranged, it is not limited to this. For example, the arrangement of the rotating body 31 is not limited to horizontal, and may be arranged vertically, or may be arranged inclined with respect to vertical or horizontal. Further, the holding portions 33 may be provided on both surfaces of the rotating body 31. That is, in the present invention, the direction of the rotation plane of the rotating body 31 may be any direction, and the position of the holding unit 33, the position of the film forming unit 40, and the position of the film processing unit 50 are held by the holding unit 33. It suffices that the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 be positioned so as to face the work W.

(12) The plasma source 55 is not limited to the above device. In addition to the device using ECR plasma, a device that generates plasma in the gas space R based on another principle may be used. For example, an apparatus that generates inductively coupled plasma (ICP) plasma in the gas space R may be used. Such a device has an antenna outside the gas space R and near the window 52. When power is applied to the antenna, the process gas G2 in the gas space R is ionized, and plasma is generated. The workpiece W passing through the transport path T is processed by the plasma.

(13) The type, shape, and material of the workpiece W on which the plasma processing is performed are not limited to specific ones. For example, a workpiece W having a concave portion may be used on the processing target surface Sp facing the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50. Further, a workpiece W having an uneven portion on the processing target surface Sp may be used. In such a case, the side of the shield member 8 and the defining portion 51 facing the work W may have a shape along the concave or uneven portion of the work W.

  Further, as described above, the workpiece W having the flat processing target surface Sp may be used. Further, a material containing a conductive material such as metal or carbon, a material containing an insulator such as glass or rubber, or a material containing a semiconductor such as silicon may be used. Further, the number of works W to be subjected to the plasma processing is not limited to a specific number. The holding unit 33 may be a groove, a projection, a jig, a holder, or the like that holds the tray 1, and may be configured by a mechanical chuck, an adhesive chuck, or the like.

(14) As the film forming material, various materials capable of forming a film by sputtering can be applied. For example, tantalum, titanium, aluminum, or the like can be used. Various materials other than nitrogen and oxygen can be applied to the material for forming the compound.

(15) The number of targets 41 in the film forming unit 40 is not limited to three. The number of targets 41 may be one, two, or four or more. By increasing the number of targets 41 and adjusting the applied power, finer control of the film thickness becomes possible.

(16) The numbers of the film forming units 40 and the film processing units 50 are not limited to specific numbers. The number of the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 may be one, two, or four or more. By increasing the number of film forming units, the film forming rate can be improved. Accordingly, the number of the film processing units 50 is increased, and the film processing rate can be improved. When there are a plurality of membrane processing units 50, the gas flow rates may be adjusted by the respective adjustment units 54 as described above. Further, a plurality of film processing units 50 may be arranged in the radial direction.

(17) The shield member 8 in the film forming section 40 defines a part of the gas space into which the sputtering gas G1 is introduced, and is regarded as a defining section having an opening facing the transport path T inside the vacuum vessel 20. You can also. The gas space in this case is a space formed between the inside of the shield member 8 and the rotating body 31, and the work W circulated and conveyed by the rotating body 31 repeatedly passes. That is, the gas space includes not only the space inside the shield member 8 but also the space between the rotating body 31 facing the opening 80. Also for the gas supply unit 25 of the film forming unit 40, the sputtering gas G1 is supplied from a plurality of supply points at which the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through the processing region where the plasma processing is performed, and a unit of the plurality of supply points is provided. It is good also as a structure which has the adjustment part which adjusts the supply amount of the sputtering gas G1 per time individually according to the passage time.

(18) The present invention may or may not include the film forming unit 40. That is, the present invention is not limited to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that performs film formation. Further, the present invention is not limited to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that performs the film processing, and can be widely applied to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that performs processing on a processing target using active species generated by plasma. For example, in addition to the above-described embodiments, or omitting both or one of the film forming unit and the film processing unit, a process in which plasma is generated in a gas space to perform surface modification such as etching and ashing, and cleaning. The plasma processing apparatus 100 having a unit may be configured. In this case, for example, the processing unit may be a linear ion source. Further, for example, it is conceivable to use an inert gas such as argon as the process gas G2.

(19) The shape of the vacuum vessel 20 is not limited to a cylindrical shape. It may be a polygonal cylinder such as a rectangular parallelepiped.

(20) The embodiment of the present invention and the modification of each unit have been described above. However, the embodiment and the modification of each unit are presented as examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. . These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in other various forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are also included in the invention described in the claims.

Reference Signs List 1 Tray 4 Sputter source 5 Processing unit 6 Power supply unit 8 Shield member 11 Opposing surface 11a Convex portion 11b Fitting portion 12 Slope 13 Inner peripheral surface 14 Outer peripheral surface 15 Overhang portion 16 Opening 16a Insertion portion 16b Holding portion 20 Vacuum container 20a 20b Ceiling 20c Inner peripheral surface 21 Vacuum chamber 21a Mounting hole 21b ОRing 22 Exhaust port 23 Exhaust unit 24 Inlet 25 Gas supply unit 30 Transport unit 31 Rotating body 31a Opening 31c Lower surface 31d Depression 31e Mounting unit 32 Motor 33 Holding unit 33a Opening 33b Mounting part 40, 40A to 40C Film forming part 41, 41A to 41C Target 42 Backing plate 43 Electrode 50, 50A, 50B Film processing part 51 Defining part 51a Opening 51b Depression 51c Side wall 52 Window 52a Window 52b Window Member 52c O-ring 53 Gas supply unit 53a Pipe 54 Adjustment unit 55 Plasma Source 55a Waveguide 55b Coil 56 Cooling unit 56a Pipe 56b Cavity 60 Load lock unit 70 Control unit 71 Mechanism control unit 72 Power control unit 73 Gas control unit 74 Storage unit 75 Setting unit 76 Input / output control unit 77 Input device 78 Output device 80 opening 81 concave portion 82 bottom surface portion 82a target hole 83 side surface portion 83a outer peripheral wall 83b inner peripheral wall 83c, 83d partition wall 100 plasma processing apparatus 531, 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d supply port C cooling water Cp convex part D1, D2 interval E exhaust F Film forming area G Reaction gas G1 Sputtering gas G2 Process gas M1, M3 Film processing position M2, M4, M5 Film forming position R Gas space Rp Depression S Film forming chamber Sp Processing target surface T Transport path W Work X1 Opposing portion X2 Support Department

Claims (10)

A vacuum container capable of evacuating the inside,
A transfer unit provided in the vacuum vessel, having a rotating body that holds and rotates the work, and circulating and transferring the work in a circumferential transfer path by rotating the rotating body,
A side wall portion that defines a part of a gas space into which a reaction gas is introduced, and a defining portion that has an opening facing the transfer path inside the vacuum vessel,
A gas supply unit that supplies the reaction gas to the gas space,
In the gas space where the reaction gas is introduced, a plasma source that generates plasma for performing plasma processing on the workpiece that passes through the transport path,
Has,
The gas supply unit supplies the reaction gas from a plurality of supply points at different times when the surface of the rotating body passes through a processing region where the plasma processing is performed,
A plasma processing apparatus, comprising: an adjusting unit that individually adjusts the supply amount of the reaction gas per unit time at the plurality of supply points according to the passing time.   2. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts a supply amount of the reaction gas introduced from each supply point according to a position in a direction intersecting the transport path. 3. 3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of supply points are opposed to each other in the gas space, and are arranged in a direction along the transport path. 4.   The said adjustment part adjusts the supply amount of the said reaction gas supplied from each supply port according to the film thickness of the film | membrane formed in the said workpiece | work, and the passing time. A plasma processing apparatus according to any one of the above. The workpiece has a projection on a surface to be processed on which the plasma processing is performed,
Between the surface facing the rotating body and the rotating body in the side wall portion of the defining portion, there is a gap through which the work held by the rotating body can pass,
5. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the side wall has a recess along the protrusion of the work. 6. A plurality of trays holding the work are held by the rotating body,
Between the surface of the side wall of the defining portion facing the rotating body and the tray, there is a gap through which the work held by the tray can pass,
The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the tray has a convex portion along the concave portion of the side wall portion.   A surface of the rotating body facing the definition portion and a surface of the plurality of trays facing the definition portion have portions that are continuously flush with each other along the locus of the circumference. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein The rotating body holds the work on the installation surface side where the vacuum vessel is installed,
8. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the opening of the defining unit faces the work from the installation surface side. 9.   9. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plasma source is a device that generates an electron cyclotron resonance plasma in the gas space.   9. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plasma source is an apparatus that generates inductively coupled plasma in the gas space.

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