JP7233339B2 - Plasma processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art In manufacturing processes for various products such as semiconductor devices, liquid crystal displays, and optical discs, thin films such as optical films are sometimes formed on workpieces such as wafers and glass substrates. A thin film can be produced by forming a film of metal or the like on a workpiece, or by performing film processing such as etching, oxidation, or nitridation on the formed film.

Film formation or film processing can be performed by various methods, one of which is a method using plasma. In film formation, an inert gas is introduced into a chamber in which a target is placed, and a DC voltage is applied. Plasma inert gas ions are made to collide with the target, and the material ejected from the target is deposited on the workpiece to form a film. In film processing, a process gas is introduced into a chamber in which electrodes are arranged, and a high frequency voltage is applied to the electrodes. Film processing is performed by colliding active species such as ions and radicals of the plasmatized process gas against the film on the workpiece.

In order to continuously perform such film formation and film processing, a rotary table, which is a rotating body, is attached inside one chamber, and a unit for film formation and a unit for film processing are arranged in the circumferential direction above the rotary table. There is a plasma processing apparatus in which a plurality of are arranged (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this way, an optical film or the like is formed by holding the workpiece on the rotary table, conveying it, and passing it directly under the film forming unit and the film processing unit.

2. Description of the Related Art In a plasma processing apparatus using a rotary table, a cylindrical electrode (hereinafter referred to as a “cylindrical electrode”) having a closed upper end and an opening at a lower end is sometimes used as a film processing unit. When using a cylindrical electrode, an opening is provided in the upper part of the chamber, and the upper end of the cylindrical electrode is attached to this opening via an insulator. A side wall of the cylindrical electrode extends into the interior of the chamber, and an opening at the lower end faces the rotary table with a small gap therebetween. The chamber is grounded, the cylindrical electrode serves as the anode, and the chamber and rotary table serve as the cathode. A process gas is introduced into the cylindrical electrode and a high frequency voltage is applied to generate plasma. Electrons contained in the generated plasma flow into the rotating table, which is the cathode. By passing the workpiece held on the rotary table under the opening of the cylindrical electrode, active species such as ions and radicals generated by the plasma collide with the workpiece to perform film processing.

Japanese Patent No. 4428873 JP 2011-103257 A

In recent years, the size of workpieces to be processed has increased, and there has been a demand for improvement in processing efficiency. However, when plasma is generated by applying a voltage to the cylindrical electrode, it may be difficult to generate wide-area, high-density plasma.

Therefore, a plasma processing apparatus was developed that can perform film processing on large workpieces by generating linear, high-density, uniform plasma and scanning the workpiece in a direction perpendicular to the length of the plasma source. (See Patent Document 2, for example). Such a plasma processing apparatus performs film processing by generating plasma from a plasma source in a gas space into which a process gas is introduced.

Consider a case where a film processing unit using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma is used as a film processing unit in a plasma processing apparatus using a rotary table as described above. In this case, it is conceivable that the range in which film processing is performed in the circumferential direction of the turntable, that is, the width of the processing area, is formed parallel to the direction along the radial direction of the turntable. By the way, the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the turntable have different velocities passing through the processing area on the surface of the turntable. That is, the passing speed within the same distance is faster on the outer peripheral side of the rotary table and slower on the inner peripheral side. When the width of the processing area is parallel to the radial direction of the rotary table as described above, the surface of the rotary table passes through the processing area in a shorter time on the outer peripheral side than on the inner peripheral side. It will be. Therefore, the film processing rate after processing for a certain period of time is low on the outer peripheral side and high on the inner peripheral side.

Then, for example, when oxidizing or nitriding the niobium or silicon film formed in the film forming section to form a compound film, the niobium or silicon film is formed on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the rotary table. The degree of oxidization or nitridation of the film is greatly different. Therefore, it is difficult to uniformly process the entire work or to change the degree of processing at a desired position of the work.

This problem also occurs, for example, when wafers such as semiconductors as works are arranged in a line in the circumferential direction on a rotary table and subjected to plasma processing. Further, from the viewpoint of processing efficiency, etc., if a plurality of devices are arranged in the radial direction so that plasma processing can be performed, the problem becomes even more pronounced. Specifically, when the radius of the rotary table exceeds 1.0 m and the width of the processing area in the radial direction of the rotary table reaches 0.5 m, the difference in processing rate between the inner and outer circumferences becomes very large. becomes large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a plasma processing apparatus capable of performing desired plasma processing on a workpiece circulated and transported by a rotating body according to positions on the surface of the rotating body at different passing speeds.

a vacuum container whose interior can be evacuated;
a conveying unit provided in the vacuum vessel, having a rotating body that holds and rotates a work, and circulatingly conveying the work in a circumferential conveying path by rotating the rotating body;
a defining portion having a side wall portion defining a portion of a gas space into which a reaction gas is introduced, and an opening facing the transfer path inside the vacuum vessel;
a gas supply unit that supplies the reaction gas to the gas space;
a plasma source for generating plasma for plasma-processing the work passing through the transfer path in the gas space into which the reaction gas is introduced;
has
The gas supply unit supplies the reaction gas from a plurality of supply points at different times for the surface of the rotating body to pass through the processing region where the plasma processing is performed,
an adjustment unit that individually adjusts the supply amount of the reaction gas per unit time to the plurality of supply points according to the passing time ;
the defining portion defines the gas space to have a constant width in a direction along the radial direction of the rotating body;
The plurality of supply locations are located in the gas space facing each other, and are arranged in a direction along the transport path .

The side wall portion may have a pair of inner walls facing each other in a radial direction of the rotating body, and the plurality of supply locations may be provided along the pair of inner walls.

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

The adjustment unit may adjust the supply amount of the reaction gas supplied from each supply port according to the film thickness of the film formed on the workpiece and the passage time.

The workpiece has a convex portion on a surface to be processed to be plasma-processed, and a surface of the side wall portion of the defining portion facing the rotating body and the rotating body have a convex portion therebetween. A gap through which the held work can pass may be provided, and the side wall portion may have a recess along the protrusion of the work.

A plurality of trays for holding the workpieces are held by the rotating body, and the workpieces held on the trays are spaced between the trays and the surface of the side wall of the defining section facing the rotating body. can pass through, and the tray may have a convex portion along the concave portion of the side wall portion. The surface of the rotating body facing the defining portion and the surfaces of the plurality of trays facing the defining portion may have portions that are continuously flush along the circumferential track. good.

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

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

The plasma source may be a device for generating an inductively coupled plasma in the gas space.

According to the present invention, a desired plasma treatment can be performed on a workpiece that is circulated and transported by a rotating body according to positions on the surface of the rotating body that pass at different speeds.

1 is a see-through perspective view of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 1 is a see-through bottom view of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2; They are a side view (A), a plan view (B), and a perspective view (C) of a work. They are the side view (A) of a tray, a top view (B), and a perspective view (C). It is a perspective view which shows the shield member of a film-forming part. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the interval between the work and the shield member, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the interval between the work and the defining portion; FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a flow path of process gas; It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control apparatus of embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a tray. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a tray. It is a perspective view which shows the modification of a tray. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a tray and a rotary body. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of a tray, (A) is a case where a workpiece|work has a convex part, (B) is a case where a workpiece|work is flat form.

An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.
[overview]
A plasma processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus for forming a compound film on the surface of each workpiece W using plasma. That is, in the plasma processing apparatus 100, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, when the rotating body 31 rotates, the work W on the tray 1 held by the rotating body 31 moves in a circular locus. Due to this movement, the workpiece W repeatedly passes through the positions facing the film forming units 40A, 40B, or 40C. At each pass, particles of the targets 41A to 41C are caused to adhere to the surface of the workpiece W by sputtering.

Moreover, the workpiece W repeatedly passes through the position facing the film processing section 50A or 50B. At each pass, the particles adhering to the surface of the workpiece W combine with substances in the introduced process gas G2 to form a compound film. 1 is a see-through perspective view of the plasma processing apparatus 100, FIG. 2 is a see-through bottom view, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line BB of FIG. In the following description, the direction that follows gravity is downward, and the direction that resists gravity is upward. When the vacuum vessel 20 of the plasma processing apparatus 100 is installed on a surface such as the floor of a building or the ground that exists in the direction of gravity with respect to the vacuum vessel 20, the installation surface inside the vacuum vessel 20 is One side down and the other side up.

[work]
As shown in the side view of FIG. 5A, the plan view of FIG. 5B, and the perspective view of FIG. It is a plate-shaped member having a convex portion Cp on the surface Sp) and a concave portion Rp on the surface opposite to the convex portion Cp. The convex portion Cp is a curved portion in which the center of curvature of the processing target surface Sp is located on the opposite side of the processing target surface Sp, or a different plane when the processing target surface Sp is composed of a plurality of planes with different angles. The part that connects them. In other words, the convex portion Cp includes not only a curved portion but also a corner portion. The concave portion Rp refers to the portion on the opposite side of the convex portion Cp.

In the present embodiment, the workpiece W is a rectangular substrate, and a convex portion Cp is formed on the processing target surface Sp by a curved portion formed on one short side. In other words, in the present embodiment, the convex portion Cp is on the side that expands due to bending, and the concave portion Rp is on the side that expands and contracts. Further, the processing target surface Sp from the convex portion Cp of the work W to the other short side is a flat surface.

[tray]
The tray 1 is a member that holds the work W, as shown in the side view of FIG. 6(A), the plan view of FIG. 6(B), and the perspective view of FIG. 6(C). The tray 1 is a substantially fan-shaped plate-like body, and one surface is a facing surface 11 facing the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50, which are processing sections. In this embodiment, when the tray 1 is mounted on the rotating body 31, the facing surface 11 faces downward as shown in FIGS. However, FIG. 6 shows the facing surface 11 side upward. Here, the side having the facing surface 11 of the tray 1 is defined as the facing portion X1, and the opposite surface side is defined as the supporting portion X2.

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

In addition, the facing surface 11 of the facing portion X1 has a convex portion 11a protruding toward the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50, which are processing sections. The convex portion 11a has a shape that conforms to a concave portion 81 of the shield member 8 and a concave portion 51b of the side wall portion 51c of the defining portion 51, which will be described later. Along the recessed portions 81 and 51b means that the shape follows the recessed portions 81 and 51b. The convex portion 11a of the tray 1 faces the concave portions 81 and 51b in a non-contact manner (see FIG. 3).

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

The number of works W held on the tray 1 is not limited to a specific number. In this embodiment, three works W are held on one tray 1 . Moreover, the means for holding the work W is not limited to the adhesive material. The tray 1 may be provided with a holding mechanism such as a chuck mechanism for detachably holding the work W, or a holding mechanism that clamps the work W with claw members that can be held by being fitted.

The outer shape of the support portion X2 is substantially the same as the outer shape of the facing portion X1, but its size is slightly larger than that of the facing portion X1. For this reason, the tray 1 has a protruding portion 15 in which the outer circumference of the supporting portion X2 protrudes outward over the entire circumference from the outer circumference of the facing portion X1.

As the material of the tray 1, it is preferable to use a material having high thermal conductivity, such as metal. In this embodiment, the material of the tray 1 is SUS. In addition, the material of the tray 1 may be, for example, ceramics or resin having good thermal conductivity, or a composite material thereof.

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

[Vacuum vessel]
The vacuum container 20 is a container whose interior can be evacuated, a so-called chamber. A vacuum chamber 21 is formed inside the vacuum vessel 20 . The vacuum chamber 21 is a cylindrical closed space surrounded by a bottom surface 20a, a ceiling 20b, and an inner peripheral surface 20c inside the vacuum vessel 20. As shown in FIG. The vacuum chamber 21 is airtight and can be evacuated by decompression. In addition, the bottom surface 20a of the vacuum container 20 is configured to be openable and closable. Further, the vacuum vessel 20 is installed on an installation surface (not shown) via a mount so that the axis thereof is substantially vertical. At this time, the side of the bottom surface 20a is the lower side, that is, the installation surface side.

A reaction gas G is introduced into a predetermined region inside the vacuum chamber 21 . The reaction gas G includes a sputtering gas G1 for film formation and a process gas G2 for film processing (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In the following description, the sputtering gas G1 and the process gas G2 may be referred to as the reaction gas G when not distinguished from each other. The sputtering gas G1 is a gas for depositing the material of the targets 41A to 41C on the surface of the work W by colliding the ions generated by the plasma generated by the application of electric power against the targets 41A to 41C. For example, an inert gas such as argon gas can be used as the sputtering gas G1.

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

The vacuum container 20 has an exhaust port 22 and an inlet port 24, as shown in FIG. The exhaust port 22 is an opening for ensuring gas flow between the vacuum chamber 21 and the outside to perform exhaust E. As shown in FIG. This exhaust port 22 is formed in the side surface of the vacuum vessel 20, for example. An exhaust portion 23 is connected to the exhaust port 22 . The exhaust unit 23 has a pipe, a pump (not shown), a valve, and the like. The inside of the vacuum chamber 21 is decompressed by the evacuation process by the evacuation unit 23 .

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

[Conveyor]
An outline of the transport section 30 will be described. The transfer section 30 has a rotating body 31 provided inside the vacuum vessel 20 . The rotating body 31 holds the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. The transport unit 30 is a device that circulates and transports the work W along a circumferential transport path T by rotating a rotating body 31 . Holding the work W on the rotating body 31 means that the position of the work W with respect to the rotating body 31 is defined so that the work W is circulated and transported as the rotating body 31 rotates. Therefore, even if the work W is directly held by the rotating body 31 or indirectly held by the rotating body 31 via other members such as the tray 1, the work W can be held by the rotating body 31. included.

Moreover, the work W may be held on the lower side of the rotating body 31 or on the upper side. The processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W may be held on the surface of the rotating body 31 facing the film processing unit 50 or the film forming unit 40 . A case where the work W is placed on the rotating body 31 or on the tray 1 is also included in the work W being held. In this embodiment, the work W is held on the tray 1 held by the rotating body 31 and circulated and transported.

Circulating transport means that the workpiece W is repeatedly circulated along a circumferential locus. The transport path T is a trajectory along which the work W or the tray 1 described later is moved by the transport unit 30 . Although the transport path T shown in FIG. 2 is linear, it is actually a donut-shaped wide ring. The details of the transport unit 30 will be described below.

The rotating body 31 of this embodiment is a circular plate-like rotary table. The rotating body 31 may be, for example, a stainless steel plate-like member whose surface is thermally sprayed with aluminum oxide. Henceforth, simply referring to the "circumferential direction" means "the circumferential direction of the rotating body 31", and simply referring to the "radial direction" means "the radial direction of the rotating body 31".

The conveying section 30 has a motor 32 and a holding section 33 in addition to the rotating body 31 . The motor 32 is a driving source that applies a driving force to the rotating body 31 and rotates the rotating body 31 about the center of the circle. The holding section 33 is a component that holds the tray 1 transported by the transport section 30 . A plurality of holding portions 33 are formed on the surface of the rotating body 31 at equidistant positions on the circumference thereof. The surface of the rotating body 31 in the present embodiment is a surface facing downward when the plane of rotation of the rotating body 31 extends in the horizontal direction, that is, the lower surface. For example, the areas in which the holding portions 33 hold the tray 1 are formed in a direction parallel to the tangent line of the circle in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 31 and are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

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

More specifically, the holding portion 33 is an opening 33 a provided in the rotating body 31 . The openings 33a are through holes provided at equidistant positions on the circumference of the rotating body 31 on which the trays 1 are placed. The opening 33a has substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the support portion X2 of the tray 1, and is slightly larger than the outer shape of the support portion X2, so that the support portion X2 can be inserted therein.

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

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

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

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

Note that the three targets 41A, 41B, and 41C have a larger area than the size of the tray 1 in the radial direction, to which the film-forming material can be deposited. Thus, the annular area along the transport path T corresponding to the area where the film is formed in the film forming section 40 is defined as the film forming area F (indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 2). The width of the film forming area F in the radial direction is longer than the width of the tray 1 in the radial direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the three targets 41A to 41C are arranged so that the film forming material can adhere to the entire width of the film forming region F in the radial direction without gaps.

Niobium, silicon, or the like, for example, is used as the film-forming material. However, various materials can be applied as long as they are materials that can be deposited by sputtering. Moreover, the target 41 is cylindrical shape, for example. However, other shapes such as an oval columnar shape and a prismatic shape may be used.

The backing plate 42 is a member that individually holds the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C. The electrodes 43 are conductive members for applying power individually to the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C from outside the vacuum vessel 20 . The power applied to each target 41A, 41B, 41C can be individually varied. In addition, the sputtering source 4 is appropriately equipped with a magnet, a cooling mechanism, and the like, as required.

(Shield member)
The shield member 8 is a member that faces the workpiece W placed on the tray 1 with a gap therebetween, as shown in the perspective views of FIGS. 3 and 7 . The shield member 8 of this embodiment has an opening 80 on the side through which the work W passes, and forms a film forming chamber S in which the film forming unit 40 forms a film. That is, the shield member 8 forms a space into which the sputtering gas G1 is introduced to generate plasma, and suppresses leakage of the sputtering gas G1 and the film-forming material into the vacuum vessel 20 .

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

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

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

The shield member 8 has a substantially fan shape that expands outward from the center side in the radial direction of the rotating body 31 in a plan view. The substantially fan-shaped here means the shape of the fan surface portion of the folding fan. The opening 80 of the shield member 8 is likewise substantially fan-shaped. The speed at which the workpiece W held under the rotating body 31 passes over the opening 80 decreases toward the center in the radial direction of the rotating body 31 and increases toward the outside. Therefore, if the opening 80 is rectangular or square in plan view, there will be a difference in the time it takes the workpiece W to pass directly under the opening 80 between the center side and the outer side in the radial direction.

In this embodiment, by expanding the diameter of the opening 80 from the center side toward the outside in the radial direction, the time for the workpiece W to pass through the opening 80 can be made constant, and the plasma processing described later can be made uniform. However, it may be rectangular or square in plan view as long as the difference in passing time does not pose a problem in terms of the product. As the material of the shield member 8, for example, aluminum or SUS can be used.

Between the upper ends of the partition walls 83c and 83d and the rotating body 31, a gap D1 is formed through which the workpiece W under the rotating rotating body 31 can pass, as shown in FIG. 8(A). That is, the heights of the partition walls 83c and 83d are set so that a slight gap is formed between the upper edge of the shield member 8 and the workpiece W. As shown in FIG.

More specifically, the opening 80 of the shield member 8 has a concave portion 81 along the convex portion Cp of the work W held on the tray 1 . To conform to the convex portion Cp means to have a shape following the convex portion Cp. In the present embodiment, the concave portion 81 is a curved surface along the curve of the convex portion Cp. However, the interval D1 is provided between the concave portion 81 and the convex portion Cp as described above. That is, the upper edges of the partition walls 83c and 83d including the recessed portion 81 are shaped so as to follow the surface Sp of the workpiece W to be processed in a non-contact manner. The distance D1 between the surface to be processed Sp of the work W and the shield member 8, including the distance between the projections Cp and the recesses 81, is preferably 1 mm to 15 mm. This is to allow passage of the work W and to maintain the pressure of the film forming chamber S inside.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shield member 8 partitions the film forming positions M2, M4, and M5 where the workpiece W is formed by the sputtering source 4 and the film processing positions M1 and M3 where the film processing is performed. The shield member 8 can suppress diffusion of the sputtering gas G1 and the film-forming material at the film-forming positions M2, M4, and M5 into the vacuum chamber 21. FIG.

The horizontal ranges of the film forming positions M2, M4, and M5 are regions separated by the respective shield members 8. As shown in FIG. The workpiece W circulated and transported by the rotating body 31 repeatedly passes through the film-forming positions M2, M4, and M5 facing the target 41, thereby depositing the film-forming material on the surface of the workpiece W as a film.

A film forming chamber S defined by each shield member 8 of the film forming positions M2, M4, and M5 is a region where most of the film forming is performed. However, even in a region outside the film forming chamber S, the film forming material leaks from the film forming chamber S. Therefore, it is not the case that there is no film deposition at all. That is, the film forming area F where the film is formed in the film forming section 40 is a slightly wider area than the film forming chamber S defined by the shield member 8 .

Such a film forming section 40 simultaneously forms films using the same film forming material in the plurality of film forming sections 40A, 40B, and 40C, thereby increasing the amount of film formed within a certain period of time, that is, the film forming rate. can. In addition, by simultaneously or sequentially forming films using different types of film forming materials in the plurality of film forming units 40A, 40B, and 40C, it is possible to form films composed of layers of a plurality of film forming materials. .

(Power supply part)
The power supply unit 6 is a component that applies power to the target 41 . By applying electric power to the target 41 from the power supply unit 6, plasmatized sputtering gas G1 is generated. Then, the ions generated by the plasma collide with the target 41 , so that the film-forming material ejected from the target 41 can be deposited on the workpiece W. Therefore, the power supply unit 6 can be regarded as a plasma source that generates plasma for plasma processing the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. The power applied to each target 41A, 41B, 41C can be individually varied.

In this embodiment, the power supply unit 6 is a DC power supply that applies a high voltage. In addition, in the case of an apparatus that performs high-frequency sputtering, an RF power supply may be used. Also, the power source section 6 may be provided for each of the film forming sections 40A, 40B, and 40C, or may be provided for only one for the plurality of film forming sections 40A, 40B, and 40C. When only one power supply section 6 is provided, application of electric power is switched for use. The rotor 31 has the same potential as the grounded vacuum vessel 20, and a potential difference is generated by applying a high voltage to the target 41 side.

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

[Membrane processing section]
The film processing units 50</b>A and 50</b>B are processing units that perform film processing on materials deposited on the work W transported by the transport unit 30 . This film processing is reverse sputtering that does not use the target 41 . In the following description, the film processing units 50A and 50B will be referred to as the film processing unit 50 unless distinguished from each other. The film processing section 50 has a processing unit 5 .

The processing unit 5 has a defining section 51 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8B. The defining portion 51 is a structural portion having a side wall portion 51c that defines a part of the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced, and an opening 51a that faces the transfer path T inside the vacuum vessel 20. As shown in FIG. The gas space R is a space formed between the inside of the defining portion 51, which is a space surrounded by the side wall portion 51c, and the rotor 31, and the workpieces W circulated and transported by the rotor 31 repeatedly pass through. That is, the gas space R includes not only the space inside the defining portion 51 but also the end face of the opening 51a, that is, the space between the opposing surface of the defining portion 51 facing the rotating body 31 and the rotating body 31. . "Defining a portion of the gas space R" means forming a boundary of a portion of the gas space R. Therefore, the defining portion 51 does not cover the entire gas space R, and does not cover the gas space R between the facing surface of the defining portion 51 and the rotor 31 .

The defining portion 51 of the present embodiment is a cylindrical body having a rounded rectangular horizontal cross section surrounded by the side wall portion 51c. The rounded rectangular shape referred to here is the shape of a track used in athletics. The track shape is a shape in which a pair of partial circles are spaced apart from each other with their convex sides facing in opposite directions, and both ends of the circles are connected by parallel straight lines. The defining portion 51 is made of the same material as the rotor 31 .

The defining portion 51 is arranged such that its major axis is parallel to the radial direction of the rotating body 31 . It should be noted that they do not need to be strictly parallel, and may be slightly inclined. The space inside the defining portion 51 has a rounded rectangular shape similar to the outer diameter of the defining portion 51 from the facing surface, which is the end surface of the opening 51a, to the inner bottom surface in a cross section perpendicular to the axis. This space forms part of the gas space R. Therefore, the processing region, which is the region to be plasma-processed, that is, film-processed, has a rectangular shape with rounded corners similar to the opening 51 a of the defining portion 51 . Then, the length of the processing area in the direction of rotation becomes substantially the same in the radial direction.

An opening 51a at the upper edge of the defining portion 51 faces the rotating body 31 with a space therebetween and faces the transport path. That is, as shown in FIG. 8B, between the surface of the defining portion 51 facing the rotating body 31 and the rotating body 31, there is a gap D2 through which the workpiece W held by the rotating body 31 can pass. formed. That is, the height of the side wall portion 51c of the defining portion 51 is set so that a slight gap is formed between the upper edge of the defining portion 51 and the workpiece W. As shown in FIG.

More specifically, the side wall portion 51 c of the defining portion 51 has recesses 51 b along the protrusions Cp of the workpiece W held on the tray 1 , similarly to the recesses 81 of the shield member 8 . To conform to the convex portion Cp means to have a shape following the convex portion Cp. In the present embodiment, the concave portion 51b is a curved surface along the curve of the convex portion Cp. However, the interval D2 is provided between the concave portion 51b and the convex portion Cp as described above. That is, the upper edge of the defining portion 51 including the concave portion 51b is formed in a shape that follows the processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W without contact. The distance D2 between the processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W and the defining portion 51 is preferably 1 mm to 15 mm, including the distance between the convex portion Cp and the concave portion 51b. This is to allow passage of the workpiece W and maintain pressure inside the defining portion 51 . Plasma is generated inside the defining portion 51 by introduction of microwaves.

As shown in FIG. 3 , most of the side wall portion 51 c of the defining portion 51 is accommodated within the vacuum chamber 21 . However, the bottom surface of the defining portion 51 protrudes downward and is inserted into a mounting hole 21 a provided in the bottom surface 20 a of the vacuum container 20 . A space between the defining portion 51 and the vacuum vessel 20 is sealed by an O-ring 21b. A window portion 52 is provided on the bottom surface of the defining portion 51 . The window portion 52 is a constituent portion that partitions the gas space R in the defining portion 51 from the outside and allows introduction of microwaves.

The window part 52 of this embodiment has a window hole 52a and a window member 52b. The window hole 52 a is a through hole formed in the bottom surface of the defining portion 51 . The window hole 52a can change the distribution shape of generated plasma depending on its shape. In other words, the plasma distribution shape can be determined by the shape of the window holes 52a. In this embodiment, by making the horizontal cross section of the window hole 52a a rectangular shape with rounded corners, it is possible to generate plasma having a shape substantially similar to the horizontal cross section of the gas space R. FIG. When the material forming the window hole 52a, that is, the material of the defining portion 51 is a dielectric such as quartz, the shape of the plasma distribution can be determined by the shape of the waveguide 55a, which will be described later. The window member 52b is a flat plate that fits inside the defining portion 51 and closes the window hole 52a. The window member 52b is mounted on an O-ring 52c fitted around the window hole 52a in the inner bottom of the defining portion 51 to hermetically seal the window hole 52a. The window member 52b may be a dielectric such as alumina, or a semiconductor such as silicon.

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

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

Comparing the rotation center side (inner peripheral side) and the outer peripheral side of the work W held by the rotating body 31, the length of the circumference traced by the points on the surface of the rotating body 31, that is, the circumference different lengths. Therefore, a difference occurs in the speed at which points on the surface of the rotating body 31 pass through a certain distance. In the present embodiment, the defining portion 51 is arranged such that the major axis of the opening 51 a is parallel to the radial direction of the rotating body 31 . Moreover, the linear portions of the opening 51a in which the plurality of supply ports 531A to 531D and the supply ports 531a to 531d are formed are parallel to each other in the radial direction. In the following description, the supply ports 531A to 531D and the supply ports 531a to 531d are referred to as the supply port 531 when they are not distinguished from each other.

In such a configuration, the time required for the work W to pass a certain distance above the defining portion 51 is shorter on the outer peripheral side of the rotating body 31 than on the inner peripheral side. For this reason, the rate of film processing differs between the inner circumference side and the outer circumference side. The plurality of supply ports 531 are provided at a plurality of locations where the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through the processing region where the plasma processing is performed. The direction in which the plurality of supply ports 531 are arranged intersects the transport path T. As shown in FIG. Further, the supply ports 531 are arranged at opposite positions with the gas space R interposed therebetween. The supply ports 531 facing each other in the gas space R are aligned along the transport path T. As shown in FIG.

More specifically, each of the pipes 53a is branched at positions facing one inner wall and the other inner wall of the defining portion 51, and each end is provided with a supply port 531A to 531D for the process gas G2. 531a to 531d. The supply ports 531A to 531D are arranged side by side at regular intervals along one inner wall of the defining portion 51 in the longitudinal direction. The supply ports 531a to 531d are arranged side by side at regular intervals along the other inner wall of the defining portion 51 in the longitudinal direction.

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

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

The adjustment unit 54 adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 introduced by the gas supply unit 53 according to the position in the direction intersecting the transport path T, as shown in FIG. The direction that intersects the transport path T is a direction that is not parallel to the transport path T, and is not limited to a direction orthogonal to the transport path T. In other words, the adjustment unit 54 individually adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 per unit time at a plurality of locations of the gas supply unit 53 according to the time required for the surface of the rotating body 31 to pass through the processing region. The adjustment unit 54 has mass flow controllers (MFC) 54a respectively provided in a pair of paths of the pipe 53a. The MFC 54a is a member having a mass flow meter for measuring the flow rate of fluid and an electromagnetic valve for controlling the flow rate.

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

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

The cooling section 56 is a component that cools the defining section 51 . The cooling part 56 has a pipe 56a and a cavity 56b. Although not shown, the pipe 56a is connected to a chiller, which is a cooling water circulating device that circulates the cooling water C, and is a circulation path through which the cooling water C circulates. The cavity 56b is formed inside the side wall portion 51c of the defining portion 51, is a space through which the cooling water C flows, and communicates between the supply side and the discharge side of the pipe 56a. The cooling water C cooled by the chiller is supplied from the supply side, flows through the cavity, and is discharged from the drainage side, thereby cooling the defining portion 51 and suppressing heating.

[Load lock section]
In the load lock unit 60, while the vacuum in the vacuum chamber 21 is maintained, the tray 1 loaded with the unprocessed workpieces W is carried into the vacuum chamber 21 from the outside by a transport means (not shown), and the processed workpieces W are transported into the vacuum chamber 21. It is a device for carrying out the mounted tray 1 to the outside of the vacuum chamber 21 . Since the load lock unit 60 can have a well-known structure, the description thereof is omitted.

[Control device]
The control device 70 is a device that controls each part of the plasma processing apparatus 100 . This control device 70 can be configured by, for example, a dedicated electronic circuit or a computer that operates according to a predetermined program. In other words, control of the introduction and exhaust of the sputtering gas G1 and the process gas G2 into the vacuum chamber 21, control of the power supply unit 6, control of the rotation of the rotor 31, introduction of microwaves in the plasma source 55, control of magnetic field generation, Regarding the control of the cooling water C in the cooling unit 56, the contents of the control are programmed. The control device 70 executes this program by a processing device such as a PLC or CPU, and is capable of supporting various specifications of plasma processing.

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

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

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

The mechanism control unit 71 controls the exhaust unit 23, the gas supply unit 25, the gas supply unit 53, the adjustment unit 54, the motor 32, the chiller of the cooling unit 56, drive sources such as the load lock unit 60, electromagnetic valves, switches, power supplies, and the like. It is a processing unit to control. The power supply control unit 72 is a processing unit that controls the power supply unit 6, the microwave oscillator of the plasma source 55, the power supply of the coil 55b, and the like.

For example, the power control unit 72 individually controls the power applied to the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C. If the film formation rate is to be uniform over the entire workpiece W, the power is increased sequentially such that target 41A<target 41B<target 41C in consideration of the speed difference between the inner and outer peripheral sides. In other words, the electric power should be determined in proportion to the inner and outer velocities.

However, the proportional control is only an example, and the higher the speed, the higher the power, and the setting may be made so that the processing rate becomes uniform. Further, the electric power applied to the target 41 may be increased at locations where the film thickness to be formed on the workpiece W is desired to be thickened, and the electric power applied to the target 41 may be decreased at locations where the film thickness is desired to be thinned.

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

In addition, the supply amount of the process gas G2 supplied from each supply port 531 is adjusted according to the film thickness to be formed on the workpiece W. FIG. In other words, the supply amount of the process gas G2 is increased so as to increase the amount of film processing at locations where the film thickness is to be thickened. Then, the supply amount of the process gas G2 is reduced so as to reduce the amount of film processing at the portion where the film thickness is to be thinned.

Further, for example, in the case of film processing for a film formed so as to have a thicker film thickness toward the inner circumference, the supply amount of the process gas G2 can be set to increase toward the inner circumference. Combined with the relationship with the speed described above, this may result in a uniform supply amount from each supply port 531 . That is, the adjustment unit 54 may adjust the supply amount of the process gas G2 supplied from each supply port 531 according to the film thickness to be formed on the workpiece W and the time for the rotating body 31 to pass through the processing area. The gas control unit 73 also controls the introduction amount of the sputtering gas G1.

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

Furthermore, the electric power applied to the targets 41A, 41B, 41C and the supply amount of the process gas G2 from the supply ports 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d may be linked. That is, when the power to be applied to the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C is set by the setting unit while the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotating body 31 is constant, the power supplied from each of the supply ports 531A to 531D and 531a to 531d is proportional to this. may be set. Further, when the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotating body 31 is constant and the amount of supply from each of the supply ports 531A to 531D and 531a to 531d is set by the setting unit, each of the targets 41A, 41B and 41C is proportional to this. You may make it set the electric power applied to.

Such settings can be made, for example, as follows. First, the relationship between the film thickness and the corresponding applied power or the amount of supply of the process gas G2, and the relationship between the applied power and the corresponding amount of supply of the process gas G2 are obtained by experiments or the like in advance. At least one of these is tabulated and stored in the storage unit 74 . Then, according to the input film thickness, applied power, or supply amount, the setting unit 75 refers to the table to determine the applied power and supply amount.

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

Here, the condition [2] can be removed from the conditions if power is applied individually to each of the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C of the film forming section 40 to form a uniform film thickness. In addition, as in the above embodiment, by forming the gas space R to have a rectangular outer shape with rounded corners when viewed from the plane direction, the width of the processing area is the same from the innermost circumference to the outermost circumference of the film forming area F. . Therefore, the same plasma density can be obtained within the width range, so the condition [4] can also be removed from the conditions.

Therefore, the supply amount of each supply port 531 can be determined from the conditions [1] and [3]. In other words, as the condition of [1], either the innermost or outermost film thickness of the film forming region F and the optimum supply amount suitable for that film thickness are obtained by preliminary experiments or the like. Since the speed difference between the inner and outer circumferences in [3] is related (proportional) to the radii of the inner and outer circumferences, the radial positions (distances from the center of rotation) of the plurality of supply ports 531 and the above The supply amount of each of the plurality of supply ports 531 can be determined from the film thickness and the optimum supply amount. The thickness of the film formed during one rotation of the rotor 31 on the innermost circumference of the film formation region F and the film thickness of the film formed during one rotation of the rotor 31 on the outermost circumference of the film formation region F The information stored in the storage unit 74 includes the film thickness, the optimum supply amount suitable for the film thickness, and the radial position of each supply port 531 .

For example, the optimum supply amount of the innermost peripheral supply port 531 for a predetermined film thickness of the film formed in the film forming section 40 is a, the innermost peripheral radius is Lin, the outermost peripheral radius is Lu, the outermost peripheral radius is Let A be the optimum supply amount of the supply port 531 . First, the case where the optimum supply amount a of the innermost peripheral supply port 531 is known will be described. The supply amount calculation unit obtains from the storage unit 74 the optimum supply amount a of the innermost circumference, the radius Lin of the circle passing through the supply port 531 of the innermost circumference, and the radius Lou of the circle passing through the supply port 531 of the outermost circumference. , the optimum supply amount A for the outermost circumference is determined based on the following equation.
A=a×Lou/Lin

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

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

As described above, [1] if the film thickness of the film formed by the film forming unit 40 during one rotation of the rotating body is known, the supply amount from the plurality of supply ports 531 is automatically determined. Therefore, the amount of data to be held in the storage unit 74 can be reduced as compared with the case of holding a large number of data as a pattern of the assumed supply amount from each supply port 531 . For example, in the case of a film such as SiON whose refractive index changes depending on the composition, the supply amount of each supply port 531 is automatically determined from the innermost or outermost film thickness of the film _forming region F. By adjusting the mixing ratio of ₂ , a film with a desired refractive index can be obtained.

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

The output device 78 is output means such as a display, a lamp, a meter, etc., for making information for confirming the state of the apparatus visible to the operator. For example, the output device 78 can display a screen for inputting information from the input device 77 . In this case, the targets 41A, 41B, 41C and the supply ports 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d may be displayed in a schematic diagram so that each position can be selected and a numerical value input. Furthermore, the targets 41A, 41B, 41C and the supply ports 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d may be displayed in schematic diagrams, and the values set for each may be displayed numerically.

[motion]
The operation of the present embodiment as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 described above. Although not shown, the tray 1 holding the work W is loaded, transported, and unloaded from the plasma processing apparatus 100 by transport means such as a conveyor and a robot arm.

A plurality of trays 1 are sequentially carried into the vacuum vessel 20 by the transport means of the load lock section 60 . The rotating body 31 sequentially moves the empty holding portions 33 to the carrying-in position from the load lock portion 60 . The holding unit 33 individually holds the trays 1 carried in by the conveying means. In this way, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tray 1 holding the workpieces W to be film-formed is entirely held on the rotating body 31 .

The processing for forming a film on the workpiece W introduced into the plasma processing apparatus 100 as described above is performed as follows. The following operation is an example in which film formation and film processing are performed by operating one of the film formation unit 40 and the film processing unit 50, such as only the film formation unit 40A and only the film processing unit 50A. be. However, the processing rate may be increased by operating a plurality of sets of the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 . An example of film formation and film processing by the film formation section 40 and the film processing section 50 is processing for forming a silicon oxynitride film. The silicon oxynitride film is formed by repeating the process of impregnating the work W with oxygen ions and nitrogen ions each time silicon is attached to the work W at the atomic level while the work W is circulated.

First, the vacuum chamber 21 is constantly evacuated by the evacuation unit 23 to reduce the pressure. When the vacuum chamber 21 reaches a predetermined pressure, the rotor 31 rotates as shown in FIGS. Thereby, the workpiece W held by the holding section 33 moves along the transport path T and passes over the film forming sections 40A, 40B, 40C and the film processing sections 50A, 50B. When the rotating body 31 reaches a predetermined rotational speed, the gas supply section 25 of the film forming section 40 then supplies the sputtering gas G1 around the target 41 . At this time, the gas supply unit 53 of the film processing unit 50 also supplies the process gas G2 to the gas space R.

In the film forming section 40, the power supply section 6 applies electric power to each of the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C. As a result, the sputtering gas G1 becomes plasma. In the sputtering source 4, active species such as ions generated by the plasma collide with the target 41 and eject particles of the film-forming material. For this reason, particles of the film-forming material are deposited on the surface of the work W passing through the film-forming section 40 each time it passes through the film-forming section 40 to form a film. In this example a layer of silicon is formed.

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

Even if the work W passes through the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 that are not in operation, the work W is not heated because film formation and film processing are not performed. In this unheated area, the workpiece W gives off heat. Note that the non-operating film forming units 40 are, for example, the film forming positions M4 and M5. Further, the film processing unit 50 that is not in operation is, for example, the film processing position M3.

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

The flow rate per unit time of the process gas G2 introduced from the supply port 531 is set in the storage unit 74 so that the inner peripheral side of the rotating body 31 is smaller and the outer peripheral side is larger. The gas control unit 73 outputs an instruction so that the adjustment unit 54 controls the flow rate of the process gas G2 flowing through each pipe 53a according to the flow rate set in the storage unit 74 . Therefore, the amount of active species such as ions per unit volume generated in the gas space R is greater on the outer peripheral side than on the inner peripheral side. Therefore, the amount of membrane treatment, which depends on the amount of active species, increases from the inner circumference side to the outer circumference side.

However, the processing region to be film-processed has a rectangular shape with rounded corners similar to the opening 51 a of the defining portion 51 . Therefore, the width of the processing area, that is, the width in the direction of rotation is the same in the radial direction. That is, the processing area has a constant width in the radial direction. On the other hand, the workpiece W passes through the processing area at a higher speed from the inner circumference side to the outer circumference side. Therefore, the work W passes through the processing area in a shorter time as it moves from the inner circumference to the outer circumference. By increasing the supply amount of the process gas G2 toward the outer periphery, the film processing amount increases toward the outer periphery, so that the short transit time of the processing region can be compensated for. As a result, the film processing amount of the entire workpiece W becomes uniform.

Further, when performing film processing using two or more types of process gases G2, such as oxynitriding processing, the film formed by the film forming unit 40 is completely compounded while the rotating body 31 rotates once. At the same time as forming a film, it is necessary to make the composition of the film uniform over the entire surface of the film. This embodiment is suitable for plasma processing that performs film processing using two or more kinds of process gases G2. For example, suppose we want a film of silicon oxynitride (SiO _x N _y ) with an x:y ratio of 1:1. Then, it is necessary to control both the amount of active species and the ratio of oxygen and nitrogen contained in the active species so that the deposited film becomes a compound film. In this embodiment, the process gas G2 is supplied to a plurality of locations, and the amount of the process gas G2 supplied to each supply location can be adjusted for each type of the process gas G2, so both the amount and the ratio can be controlled. It's easy to do.

During the process of forming the film as described above, the rotating body 31 continues to rotate and continues to circulate and convey the tray 1 holding the work W. As shown in FIG. In this manner, the compound film is formed by circulating the work W and repeating film formation and film processing. In this embodiment, a film of silicon oxynitride is formed on the surface of the workpiece W as the compound film.

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

After the film forming process is completed in this way, the trays 1 loaded with the works W are sequentially positioned in the load lock section 60 by the rotation of the rotating body 31, and carried out to the outside by the carrying means.

The flow rate of the process gas G2 through the outermost peripheral supply ports 531D and 531d outside the film forming area F may not be maximized, but may be lower than that of the supply ports 531B, 531C, 531b and 531c. That is, the flow rate is set so that supply port 531A<supply port 531D<supply port 531B<supply port 531C and supply port 531a<supply port 531d<supply port 531b<supply port 531c.

Since the workpiece W does not pass through a position outside the film forming region F, there is no need to supply the process gas G2. However, as shown in FIG. 9, when the defining portion 51 is formed outside the film forming region F with a margin, if the process gas G2 is not supplied to the outside of the film forming region F, no process gas G2 will be formed. Diffusion of the process gas G2 to the outside of the film forming area F occurs in the vicinity of the inner peripheral edge and the outer peripheral edge of the film area F. As shown in FIG. As a result, the processing rate decreases in the vicinity of the inner peripheral edge and the outer peripheral edge of the film formation area F. For this reason, the process gas G2 may be preliminarily supplied outside the film forming region F as well. The amount of the process gas G2 at this time may be sufficient to compensate for the decrease due to diffusion, so the amount may be sufficient to prevent the diffusion in relation to the size of the area serving as the above margin. However, it may be necessary to increase the supply amount from the supply ports 531C and 531c.

In this way, the supply ports 531A, 531a, 531D, and 531d located outside the film formation region F may be excluded from the adjustment target of the process gas G2 by the adjustment unit 54 according to the passage time.

In addition, the supply ports 531D and 531d located outside the film forming region F are less involved in film processing, and it is not necessary to maximize the flow rate of the process gas G2. Thereby, the degree of film processing can be made more uniform. The same applies to the supply ports 531A and 531a on the inner peripheral side. In other words, even by providing the supply port 531 outside the film forming area F, it is possible to obtain an effect such as making the degree of film processing uniform.

[Effect]
(1) This embodiment has a vacuum vessel 20 whose interior can be evacuated, and a rotating body 31 provided in the vacuum vessel 20 and rotating with a work W mounted thereon. a conveying portion 30 that circulates and conveys the workpiece W along a circumferential conveying path T by moving a side wall portion 51c that defines a part of the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced; A defining portion 51 having an opening 51a facing the path T, a gas supply portion 53 for supplying the process gas G2 to the gas space R, and a gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced are passed through the transfer path T. and a plasma source 55 for generating plasma for plasma processing the workpiece W, and the gas supply unit 53 includes a plurality of supply points at different times for the surface of the rotating body 31 to pass through the processing region where the plasma processing is performed. , and has an adjustment unit 54 that individually adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 per unit time from a plurality of supply locations according to the time of passage through the processing region.

Therefore, it is possible to adjust the degree of plasma processing for the work W circulated and transported by the rotating body 31 according to the positions on the surface of the rotating body 31 at different passing speeds. Therefore, it is possible to perform desired plasma processing such as making the degree of processing on the workpiece W uniform or changing the degree of processing at a desired position. This is more effective as the diameter of the rotating body 31 is larger and the width of the film formation region F is larger, that is, the difference in circumferential speed between the inner circumference side and the outer circumference side of the film formation region F is larger.

(2) The adjustment unit 54 adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 introduced from each supply location according to the position in the direction intersecting the transport path T. Therefore, the supply amount of the process gas G2 at a plurality of supply locations can be individually adjusted according to positions on the surface of the rotating body 31 having different passing velocities.

(3) The plurality of supply locations are arranged in the direction along the transport path T at opposing positions in the gas space R. Therefore, the process gas G2 can be distributed in the gas space R in a short time.

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

(5) This embodiment has a plurality of trays 1 that are held by the rotating body 31 and hold the workpieces W. Between the surface facing the rotating body 31, there is a gap through which the work W held on the tray 1 can pass. It has a concave portion 51b along the portion Cp.

Therefore, when the workpiece W passes between the facing surface of the defining portion 51 and the rotating body 31, the gap between the facing surface and the rotating body 31 can be narrowed, and pressure due to leakage of the process gas G2 can be reduced. decline can be prevented. In addition, by arranging a plurality of works W with a narrow interval between each other, the next work W comes immediately after one work W passes, and the gap between the defining part 51 and the rotating body 31 is reduced. is continuously narrowed, it becomes even more difficult for the process gas G2 to leak. Also, contamination due to the inflow of the sputtering gas G1 into the gas space R can be prevented, and a decrease in the film processing rate can be prevented. Furthermore, contamination due to the inflow of the process gas G2 from the gas space R into the film forming section 40 can be prevented, thereby preventing a decrease in the film forming rate, generation of arcs, and generation of particles due to reaction of the target 41. FIG.

(6) The rotating body 31 holds the workpiece W on the installation surface side where the vacuum vessel 20 is installed, and the opening 51a of the defining portion 51 faces the workpiece W from the installation surface side. Therefore, since the processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W faces the installation surface side, dust, dirt, and film-forming materials adhering to the inside of the apparatus are prevented from dropping and adhering to the workpiece W due to gravity. The installation surface referred to here is a surface such as a floor surface or the ground, which exists in a direction following gravity with respect to the vacuum vessel 20 .

(7) The supply port 531 corresponds to the area where the film is formed by the film forming section 40, and is provided within the film forming area F, which is an annular area along the transport path T, and outside the film forming area F. is provided, and the supply port 531 provided outside the film forming area F is not subject to adjustment of the supply amount of the process gas G2 by the adjustment unit 54 .

In this way, by supplying the process gas G2 even outside the film-forming region F, shortage of the flow rate of the process gas G2 at the edge of the film-forming region F can be prevented. For example, even if the outermost peripheral supply port 531 and the innermost peripheral supply port 531 are outside the film formation region F, uniform film processing can be achieved by supplying the process gas G2. However, even if the maximum flow rate is not set outside the outermost film forming region F, the flow rate in the film forming region F does not become insufficient, so the flow rate can be saved. That is, the supply point of the process gas G2 outside the film formation area F functions as an auxiliary supply point and an auxiliary supply port for supplementing the flow rate of the process gas G2 inside the film formation area F.

[Modification]
Embodiments of the present invention also include the following modifications.
(1) The supply port 531 for the process gas G2 may be provided in the defining portion 51 . For example, the tip of each pipe 53 a in the gas supply section 53 may be extended to the supply port 531 formed in the defining section 51 . The tip of the pipe 53a may be shaped like a nozzle by reducing the diameter. Also in this case, the piping 53a may be arranged not only in the film forming area F but also outside the film forming area F to function as an auxiliary supply port and an auxiliary nozzle for supplementing the flow rate of the process gas G2 in the film forming area F. good.

(2) The number of locations where the gas supply unit 53 supplies the process gas G2 and the number of the supply ports 531 are not limited to the above-mentioned numbers as long as they are a plurality of locations with different passing speeds on the surface of the rotating body. . By arranging three or more in a row in the film forming region F, more fine flow rate control can be performed according to the processing position. In addition, as the number of supply locations and supply ports 531 increases, the distribution of the gas flow rate becomes closer to linear, thereby preventing local variations in processing. The supply ports 531 may not be provided in the two opposing rows of the defining portion 51, but may be provided in one of the rows. Moreover, the supply ports 531 may not be arranged in a straight line, but may be arranged at positions shifted in the height direction.

(3) The configuration of the adjustment section 54 is not limited to the above example. A manual valve may be provided in each pipe 53a to adjust manually. Since it is sufficient to adjust the supply amount of the process gas G2, the pressure may be kept constant and adjusted by opening and closing a valve, or the pressure may be increased or decreased. The adjustment unit 54 may be realized by the supply port 531 . For example, supply ports 531 with different diameters may be provided to adjust the amount of supply of the process gas G2 depending on the position on the surface of the rotating body where the passing speed is different. The supply port 531 may be replaceable with nozzles having different diameters. Also, the diameter of the supply port 531 may be changed by a shutter or the like.

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

(5) The shapes of the defining portion 51 and the window portion 52 are not limited to those illustrated in the above embodiment. The horizontal cross-section may be square, circular or elliptical. However, in the case of a shape in which the interval between the inner circumference side and the outer circumference side is equal, the passage time of the work W between the inner circumference side and the outer circumference side is different, so it is necessary to adjust the supply amount of the process gas G2 according to the difference in processing time. easy to do

(6) By holding the plurality of trays 1 on the rotating body 31, the facing surfaces 11 of the plurality of trays 1 are formed so as to have portions that are continuously flush along the circumferential locus. good too. Here, when the facing surfaces 11 of the plurality of trays 1 are flush with each other, it means that the corresponding portions of the facing surfaces 11 of the trays 1 have substantially the same height. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the facing portion X1 of the tray 1 is fitted into the opening 31a of the holding portion 33, the facing surface 11 of the tray 1 and the surface of the rotor 31 facing the defining portion 51 are formed into a circle. The tray 1 and the rotating body 31 are formed so as to be flush with each other continuously along the circumferential trajectory. In this case, a slight groove may be formed at the boundary between the opening 31a and the facing surface 11. FIG.

As a result, the gap between the surface of the tray 1 and the defining portion 51 or the shield member 8 is prevented from becoming significantly larger than the gap between the surface of the work W and the defining portion 51 or the shield member 8. , the leakage of the reaction gas G can be further suppressed. In addition, when processing units using different reaction gases G are included, mutual contamination due to leakage of the reaction gas G can be further prevented.

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

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

Alternatively, the workpiece W may be directly held by the rotating body 31 or a holding portion provided on the rotating body 31 without using the tray 1 . In this case as well, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, by fitting the work W into a recess 31d formed in the lower surface 31c of the rotor 31, the work W and the rotor 31 move along the circumferential locus. It may be formed so as to have a continuous flush portion.

(7) The shape of the tray 1 and the shape of the rotor 31 are not limited to the above shapes. For example, the shape of the tray 1 may be a shape that conforms to the unevenness of the workpiece W. FIG. In other words, in the above example, the tray 1 has the convex portion 11a along the simple concave portion Rp. , the workpiece W may be stably held.

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

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

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

(10) The number of trays 1 and works W that are simultaneously transported by the transport unit and the number of holding units 33 and 16b that hold the trays 1 and 16b may be at least one, and are limited to the numbers exemplified in the above embodiments. not. In other words, one workpiece W may be circulated, or two or more workpieces W may be circulated. A mode in which the workpieces W are arranged in two or more rows in the radial direction and circulated and transported may be employed.

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

In the above-described embodiment, the holder 33 is provided on the lower surface of the rotating body 31 arranged horizontally, and the rotating body 31 is rotated in the horizontal plane. Although it has been described as being arranged, it is not limited to this. For example, the rotating body 31 may be arranged not only horizontally but also vertically, or may be arranged vertically or inclined with respect to the horizontal. Moreover, the holding portions 33 may also be provided on both surfaces of the rotating body 31 . That is, according to the present invention, the direction of the plane of rotation of the rotating body 31 may be any direction, and the positions of the holding section 33, the film forming section 40, and the film processing section 50 are held by the holding section 33. It suffices that the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 are positioned to face the workpiece W. FIG.

(12) The plasma source 55 is not limited to the above devices. A device that generates plasma in the gas space R based on other principles may be used instead of the ECR plasma device. For example, a device that generates inductively coupled plasma (ICP) plasma in the gas space R may be used. Such a device has an antenna outside the gas space R and near the window 52 . By applying power to the antenna, the process gas G2 in the gas space R is ionized and plasma is generated. The work W passing through the transport path T is processed by this plasma.

(13) The type, shape and material of the workpiece W to be plasma-treated are not limited to specific ones. For example, a workpiece W having a concave portion on the processing target surface Sp facing the film forming unit 40 and the film processing unit 50 may be used. Also, a workpiece W having an uneven portion on the surface Sp to be processed may be used. In such a case, the sides of the shield member 8 and the defining portion 51 facing the workpiece W may be formed in a shape that conforms to the concave portion or uneven portion of the workpiece W.

Furthermore, as described above, a workpiece W having a flat surface Sp to be processed may be used. Also, a material containing a conductive material such as metal or carbon, a material containing an insulator such as glass or rubber, or a material containing a semiconductor such as silicon may be used. Also, the number of works W to be plasma-processed is not limited to a specific number. The holding portion 33 may be a groove, a projection, a jig, a holder, or the like for holding the tray 1, or may be configured by a mechanical chuck, an adhesive chuck, or the like.

(14) As for film forming materials, various materials that can be formed by sputtering can be applied. For example, tantalum, titanium, aluminum, etc. can be applied. Nitrogen, oxygen, and various other materials can also be used as materials for forming compounds.

(15) The number of targets 41 in the film forming section 40 is not limited to three. The number of targets 41 may be one, two, or four or more. By increasing the number of targets 41 and adjusting the applied power, the film thickness can be more precisely controlled.

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

(17) The shield member 8 in the film forming section 40 defines a part of the gas space into which the sputtering gas G1 is introduced, and is regarded as a defining section having an opening facing the transport path T inside the vacuum vessel 20. can also The gas space in this case is a space formed between the inside of the shield member 8 and the rotating body 31, through which the workpieces W circulated and transported by the rotating body 31 repeatedly pass. That is, the gas space includes not only the space inside the shield member 8 but also the space between the rotor 31 facing the opening 80 . The gas supply unit 25 of the film forming unit 40 also supplies the sputtering gas G1 from a plurality of supply locations where the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through the processing region where the plasma processing is performed. A configuration may be adopted in which an adjustment unit is provided that individually adjusts the supply amount of the sputtering gas G1 per unit time according to the passage time.

(18) The present invention may or may not have the film forming section 40 . In other words, it is not limited to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that performs film formation. Moreover, the present invention is not limited to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that performs film processing, but can be widely applied to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that performs processing on an object to be processed using active species generated by plasma. For example, in addition to the above aspects, or by omitting both or one of the film forming section and the film processing section, plasma is generated in the gas space to perform surface modification such as etching and ashing, cleaning, and the like. It may be configured as a plasma processing apparatus 100 having units. In this case, for example, the processing unit may be a linear ion source. Alternatively, for example, an inert gas such as argon may be used as the process gas G2.

(19) The shape of the vacuum container 20 is not limited to a cylindrical shape. It may have a polygonal tube shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

(20) Although the embodiments and modifications of each part of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments and modifications of each part are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. . These novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims.

1 tray 4 sputtering source 5 processing unit 6 power supply unit 8 shield member 11 facing surface 11a convex portion 11b fitting portion 12 slope 13 inner peripheral surface 14 outer peripheral surface 15 projecting portion 16 opening 16a insertion portion 16b holding portion 20 vacuum container 20a bottom surface 20b Ceiling 20c Inner peripheral surface 21 Vacuum chamber 21a Mounting hole 21b O-ring 22 Exhaust port 23 Exhaust unit 24 Introduction port 25 Gas supply unit 30 Transfer unit 31 Rotating body 31a Opening 31c Lower surface 31d Depression 31e Mounting unit 32 Motor 33 Holding unit 33a Opening 33b Mounting portion 40, 40A to 40C Film forming portion 41, 41A to 41C Target 42 Backing plate 43 Electrode 50, 50A, 50B Film processing portion 51 Defining portion 51a Opening 51b Concave portion 51c Side wall portion 52 Window portion 52a Window hole 52b Window Member 52c O-ring 53 Gas supply section 53a Piping 54 Adjusting section 55 Plasma source 55a Waveguide 55b Coil 56 Cooling section 56a Piping 56b Cavity 60 Load lock section 70 Control device 71 Mechanism control section 72 Power control section 73 Gas control section 74 Storage Part 75 Setting Part 76 Input/Output Control Part 77 Input Device 78 Output Device 80 Opening 81 Recess 82 Bottom Part 82a Target Hole 83 Side Part 83a Outer Peripheral Wall 83b Inner Peripheral Wall 83c, 83d Partition Wall 100 Plasma Processing Apparatus 531, 531A to 531D, 531a to 531d Supply port C Cooling water Cp Protrusions D1, D2 Spacing E Exhaust F Film formation region G Reaction gas G1 Sputtering gas G2 Process gases M1, M3 Film processing positions M2, M4, M5 Film formation position R Gas space Rp Concave portion S Film formation Chamber Sp Surface to be processed T Transport path W Workpiece X1 Opposing portion X2 Supporting portion

Claims (10)

a vacuum container whose interior can be evacuated;
a conveying unit provided in the vacuum vessel, having a rotating body that holds and rotates a work, and circulatingly conveying the work in a circumferential conveying path by rotating the rotating body;
a defining portion having a side wall portion defining a portion of a gas space into which a reaction gas is introduced, and an opening facing the transfer path inside the vacuum vessel;
a gas supply unit that supplies the reaction gas to the gas space;
a plasma source for generating plasma for plasma-processing the work passing through the transfer path in the gas space into which the reaction gas is introduced;
has
The gas supply unit supplies the reaction gas from a plurality of supply points at different times for the surface of the rotating body to pass through the processing region where the plasma processing is performed,
an adjustment unit that individually adjusts the supply amount of the reaction gas per unit time to the plurality of supply points according to the passing time ;
the defining portion defines the gas space to have a constant width in a direction along the radial direction of the rotating body;
The plasma processing apparatus , wherein the plurality of supply points are arranged in the gas space in a direction along the conveying path, at positions facing each other. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the side wall portion has a pair of inner walls facing each other in a radial direction of the rotor, and the plurality of supply locations are provided along the pair of inner walls. Plasma processing equipment. 3. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the supply amount of the reaction gas introduced from each supply point according to the position in the direction intersecting the transport path. 4. The control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the adjustment unit adjusts the supply amount of the reaction gas supplied from each supply location according to the film thickness of the film formed on the workpiece and the passage time. The plasma processing apparatus according to 1. The workpiece has a convex portion on the surface to be processed to be subjected to the plasma processing,
a gap through which the workpiece held by the rotating body can pass is provided between the surface of the side wall portion of the defining portion facing the rotating body and the rotating body,
5. The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said side wall portion has a concave portion along said convex portion of said workpiece. A plurality of trays for holding the workpieces are held by the rotating body,
a gap through which the work held on the tray can pass is provided between the surface of the side wall of the defining portion facing the rotating body and the tray,
6. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said tray has a convex portion along said concave portion of said side wall portion. A surface of the rotating body facing the defining portion and a surface of the plurality of trays facing the defining portion have a portion that is continuously flush along the circumferential locus. 7. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 6. The rotating body holds the workpiece on the installation surface side where the vacuum vessel is installed,
8. The plasma processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the opening of the defining portion faces the workpiece from the installation surface side. 9. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plasma source is an apparatus for generating electron cyclotron resonance plasma in said gas space. 9. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said plasma source is an apparatus for generating inductively coupled plasma in said gas space.

Images