JP6415957B2 - Rotary cathode and sputtering equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary cathode having a rotatable target and a sputtering apparatus having the rotary cathode.

  As the above-described sputtering apparatus, for example, an apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is known. The apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a rotary cathode in which a cylindrical target is rotatably disposed at a position facing a substrate. The rotary cathode has a power supply brush for supplying power to the target, and the power supply brush is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the slip ring that rotates with the target.

JP 2006-322055 A

  By the way, in the sputtering apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the power supply brush slides on the slip ring, the power supply brush is worn as the target rotates. On the other hand, if the worn power supply brush can be replaced, the target can be used continuously regardless of the wear of the power supply brush. Therefore, in the above-described rotary cathode, a configuration capable of smoothly performing the power supply brush replacement operation is desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a rotary cathode capable of smoothly replacing a power supply brush and a sputtering apparatus including the rotary cathode.

A rotary cathode for solving the above problems includes a main body having an opening on one side surface, a driving device disposed outside the main body and having an output shaft at a position facing the opening, and the main body A rotary shaft that is rotatably supported inside the unit and has a shape along the output shaft, a target that is connected to the rotary shaft and rotates together with the rotary shaft, and the output shaft and the rotary shaft through the opening. And a belt that rotates the rotating shaft in response to the rotation of the output shaft, and a power feeding brush that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft, and that feeds power from the inside of the body portion to the outside of the body portion The power supply unit is configured to be capable of entering and exiting from the inside of the main body through the opening.
A sputtering apparatus for solving the above problems includes a rotary cathode having the above-described configuration as a cathode in sputtering.

According to each said structure, the belt which rotates a target in response to rotation of an output shaft has connected the output shaft and the rotating shaft through the opening part of the main-body part. In addition, the power supply brush that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft is configured to be able to enter and leave the main body through the opening of the main body. Therefore, when the power supply brush is worn, the worn power supply brush can be withdrawn from the main body and a new power supply brush can be introduced into the main body through the opening. As a result, when replacing the power supply brush, it is possible to avoid disassembling the main body and removing the belt, and the power supply brush can be replaced smoothly.
The rotary cathode may further include a temperature measuring unit that measures the temperature of the power supply brush.

  For example, when the wear of the power supply brush exceeds a specified range, the frictional force between the power supply brush and the rotating shaft also exceeds the specified range. Further, when the pressing force of the power supply brush with respect to the rotating shaft reaches a specified range, the frictional force between the power supply brush and the rotating shaft also reaches the specified range. When the pressing force of the power supply brush against the rotating shaft exceeds the specified range, the frictional force between the power supply brush and the rotating shaft also exceeds the specified range. The above-described frictional force between the power supply brush and the rotating shaft has a correlation with the temperature of the power supply brush. Normally, the larger the frictional force between the power supply brush and the rotating shaft, the higher the temperature of the power supply brush. The smaller the frictional force between the rotating shaft and the rotating shaft, the lower the temperature of the power supply brush.

According to the above configuration, since the temperature measurement unit measures the temperature of the power supply brush, the frictional force between the power supply brush and the rotating shaft is roughly grasped from the measurement result of the temperature measurement unit. Therefore, whether or not the rotary cathode is normally driven can be roughly grasped from the measurement result of the temperature measurement unit.
The rotary cathode may further include a notification unit that performs notification when the temperature of the power supply brush measured by the temperature measurement unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold.
According to the above configuration, whether or not the rotary cathode is normally driven is accurately grasped by notification from the notification unit.

In the rotary cathode, a flow path through which cooling water for cooling the target flows may be formed inside the rotating shaft.
As described above, when replacing the power supply brush, it is possible to avoid disassembling the main body and removing the belt. In a complicated configuration in which the flow path for the cooling water is formed on the rotating shaft as in the above configuration, the work of disassembling the main body and removing the belt is very troublesome. As a result, the effect of smoothly performing the replacement can be significantly improved.

The apparatus block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the sputtering device in this indication. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1. Sectional drawing which shows the cross-sectional structure of the drive part in the sputtering device of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3. The schematic diagram which shows the connection structure of the electric power feeding brush and rotating shaft in the sputtering device of a reference example. It is a schematic diagram which shows the effect | action at the time of replacing | exchanging the power supply brush in the sputtering device of this Embodiment, Comprising: (a) is a schematic diagram which shows the state before replacing | exchanging a power supply brush, (b) is a power supply brush. The schematic diagram which shows the state which removed, (c) is a schematic diagram which shows the state which attached the new electric power feeding brush.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a rotary cathode and a sputtering apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a sputtering apparatus equipped with a rotary cathode cut along a plane perpendicular to the substrate transport direction. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a sputtering apparatus including a rotary cathode cut along a vertical plane parallel to the substrate transport direction.
As shown in FIG. 1, a processing space that is a space set in a vacuum atmosphere is formed in a chamber 11 provided in the sputtering apparatus, and the processing space formed in the chamber 11 includes a rotary cathode 12, a support base 13, and the like. Is housed. For example, a sputtering gas such as argon gas or a reactive gas such as oxygen gas is appropriately supplied to the processing space of the chamber 11 according to the processing performed in the processing space.
The rotary cathode 12 includes a drive unit 15, a support unit 16, two shaft members 17, and a target 18.

  The drive unit 15 is attached to the upper wall of the chamber 11 and has a main body 22 having a recess 21 formed on the upper surface. The concave portion 21 of the main body 22 includes an opening that opens toward the upper wall of the chamber 11, and communicates with the outside of the chamber 11 through a through hole 23 formed in the upper wall of the chamber 11. That is, during operation of the sputtering apparatus, the inside of the chamber 11 is depressurized, but the space in the recess 21 is at atmospheric pressure.

  A support hole 24 penetrating the main body portion 22 along the horizontal direction is formed in a wall facing the support portion 16 among the walls of the main body portion 22. A support groove 25 facing the support hole 24 is formed in a wall facing the support hole 24 among the walls of the main body 22. One shaft member 17 of the two shaft members 17 is inserted into the support hole 24 and the support groove 25. One shaft member 17 constitutes a rotating shaft and is rotatably supported by the drive unit 15 by a bearing 28 provided in the support hole 24 and a bearing 29 provided in the support groove 25.

  A driven pulley 31 is fitted from the outside of the shaft member 17 at a position in the axial direction of one shaft member 17 and located in the recess 21. In addition, a slip ring 36 is fitted from the outside of the shaft member 17 to a position that is on the distal end side of the driven pulley 31 in the axial direction of one shaft member 17 and that is positioned in the recess 21. Yes. The driven pulley 31 and the slip ring 36 also constitute a rotating shaft together with one shaft member. Note that a flow path R1 through which cooling water for cooling the target 18 flows is formed inside the one shaft member 17 as indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  The support portion 16 is attached to the upper wall of the chamber 11, and a support groove 26 extending in the horizontal direction is formed on the opposing wall that is the wall facing the drive portion 15 in the support portion 16. Of the two shaft members 17, the other shaft member 17 is rotatably supported by the support portion 16 by a bearing 30 provided in the support groove 26.

  The target 18 having a cylindrical shape is connected to one shaft member 17 supported by the drive unit 15 and the other shaft member 17 supported by the support unit 16, and rotates when the one shaft member 17 rotates. To do.

  A motor 33 constituting a driving device is mounted on the upper wall of the main body 22. The output shaft 32 connected to the motor 33 also constitutes a driving device, has a shape extending in parallel with the axial direction of the shaft member 17, and is opposed to the concave portion 21 formed in the main body portion 22. Is arranged. A drive pulley 34 is connected to the output shaft 32 of the motor 33.

  The driven pulley 31 connected to one shaft member 17 and the drive pulley 34 connected to the output shaft 32 are connected by an endless belt 35. The belt 35 is hooked on the one shaft member 17 and the output shaft 32 through the opening of the recess 21 formed in the main body portion 22 and the through hole 23 formed in the upper wall of the chamber 11, so that the output shaft Under the rotation of 32, one shaft member 17 is rotated.

  Above the slip ring 36 connected to one shaft member 17, a power supply brush 38 that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the slip ring 36 and a brush holder 37 that supports the power supply brush 38 above the power supply brush 38 are disposed. ing. The power supply brush 38 and the brush holder 37 are examples of a power supply unit, and extend from the inside of the main body 22 to the outside of the main body 22. The upper end portion of the brush holder 37 is fixed relative to the main body portion 22 and presses the power supply brush 38 toward the slip ring 36. The electric power transmitted from the power supply brush 38 to the slip ring 36 is supplied from the slip ring 36 to the target 18 through the shaft member 17.

  In a state where the power supply brush 38 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the slip ring 36, the upper end portion of the brush holder 37 projects upward from the opening portion of the recess 21. The brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 have a size and a shape that allow the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 to enter the main body 22 through the opening of the recess 21. Further, the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 have a size and a shape that can be withdrawn from the inside of the main body 22 through the opening of the recess 21. The brush holder 37 is fastened directly or indirectly to the main body 22 or the chamber 11 so that the fixing of the relative position with respect to the main body 22 can be released.

  That is, the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 are configured to be able to enter and leave the main body 22 through the opening of the recess 21 and the through hole 23 formed in the chamber 11. Yes. Note that the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 enter and leave the main body 22 independently of the belt 35. In other words, in a state where the belt 35 is hooked on one shaft member 17 and the output shaft 32, the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 retreat from the inside of the main body portion 22 through the opening portion of the recess 21. . Further, in a state where the belt 35 is hooked on the one shaft member 17 and the output shaft 32, the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 enter the inside of the main body portion 22 through the opening of the recess 21.

  Then, electric power is supplied from the drive unit 15 to the target 18 while rotating the target 18 based on the drive force transmitted from the drive unit 15. By supplying such electric power, plasma is generated around the target 18 from the gas contained in the chamber 11, and positive ions in the generated plasma collide with the target 18. As a result, particles are released from the target 18.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the particles emitted from the target 18 are deposited on the upper surface of the substrate 14 in the process in which the substrate 14 carried into the chamber 11 through the carry-in port S <b> 1 passes under the target 18. . A thin film containing the material constituting the target 18 is formed on the upper surface of the substrate 14. The substrate 14 thus formed with the thin film is carried out of the chamber 11 through the carry-out port S2. In the present embodiment, the rotary cathodes 12 are arranged at three positions on the transport path of the substrate 14 from the carry-in entrance S1 to the carry-out exit S2, and are emitted from the targets 18 of these three rotary cathodes 12. Particles are sequentially deposited on the upper surface of one substrate 14.

Next, the peripheral configuration of the brush holder 37 will be described with reference to the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 3, the driving unit 15 includes a fastening plate 40 mounted on the upper wall of the chamber 11, and is fastened so that the upper wall of the chamber 11 is positioned between the fastening plate 40 and the main body 22. The plate 40 is fastened to the chamber 11. The fastening plate 40 is formed with a through hole 41 penetrating the fastening plate 40 in the thickness direction. The through hole 41 formed in the fastening plate 40 is located above the through hole 23 formed in the chamber 11. .

  A support piece 42 extending to a position facing the through hole 41 is fixed on the upper surface of the fastening plate 40. An upper end portion of the brush holder 37 is fixed by a fixing pin 43 at a position facing the through hole 41 in the support piece 42. A power supply brush 38 is fixed to the lower end of the brush holder 37, and the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 have a size that can pass through the through hole 23 and the through hole 41 in the vertical direction. In addition, the power feeding unit including the brush holder 37 and the power feeding brush 38 is separated from the belt 35 in the axial direction of the shaft member 17. That is, the vertical plane including the power feeding unit is disposed substantially parallel to the vertical plane including the belt 35, and the brush holder 37 and the power feeding brush 38 constituting the power feeding unit are independent of the belt 35 and are separated from the main body unit 22. It is configured to be able to enter and exit.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a radiation thermometer 44 that is an example of a temperature measurement unit that measures the temperature of the brush holder 37 is provided above the brush holder 37. The radiation thermometer 44 indirectly measures the temperature of the power supply brush 38 held by the brush holder 37 as the temperature of the brush holder 37. The measurement result of the radiation thermometer 44 is output to a notification unit 45 provided in the drive unit 15.

Next, the operation of the sputtering apparatus of the present embodiment will be described below, particularly focusing on the operation when the power supply brush 38 of the rotary cathode 12 is replaced.
For example, when the wear of the power supply brush 38 exceeds a specified range, the frictional force between the power supply brush 38 and the slip ring 36 also exceeds the specified range. Further, when the pressing force of the power supply brush 38 against the slip ring 36 reaches a specified range, the frictional force between the power supply brush 38 and the slip ring 36 also reaches the specified range. When the pressing force of the power supply brush 38 against the slip ring 36 exceeds the specified range, the frictional force between the power supply brush 38 and the slip ring 36 also exceeds the specified range. The above-described frictional force between the power supply brush 38 and the slip ring 36 has a correlation with the temperature of the power supply brush 38, and normally, the greater the frictional force between the power supply brush 38 and the slip ring 36, the greater the force of the power supply brush 38. The temperature is high, and the temperature of the power supply brush 38 is lower as the frictional force between the power supply brush 38 and the slip ring 36 is smaller.

  In the present embodiment, the radiation thermometer 44 indirectly measures the temperature of the power supply brush 38, and when the measured temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the notification through the notification unit 45 is performed. Therefore, for example, when the temperature when the wear of the power supply brush 38 exceeds a specified range is set as the predetermined threshold described above, the notification unit 45 indicates that the wear of the power supply brush 38 exceeds the specified range. It is grasped by the notification. Further, for example, when the temperature at which the pressing force of the power supply brush 38 against the slip ring 36 reaches a specified range is set as the above-described predetermined threshold, the pressing force of the power supply brush 38 against the slip ring 36 is set to a specified value. The notification of the notification unit 45 indicates that the range has been reached.

  Here, when the rotary cathode 12 is used for a long period of time, the power supply brush 38 continues to slide on the outer peripheral surface of the slip ring 36 and wears. It is desirable to replace the worn power supply brush 38 with a new power supply brush 38 when preset power is supplied from the power supply brush 38 to the target 18.

  As shown in FIG. 5, in the sputtering apparatus of the reference example, the power supply brush 138 is pressed from four directions, up, down, left, and right orthogonal to the rotation shaft 117. In the sputtering apparatus of such a reference example, the power supply brush 138 is accessed from the outside of the main body 122 unless the main body 122 is disassembled and the inside of the main body 122 is opened or the rotating shaft 117 is removed from the main body 122. Can not do it. That is, when the power supply brush 138 is replaced, first, cooling water is discharged from the inside of the main body 122 or the inside of the rotating shaft 117, and then the main body 122 is disassembled or the rotating shaft 117 is connected to the main body 122. Need to be removed from. Therefore, when the power supply brush 138 is replaced, a complicated operation of discharging the cooling water, disassembling the main body 122, or removing the rotating shaft 117 is required.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6A, in the sputtering apparatus of the present embodiment, the slip ring 36 is only seen from above the shaft member 17 through the opening of the recess 21 formed in the main body 22. The power supply brush 38 is pressed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, when replacing the power supply brush 38, the worn power supply brush 38 is first removed from the main body portion 22 through the opening of the recess 21. Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, a new power supply brush 38 is inserted into the main body 22 through the opening of the recess 21. Then, a new power supply brush 38 is pressed against the slip ring 36 from above the shaft member 17. As a result, the power supply brush 38 is exchanged without disassembling the main body 22 or removing the shaft member 17 from the main body 22. Further, the power supply brush 38 can be replaced while the inside of the chamber 11 is maintained in a reduced pressure state.

  In the configuration in which one power supply brush 38 is in contact with one slip ring 36, the area of the outer periphery of the slip ring 36 where the power supply brush contacts is compared to the configuration in which four power supply brushes are in contact with one rotation shaft. Is small. Therefore, the power supply brush 38 located above the slip ring 36 preferably covers the entire upper half of the outer peripheral surface of the slip ring 36. Note that by increasing the thickness of the power supply brush 38 along the axial direction of the shaft member 17, it is possible to increase the contact area of the power supply brush 38 on the outer peripheral surface of the slip ring 36.

As mentioned above, according to the said embodiment, the effect shown below can be acquired.
(1) Since the belt 35 connects the output shaft of the driving device and the shaft member 17, the concave portion 21 opening toward the output shaft of the driving device, that is, the concave portion 21 opening upward is formed in the main body portion 22. Is formed. A power supply brush 38 is inserted into the main body 22 so as to enter and exit through the opening of the recess 21. Therefore, when replacing the power supply brush 38, the power supply brush 38 before replacement is taken out through the opening of the recess 21, and a new power supply brush 38 is inserted into the main body 22 through the opening of the recess 21. As a result, the power supply brush 38 can be exchanged smoothly.

  (2) Since the radiation thermometer 44 measures the temperature of the power supply brush 38, the frictional force between the power supply brush 38 and the slip ring 36 is roughly grasped from the measurement result of the radiation thermometer 44. Therefore, whether or not the rotary cathode is operating normally can be grasped from the measurement result of the radiation thermometer 44.

  (3) When the temperature of the power supply brush 38 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value, the fact that the power supply brush 38 is in a higher friction level is notified through the notification unit 45. Therefore, the maintenance timing of the power supply brush 38 based on the degree of friction of the power supply brush 38 can be accurately grasped.

  (4) When replacing the power supply brush 38, it is possible to avoid disassembling the main body 22 or removing the belt 35. In a complicated configuration in which the flow path R1 through which the cooling water flows is formed in the shaft member 17, the work of disassembling the main body portion 22 or removing the belt 35 is very troublesome. The effect according to the above (1) that can be smoothly exchanged becomes remarkable.

In addition, the said embodiment can also be implemented with the following forms.
The cooling water flow path R <b> 1 may be omitted from the main body 22 and may be configured to connect the outside of the rotary cathode and the shaft member 17 through the recess 21. Further, the cooling water flow path R1 itself may be omitted from the rotary cathode.

  The notification unit 45 may notify that the temperature of the power supply brush 38 is out of the predetermined range when the temperature of the power supply brush 38 is out of the predetermined range. With such a configuration, both of excessive contact of the power supply brush 38 to the slip ring 36 and insufficient contact of the power supply brush 38 to the slip ring 36 can be grasped by notification.

  When the notification unit 45 is omitted and the temperature of the power supply brush 38 is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold, the power supply by the power supply brush 38 and the driving of the shaft member 17 by the driving device are forcibly stopped. May be.

  In the above embodiment, the temperature measurement unit is a contact-type thermometer that comes in contact with either the brush holder 37 or the power supply brush 38 while being electrically insulated from the brush holder 37 or the power supply brush 38. There may be. Note that the temperature measurement unit that measures the temperature of the power supply brush 38 may be omitted.

  The power supply unit may include a power supply brush 38 that supplies power to the shaft member 17 and may be a structure that extends from the inside of the main body 22 to the outside of the main body 22 through the opening. In addition to the brush 38, another member may be provided.

  The rotation shaft may be a single member in which the shaft member 17 and the slip ring 36 are integrally formed. In short, the rotation shaft is rotatably supported inside the main body 22 and outputs. What is necessary is just an axis | shaft which has a shape along the axis | shaft 32 and rotates a target.

  The size and shape of the opening included in the recess 21 may be, for example, a rectangular opening or a circular opening. The point is that the power supply unit composed of the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 may be configured so as to be able to enter and leave the main body 22 along the vertical direction. Note that the size of the opening of the recess 21 is preferably such that the power feeding unit and the belt 35 do not interfere with each other when the power feeding unit enters and leaves.

  The main body 22 is not limited to the upper wall of the chamber 11 and may be disposed on the side wall of the chamber 11. In such a configuration, the opening of the recess 21 is preferably open from the inside of the chamber 11 in the horizontal direction. At this time, it is preferable that the power supply unit including the brush holder 37 and the power supply brush 38 and the endless belt 35 have a shape extending in the horizontal direction from the inside of the main body 22. .

The main body 22 is not limited to the upper wall of the chamber 11 and may be disposed on the bottom wall of the chamber 11. In such a configuration, it is preferable that the opening of the recess 21 opens from the inside of the chamber 11 downward in the vertical direction. At this time, the power feeding unit including the brush holder 37 and the power feeding brush 38 and the endless belt 35 have a shape extending from the inside of the main body 22 along the lower side in the vertical direction. Is preferred.
In short, it is only necessary that the opening of the recess 21 is opened so as to face the output shaft 32.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Rotary cathode, 17 ... Shaft member, 18 ... Target, 21 ... Recess, 22 ... Main part, 32 ... Output shaft, 33 ... Motor, 35 ... Belt, 38 ... Feeding brush, 44 ... Radiation thermometer, 45 ... Notification Part, R1...

Claims (5)

A main body having an opening on one side;
A drive device disposed outside the main body and having an output shaft at a position facing the opening;
A rotating shaft that is rotatably supported in the main body and has a shape along the output shaft;
A target coupled to the rotating shaft and rotating together with the rotating shaft;
A belt that connects the output shaft and the rotary shaft through the opening, and rotates the rotary shaft in response to the rotation of the output shaft;
A brush holder extending from the inside of the main body to the outside of the main body,
A power supply brush supported by the brush holder,
The brush holder is fixed outside the main body,
The power supply brush is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the rotating shaft from the opening toward the rotating shaft,
The brush holder and the power supply brush are configured to be capable of entering and exiting the inside of the main body through the opening .   The rotary cathode according to claim 1, further comprising a temperature measuring unit that measures a temperature of the power supply brush.   The rotary cathode according to claim 2, further comprising a notification unit that performs notification when the temperature of the power supply brush measured by the temperature measurement unit is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold.   The rotary cathode as described in any one of Claims 1-3 in which the flow path through which the cooling water which cools the said target distribute | circulates is formed in the said rotating shaft.   A sputtering apparatus provided with the rotary cathode as described in any one of Claims 1-4 as a cathode in sputtering.

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