JP2024052560A - Film forming equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A film forming apparatus capable of simultaneously forming films with uniform film thickness distribution on a plurality of film forming objects is provided.
[Solution] The film forming apparatus 1 of the embodiment has a self-revolution unit 42 that revolves the tray 41 around a shaft portion 420 and rotates the tray 41 around a support shaft 422 that supports the tray 41 in accordance with the rotation of the shaft portion 420, a pusher unit 43 that is arranged to be able to come into contact with and separate from the self-revolution unit 42, and that comes into contact with and applies force to the self-revolution unit 42 to separate the self-revolution unit 42 from the transport body and move the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W between a storage position where it is stored in the film forming chamber 110 and a separation position where it is moved away from the self-revolution unit 42 to mount the self-revolution unit 42 on the transport body and separated from the film forming chamber 110, and a rotation unit 44 that rotates the shaft portion 420 while the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W is stored in the film forming chamber 110, causing the tray 41 to revolve and rotate on its axis.
[Selected figure] Figure 4

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus.

Sputtering deposition devices are widely used as devices for depositing films on the surface of a substrate or other object. Sputtering is a technology that uses the process in which ions are generated by turning a gas introduced into a vacuum chamber into plasma, and the ions collide with the surface of a target material, which is the material to be deposited, causing the material to fly out and adhere to the substrate.

In such a film forming apparatus, it is desirable to make the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the substrate uniform. In sputtering, for example, multiple targets are arranged to make the distribution of the film forming material falling on the substrate more uniform. In order to make the film thickness distribution even more uniform, the power applied to each target is adjusted, and the distance and orientation between the target and the film-forming object are adjusted to make the film thickness uniform across the surface.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 01-212756

However, the above method requires many targets. Therefore, in the method of adjusting the applied power, power control becomes complicated. In addition, even in the method of adjusting the distance between the target and the substrate, there is a limit to how close the target can be to the substrate, because a target brought close to the substrate blocks particles of the film-forming material that fly out from other targets. In other words, even by adjusting the voltage applied to the target or the distance between the target and the substrate, it may be difficult to achieve a uniform film thickness.

In addition, film thickness distribution can sometimes be improved by tilting the target with respect to the substrate. However, because it is necessary to arrange other components, such as a mechanism for holding the target, a mechanism for cooling the target, and magnets used to improve film formation efficiency, it may not be possible to select the optimal tilt angle, making it difficult to optimize the film thickness.

To address this issue, a substrate facing multiple targets is rotated so that the substrate's film-forming surface faces different targets in sequence, thereby offsetting the variation in the film-forming rate of the multiple targets (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 also describes simultaneously forming films on multiple substrates while rotating (revolving) them around a rotation axis provided on the outside of each substrate. However, in this case, each point on the surface of each substrate always passes through the same orbit, and the distance from the target remains uneven, leading to uneven deposition of the film-forming material and variation in the film thickness distribution within each substrate. For this reason, it has been considered to rotate (spin) each substrate around a rotation axis provided on the inside of each substrate in addition to the orbit, so that each point on the surface of each substrate does not pass through the same orbit during revolution.

Here, in order to perform film formation and film processing such as oxidizing or nitriding the formed film in one chamber, there are film formation apparatuses in which multiple film formation chambers and film processing chambers are arranged in the same chamber. In such film formation apparatuses, a substrate to be formed is placed on a transport body, and the substrate is moved to a position facing the film formation chamber, after which the substrate is separated from the transport body by a pusher, film formation is performed with the substrate close to the target, and the substrate is placed on the transport body again and moved to the next film formation chamber or processing chamber. In such film formation apparatuses, film formation is performed with the substrate elevated by the pusher, but to address the above-mentioned issues, a mechanism for rotating and revolving multiple substrates on its axis was required in addition to a mechanism for raising and lowering the pusher.

The embodiment of the present invention has been proposed to solve the problems of the conventional technology as described above, and its purpose is to provide a film formation device that can simultaneously form films with uniform film thickness distribution on multiple film formation targets.

In order to achieve the above object, the film forming apparatus of the embodiment has a film forming section that performs film formation by sputtering on a workpiece placed on a tray in a film forming chamber having a target, a rotation and revolution unit that revolves the tray around an axis and rotates the tray around a support axis that supports the tray in accordance with the rotation of the axis, a transport body that transports the tray with the workpiece loaded thereon to a position facing the film forming section together with the rotation and revolution unit, a pusher unit that is provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the rotation and revolution unit, and that comes into contact with and biases the rotation and revolution unit to separate the rotation and revolution unit from the transport body and move the tray with the workpiece loaded thereon between a storage position in which the rotation and revolution unit is separated from the transport body and the separation position in which the rotation and revolution unit is mounted on the transport body and separated from the film forming chamber by moving away from the rotation and revolution unit, and a rotation unit that rotates the axis while the tray with the workpiece loaded thereon is stored in the film forming chamber to revolve and rotate the tray.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a film formation device that can simultaneously form films with uniform film thickness distribution on multiple film formation targets.

FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view illustrating an embodiment. 1A is an exploded perspective view showing the jig, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the workpiece, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of FIG. 1A is a plan view showing the rotation-revolution unit, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, showing the film-forming unit and the workpiece rotating unit in a standby state. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1 , showing the film-forming unit and the workpiece rotating unit during film formation. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of a loading/unloading unit and a chamber.

An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as the present embodiment) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that, in the cross-sectional views of Fig. 4 and Fig. 5, for ease of understanding, only the rotation-revolution unit 42 is shown as a vertical cross-sectional view passing through two support shafts 422, similar to Fig. 3(B).
[overview]
As shown in Fig. 1, this embodiment is a film forming apparatus 1 that uses plasma to form a film on a film forming surface of a workpiece W, which is an individual film forming target. The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a rotating table 3 that holds a self-rotating and revolutionary unit 42 (see Figs. 3(A) and (B)) that supports a tray 41 on which the workpiece W is mounted, and rotates intermittently by 90° in a chamber 2 that can be evacuated. The film forming apparatus 1 performs various processes on the workpiece W at three of the four stopping positions at which the rotating table 3 stops. A film forming section 100, an inversion section 200, and a loading/unloading section 300 are assigned to the three stopping positions.

The film forming unit 100 simultaneously forms films on multiple workpieces W by sputtering in a film forming chamber 110 having a target 10. That is, ions generated by turning sputtering gas G into plasma are collided with the target 10 (see FIG. 4), and particles of the film forming material that constitutes the target 10 are attached to the film forming surfaces of the multiple workpieces W. The film forming unit 100 of this embodiment is equipped with two targets 10A and 10B. When there is no need to distinguish between the two targets 10A and 10B, they are simply referred to as targets 10.

In order to form a film on both sides of the workpiece W, the inversion unit 200 inverts the workpiece W after one side has been formed in the film formation unit 100 using an inversion mechanism in the inversion unit 200 so that the other side can also be formed in the film formation unit 100. The loading/unloading unit 300 loads the self-rotating/revolving unit 42 supporting the tray 41 carrying the unprocessed workpiece W from the outside into the chamber 2 via the load lock chamber 25 while maintaining the vacuum inside the chamber 2, and unloads the self-rotating/revolving unit 42 supporting the tray 41 carrying the processed workpiece W to the outside of the chamber 2.

[Subject to be film-formed]
In this embodiment, a circular workpiece W is used as an example of a film-forming target. The workpiece W is a member in which a substrate S and a jig J, which will be described later, are integrated. Furthermore, a plurality of workpieces W are mounted on a tray 41 of the self-revolving unit 42 and transported by the rotating table 3. The substrate S is circular, and is, for example, a quartz substrate used in a quartz device such as a quartz resonator or a quartz oscillator. The substrate S has an Au layer formed on both sides of the quartz substrate to serve as an electrode. In addition, a Cr layer formed as an adhesion layer for improving the adhesion of the Au layer to the quartz substrate surface is formed between the quartz substrate surface and the Au layer. Therefore, two layers, a Cr layer acting as an adhesion layer and an Au layer acting as an electrode, are formed on both sides of the quartz substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a silicon (Si) wafer, a silicon carbide (SiC) wafer, a sapphire substrate, or a glass substrate.

The jig J is a member on which the substrate S is attached. As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 2(A), the perspective view of FIG. 2(B), and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2(C) (cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 2(B)), the jig J in this embodiment has an upper jig Ju, a lower jig Jd, a spacer Js, and a pin Jp. The upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd are ring-shaped plates with an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate S and an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the substrate S. The spacer Js is a ring-shaped plate with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the substrate S and an outer diameter equal in size to the upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd. The upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js can be made of metal.

The spacer Js is sandwiched between the upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd, and the substrate S is sandwiched on the inner edge side of the spacer Js, so that the substrate S is attached to the jig J. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(C), the spacer Js is arranged on the outside of the substrate S. Also, as shown in FIG. 2(C), a magnet Jm is embedded in the lower jig Jd outside the outer edge of the substrate S, and the spacer Js and the substrate S are sandwiched between the upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd by attracting the upper jig Ju with magnetic force. This prevents the substrate S from coming off the jig J. Also, the upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js have multiple through holes formed at corresponding positions, and the pins Jp are inserted into these through holes to prevent misalignment. In the following description, the jig J with the substrate S attached is simply called the workpiece W.

[Chamber]
The chamber 2 is a container capable of creating a vacuum inside. The chamber 2 in this embodiment is a rectangular box shape, with a bottom plate 21 on the installation side and a cover plate 22 on the opposite side (see FIGS. 4 and 5 ). The chamber 2 is provided on a box-shaped stand 24. The chamber 2 is provided with a chamber exhaust unit 23. The chamber exhaust unit 23 in this embodiment has a pipe connected to an opening formed in the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2. The chamber exhaust unit 23 is configured to include a pneumatic circuit (not shown) and enables the inside of the chamber 2 to be evacuated by an exhaust process.

[Rotary table]
As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3C, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, the rotating table 3 is a carrier that transports a tray 41 carrying a workpiece W to a position facing the film-forming unit 100 in the chamber 2 together with a self-rotating and revolving unit 42 described later. The rotating table 3 is a circular plate body, and rotates intermittently around a shaft 31 by a driving source 3a. The rotating table 3 has a plurality of openings 32 that are through holes. The plurality of openings 32 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction at positions that are equal intervals from the center of rotation of the rotating table 3. In this embodiment, four openings 32 are provided at 90° intervals corresponding to the stop positions of the intermittent rotation. Three of these positions face the film-forming unit 100, the reversing unit 200, and the loading and unloading unit 300. A support portion 33 that supports the self-rotating and revolving unit 42 is provided at the upper edge of the opening 32. In other words, the plurality of self-rotating and revolving units 42 are mounted at equal intervals in the circumferential direction at positions that are equal intervals from the center of rotation of the rotating table 3. When the rotation-revolution unit 42 with the workpiece W loaded on the tray 41 is positioned at a position corresponding to the film-forming chamber 110 by the intermittent rotation of the turntable 3, the shaft portion 420 of the rotating body 421 described later comes to a position opposite the connection portion 44c of the rotation unit 44.

[Workpiece rotation part]
4 and 5, the workpiece rotating unit 4 rotates and revolves the workpiece W in the film formation chamber 110, thereby making the film thickness distribution of each substrate S uniform. The workpiece rotating unit 4 has a tray 41, a rotating/revolving unit 42, a pusher unit 43, and a rotating unit 44.

The tray 41 is a member on which the workpiece W is mounted. The tray 41 is a circular plate, and its upper surface serves as a workpiece contact surface 41a on which the workpiece W is mounted. The outer diameter of the workpiece contact surface 41a is larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece W. A recess for accommodating the workpiece W is formed at the position on the workpiece contact surface 41a where the workpiece W is placed. Multiple trays 41 are provided so that multiple workpieces W can be mounted. In this embodiment, three trays 41 are provided.

The self-rotating and revolving unit 42 revolves the tray 41 around the shaft 420, and rotates the tray 41 around the support shaft 422 that supports the tray 41 according to the rotation of the shaft 420. The self-rotating and revolving unit 42 is provided so that the tray 41 can be loaded and unloaded from the rotating table 3 in the chamber 2 with the workpiece W placed on the tray 41. The self-rotating and revolving unit 42 has a shaft 420, a rotor 421, a support shaft 422, and a conversion mechanism 423. The shaft 420 is a cylindrical member that serves as the axis of revolution of the workpiece W. The revolution here means that the workpiece W moves around the shaft 420 in a circular trajectory centered on the shaft 420. The lower end of the shaft 420 is provided with a connection hole 420a to which a connection part 44c provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 44b described later is connected. The rotating body 421 is a circular plate that is provided at the upper end of the shaft portion 420 coaxially with the shaft portion 420 and is rotatable together with the shaft portion 420. The edge of the lower surface of the rotating body 421 is supported by the support portion 33 of the turntable 3.

The support shaft 422 supports the tray 41. The support shaft 422 is a vertical member attached to the center of the underside of the tray 41, and serves as the center of rotation of the workpiece W supported on the tray 41. Rotation here means that the workpiece W rotates around its own center. Each support shaft 422 extends downward, rotatably penetrating the rotating body 421 via a bearing provided on the rotating body 421. The self-revolution unit 42 revolves the multiple trays 41 around the shaft portion 420, and rotates the trays 41 around the support shaft 422 that supports the trays 41 in accordance with the rotation of the shaft portion 420.

The conversion mechanism 423 converts the rotation of the shaft portion 420 into the rotation of the support shaft 422. The conversion mechanism 423 has a transmission unit that transmits the rotation of the shaft portion 420 and a rotating member to which the rotation of the shaft portion 420 is transmitted by the transmission unit and rotates the support shaft 422. In this embodiment, the transmission unit is a fixed gear 423a, and the rotating member is a planetary gear 423b. The fixed gear 423a is concentric with the shaft portion 420, but is fixed to a support tube 433 that surrounds the outer periphery of the shaft portion 420, and is a disk gear that does not rotate due to the rotation of the shaft portion 420. The planetary gear 423b is fixed to the lower end of each support shaft 422 and engages with a gear groove on the outer periphery of the fixed gear 423a. As shown in FIG. 5, when the support shaft 422 revolves together with the tray 41 in accordance with the rotation of the rotor 421, the planetary gear 423b rotates around the fixed gear 423a while rotating, so that the tray 41 also rotates around the support shaft 422 (see FIG. 3A). The term "revolution" here refers to the tray 41, support shaft 422, and planetary gear 423b moving around the shaft 420 on a circular trajectory centered on the shaft 420. The term "rotation" here refers to the tray 41 and planetary gear 423b rotating around the support shaft 422.

The pusher unit 43 is a mechanism for moving the rotation-revolution unit 42 toward and away from the film-forming chamber 110. The pusher unit 43 is provided so as to be able to approach and separate from the rotation-revolution unit 42. The pusher unit 43 moves between a storage position where the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W is stored in the film-forming chamber 110 by contacting and biasing the rotation-revolution unit 42 and the storage position where the rotation-revolution unit 42 is mounted on the turntable 3 and separated from the film-forming chamber 110 by moving away from the rotation-revolution unit 42. The storage position is also a processing position where the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W is in the film-forming chamber 110 and film-forming processing can be performed on the workpiece W. The separation position is also a position where the rotation-revolution unit 42 is separated from the film-forming chamber 110. The pusher unit 43 descends from a remote position away from the rotation/revolution unit 42 to a standby position (home position: between the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2 and the rotation table 3) where it does not impede the rotation of the turntable 3. The standby position is a position where the connection plate 434, which will be described later, is close to or in contact with the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2. The turntable 3 rotates intermittently with the pusher unit 43 in the standby position, and stops at a position where the rotation/revolution unit 42 faces the storage position.

The pusher unit 43 has a cylinder 431, a housing 432, a support tube 433, and a connection plate 434. The cylinder 431 is a drive source for raising and lowering the rotating body 421 and the tray 41, and is fixed to the bottom surface of the stand 24. The housing 432 is a tube that is supported by the drive shaft of the cylinder 431 and houses the rotating unit 44 described below.

The support cylinder 433 is a cylinder into which the rotating shaft 44b is inserted. The lower end of the support cylinder 433 is fixed to the upper part of the container 432. The support cylinder 433 penetrates the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2 so as to be slidable up and down. The connection plate 434 is a plate body fixed to the upper end of the support cylinder 433. The connection plate 434 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the fixed gear 423a. The connection plate 434 and the fixed gear 423a have a fitting portion 424. The fitting portion 424 has a fitting protrusion 424a provided on the connection plate 434 and a fitting recess 424b provided on the fixed gear 423a, and the fitting protrusion 424a and the fitting recess 424b are fitted together to fix the fixed gear 423a so as not to rotate.

The rotating unit 44 is a mechanism for rotating the shaft portion 420. The rotating unit 44 has a motor 44a, a rotating shaft 44b, and a connecting portion 44c. The motor 44a is a driving source housed in the housing 432. The shaft of the motor 44a is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 44b. As a result, the rotating shaft 44b is rotated by the rotation of the motor 44a. The upper end of the rotating shaft 44b is rotatably inserted through a bearing installed in the connecting plate 434. The connecting portion 44c is a protrusion protruding from the side of the upper end of the rotating shaft 44b, and by fitting into the connecting hole 420a of the shaft portion 420, the rotation of the rotating shaft 44b can be transmitted to the shaft portion 420. The pusher unit 43 positions the rotation/revolution unit 42 in the storage position, and stores the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W in the film formation chamber 110. When the rotation unit 44 rotates the shaft portion 420, the multiple trays 41 revolve and each tray 41 rotates on its axis.

[Film forming section]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the film forming section 100 includes a film forming chamber 110, a sputtering source 120, a power supply section 130, a sputtering gas inlet section 140, and an exhaust section 150.

(Film formation chamber)
The film formation chamber 110 is a space where a film is formed by sputtering. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the film formation chamber 110 is composed of an opening 111, a spacer 112, and a cover 113. The opening 111 is a through hole provided in the cover plate 22 of the chamber 2. The spacer 112 is a rectangular cylindrical member provided on the outer side of the cover plate 22 of the chamber 2 so as to surround the opening 111. The spacer 112 constitutes a side wall of the film formation chamber 110. The cover 113 is a box-shaped body that seals the upper part of the spacer 112. The gap between the cover plate 22, the spacer 112, and the cover 113 is sealed by a sealing material such as an O-ring.

(Sputtering source)
The sputtering source 120 is a supply source of a film forming material that is deposited by sputtering on the workpiece W to form a film. The sputtering source 120 includes a target 10, a backing plate 121, and an electrode 122.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, there are two targets 10. These two targets 10, i.e., targets 10A and 10B, are members formed from a film-forming material that is deposited on the workpiece W to form a film. The sputtering surfaces of targets 10A and 10B that are being scraped off by sputtering are positioned opposite the workpiece W and inclined relative to the workpiece W.

For example, Cr, Au, etc. are used as the film forming material. However, various materials can be used as long as they can be used to form a film by sputtering. Target 10A and target 10B may be made of the same material or different materials. For example, targets 10A and 10B may both be made of the same Cr target, or targets 10A and 10B may both be made of the same Au target. Furthermore, target 10A may be made of Cr and target 10B may be made of Au, with targets 10A and 10B being different targets.

The backing plate 121 is a holding member that holds each of the targets 10A, 10B individually. The electrode 122 is a conductive member for applying power individually to each of the targets 10A, 10B from outside the chamber 2. The sputtering source 120 is equipped with a magnet, a cooling mechanism, and the like, although not shown. In other words, the film forming unit 100 of this embodiment is configured as a magnetron sputtering device.

(Power supply part)
The power supply unit 130 is a component that applies power to each of the targets 10A, 10B. By applying power to the targets 10 by the power supply unit 130, the sputtering gas G described below can be turned into plasma, and the film forming material can be deposited on the workpiece W. The power applied to each of the targets 10A, 10B can be changed individually. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 130 is, for example, an RF power supply that applies a high-frequency voltage. It is to be noted that it may also be a DC power supply.

(Sputtering gas inlet)
In the plasma processing of this embodiment, a sputtering gas G is used. The sputtering gas G is a gas for depositing the material of the targets 10A, 10B on the surface of the substrate S by colliding ions generated by plasma generated by application of electric power with the targets 10A, 10B. For example, an inert gas such as argon gas can be used as the sputtering gas G.

The sputtering gas introduction section 140 has a pipe for introducing the sputtering gas G. The sputtering gas introduction section 140 includes a gas supply circuit (not shown) and enables the sputtering gas G from a supply source to be introduced into the deposition chamber 110.

(Exhaust section)
The exhaust unit 150 has a pipe connected to an opening formed in the spacer 112. The exhaust unit 150 includes an exhaust circuit (not shown) and enables the inside of the film formation chamber 110 to be evacuated by an exhaust process.

[Inverted part]
The reversing section 200 has a reversing mechanism (not shown) and reverses the workpieces W. The reversing mechanism of this embodiment individually grips and lifts the three workpieces W at the separation position from the rotation-revolution unit 42 by the pusher unit 43, rotates them by 180°, and then descends to place the workpieces W on the rotation-revolution unit 42.

[Loading/unloading section]
The loading/unloading section 300 is a device that loads and unloads the rotation/revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W is mounted to the chamber 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the loading/unloading section 300 has a transport section 310 and a mounting table T. The rotation/revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W before film formation is mounted is mounted on the mounting table T by a mounting device from outside the film formation apparatus 1. The transport section 310 picks up the rotation/revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W before film formation is mounted, which is mounted on the mounting table T, and loads it into the load lock chamber 25 configured in the chamber 2. The mounting device is a device that transports the rotation/revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W is mounted from the outside to the loading/unloading section 300. The transport section 310 also receives the rotation/revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W after film formation is mounted from the load lock chamber 25 and places it on the mounting table T. The mounting device transports the rotation-revolution unit 42 on which the film-formed workpiece W placed on the mounting table T is mounted to the outside of the film forming apparatus 1 .

The transport section 310 has an arm 311 and a blocking section 312. The arm 311 is a long member that is provided between the mounting table T and the chamber 2 and parallel to the plane of the turntable 3. The arm 311 is provided so as to be rotatable intermittently at 180° increments around an axis that is parallel to the shaft 31 of the turntable 3 and to be movable along this axis by a drive mechanism (not shown). The blocking sections 312 are provided at both ends of the arm 311 and are members that seal the opening 2a provided in the chamber 2. The opening 2a is an opening that is provided in the cover plate 22 on the top surface of the chamber 2 to connect the inside of the chamber 2 to the outside, and is the end on the outside side of the load lock chamber 25. The blocking section 312 is provided with a sealing member 312a such as an O-ring.

The blocking section 312 is provided with a holding section 312b. The holding section 312b is a member that holds the rotation-revolution unit 42. The holding section 312b holds the rotation-revolution unit 42 by a holding mechanism such as a mechanical chuck. The mounting table T is provided with a pusher P that moves the rotation-revolution unit 42 carrying the workpiece W between the mounting table T and the holding section 312b by being moved by a drive mechanism (not shown).

The load lock section 320 has a load lock chamber 321, a pusher 322, an exhaust line 323, and a vent line 324. The load lock chamber 321 is a space that is surrounded by the inner surface of an opening 2a, which is a through hole formed in the cover plate 22 of the chamber 2, and can be sealed to accommodate the rotation-revolution unit 42 held by the holding section 312b. The end of the opening 2a of the load lock chamber 321 that is on the outside side of the chamber 2 is sealed by a blocking section 312.

The pusher 322 is a member that drives the support portion 33 by a driving mechanism 322a. The pusher 322 moves the support portion 33 between the opening 32 of the rotary table 3 and the load lock chamber 321 in a direction to move the support portion 33 toward or away from the end portion opposite the external side of the opening 2a of the load lock chamber 321. The pusher 322 is provided with a sealing member 322b such as an O-ring that seals the space between the support portion 33. The support portion 33, which is biased by the pusher 322, seals the end portion opposite the external side of the opening 2a of the load lock chamber 321 together with the pusher 322. In this way, the load lock chamber 321 is formed by being sealed by the blocking portion 312, the support portion 33, and the pusher 322.

The exhaust line 323 is connected to an air pressure circuit (not shown) and is a path for reducing the pressure in the sealed load lock chamber 321. The vent line 324 is connected to a valve (not shown) and is a path for breaking the vacuum in the load lock chamber 321.

The opening 2a is sealed by the blocking part 312, and the rotation-revolution unit 42 held by the holding part 312b is transferred to the support part 33 in the load lock chamber 321, which is evacuated via the exhaust line 323. The pusher 322 descends, ejecting the rotation-revolution unit 42 from the load lock chamber 321 and placing it together with the support part 33 on the opening 32 of the turntable 3. The pusher 322 further descends and retreats from the turntable 3. The pusher 322 also pushes up the rotation-revolution unit 42 with the film-formed workpiece W placed thereon together with the support part 33 to seal the load lock chamber 25, and transfers the rotation-revolution unit 42 to the holding part 312b of the blocking part 312. The blocking part 312 that has received the rotation-revolution unit 42 rises to eject the rotation-revolution unit 42 after the load lock chamber 321 is opened to the atmosphere via the vent line 324.

[Control device]
The control device 50, as shown in Fig. 1, is a device that controls each part of the film forming apparatus 1. The control device 50 can be configured, for example, by a dedicated electronic circuit or a computer that operates with a predetermined program. In other words, the control of exhaust of the chamber 2, the control of introduction and exhaust of the sputtering gas G into the film forming chamber 110, the control of the power of the power supply unit 130, the control of the rotation of the turntable 3, the control of the reversing mechanism of the reversing unit 200, the control of the loading and unloading of the loading and unloading unit 300, the drive control of the pusher unit 43, the rotation control of the rotating unit 44, and the like are programmed and executed by a processing device such as a PLC or a CPU, and can be adapted to a wide variety of film forming process specifications.

Specific items that are controlled include the intermittent operation timing of the drive source 3a of the rotary table 3, the initial exhaust pressure of the film forming apparatus 1, the power applied to the target 10, the flow rate, type, introduction time and exhaust time of the sputtering gas G, and the time for surface treatment and film forming process.

In particular, in this embodiment, the control device 50 controls the deposition rate by controlling the power applied to the targets 10A and 10B and the amount of sputtering gas G supplied by the sputtering gas introduction unit 140. The control device 50 also controls the operation of the cylinder 431 of the pusher unit 43 to raise and lower the rotation and revolution unit 42. The control device 50 also controls the motor 44a of the rotation unit 44 to rotate the shaft portion 420 connected to the rotation shaft 44b, causing the multiple trays 41 to revolve and each tray 41 to rotate on its axis.

In addition, input devices and output devices (not shown) are connected to the control device 50. The input devices are input means such as switches, touch panels, keyboards, and mice that allow the operator to operate the film forming apparatus 1 via the control device 50. The output devices are output means such as displays, lamps, and meters that make information for checking the status of the apparatus visible to the operator.

[Film formation process]
A process of forming a film on a workpiece W using the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment as described above will be described.

First, the rotation/revolution unit 42 carrying the three workpieces W is carried into the chamber 2 by the loading/unloading unit 300 and placed in the opening 32 of the turntable 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the turntable 3 rotates intermittently to position the rotation/revolution unit 42 directly below the opening 111 of the film formation chamber 110.

Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the cylinder 431 of the pusher unit 43 is actuated to raise the connection plate 434 and the rotating shaft 44b, thereby fitting the mating protrusion 424a of the connection plate 434 into the mating recess 424b of the fixed gear 423a. As a result, the connection portion 44c of the rotating shaft 44b fits into the connection hole 420a of the shaft portion 420. Furthermore, as the connection plate 434 and the rotating shaft 44b rise, the self-revolving unit 42 separates from the support portion 33 of the rotating table 3 and rises from the separated position to the accommodated position. As a result, the workpiece W on the tray 41 is accommodated in the film formation chamber 110.

In this state, the sputtering gas G is introduced into the film-forming chamber 110 by the sputtering gas introduction unit 140, and exhausted by the exhaust unit 150, so that the pressure is controlled to a predetermined pressure optimal for the film-forming process. Then, the motor 44a of the rotation unit 44 is operated to rotate the rotating shaft 44b, and the rotating body 421 rotates together with the shaft portion 420. The rotating body 421 rotates around its axis while the planetary gear 423b rotates around the periphery of the fixed gear 423a, and the tray 41 rotates around the support shaft 422. As a result, the workpieces W on the three trays 41 revolve and rotate around their axes. The rotating body 421 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed (number of rotations per unit time) and for a predetermined rotation time. Since film formation is performed during rotation, the rotation time is approximately the same as the film formation time. The rotation speed and rotation time of the rotating body 421 are the optimal rotation speed and rotation time obtained in advance by experiments, etc.

Power is applied to each target 10A, 10B by the power supply unit 130. Then, the sputtering gas G is turned into plasma, generating ions that collide with the targets 10A, 10B. The film-forming material that constitutes the targets 10A, 10B is knocked out of the targets 10A, 10B by the ions. The film-forming material is then deposited on the film-forming surface of the workpiece W, which revolves and rotates around the tray 41.

After a predetermined time of film formation processing, the application of power to the target 10 is stopped. Then, the sputtering gas G is exhausted from the film formation chamber 110 by exhaust from the exhaust unit 150, and the pressure in the film formation chamber 110 is made equal to that of the chamber 2. Then, the motor 44a is stopped so that the orientation of the rotation and revolution unit 42 (the position of the three workpieces W) is positioned in the initial state, and as shown in FIG. 4, when the connection plate 434 and the rotation shaft 44b are lowered by the cylinder 431, the rotation and revolution unit 42 returns to the separated position and is supported by the support part 33 of the turntable 3. Furthermore, the fitting convex part 424a of the connection plate 434 is disengaged from the fitting concave part 424b of the fixed gear 423a, and the connection part 44c of the rotation shaft 44b is disengaged from the connection hole 420a of the shaft part 420. In addition, the connection plate 434 moves below the opening 2a of the turntable 3, and is lowered to the standby position (home position) and stopped.

By intermittently rotating the turntable 3, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is moved to the inversion section 200 and inverted. By intermittently rotating the turntable 3, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is moved again to the film-forming section 100, and a film is formed on the other film-forming target surface of the workpiece W in the same manner as described above. The orientation of the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 (the positions of the three workpieces W) is positioned in the initial state. After that, by intermittently rotating the turntable 3, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 carrying the film-formed workpiece W is moved directly below the opening 2a, and is transported out of the chamber 2 by the load/unload section 300.

[effect]
(1) The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment as described above includes a film forming section 100 that forms a film by sputtering on a workpiece W placed on a tray 41 in a film forming chamber 110 having a target 10, a rotation-revolution unit 42 that revolves the tray 41 around an axis 420 and rotates the tray 41 around a support axis 422 that supports the tray 41 in accordance with the rotation of the axis 420, and a transport body that, together with the rotation-revolution unit 42, transports the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W to a position opposite the film forming section 100.

Furthermore, the pusher unit 43 is provided so as to be capable of approaching and retracting from the rotation-and-revolution unit 42, and by coming into contact with and biasing the rotation-and-revolution unit 42, separates the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 from the transport body and moves the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W between a storage position in which the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W is stored in the film-forming chamber 110 and a separation position in which the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is mounted on the transport body and separated from the film-forming chamber 110 by moving away from the rotation-and-revolution unit 42; and with the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W stored in the film-forming chamber 110, the pusher unit 43 rotates the shaft portion 420 to revolve and rotate the tray 41 on its axis.

As a result, the workpieces W rotate while revolving during film formation, and the positions of the multiple workpieces W relative to the target 10 change due to the revolution, and the position of each workpiece W relative to the target 10 also changes due to the rotation, preventing uneven deposition of the film formation material and making it possible to make the film thickness distribution uniform among the multiple workpieces W and within each individual workpiece W.

In addition, in this embodiment, the multiple workpieces W rotate while revolving during film formation, so that the positions of the multiple workpieces W relative to the target 10 change due to the revolution, and the position of each workpiece W relative to the target 10 also changes due to the rotation, preventing uneven deposition of the film formation material and making it possible to make the film thickness distribution uniform among the multiple workpieces W and within each individual workpiece W.

(2) The rotation/revolution unit 42 has a conversion mechanism 423 that converts the rotation of the shaft portion 420 into the rotation of the support shaft 422. Therefore, the workpiece W can be rotated and revolved by the rotation of the shaft portion 420, and there is no need to provide a drive source that directly rotates the support shaft 422. In other words, since the shaft portion 420 serves as the rotation drive source of the support shaft 422, the support shaft 422 can be rotated simply by rotating the shaft portion 420. This simplifies the device and does not require a drive source such as a motor to rotate the support shaft 422, so the weight of the conversion mechanism 423 itself can be reduced, and the load on the shaft portion 420 that rotates the rotor 421 can be reduced.

(3) The conveying body has a rotating table 3 that is arranged to be capable of intermittent rotation with the rotation-revolution unit 42 placed thereon, and stops when the rotation-revolution unit 42 is positioned at a storage position. A plurality of rotation-revolution units 42 are mounted on the rotating table 3 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction at positions that are equal intervals from the center of rotation. Therefore, even if the rotation-revolution unit 42 is relatively heavy, the balance is achieved, the posture of the rotating table 3 is stable, and the rotation is stable. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotation-revolution unit 42 is separated from the pusher unit 43 and the rotation unit 44. In particular, since only the pusher unit 43 and the rotation unit 44 are installed on the film forming apparatus 1 side, the structure is not complicated. In addition, as can be seen from Figures 4 and 5, only the support cylinder 433 and the rotation shaft 44b move up and down below the rotating table 3, so there is no need to create a space for the rotation-revolution unit 42 in the space between the rotating table 3 and the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2, and the space itself can be made small. This eliminates the need to increase the overall space inside chamber 2, which reduces the impact when adjusting the pressure inside chamber 2 (the time it takes to reduce the pressure to a specified level, maintaining the pressure at a specified level, etc.).

[Modification]
This embodiment is not limited to the above-described aspects, and also includes the following modified examples.
(1) The number of targets 10 in the film forming unit 100 is not limited to the number exemplified in the above embodiment. The number of targets 10 may be one or three or more. By increasing the number of targets 10, the film forming rate can be improved.

The multiple targets 10 may be made of a common film-forming material or different types of film-forming materials. By using a common film-forming material, the film-forming rate can be improved. By simultaneously or sequentially depositing films using different types of film-forming materials, a film consisting of layers of multiple film-forming materials can also be formed.

(2) The number of film forming units 100 may be more than one. In other words, film forming units 100 may be provided at multiple stopping positions of the transport body. By increasing the number of film forming units 100 that use a common film forming material, the film forming rate can be improved. It is also possible to form a film consisting of layers of multiple film forming materials by using different types of film forming materials in multiple film forming units 100 and forming films simultaneously or sequentially. The configuration for generating plasma in the film forming unit 100 is not limited to a specific type.

(3) In addition to the film forming unit 100, a processing unit may be provided at any of the stop positions for performing plasma etching, ashing, other surface modification, cleaning, compound film formation, etc. The configuration for generating plasma in the processing unit is not limited to a specific type.

(4) The shape of the object to be filmed is not limited to that shown in the above embodiment. It is most suitable for objects with flat surfaces, but the film material can be deposited evenly in the film-forming area even on surfaces that are not flat.

(5) The jig J has been described as a circular ring having a shape that allows the substrate S to be attached, but it is not limited to a circle, and may be a ring having a rectangular or polygonal shape. It may also be a plate having a shape that allows the substrate S to be placed. A recess in which the substrate S is accommodated may be formed at the placement position of the substrate S. The number of workpieces W (substrates S mounted on the jig J) that can be placed on the self-revolution unit 42 is not limited to the above embodiment. The substrate S does not have to be attached or mounted on the jig J. In other words, the jig J does not have to be used. In this case, the workpiece W is only the substrate S, which is the film formation target, and the workpiece abutment surface 41a abuts against the back surface of the substrate S. The materials of the upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js can be appropriately selected. For example, some or all of the upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js can be made of a magnetic material. When some of these members are made of a magnetic material, a part of the area facing the area where the magnet Jm is provided can be made of a magnetic material, and the other areas can be made of a non-magnetic metal.

(6) The transport device is not limited to a turntable 3. It may be a rotating body that rotates by holding support parts and revolution units 42 on arms extending radially from the center of rotation. The number of revolution units 42 carrying the workpieces W that are transported by the transport device and processed simultaneously, and the number of support parts that support them, are not limited to the above embodiments.

(7) The film forming section 100 may be located on the installation surface side of the chamber 2, on the opposite side, or on the side. The direction in which the rotation/revolution unit 42 is moved in and out of the film forming chamber 110 and the processing chamber may be from the installation surface side of the film forming chamber 110, from the opposite side, or from the side.

(8) In the above embodiment, the direction following gravity is downward, and the direction against gravity is upward. In this case, the raising and lowering is an up-down movement. However, the arrangement direction of the film forming apparatus 1 is not limited to this, and for example, the up-down relationship between the turntable 3 and the film forming chamber 110 may be reversed. Furthermore, the turntable 3 may be arranged vertically or inclined, not limited to horizontally. The surface on which the film forming apparatus 1 is installed may be a floor, a ceiling, or a side wall.

(9) Film formation by the film forming unit 100 may be performed on only one side of the workpiece W. In other words, inversion by the inversion unit 200 may not be performed, or the device may not have the inversion unit 200.

(10) The conversion mechanism 423 is not limited to the above-mentioned aspects. For example, a pair of rollers (e.g., fluororesin) with flat surfaces at the contacting portions may be used as the transmission part and the rotating member. The fixed transmission part may be a flange, and the rotating member may be a pulley with a groove that contacts the outer periphery of the flange. Such a transmission part may include a timing belt that transmits rotation to the rotating member, and the rotation of the shaft part 420 and the support shaft 422 may be synchronized via the timing belt. The transmission part is not limited to being fixed, and may rotate together with the shaft part 420.

(11) In the above embodiment, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is provided so that multiple workpieces W can be mounted thereon, and the rotation unit 44 rotates the shaft 420 while storing multiple workpieces W in the film-forming chamber 110, thereby revolving the multiple trays 41 and rotating each of the trays 41 on its axis. In other words, in the above embodiment, multiple workpieces W are mounted on the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 and film-formed while rotating and revolving, but a single workpiece W may be mounted on the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 and film-formed. Also, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 may be an apparatus capable of mounting only a single workpiece W and capable of film-forming while rotating and revolving this workpiece W on its axis. Even in this case, the effect of uniform film thickness due to rotation and revolution can be obtained.

(12) The mounting device may supply and discharge the workpieces W to the rotation-revolution unit 42 placed on the mounting table T. For example, the mounting device may sequentially or simultaneously place the workpieces W on the tray 41 of the rotation-revolution unit 42 on the mounting table T. The mounting device may also sequentially or simultaneously remove the workpieces W from the tray 41 of the rotation-revolution unit 42 on the mounting table T. This can reduce the number and movement distance of the rotation-revolution units 42, which are heavy and large in size. Note that the workpieces W are supplied to the mounting device after the substrate S is set on the jig J by a separate unit (not shown). A stocker that can accommodate multiple workpieces W may be provided. The separate unit (place) for setting the workpieces W may be substituted with the stocker.

The substrate S may be placed on the lower jig Jd and spacer Js remaining on the tray 41 of the rotation-revolution unit 42 on the mounting table T, either sequentially or simultaneously, and the upper jig Ju may be placed on the substrate S, either sequentially or simultaneously. The upper jig Ju may be removed from the tray 41 of the rotation-revolution unit 42 on the mounting table T, either sequentially or simultaneously, and the substrate S may be removed from the lower jig Jd and spacer Js, either sequentially or simultaneously. A stocker for multiple jigs J and substrates S may be provided.

[Other embodiments]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

1 Film forming apparatus 2 Chamber 2a Opening 3 Rotary table 3a Driving source 4 Workpiece rotating section 10, 10A, 10B Target 21 Bottom plate 22 Cover plate 23 Chamber exhaust section 24 Frame 25 Load lock chamber 31 Shaft 32 Opening 33 Support section 33a Sealing member 41 Tray 41a Workpiece abutment surface 42 Rotation and revolution unit 43 Pusher unit 44 Rotation unit 44a Motor 44b Rotation shaft 44c Connection section 50 Control device 100 Film forming section 110 Film forming chamber 111 Opening 112 Spacer 113 Cover body 120 Sputtering source 121 Backing plate 122 Electrode 130 Power supply section 140 Sputtering gas introduction section 150 Exhaust section 200 Reversal section 300 Loading and unloading section 310 Transport section 311 Arm 312 Closing section 312a Sealing member 312b Holding section 320 Load lock section 321 Load lock chamber 322 Pusher 322a Sealing member 323 Exhaust line 324 Vent line 420 Shaft section 420a Connection hole 421 Rotating body 422 Support shaft 423 Conversion mechanism 423a Fixed gear 423b Planetary gear 424 Fitting section 424a Fitting protrusion 424b Fitting recess 431 Cylinder 432 Container 433 Support tube 434 Connection plate G Sputter gas J Jig Ju Upper jig Jd Lower jig Js Spacer Jp Pin Jm Magnet S Substrate T Mounting table W Work

Claims (5)

a film forming unit that forms a film by sputtering on a workpiece placed on a tray in a film forming chamber having a target;
a rotation-and-revolution unit that revolves the tray around a shaft portion and rotates the tray around a support shaft that supports the tray in accordance with the rotation of the shaft portion;
a transport body that transports the tray carrying the workpiece together with the rotation/revolution unit to a position facing the film forming unit;
a pusher unit that is provided so as to be capable of coming into contact with and being separated from the rotation-and-revolution unit, and that comes into contact with and biases the rotation-and-revolution unit to separate the rotation-and-revolution unit from the transport body and move the tray carrying the workpiece between a storage position where the tray is stored in the film formation chamber and a separation position where the rotation-and-revolution unit is mounted on the transport body and separated from the film formation chamber by moving away from the rotation-and-revolution unit;
a rotation unit that rotates the shaft portion while the tray carrying the workpiece is housed in the film formation chamber, thereby revolving the tray and rotating the tray on its axis;
A film forming apparatus comprising: 2. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation and revolution unit has a conversion mechanism for converting the rotation of the shaft portion into the rotation of the support shaft. The conversion mechanism is
A transmission unit that transmits rotation of the shaft unit;
a rotating member to which the rotation of the shaft portion is transmitted by the transmission portion and which rotates the support shaft;
3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: the rotation/revolution unit is provided so as to be capable of mounting a plurality of the trays,
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the rotation unit rotates the shaft portion while the trays are housed in the film forming chamber, thereby revolving the trays and rotating each of the trays on its axis. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotation and revolution unit is arranged so that it can be carried in and out of the transport body while the workpiece is placed on the tray.

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