JP2024019926A - Film forming equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus that can reduce deterioration in film quality of thin films compared to conventional methods. The plasma processing means includes an electrode unit that forms a plasma atmosphere, and a raw material gas supply means that supplies a raw material gas between a predetermined surface of a base material and the electrode unit, and the plasma processing means A film forming apparatus that forms a thin film made of the plasma-treated raw material gas on a predetermined surface of a base material by subjecting the raw material gas to plasma treatment, the plasma processing means being configured to treat the base material by the raw material gas supply means. A film forming mode in which the raw material gas is supplied between a predetermined surface and the electrode unit, and the raw material gas is plasma-treated by the electrode unit to form the thin film on the predetermined surface of the base material; and a surface treatment mode in which the electrode unit performs plasma treatment on the surface of the thin film on the base material. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a base material.

Electronic devices such as organic EL and solar cells are sensitive to water and acids, so their surfaces are covered with sealing films to improve their durability. Such a sealing film is formed by a film forming apparatus using a plasma chemical vapor deposition method (for example, Patent Document 1 below).

This film forming apparatus includes a substrate support section that holds the substrate in a chamber, an electrode unit that forms a plasma atmosphere, and a source gas supply section that supplies source gas, and the electrode unit is attached to the substrate support section. It is arranged at a position facing a predetermined surface of the supported base material, and the raw material gas supply section supplies raw material gas between the base material and the electrode unit. Then, when a source gas is supplied by the source gas supply section in a state where a plasma atmosphere is formed by the electrode unit, the source gas is subjected to plasma treatment and film forming particles are formed. A thin film (sealing film) is formed by depositing the film-forming particles on the base material.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-173134

However, in the above film forming apparatus, there is a risk that the quality of the thin film formed on the base material may deteriorate. I will explain in detail. When a thin film is formed on a base material using the film forming apparatus described above, particles derived from the raw material gas that could not be plasma-treated (hereinafter referred to as untreated particles 920) form a thin film 910 that is still being formed, as shown in FIG. 6(a). may remain on the surface. If the formation of the thin film 910 is continued in this state, the film forming particles will be deposited on the untreated particles 920. Therefore, as shown in FIG. accumulates. As a result, the thin film 910 contains defects, that is, the quality of the thin film 910 deteriorates, resulting in a problem that water infiltrates into the base material 900.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus that can reduce the deterioration in film quality of a thin film compared to the conventional method.

In order to solve the above problems, a film forming apparatus of the present invention includes an electrode unit that forms a plasma atmosphere, and a source gas supply means that supplies a source gas between a predetermined surface of a base material and the electrode unit. A film forming apparatus comprising a plasma processing means and forming a thin film made of the plasma-treated raw material gas on a predetermined surface of a base material by subjecting the raw material gas to plasma treatment by the plasma processing means, the plasma processing means The source gas supply means supplies the source gas between a predetermined surface of the substrate and the electrode unit, and the electrode unit plasma-processes the source gas to form the thin film on the predetermined surface of the substrate. and a surface treatment mode in which the electrode unit performs plasma treatment on the surface of the thin film on the base material without forming the thin film.

According to the above film forming apparatus, the plasma processing means has a film forming mode in which a thin film is formed on the base material by plasma processing the raw material gas, and a surface treatment mode in which plasma processing is performed on the surface of the thin film. Therefore, even if there are untreated particles derived from the source gas on the surface of the thin film formed on the base material in the film formation mode, plasma treatment can be performed in the surface treatment mode. This makes it possible to suppress untreated particles from being included in the thin film, thereby reducing deterioration in the film quality of the thin film.

Further, the plasma processing means may be configured to alternately perform the film formation mode and the surface treatment mode to form a thin film of a predetermined thickness on the base material.

According to this configuration, since thin film formation and thin film surface treatment are performed alternately, surface treatment can be frequently performed on the thin film F that is being formed. Thereby, even when forming a relatively thick thin film, it is possible to suppress untreated particles from accumulating in the thin film.

The plasma processing means further includes a transport means for transporting the base material, and the plasma processing means has a plurality of the electrode units arranged along the transport direction of the base material, and the plurality of electrode units select the film forming mode. The structure may be divided into a first electrode unit for performing the surface treatment mode and a second electrode unit for performing the surface treatment mode.

According to this configuration, since the thin film can be formed and the surface treatment of the thin film can be performed while transporting the base material, it is possible to increase the film formation rate and reduce the deterioration of the film quality of the thin film.

The plasma processing means further includes a transport means for transporting the base material, and the plasma processing means performs the film forming mode in the transport direction of the base material on a processing region that is a region sandwiched between a predetermined surface of the base material and the electrode unit. It may also be configured to include processing area dividing means for dividing the processing area into a region and a region in which the surface treatment mode is performed.

According to this configuration, since the thin film can be formed and the surface treatment of the thin film can be performed while transporting the base material, it is possible to increase the film formation rate and reduce the deterioration of the film quality of the thin film.

According to the film-forming apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to provide a film-forming apparatus that can reduce deterioration in film quality of a thin film more than the conventional film-forming apparatus.

1 is a diagram schematically showing a film forming apparatus in a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram of an electrode unit in an embodiment of the present invention viewed from below. 1 is a diagram showing a thin film formed on a base material by a film forming apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a film forming apparatus in a second embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows roughly the film-forming apparatus in 3rd embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a thin film formed on a base material by a conventional film forming apparatus.

[First embodiment]
A film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following explanation, the three axes of the orthogonal coordinate system are X, Y, and Z, the horizontal direction is expressed as the X-axis direction, and the Y-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to the XY plane (that is, the vertical direction) is expressed as the Z-axis. Expressed as direction.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a film forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram of the electrode unit 31 in one embodiment viewed from below. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a thin film F formed on a base material W by the film forming apparatus 100 in one embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment includes a main chamber 1, a transport means 2 for transporting a base material W within the main chamber 1, and a thin film on the base material W transported by the transport means 2. A plasma processing means 3 for forming F (see FIG. 3(a)) is provided. This film forming apparatus 100 supplies a raw material gas into the main chamber 1 by a plasma processing means 3 and performs plasma treatment to generate film forming particles from the raw material gas, and the base material W is transported by a transport means 2. By depositing on the base material W, a thin film F is formed on the base material W.

The base material W in this embodiment is a plate-shaped member, and is, for example, a component of a device such as an organic EL display or a solar cell. By forming the thin film F on the base material W, it is possible to effectively prevent moisture from entering the base material W. In other words, a device component with excellent water resistance is formed.

The thin film F in this embodiment is a sealing film that seals the surface of the base material W, and is made of SiO2. This thin film F has barrier properties against moisture. In addition, the thin film F is formed by forming particles formed by converting plasma forming gas into plasma using the plasma processing means 3 to generate radicals R (see FIG. 3(b)), and reacting the radicals R with the raw material gas. is formed by depositing on the base material W. Note that the plasma forming gas in this embodiment is O2 gas. Further, the source gas in this embodiment is HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) gas.

The main chamber 1 is a closed container for maintaining its interior at a predetermined pressure. The main chamber 1 in this embodiment is a rectangular housing that extends in one horizontal direction, and is connected to a vacuum pump (not shown) that adjusts the internal pressure. By operating this vacuum pump, gas can be exhausted from the main chamber 1 and the pressure within the main chamber 1 can be adjusted. This main chamber 1 accommodates a transport means 2 and a plasma processing means 3 therein.

The conveyance means 2 in this embodiment is for conveying the base material W, and as shown in FIG. It has a moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the section 21. Note that the longitudinal direction of the main chamber 1 in this embodiment is the X-axis direction in FIG.

The base material support part 21 is for supporting the base material W, and in this embodiment, the base material W is supported by gripping the base material W with a gripping mechanism 22 as shown in FIG. . Note that the gripping mechanism 22 supports the base material W by gripping the end portion of the base material W where the thin film F is not formed. Here, the gripping mechanism 22 holds the base material W so that the predetermined surface of the base material W on which the thin film F is formed faces the electrode unit 31, which will be described later, that is, the predetermined surface of the base material W faces downward. To support.

Furthermore, the gripping mechanism 22 is connected to a moving mechanism. This moving mechanism is, for example, a sliding mechanism formed long in the longitudinal direction of the main chamber 1, and by moving the holding mechanism 22 in the longitudinal direction of the main chamber 1 with this moving mechanism, the holding mechanism 22 is supported by the holding mechanism 22. The base material W is transported in the longitudinal direction of the main chamber 1.

With these configurations, the transport means 2 transports the base material W in the longitudinal direction of the main chamber 1 while maintaining a posture in which a predetermined surface of the base material W faces downward. A thin film F is formed by the plasma processing means 3 on the surface of the base material W that is transported by the transport means 2 in the longitudinal direction of the main chamber 1 .

The plasma processing means 3 is for forming a thin film F on the base material W by a plasma chemical vapor deposition method. As shown in FIG. 1, the plasma processing means 3 in this embodiment includes an electrode unit 31 that forms a plasma atmosphere and a source gas supply means 5 that supplies source gas.

The electrode unit 31 is for forming a plasma atmosphere. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of electrode units 31 are provided in the main chamber 1, and in the example of FIG. 1, six electrode units 31 are provided. These electrode units 31 are arranged below the base material W along the transport direction of the base material W so that the intervals between the electrode units 31 are equal. These electrode units 31 have a common structure, and include a partition chamber 32 and an electrode section 33, as shown in FIG.

The partition chamber 32 is a container for accommodating a portion of the electrode section 33. This partition chamber 32 has an opening 34 on a surface that faces a predetermined surface of the base material W when the base material W to be transported is located directly above it. The predetermined surface of the base material W here refers to the film-forming surface on which the thin film F is formed, and will be referred to as the film-forming surface of the base material W in the following description. Then, by operating the vacuum pump connected to the main chamber 1 described above to exhaust gas from the main chamber 1, the pressure inside all the partition chambers 32 is adjusted to a predetermined pressure.

The electrode section 33 is for forming a plasma atmosphere. The electrode part 33 in this embodiment is a substantially U-shaped inductively coupled electrode, and as shown in FIG. 2, an electrode 35 made of a conductor such as Cu is covered with a cover made of a dielectric material such as glass. It is formed by covering the partition 36 and is disposed approximately at the center of the partition chamber 32. The shape of the electrode section 33 will be specifically explained below.

As shown in FIG. 2, the electrode section 33 is configured in a substantially U-shape by a straight portion 37a, a folded portion 37b, and a straight portion 37c. The straight portion 37a penetrates from the outside the wall surface of the partition chamber 32 located in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the main chamber 1 (the Y-axis direction in FIG. 2), enters the partition chamber 32, and enters the partition chamber 32 through which the It extends to penetrate the wall surface of the partition chamber 32 facing the wall surface. The straight part 37c penetrates the wall surface of the partition chamber 32 to enter the partition chamber 32 so as to be parallel to the straight part 37a, and extends to penetrate the wall surface of the partition chamber 32 facing the wall surface. The folded portion 37b connects the end of the straight portion 37a and the end of the straight portion 37c, and is formed so that the straight portion 37a and the straight portion 37c form a substantially U-shape. That is, the electrode part 33 is formed into a substantially U-shape and is accommodated in the partition chamber 32 with a part of the straight part 37a and the straight part 37c extending in a straight line remaining, and the other part is accommodated in the partition chamber 32. It is formed to be located outside.

A high frequency power source 38 is connected to the electrode 35 located at the end of the straight portion 37c of the electrode portion 33, and a voltage is applied by turning on the high frequency power source 38.

Here, a plasma forming gas supply section 4 that supplies O2 gas for forming a plasma atmosphere is provided in the partition chamber 32, and O2 gas is supplied from the plasma forming gas supply section 4 into the partition chamber 32. After that, a voltage is applied to the electrode section 33. As a result, the O2 gas becomes plasma, and a plasma atmosphere is formed around the straight portions 37a and 37c of the electrode section 33 in the partition chamber 32. In this plasma atmosphere, radicals R that react with the HMDS gas are generated. These radicals R are released to the outside of the partition chamber 32 through the opening 34, and the radicals R and the raw material gas react to generate film forming particles. That is, the electrode unit 31 subjects the raw material gas to plasma treatment to generate film forming particles.

The raw material gas supply means 5 is for supplying HMDS gas between the film-forming surface of the substrate W being transported and the electrode unit 31, and in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. It has a raw material gas supply section 51 for supplying raw material gas. By supplying HMDS gas to this source gas supply section 51 through a pipe (not shown), the HMDS gas is supplied between the electrode unit 31 and the film-forming surface of the base material W transported from the source gas supply section 51 .

Then, the above-described radicals R and the HMDS gas react to generate film-forming particles. By depositing these film-forming particles on the base material W, a SiO2 film, which is the thin film F, is formed. Here, since the base material W is transported by the transport means 2 through each electrode unit 31, the film forming particles generated by each electrode unit 31 are deposited on the base material W to a predetermined thickness. A thin film F is formed.

With these configurations, the plasma processing means 3 can form a thin film F of a predetermined thickness on the base material W.

Furthermore, the plasma processing means 3 in this embodiment operates in a film formation mode in which a thin film F is formed on a base material W, and a surface treatment mode in which plasma processing is performed on the surface of a thin film F formed on a base material W. It has two modes. These two modes are switched by a control section (not shown) in this embodiment. The control unit here is configured by, for example, a general-purpose computer device.

The operation of each part of the plasma processing means 3 controlled by the control section in the film forming mode will be explained. First, O2 gas is supplied into the partition chamber 32 from the plasma forming gas supply section 4. With O2 gas being supplied into the partition chamber 32, a voltage is applied to the electrode section 33 by the high frequency power source 38. As a result, a plasma atmosphere is formed and radicals R are generated, and the radicals R are emitted from the opening 34 to the outside of the partition chamber 32. Next, HMDS gas is supplied between the electrode unit 31 and the film-forming surface of the base material W transported by the raw material gas supply means 5 . When this HMDS gas reacts with radicals R, film-forming particles are generated. Then, by depositing the film-forming particles on the base material W, a SiO2 film, which is a thin film F, is formed on the base material W as shown in FIG. 3(a). That is, the plasma processing means 3 forms the thin film F on the base material W by plasma processing the HMDS gas in the film formation mode.

The operation of each part of the plasma processing means 3 controlled by the control section in the surface treatment mode will be explained. First, O2 gas is supplied into the partition chamber 32 from the plasma forming gas supply section 4. With O2 gas being supplied into the partition chamber 32, a voltage is applied to the electrode section 33 by the high frequency power source 38. As a result, a plasma atmosphere is formed and radicals R are generated, and the radicals R are emitted from the opening 34 to the outside of the partition chamber 32. Here, HMDS gas is not supplied by the raw material gas supply means 5. Therefore, no film forming particles are generated in the surface treatment mode. Then, the radicals R react with untreated particles G derived from the HMDS gas (see FIG. 3(b)) remaining on the surface of the thin film F formed on the base material W in the film formation mode.

Note that the untreated particles G are particles that cannot become film-forming particles among the HMDS gas that reacted with radicals in the film-forming mode, and are, for example, H or CH3. Here, since the radical R is a particle having unpaired electrons formed by turning O2 gas into plasma, it has the property of stealing other electrons and attempting to stabilize it. Due to this property, the radicals R take away H and CH3, which are untreated particles G, from the surface of the thin film F, as shown in FIG. 3(b). Thereby, in the surface treatment mode, the untreated particles G are removed from the surface of the thin film F by causing the radicals R to react with the untreated particles G. That is, in the surface treatment mode, the plasma treatment means 3 does not form the thin film F as in the film formation mode, but plasma-treats the surface of the thin film F to remove untreated particles G remaining on the surface of the thin film F. It is being removed.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, by using a plurality of electrode units 31, the film forming mode and the surface treatment mode are alternately performed on the substrate W being transported. Specifically, the plurality of electrode units 31 are divided into a first electrode unit for performing the film formation mode and a second electrode unit for performing the surface treatment mode, and each electrode unit 31 is used to perform the process according to each mode. Processing is in progress.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the electrode unit 31a, the electrode unit 31c, and the electrode unit 31e are the first electrode units, and each of the electrode units is located one position downstream of each first electrode unit. The electrode unit 31b, the electrode unit 31d, and the electrode unit 31f are defined as a second electrode unit. Then, when the base material W is positioned directly above each of the first electrode units, the film formation mode is performed to form a thin film F on the base material W, and the thin film F is formed on the base material W directly above each of the second electrode units. is located, the surface treatment mode is performed to treat the surface of the thin film F. Thereby, the formation of the thin film F and the treatment of the surface of the thin film F are performed alternately, and a relatively thick thin film F is formed on the base material W.

In this way, the film forming apparatus 100 in the above embodiment can reduce the deterioration in film quality of the thin film F compared to the conventional method.

I will explain in detail. Conventional film forming apparatuses form a thin film of a predetermined thickness on a substrate without performing a surface treatment mode. In other words, in the conventional film forming apparatus, even if unprocessed particles 920 derived from the raw material gas that could not be completely processed remain on the surface of the thin film 910 that is being formed, as shown in FIG. Film-forming particles were further deposited on the thin film 910 to form a thin film 920 with a predetermined thickness. Therefore, in the conventional film forming apparatus, as shown in FIG. 6(b), untreated particles 920 accumulate in the thin film 910, resulting in a problem that the film quality of the thin film 910 deteriorates.

On the other hand, the film forming apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment has a film forming mode in which a thin film F is formed on the base material W by plasma processing the HMDS gas as a raw material gas, and a thin film forming mode in which the thin film F is not formed on the base material W. A surface treatment mode in which the surface of F is subjected to plasma treatment is performed by the plasma treatment means 3. Therefore, even if untreated particles G remain on the surface of the thin film F formed on the base material W in the film formation mode, they can be removed from the surface of the thin film F by plasma treatment in the surface treatment mode. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the untreated particles G from being included in the thin film F, so that deterioration in the film quality of the thin film F can be reduced more than before.

Further, in the film forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment, since the plurality of electrode units 31 alternately perform the film forming mode and the surface treatment mode on the base material W transported by the transport means 2, Even when a relatively thick thin film F is formed, deterioration in the film quality of the thin film F can be reduced.

I will explain in detail. In the surface treatment mode of this embodiment, the electrode unit 31 converts O2 gas into plasma to generate radicals R, and the untreated particles G remaining on the surface of the thin film F are reacted with the radicals R to remove the untreated particles G. It can be removed from the surface of the thin film F. However, as shown in FIG. 3(a), if untreated particles G remain in the thin film F before performing the surface treatment mode, the untreated particles G cannot react with the radicals R, so the thin film Untreated particles G in F cannot be removed. That is, in the surface treatment mode, only the untreated particles G remaining on the surface of the thin film F can be removed.

On the other hand, the film forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment divides the plurality of electrode units 31 into a first electrode unit for performing the film forming mode and a second electrode unit for performing the surface treatment mode. Processing in each mode is performed alternately. That is, while forming the thin film F and performing surface treatment of the thin film F alternately, the thin film F having a predetermined thickness is formed on the substrate W being transported. In this way, since the surface treatment of the thin film F can be carried out frequently during the formation of the thin film F, it becomes difficult for untreated particles G to accumulate in the thin film F. Thereby, even when a relatively thick thin film F is formed on the base material W, deterioration in the film quality of the thin film F can be reduced. Moreover, since the above-mentioned processing is performed while the base material W is transported by the transport means 2, the film formation rate can be increased. That is, it is possible to reduce the deterioration in film quality of the thin film F while increasing the film formation rate.

Here, the time for the transported base material W to pass through each of the first electrode unit and the second electrode unit may be shortened, such as by increasing the transport speed of the base material W by the transport means 2. That is, the timing of switching to each mode may be made earlier. As a result, the surface treatment of the thin film F can be performed more frequently during the formation of the thin film F, so that untreated particles G remain in the thin film F as shown in FIG. 3(b) and FIG. 3(c). This makes it easier to prevent the situation from occurring. Therefore, deterioration in film quality of the thin film F can be further reduced.

Note that the method of dividing each electrode unit 31 into a first electrode unit and a second electrode unit is not limited to the above-mentioned method. For example, the electrode unit 31a, the electrode unit 31b, the electrode unit 31d, and the electrode unit 31e are used as a first electrode unit that performs a film formation mode, and the electrode unit 31c and the electrode unit 31f are used as a second electrode unit that performs a surface treatment mode. After the film formation mode is performed by a plurality of electrode units 31 arranged in series, the surface treatment mode may be performed by the electrode unit 31 following the electrode units 31 performing the film formation mode. In this way, after the thin film F is continuously formed on the base material W by a plurality of electrode units 31, the surface treatment of the formed thin film F is performed, so that the processing in each mode is performed by one electrode unit 31. It is possible to increase the film formation rate more than when performing the steps alternately.

Further, as described above, switching to each mode does not need to be performed by the control unit. For example, the source gas supply section 51 may be arranged to supply the HMDS gas only between the first electrode unit performing the film formation mode and the film formation surface of the substrate W being transported. That is, the source gas supply unit 51 that supplies the HMDS gas between the second electrode unit that performs the surface treatment mode and the film-forming surface of the substrate W to be transported is intentionally not provided. Thereby, the formation of the thin film F on the base material W by the first electrode unit and the surface treatment of the thin film F by the second electrode unit are performed.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a film forming apparatus 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 4. The film forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment performs processing in a film forming mode and a surface treatment mode, and performs a film forming mode in a processing area sandwiched between the film forming surface of the base material W and the electrode unit 31 in the transport direction of the base material W. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it is divided into regions and regions in which the surface treatment mode is performed. Note that in the following description, specific descriptions of the same points as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the different parts.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a film forming apparatus 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) show different variations of the film forming apparatus 100 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the plasma processing means 3 in this embodiment operates in a film-forming mode in the transport direction of the base material W in a processing region that is a region sandwiched between the film-forming surface of the base material W and the electrode unit 31. The treatment area dividing means 6 divides the treatment area into an area where surface treatment is performed and an area where surface treatment is performed. In the following description, the region where the film formation mode is performed will be referred to as the film formation region D, and the region where the surface treatment will be performed will be referred to as the surface treatment region T.

As shown in FIG. 4(a), the processing area dividing means 6 includes a partition part 61 that partitions the processing area, which is an area sandwiched between a predetermined surface of the base material W and the electrode unit 31, into a film forming area D and a surface treatment area T. have. The partition part 61 is a plate-shaped member formed to partition the inside of the partition chamber 32 in the transport direction of the base material W, and as shown in FIG. 4(a), the straight line of the electrode part 33 in the transport direction of the base material W. It is provided in the partition chamber 32 so as to be located in the center between the portion 37a and the straight portion 37c. This partition part 61 is formed long in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the base material W (Z-axis direction in FIG. 4(a)), and the end of the partition part 61 in the longitudinal direction is used to form a film on the base material W to be transported. It is formed so that the distance from the film-forming surface of the base material W is a predetermined distance when facing the surface. The predetermined interval here refers to an interval at which the ends of the partitions 61 are close enough not to come into contact with the film-forming surface of the substrate W being transported and the thin film F formed on the substrate W. Thereby, the inside of the partition chamber 32 is divided into two in the conveyance direction of the base material W.

A plurality of plasma forming gas supply units 4 are provided so as to supply O2 gas into each of the partition chambers 32 divided into two as shown in FIG. 4(a). As a result, a plasma atmosphere is formed inside each of the divided partition chambers 32, and radicals are generated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the raw material gas supply section 51 is connected to the HMDS between the upstream side of the partition chamber 32, which is divided into two in the transport direction of the base material W, and the film-forming surface of the base material W to be transported. Arranged to supply gas. Here, as described above, when the end of the partition part 61 faces the film-forming surface of the substrate W to be transported, the distance between the partition part 61 and the film-forming surface of the base material W becomes the predetermined distance. Because of this configuration, the HMDS gas supplied by the raw material gas supply section 51 is difficult to flow between the downstream side of the partition chamber 32 divided into two and the film-forming surface of the substrate W being transported.

As a result, the HMDS gas and the radicals R react to form the thin film F in the processing region sandwiched between the upstream side of the partition chamber 32, which is divided into two in the transport direction of the base material W, and the film formation surface of the base material W to be transported. In the treatment region located downstream of this treatment region, the radicals R and the untreated particles G remaining on the surface of the thin film F react, and the untreated particles G are removed. That is, the processing area sandwiched between the upstream side of the partition chamber 32, which is divided into two in the conveyance direction of the base material W, and the film formation surface of the base material W to be conveyed is defined as the film formation area D, and the downstream side of the substrate W to be conveyed. Each treatment is performed using a treatment area sandwiched between the film-forming surfaces as a surface treatment area T.

Also in this embodiment, a plurality of electrode units 31 are provided so as to be arranged in the transport direction of the base material W, and a processing area sandwiched between each electrode unit 31 and the film-forming surface of the base material W to be transported. is divided into a film forming region D and a surface treatment region T. As a result, the substrate W to be transported passes through the film forming area D and the surface treatment area T that are arranged alternately, so the formation of the thin film F on the substrate W and the surface treatment of the thin film F are performed alternately. Then, a thin film F having a predetermined thickness is formed on the base material W.

As described above, according to the film forming apparatus 100 in the embodiment described above, deterioration in the film quality of the thin film F can be reduced more than before.

Note that the method of dividing the processing areas is not limited to the above method, and may be divided using another method. For example, this may be done by adjusting the arrangement of the raw material gas supply section 51. That is, the raw material gas supply section 51 may be the processing area dividing means 6.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the raw material gas supply section 51 supplies the central portion of the processing area sandwiched between the partition chamber 32 and the film-forming surface of the substrate W to be conveyed in the conveyance direction of the substrate W. It is located downstream from the The raw material gas supply section 51 is inclined so that the blow-off port 52 faces upstream from the position where it is disposed. As a result, the HMDS gas supplied from the raw material gas supply section 51 is delivered to the upstream side of the processing area sandwiched between the partition chamber 32 and the film forming surface of the substrate W to be conveyed in the conveyance direction of the substrate W. can be supplied and not supplied to the downstream side. That is, processing is performed so that the upstream side of the processing area sandwiched between the partition chamber 32 and the film formation surface of the substrate W to be transported in the transport direction of the substrate W is the film formation region D, and the downstream side is the surface treatment region T. Areas can be divided.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a film forming apparatus 100 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described using FIG. 5. The film forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment differs from the first embodiment and the second embodiment in that the film forming mode and the surface treatment mode are performed using one electrode unit 31 without transporting the base material W. Note that, in the following description, specific descriptions of the same points as those of the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the different parts.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a film forming apparatus 100 in a third embodiment of the present invention.

The film forming apparatus 100 in this embodiment does not have a transport mechanism and supports the base material W within the main chamber 1 by the base material support section 21. In addition, the plasma processing means 3 in this embodiment includes one electrode unit 31 disposed at a position facing the film-forming surface of the base material W, and HMDS gas, which is a raw material gas, between the base material W and the electrode unit 31. and a source gas supply means 5 for supplying the same, and one electrode unit 31 is used to alternately switch between a film forming mode and a surface treatment mode.

Hereinafter, the operation of each part of the plasma forming means 3 controlled by the control section in each mode will be specifically explained.

First, a first film formation mode is performed. Specifically, first, O2 gas is supplied into the partition chamber 32 from the plasma forming gas supply section 4. With O2 gas being supplied into the partition chamber 32, a voltage is applied to the electrode section 33 by the high frequency power source 38. As a result, a plasma atmosphere is formed and radicals R are generated, and the radicals R are emitted from the opening 34 to the outside of the partition chamber 32. Next, HMDS gas is supplied between the film-forming surface of the base material W and the electrode unit 31 by the raw material gas supply means 5. When this HMDS gas reacts with radicals R, film-forming particles are generated. Then, the film-forming particles are deposited on the base material W. When a predetermined amount of film-forming particles are deposited on the base material W, the film-forming mode is stopped and switched to the surface treatment mode.

Switching from the film formation mode to the surface treatment mode is performed by stopping the supply of HMDS gas by the source gas supply means 5. That is, the state is set such that film-forming particles cannot be generated, and only plasma processing is performed on the surface of the thin film F by the electrode unit 31. Thereby, the surface of the thin film F is plasma-treated, and untreated particles G remaining on the surface of the thin film F can be removed.

Here, before performing the surface treatment mode, the supply of O2 gas into the partition chamber 32 by the plasma forming gas supply section 4 and the application of voltage to the electrode section 33 by the high frequency power supply 38 are stopped, and the The gas inside the main chamber 1 and the partition chamber 32 may be evacuated by a connected vacuum pump to reduce the pressure inside each chamber. Thereby, the HMDS gas supplied during the film formation mode can be exhausted from the main chamber 1. After the HMDS gas is exhausted from the main chamber 1, the supply of O2 gas into the partition chamber 32 by the plasma forming gas supply section 4 and the application of voltage to the electrode section 33 by the high frequency power source 38 are restarted, thereby forming a thin film. Perform F surface treatment. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the HMDS gas remaining in the main chamber 1 from being subjected to plasma treatment to be converted into film particles and deposited on the surface of the thin film F during the surface treatment mode.

A relatively thick thin film F is formed on the base material W by performing these film forming modes and surface treatment modes alternately.

As described above, according to the film forming apparatus 100 in the embodiment described above, deterioration in the film quality of the thin film F can be reduced more than before.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, but the configurations and combinations thereof in each embodiment are merely examples, and additions, omissions, etc. of the configurations may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Substitutions and other changes are possible. For example, the base material W is not limited to a plate-shaped member, but may be a belt-shaped sheet member extending in one direction. In this case, the conveying means 2 for conveying the base material W may be configured to have a roll-to-roll type conveying mechanism.

Further, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which a vacuum pump is connected to the main chamber 1 and the pressure inside the partition chamber 32 is adjusted by the vacuum pump, but the present invention is not limited to this. However, the pressure inside the partition chamber 32 may be adjusted by the vacuum pump. Here, when the plasma processing means 3 has a plurality of partition chambers 32, it is preferable to connect a vacuum pump to each partition chamber 32.

100 Film forming apparatus 1 Main chamber 2 Transport means 21 Substrate support section 22 Gripping mechanism 3 Plasma processing means 31 Electrode unit 32 Partition chamber 33 Electrode section 34 Opening section 35 Electrode 36 Cover section 37a Straight section 37b Folded section 37c Straight section 38 High frequency Power source 4 Plasma forming gas supply section 5 Source gas supply means 51 Source gas supply section 52 Air outlet 6 Processing area dividing means 61 Partition section W Base material F Thin film R Radical G Untreated particles D Film forming area T Surface treatment area

Claims (4)

A plasma processing means having an electrode unit that forms a plasma atmosphere, and a source gas supply means that supplies a source gas between a predetermined surface of a base material and the electrode unit,
A film forming apparatus that forms a thin film made of the plasma-treated raw material gas on a predetermined surface of a base material by plasma-treating the raw material gas with the plasma processing means,
The plasma processing means supplies the raw material gas between a predetermined surface of the base material and the electrode unit by the raw material gas supply means, and plasma-processes the raw material gas by the electrode unit onto the predetermined surface of the base material. a film formation mode for forming the thin film;
A film forming apparatus having a surface treatment mode in which the surface of the thin film on the base material is subjected to plasma treatment using the electrode unit without forming the thin film. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plasma processing means alternately performs the film forming mode and the surface treatment mode to form a thin film with a predetermined thickness on the base material. Further comprising a conveyance means for conveying the base material,
The plasma processing means has a plurality of the electrode units arranged along the conveyance direction of the base material,
2. The plurality of electrode units are divided into a first electrode unit for performing the film formation mode and a second electrode unit for performing the surface treatment mode. The film forming apparatus described in . Further comprising a conveyance means for conveying the base material,
The plasma processing means divides a processing region, which is a region sandwiched between a predetermined surface of the base material and the electrode unit, into a region where the film formation mode is performed and a region where the surface treatment mode is performed in the transport direction of the base material. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a dividing means.

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