JP4964280B2 - Information recording disk deposition apparatus and information recording disk manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for an information recording disk, and more particularly to a film forming apparatus for an information recording disk for manufacturing an information recording disk having a carbon protective film on a magnetic film as a recording layer.

  A magnetic recording disk such as a hard disk has a metal base film made of Cr or the like, a magnetic recording film made of CoCrTa, or the like on the surface (both front and back surfaces) of a substrate such as aluminum or glass. A protective film made of carbon or the like for protecting against corrosion due to contact with the atmosphere is sequentially laminated.

  The surface recording density of this type of magnetic recording disk is currently continuing to increase significantly, and the achievement of 50 Gbit / in 2 is imminent and is expected to further improve in the future. As the recording density of magnetic recording disks increases, magnetic heads (magnetic disk heads) corresponding to the recording density have been developed, and the transition from MR (Magnet Resistance) heads to GMR (Giant Magnet Resistance) heads has been made. It is expected to be able to cope with the surface recording density of 100 Gbit / in 2 or more in the future.

  Here, the higher the recording density of the magnetic recording disk, the closer the magnetic head is to the magnetic recording layer in order to record / read information on / from the magnetic recording layer. That is, the interval between the magnetic recording layer and the magnetic head must be reduced. This means that the thickness of the protective film formed on the magnetic recording layer must be reduced.

  In the case of forming a carbon protective film, a sputtering film forming method has been used in the past. However, as described above, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the protective film. Plasma CVD capable of forming a diamond-like carbon film (DLC) has been used.

  A general plasma CVD apparatus has a chamber in which the inside can be evacuated, and flat plate electrode pairs arranged in parallel in the chamber. Then, with the substrate positioned on the grounded anode, a reactive gas such as CH4 or C6H5CH3 containing carbon is introduced into the chamber, and a voltage is applied between the electrodes to generate plasma, thereby generating a substrate surface. A carbon film can be deposited on top.

  However, the carbon film formed by plasma CVD is deposited not only on the substrate surface but also around it, that is, on the exposed surface inside the chamber. If the carbon film deposited inside the chamber is not removed each time the carbon film is formed, the thickness is gradually increased by repeating the formation of the carbon film on the substrate. The carbon film deposited inside the chamber is eventually peeled off by internal stress or the like, and carbon particles are generated at that time.

  In the manufacture of a magnetic recording disk, there is a demand for omitting a process that is not directly related to manufacture, such as removing the carbon film deposited in the plasma CVD chamber in order to improve the productivity. In particular, there is a strong demand for a so-called in-line information disk manufacturing apparatus in which a plurality of chambers for thin film manufacturing and processing are connected in a row and endlessly. This is because such a magnetic information disk manufacturing apparatus is configured to move the carriers corresponding to all the chambers to the adjacent chambers at the same time, and to process each substrate held by the carrier in each chamber. Therefore, the production efficiency is determined by the most time-consuming process performed in each chamber. This is because in the production of a magnetic recording disk, it usually takes the longest to form a carbon protective film by plasma CVD. Therefore, there is a demand to avoid as much as possible the process of removing the carbon film in the chamber in addition to the production of the carbon protective film by plasma CVD which requires time.

  However, if the carbon film is not removed, particles generated by the peeling of the carbon film will adhere to the substrate surface, forming protrusions on the surface of the carbon film formed on the substrate (occurring local film thickness anomalies). To do). This protrusion causes a defect in the later formation process of the lubricating layer and also causes a product defect.

  Therefore, in the conventional information recording disk deposition apparatus, two carbon protective film production chambers (CVD chambers) for forming the carbon protective film are prepared, and the carbon protective film is produced in one carbon protective film production chamber. In the meantime, in the other carbon protective film production chamber, the process of removing the carbon film deposited on the inner exposed surface by ashing using oxygen plasma is repeated alternately, thereby reducing the particle size without reducing the productivity. Can be prevented. Such a film forming apparatus for an information recording disk is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-229150.

JP 11-229150 A

  A conventional film forming apparatus for an information recording disk having two carbon protective film production chambers is efficient in that it does not require time for removing the carbon film deposited inside the chamber. However, the carbon protective film manufacturing process still takes a longer time than the other film forming processes. Therefore, in order to meet the demand for further reduction in running cost and improvement in production efficiency, it is necessary to shorten the time required for producing the carbon protective film.

  In addition, it is necessary to shorten the time required to replace the processing gas used for forming the carbon protective film introduced into the carbon protective film manufacturing chamber with the ashing processing gas. Introducing the processing gas used for forming the carbon protective film and the processing gas for ashing through separate piping cannot be employed because the piping becomes complicated and the space required for the piping increases.

  The object of the present invention is to reduce the production time of the carbon protective film and effectively prevent the generation of particles inside the carbon protective film production chamber, without increasing the size of the equipment and the accompanying increase in manufacturing cost, and producing It is an object of the present invention to provide a film forming apparatus for an information recording disk having a configuration capable of dramatically improving performance.

  In order to improve the productivity of the information recording disk deposition apparatus, a method of increasing the carrier conveyance speed is also possible. However, since the carrier uses the repulsive force and the pulling force between the magnet disposed in the lower part of the carrier and the magnet disposed in the transport path, there is a problem of demagnetization of the magnet when the transport speed is increased. As a result, problems of power supply facilities also occur, and it is very difficult to improve productivity by this method.

An in-line type information recording disk forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes a carbon protective film forming chamber for forming a carbon protective film on a substrate transported by a carrier. A plasma CVD process for producing a carbon film on the substrate and an ashing of the carbon film in a vacant state are selectively performed by selecting a gas to be introduced, and both surfaces of the substrate at the substrate loading position by the carrier. A pair of electrodes provided on the side, a gas introduction pipe for ejecting gas from the side of the substrate at the loading position to both sides of the substrate, and a gas introduction capable of selectively supplying a plurality of gases by switching to the gas introduction pipe comprising a system, interposed in a gas introducing pipe and an exhaust system capable evacuating the interior of the chamber over from the opposite side of the substrate, a gas introduction pipe , Characterized in that it comprises a plurality of gas discharge holes arranged along the moving direction of the substrate.

  Further, as one form of the information recording disk film forming apparatus of the present invention, the control device is located next to a vacant carbon film forming chamber when moving the plurality of carriers in the predetermined direction, When the chamber located on the predetermined direction side is another carbon protective film production chamber, the other carbon protective film production chamber is placed in an empty state, otherwise, it is located farthest in the predetermined direction. The movement of the plurality of carriers is controlled so that the carbon protective film formation chamber is empty.

  Moreover, as one form of the film-forming apparatus for information recording discs of this invention, these chambers are connected so as to be endless.

  Moreover, as one form of the film forming apparatus for an information recording disk of the present invention, the carbon protective film production chamber includes an exhaust system for exhausting the interior, a gas introduction system for introducing gas into the interior, A plasma CVD apparatus having a plasma forming means for converting the gas introduced into the plasma into a plasma, and when the gas is in an empty state, oxygen gas is introduced into the plasma to form a plasma, and the carbon protective film is formed when the carbon protective film is formed. The carbon film formed on the exposed surface can be removed by ashing.

  Further, as one form of the information recording disk film forming apparatus of the present invention, the gas introduction system has a gas introduction pipe having a number of jets arranged in the length direction, and the plasma formation is performed from the gas introduction pipe. The gas is ejected between a pair of electrodes provided in the means.

  Further, as one form of the film forming apparatus for an information recording disk of the present invention, the magnetic recording apparatus includes a plurality of chambers including a magnetic film manufacturing chamber and at least three carbon protective film manufacturing chambers arranged in succession to each other, An information recording disc in which a magnetic film for recording is produced on the surface of a substrate in a film production chamber, and then a protective film made of carbon is produced on the magnetic film in the carbon protective film production chamber to produce an information recording disk. A film forming apparatus for a disk, wherein each of the carbon protective film production chambers includes an exhaust system that exhausts the inside, and a gas introduction system that selectively introduces one of oxygen gas and gas containing carbon into the interior. , Plasma forming means for converting the gas introduced into the plasma into two or more chambers of the carbon protective film production chambers The information recording disk is characterized in that the carbon film production process is performed in the inside, and the carbon film deposited on the inner exposed surface of the remaining one or more carbon film production chambers can be removed by ashing. A film forming apparatus is obtained.

  Further, as one form of the information recording disk film forming apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of chambers are connected in an airtight manner, in a line and in an endless manner, and the plurality of chambers are held in a state of holding the substrate. A transport system having a plurality of carriers smaller than the total number of chambers that pass through the inside in order is provided, and the carriers are not stopped in the carbon protective film production chamber in which ashing is to be performed. To control.

  Further, as one form of the information recording disk film forming apparatus of the present invention, there are three carbon protective film forming chambers, and the three carbon protective film forming chambers are selected so as to perform ashing one by one in order. Thus, the carrier is stopped in the two carbon protective film manufacturing chambers to perform the carbon protective film manufacturing process, and the remaining one carbon protective film manufacturing chamber is controlled to perform the ashing process.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture an information recording disk with a simple configuration and at a low cost without requiring a large-scale capital investment, and to shorten the time for producing a carbon protective film. Further, it is possible to provide a film forming apparatus for an information recording disk that can effectively prevent the generation of particles that have occurred in the carbon protective film manufacturing chamber and has dramatically improved productivity. Can do.

It is a top view which shows schematic structure of the film-forming apparatus for magnetic recording disks which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a magnetic film production chamber used in the magnetic recording disk deposition apparatus of FIG. 1. 2A is a horizontal sectional view and FIG. 2B is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a carbon protective film production chamber used in the magnetic recording disk deposition apparatus of FIG. It is (a) longitudinal cross-sectional view and (b) bottom view of the gas introduction pipe used for the carbon protective film production chamber of FIG. It is (a) longitudinal cross-sectional view and (b) front view which show the outline of the conveyance mechanism used for the film-forming apparatus for magnetic recording disks of FIG. FIG. 2 is a process diagram for explaining a method of performing an ashing process without hindering manufacture of a magnetic recording disk in the magnetic recording disk deposition apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. 7 is a process diagram for describing a process following the process of FIG. 6.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a film forming apparatus for an information recording disk according to an embodiment of the present invention. The information recording disk deposition apparatus of FIG. 1 is an apparatus called an inline type, and a plurality of chambers (to be described in detail later) are hermetically arranged in a row and endlessly via a gate valve 10. It is arranged in a square and connected. Inside the plurality of chambers, there are provided a number of carriers 90 smaller than the number of chambers, and a transport mechanism (described later) for moving these carriers 90 to the adjacent chambers in order. It has been. The number of carriers 90 should theoretically be one less than the number of chambers, and in the following, this case will be described, but in practice it is better to further reduce the number. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, when the chamber is square, the number may be further reduced by two. This is because if two direction change chambers (corner chambers) located diagonally to each other are in an empty state where no carrier 90 exists, two pairs of carriers 90 facing each other are moved alternately. This is because the configuration and operation of the conversion chamber (corner chamber) 3 can be simplified.

  An exhaust pipe (not shown) is connected to the plurality of chambers to exhaust the inside thereof, and these exhaust pipes are connected to independent or common exhaust pumps (vacuum pumps: not shown). ing. In addition, each chamber is connected to a gas introduction pipe (not shown) connected to a gas cylinder (not shown) for supplying a gas necessary for processing there. Since the direction change chambers (corner chambers) 3 positioned at the four corners of the square are only for changing the direction of the carrier 90, no gas introduction pipe is connected thereto.

  Among the plurality of chambers, the load lock chamber 1 is located on the lower left side in the figure. Also, the unload lock chamber 2 is located on the right side. The substrate for the magnetic recording disk is taken into this apparatus in the load lock chamber 1, and makes a round around the apparatus in the clockwise direction, and various films are formed on the surface thereof, and taken out from the unload lock chamber 2.

  Two substrate mounting auxiliary chambers 110 different from the plurality of chambers connected in a row as described above are connected to the load lock chamber 1 via the gate valve 10. A load robot 11 is provided inside the load lock chamber 1. The mounting robot 11 also has an arm 111 for taking out the substrate 9 used for manufacturing the information recording disk housed in the substrate mounting auxiliary chamber 110 from the substrate mounting auxiliary chamber 110 and holding it on the carrier 90. Have.

  The unload lock chamber 2 has the same configuration as the load lock chamber 1. That is, two substrate recovery auxiliary chambers 210 are connected to the unload lock chamber 2 via the gate valve 10, and a recovery robot 21 is provided inside the unload lock chamber 2. The collection robot 21 has an arm 211 for removing the substrate 9 held by the carrier 90 from the substrate and placing it in the substrate collection auxiliary chamber 210.

  Unlike the other chambers, the direction changing chamber 3 has a moving direction of the carrier 90 moving into the direction changing chamber 3 and a moving direction of the carrier 90 moving from the direction changing chamber 3 to the next chamber. Is different. For this reason, in the direction change chamber 3, the conveyance mechanism different from the other chambers which should just move the carrier 90 to one direction is needed. Specifically, the direction changing chamber 3 needs a transport mechanism that can receive the carrier moving from the preceding chamber and can send out the carrier already located in the chamber in another direction. As such a transport mechanism, a conventional one (for example, one described in JP-A-8-274142) can be used, and the description thereof is omitted.

  Connected to the direction change chamber 3 located next to the load lock chamber 1 is a preheat chamber 4. The preheat chamber 4 includes heating means such as an infrared lamp for heating the substrate for the purpose of degassing. Although FIG. 1 shows the case where two preheat chambers 4 are provided, one may be used. Further, the preheat chamber 4 may be provided not only in front of the first base film forming chamber 51 but also in front of other chambers as necessary.

  The first underlayer preparation chamber 51, the first magnetic film preparation chamber 52, the second underlayer film preparation chamber 53, and the second magnetic film preparation chamber 54 each constitute a sputtering apparatus. Etc. Then, in a state where each chamber is evacuated, a process gas such as Ar is introduced into the chamber by a gas introduction system, and a high voltage is applied from the sputtering power source to the target to cause discharge to sputter the target. A predetermined film can be formed on the substrate.

  The details of the first and second magnetic film production chambers 52 and 54 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the first and second magnetic film production chambers include an exhaust system 55, a gas introduction system 56, four targets 57, a sputtering power source 58 for supplying a sputtering voltage to the targets, and a back of the target. A magnet mechanism 59 is provided.

  Returning to FIG. 1, first, second, and third carbon protective film production chambers 61, 62, 63 are continuously arranged. Each of the carbon protective film production chambers 61, 62, 63 constitutes a plasma CVD apparatus as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). That is, an exhaust system 610 and a gas introduction system 635 are connected to each carbon protective film production chamber 61, 62, 63, and a gas introduction pipe 636 is provided. 4A and 4B are a cross-sectional view and a bottom view of the gas introduction pipe 636, respectively.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the chambers 61, 62, and 63 are provided with a pair of high-frequency electrodes 631, and a high-frequency power source for applying a high-frequency voltage to these electrodes 631. 633 is connected via a matching unit 632. The high-frequency electrode 631 is large enough to cover two substrates, and a carbon protective film can be simultaneously formed on the two substrates mounted on the carrier 90. The chambers 61, 62, and 63 are provided with a contact point 645 that can move and contact the carrier 90, and an introduction part 644 connected to the contact point 645. The introduction part 644 is connected to the carrier via a switch 643. A DC power source 641 and a high frequency power source 642 for applying a bias voltage to 90 (ie, the substrate 9) are connected.

  Returning again to FIG. 1, the spare chamber 7 is connected to the third carbon protective film production chamber 63 via the gate valve 10. As the name suggests, the spare chamber 7 is a spare chamber, and is used when the number of films formed on the substrate increases. However, the interior of this spare chamber is evacuated like other chambers.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a transport mechanism for moving the carrier will be described. Inside each chamber, there are provided guide rails 503 on which a large number of guide rollers 501 and guide bearings 502 are mounted side by side. A drive magnet 504 arranged so as to be parallel to the guide rail 503 is rotatably provided outside each chamber. Further, for example, a non-contact type position detection device (not shown) such as an optical sensor is attached to each chamber in order to detect the position of the carrier 90.

  The drive magnet 504 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and an N pole and an S pole are formed (magnetized) in a double spiral shape on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Further, the drive magnet 504 has a fixed portion 504a positioned in front of the carrier 90 in the moving direction and a movable portion 504b positioned in the rear of the carrier 90 in the moving direction, and between the fixed portion 504a and the movable portion 504b. Is provided with a bevel gear 505. The bevel gear 505 is meshed with a bevel gear 507 fixed to the tip of the drive shaft 506.

  A rotational drive device (not shown) such as a pulse motor is connected to the drive shaft. The rotational drive device provided corresponding to each chamber is controlled by a single control device (not shown). In addition, a position detection device provided in each chamber is connected to the control device.

  A large number of carrier-side magnets 508 are attached to the carrier 90 so that N-poles and S-poles are alternately arranged along the lower edge. These carrier-side magnets 508 are magnetically coupled to the drive magnet 504 when positioned above the drive magnet 504. In addition, a groove for positioning the guide roller 501 is formed in the carrier 90. The carrier 90 is hung on the guide roller 501 so that the guide roller 501 is positioned here, and the lower end side of the two guide bearings 502 is placed on the carrier 90. The carrier 90 can be easily moved along the guide rail 503 by being positioned in between.

  With the above configuration, when the rotary drive device is driven, the drive magnet 504 rotates about its axis. Then, the carrier-side magnet 508 that is in a magnetically coupled state with the drive magnet 504 moves along the guide rail 503 as the drive magnet 504 rotates.

  Since a gate valve exists between two adjacent chambers, the guide rail 503 and the drive magnet 504 must be provided for each chamber. Therefore, smooth movement of the carrier between the guide rails is indispensable for high-speed carrier movement (moving time reduction). In this embodiment, when starting the magnetic storage disk deposition apparatus, the position detection device detects the position of each carrier 90 and matches the position (position phase) of the carrier with respect to the drive magnet in all the chambers. Thus, by using a method such as moving all carriers simultaneously, the carrier 90 can be moved smoothly between adjacent chambers, thereby reducing the carrier movement time. The movable portion 504b is urged in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the carrier 90 by a spring (not shown) and can move in the axial direction within a predetermined range. Thus, when the carrier 90 moves, the movable portion 504b is magnetically coupled with the carrier-side magnet 508, moves with the movement of the carrier 90, and then returns to the original position by the repulsive force of the spring. In this way, it helps to move the carrier smoothly.

  The above-mentioned transport mechanism has been filed as a patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-18307) by the applicant under the name of the “magnetic transport device and magnetic transport method”.

  The magnetic recording disk deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment is configured as described above, and the process of moving all the carriers at once and the process of performing the respective processes in all the chambers are alternately repeated. Thus, a large number of magnetic disks can be continuously produced.

  Next, the operation of the magnetic recording disk deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, first, a process for manufacturing an information recording disk will be briefly described. In this magnetic recording disk deposition apparatus, all the carriers 90 basically move all at once to the adjacent chamber, but only one carrier will be described here. Then, the carrier movement in the carbon protective film forming chambers 61, 62, 63 and the front and rear chambers thereof will be described in detail.

  Hereinafter, the process of manufacturing the information recording disk will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, in the load lock chamber 1, the robot 11 uses the arm 111 to take out the two substrates 9 stored in the substrate mounting auxiliary chamber 110 and mount them on the carrier 90 in the load lock chamber 1. Here, the mounting of the substrate 9 on the carrier 90 by the robot 11 may be performed one by one or two at the same time. As a method of simultaneously mounting two substrates on the carrier 90, the substrates are arranged in two rows in parallel in one substrate mounting auxiliary chamber 110, and one substrate from each row is obtained by a robot having two arms. There is a method of taking out the two at the same time and mounting them on the carrier 90 at the same time. Such a method has been filed as a patent application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-20279) by the applicant under the name of “substrate transfer apparatus for substrate processing apparatus”.

  Next, the substrate 9 mounted on the carrier 90 in the load lock chamber 1 is transported to the direction changing chamber 3 by the movement of the carrier 90. Here, the direction of the carrier 90 is changed.

  Next, the substrate 9 is transported to the preheat chamber 4. In the preheat chamber 4, the substrate 9 is heated to a predetermined temperature. In the present embodiment, since two preheat chambers 4 are continuously arranged, heating is performed step by step. In the magnetic film production chambers 52 and 54, which will be described later, when the substrate temperature is about 200 ° C., the magnetic characteristics of the most produced magnetic film are improved, so that the preheat chamber 4 has an optimum temperature when producing the magnetic film. Next, the substrate is heated to about 100 to 300 ° C.

  Next, the carrier 90 on which the heated substrate 9 is mounted moves to the next base film preparation chamber 51, where a first base film such as a Cr film is formed on the surface (front and back surfaces) of the substrate 9. Is done. Thereafter, the carrier 90 on which the substrate 9 is mounted moves to the next magnetic film production chamber 52.

  In the magnetic film production chamber 52, a first magnetic film such as CoCrTa is produced on the first base film formed in the base production chamber 51. Here, as described above, the magnetic film production chamber 52 can produce a magnetic film on both surfaces of two substrates simultaneously using four targets (as shown in FIG. 2). Therefore, as compared with the case where the magnetic films are formed on both surfaces of the substrate one by one using two targets as in the conventional apparatus, the film deposition time can be almost halved. Thereafter, the carrier 90 on which the substrate 9 is mounted moves to the next base film forming chamber 53.

  In the under film forming chamber 53, the Cr film is formed on the first magnetic film as the second under film, as in the above-described under film forming chamber. Next, the carrier 90 on which the substrate 9 is mounted moves to the magnetic film production chamber 54, where a second magnetic film is formed on the second underlayer. The second magnetic film is also simultaneously applied to the two substrates.

  In this embodiment, the base film and the magnetic film are alternately formed in two layers. However, after the base film is continuously formed in two layers, the magnetic film may be continuously formed in two layers. good. In that case, a base film preparation chamber 53 is arranged next to the base film preparation chamber 51, a magnetic film preparation chamber 52 is arranged next to it, and a magnetic film preparation chamber chamber 54 is arranged next to the magnetic film preparation chamber.

  Next, the substrate 9 is transferred to the three carbon protective film production chambers 61, 62, 63 connected in series. However, the carbon protective film is actually produced in two of these chambers as will be described later. In the remaining one, an ashing process is performed. In the present embodiment, the processing time in each chamber can be shortened by performing the carbon protective film production in two steps.

  In the chamber 61 (62, 63) for producing the carbon protective film, when the carrier 90 moves, the carbon protective film is produced on the second magnetic film by plasma CVD. This will be described in detail below.

  The inside of the carbon protective film production chamber 61 (62, 63) is exhausted to about 10 −6 Pa by the exhaust system 610. A gas introduction pipe 636 having a plurality of gas ejection holes connected to a gas introduction system 635 is disposed above the chamber 61 (62, 63). , C6H5CH3) and hydrogen (H2) mixed at a predetermined ratio are introduced as a process gas.

  In the conventional apparatus, a large number of fine holes are opened on the surfaces of a pair of high-frequency electrodes, and gas is introduced through these high-frequency electrodes. In this embodiment, gas is introduced using a gas introduction pipe 636. The introduction of the electrode can simplify the electrode structure, and the gas can be supplied to each high-frequency electrode to make a single pipe. The required floor space and equipment costs can be reduced.

  Next, for example, power of about 13.56 MHz and 450 W is supplied from the high frequency power source 633 to the parallel plate type high frequency electrode 631. Due to the presence of the process gas, a discharge is generated between the substrate 9 and each high-frequency electrode 631, and plasma is formed. Then, the process gas is decomposed in the plasma to generate carbon, which is deposited on the substrate 9. The carbon film production speed can be increased by applying a negative bias voltage to the substrate 9. Further, by applying a bias voltage to the substrate 9, a dense and hard diamond structure DLC (diamond-like carbon) film can be formed.

  Specific conditions for producing the carbon film include the following conditions.

C6H5CH3: 30cc / min (3x10-5m3 / min)
H2: 100cc / min (1x10-4m3 / min)
Pressure in protective film production chamber 6: 4 Pa
High frequency power: 13.56 MHz: 700 W
Bias voltage: -300V
Deposition rate: 1.2 × 10 −9 m / sec Deposition time: More than 4 seconds, two carbon protective films were formed in the two carbon protective film production chambers 61 (62, 63), respectively. The substrate 9 is transferred to the preliminary chamber 7 by the movement of the next carrier 90, is transferred to the direction changing chamber 3 by the movement of the next carrier 90, and is further moved to the unload lock chamber 2 by the movement of the next carrier 90. It is conveyed to. Then, the substrate 9 transported to the unload lock chamber 2 is removed from the carrier 90 by using the arm 211 by the recovery robot 21 and recovered in the substrate recovery auxiliary chamber 210.

  Thereafter, the carrier 90 moves again to the load lock chamber 1 and the above operation is repeated.

  As described above, in the magnetic recording disk deposition apparatus according to the present embodiment, the respective carriers 90 are sequentially positioned in the respective chambers, and predetermined processing is performed there, so that the magnetic recording disks are continuously provided. Can be produced.

  Now, when a carbon protective film is produced in the carbon protective film production chambers 61, 62, 63, the carbon film is deposited at a place other than the magnetic film on the substrate 9. That is, a carbon film is deposited on the exposed internal surfaces of the protective film production chambers 61, 62, and 63. This carbon film can be removed by introducing oxygen gas into the chambers 61, 62, and 63 using the gas introduction system 635 and performing ashing. That is, oxygen gas is introduced into the chamber instead of the process gas, which is a mixed gas of hydrocarbon and hydrogen, and a discharge is generated, thereby decomposing the carbon film deposited on the exposed internal surface, and CO2, CO, H2O. It can be exhausted as a gas.

  Specific ashing conditions for the carbon film include the following conditions.

O2: 400cc / min (4x10-4m3 / min)
Pressure in protective film production chamber 6: 10 Pa
High frequency power: 13.56 MHz: 700 W
Ashing speed: ~ 13cm / sec (~ 1.3x10-9m / sec)
Film formation time: 4 seconds In the conventional apparatus, since the gas introduction system is connected to the pair of high-frequency electrodes, the piping is long and the time required for gas switching (gas replacement) is long. In addition, in the structure of the apparatus according to the present embodiment, the pipe length can be shortened and the gas replacement time can be shortened.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the carbon film is produced in two of the three carbon protective film production chambers 61, 62, and 63. Then, the ashing process is performed on the remaining one. Hereinafter, FIGS. 6 and 7 will be described with respect to a method of performing the ashing process one by one in the three carbon protective film production chambers 61, 62, and 63 without hindering the movement of the carrier 90 during the production of the magnetic recording disk. The description will be given with reference. 6 and 7, the substrate and apparatus configuration are schematically expressed and depicted as performing single-sided film formation, but actually, as shown in FIG. 3, the substrate is transported in a vertical posture. Then, film formation is performed on both surfaces thereof.

  FIG. 6A shows a state in which the apparatus 90 is started up and the carrier 90 on which the substrate is first mounted has moved to the direction change chamber 3 in the front stage of the carbon protective film production chamber 61. . This means that the substrate is not yet mounted on the other carrier 90 shown in FIG. In addition, one of the carbon protective film production chambers 61, 62, and 63 is always in an empty state in which no carrier 90 exists. In FIG. 6A, the carbon protective film production chamber 61 is in an empty state.

  In the state of FIG. 6A, a predetermined process is performed in each chamber such as the load lock chamber 1 (not shown). When these processes are completed, all the carriers 90 move to the adjacent (left side in the drawing) chamber. That is, the state changes from the state of FIG. 6A to the state of FIG.

  In the state of FIG. 6B, the carbon protective film is manufactured in the carbon protective film manufacturing chamber 61. The result is shown in FIG. When the predetermined processing is completed in all the chambers, the carrier 90 further moves to the adjacent chamber. That is, the state changes from the state of FIG. 6C to the state of FIG.

  In the state of FIG. 6D, the carbon protective film is produced in the carbon protective film production chambers 61 and 62, respectively. The result is shown in FIG. Thereafter, when the predetermined processing is completed in all the chambers, the carrier 90 is originally moved further to the adjacent chamber. However, if all the carriers 90 are moved to one chamber, the spare chamber 7 is moved. Becomes empty. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the carrier 90 positioned in the carbon protective film manufacturing chambers 61 and 62 and the carrier 90 positioned in the direction changing chamber 3 are arranged so that the carbon protective film manufacturing chamber 61 becomes empty again. A total of three carriers 90 are moved by two chambers. Other carriers 90 are moved to the next chamber as usual. As a result, the position of the carrier 90 changes from the state shown in FIG. 6E to the state shown in FIG.

  In order to make the time required for the movement of the three carriers moving the distance for two channels coincide with the time required for the movement of the carrier 90 moving for another one channel, the movement speed of the three carriers is It must be faster than others. Such control is automatically performed by a control device that controls the pulse motor. In this way, in this embodiment, the moving speed of all carriers is not increased, but only necessary portions are increased. Therefore, the problem of magnet demagnetization and the need for high-performance power supply equipment are not required. Can be minimized.

  After reaching the state of FIG. 6F, a predetermined process is performed in each chamber. That is, as shown in FIG. 7A, the carbon protective film is produced in the carbon protective film production chambers 62 and 63. At the same time, in the carbon protective film production chamber 61, the inside of the chamber is cleaned by ashing using oxygen gas.

  After the cleaning is completed, oxygen gas is exhausted in the carbon protective film production chamber 61 as shown in FIG. The exhaust after the ashing is finished is preferably finished before the production of the carbon protective film in the other carbon protective film production chambers 62 and 63 is finished.

  Thereafter, each carrier 90 again moves to the next chamber. That is, the state shown in FIG. 7B is changed to the state shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIGS. 7D and 7E, a carbon protective film is produced in the carbon protective film producing chambers 61 and 63, and in the carbon protective film producing chamber 62, an ashing process and oxygen gas exhaust are performed. Done.

  Next, when each carrier 90 moves to the adjacent chamber, the state shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIGS. 7G and 7H, the carbon protective film production chambers 61 and 62 perform the carbon protective film production, and the carbon protective film production chamber 63 performs the ashing process and the exhaust.

  Thereafter, in order to make the carbon protective film production chamber 61 an empty chamber again, the three carriers 90 respectively positioned in the carbon protective film production chambers 61 and 62 and the direction changing chamber 3 are moved by two chambers. The carrier 90 is moved by one chamber to obtain the state shown in FIG.

  The state of FIG. 7 (i) is the same as the state of FIG. 6 (f). Thereafter, by repeating FIG. 7A to FIG. 7I, the three carbon film forming chambers are sequentially formed one by one while the carbon protective film is formed twice for each substrate. Can be cleaned.

  Thus, in the film forming apparatus for manufacturing a magnetic storage disk according to the present embodiment, the carbon film in the carbon protective film forming chamber can be periodically removed without disturbing the tact of manufacturing the magnetic storage disk. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the particle at the time of carbon protective film preparation can be prevented.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the number of carbon protective film production chambers is three has been described. In that case, the number of carriers can be reduced by two or more than the total number of chambers, and the ashing process can be performed simultaneously in two or more chambers.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where a some chamber was arrange | positioned in a square, not only this but a polygon may be sufficient.

  Furthermore, although the case where the carrier is configured to move in the clockwise direction has been described in the above embodiment, the carrier can be configured to move in the counterclockwise direction.

  Furthermore, although the case where the drive magnet of the transport mechanism has a fixed part and a movable part has been described in the above embodiment, the movable part may not have a movable part and may have two fixed parts.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Load lock chamber 2 Unload lock chamber 3 Direction change chamber 4 Preheat chamber 7 Preliminary chamber 9 Substrate 90 Carrier 10 Gate valve 11 Robot 110 Substrate mounting auxiliary chamber 111 Arm 21 Recovery robot 210 Substrate recovery auxiliary chamber 211 Arm 51, 53 Underlayer Production chambers 52, 54 Magnetic film production chamber 55 Exhaust system 56 Gas introduction system 57 Target 58 Sputter power source 59 Magnet mechanism 61, 62, 63 Carbon protective film production chamber (CVD chamber)
610 Exhaust system 631 High frequency electrode 632 Matching device 633 High frequency (RF) power source 635 Gas introduction system 636 Gas introduction pipe 641 DC power source 642 High frequency (RF) power source 643 Switch 644 Introduction portion 645 Contact 501 Guide roller 502 Guide bearing 503 Guide rail 504 Drive Magnet 504a Fixed portion 504b Movable portion 505 Bevel gear 506 Drive shaft 507 Bevel gear 508 Carrier side magnet

Claims (2)

An in-line type information recording disk deposition apparatus comprising a carbon protective film creation chamber for forming a carbon protective film on a substrate transported by a carrier,
The carbon protective film production chamber selectively performs plasma CVD processing for producing a carbon film on a substrate and ashing of the carbon film in an empty state by selecting a gas to be introduced,
A pair of electrodes provided on both sides of the substrate at the substrate loading position by the carrier;
A gas introduction pipe for ejecting gas from the side of the substrate at the loading position to both sides of the substrate;
A gas introduction system capable of selectively supplying a plurality of gases by switching to the gas introduction pipe;
And an exhaust system capable of evacuating the interior of the chamber over from the opposite side to the gas introduction pipe across said substrate,
The film forming apparatus for an information recording disk , wherein the gas introduction pipe includes a plurality of gas ejection holes arranged along a moving direction of the substrate . An information recording disk manufacturing method, comprising: manufacturing an information recording disk using the film forming apparatus for an information recording disk according to claim 1.