JP7430504B2 - surface treatment equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus that performs surface treatment such as irradiating a material to be treated with plasma.

Conventionally, surface treatment devices that use plasma to clean or modify the surface of a material to be treated to form a metal catalyst layer or functional groups, and surface treatment devices that perform sputtering using a sputtering device are known. ing.

For example, in the plasma surface treatment apparatus described in Patent Document 1, two plate-shaped electrodes are installed with an interval between them. Then, plasma is generated between these electrodes. The generated plasma leaks out of the electrode and is irradiated onto the workpiece to perform surface treatment on the workpiece.

International Publication No. 2017/159838

Patent Document 1 discloses an example in which surface treatment is performed by irradiating plasma onto a large plate-like treatment member, but does not mention a case where surface treatment is performed on a large number of small treatment members . do not have .

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a surface treatment apparatus that can form a uniform film even when surface treating a large number of small processing members. purpose.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objects, a surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention includes a cage-like housing unit that houses a material to be treated and has a pair of side walls with an open top , and a surface treatment means installed at a position facing the opening of the accommodation unit, which performs a film forming process on the surface of the material to be treated housed in the unit; When performing surface treatment on the material to be treated, a rocking means for rocking the housing unit around a rocking shaft installed in a direction penetrating a pair of side walls of the housing unit ; a pair of first correction plates attached to the surface treatment means in a direction orthogonal to the rocking axis ; In the extending direction of the moving shaft, a part of the first correction plate is arranged to overlap with the first correction plate, and when the swinging means swings the accommodation unit, the first correction plate and a part of the correction plate are overlapped with each other. and a pair of second correction plates attached to the accommodation unit, which maintain an overlapping state .

The surface treatment apparatus according to the present invention has the effect of being able to uniformly form a film on a material to be surface treated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a surface treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram when the plasma generation device is located within the chamber. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram when the sputtering device is located within the chamber. FIG. 5 is a detailed diagram of the plasma generation device. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 7 is a detailed diagram of the sputtering apparatus. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration around the accommodation unit when the plasma generation device is located in the chamber. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration around the accommodation unit when the sputtering apparatus is located in the chamber. FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the storage unit. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the accommodation unit and the accommodation unit support member shown in FIG. 11 are oscillated. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the accommodation unit and the accommodation unit support member shown in FIG. 12 are swung. FIG. 16 is a detailed diagram of the pump unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 17 is a detailed view of the elevating shaft and worm jack portion when FIG. 16 is viewed from the FF direction. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 16. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the lift valve shown in FIG. 18 has an opening. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing surface treatment on a material to be treated using the surface treatment apparatus according to the embodiment. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration around the accommodation unit when the plasma generation device is located in the chamber in the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration around the housing unit when the sputtering apparatus is located in the chamber in the second embodiment. FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken along the line JJ in FIG. 21. FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along line KK in FIG. 22. FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the accommodation unit and the accommodation unit support member shown in FIG. 23 are swung. FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the accommodation unit and the accommodation unit support member shown in FIG. 24 are swung.

Embodiments of a surface treatment apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described in detail below based on the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Further, the constituent elements in the embodiments described below include those that can be replaced and easily conceived by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[1. First embodiment]
In the first embodiment of the present disclosure, for example, a functional group is generated on the surface of the treated material W by irradiating the surface of the treated material W molded with a resin material, and then the functional group is This is an example of a surface treatment apparatus 1a that forms a thin film by sputtering on the surface of a treated material W whose film adhesion has been improved by the formation.

[1-1. Description of the configuration of the surface treatment device]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a surface treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. In the following description, the vertical direction of the surface treatment apparatus 1a in the normal use condition will be described as the vertical direction Z of the surface treatment apparatus 1a, and the upper side of the surface treatment apparatus 1a in the normal use condition will be referred to as the surface treatment apparatus 1a. The lower side of the surface treatment apparatus 1a in the normal usage state will be described as the lower side of the surface treatment apparatus 1a. Further, the horizontal direction in the normal usage state of the surface treatment apparatus 1a will be described as the horizontal direction in the surface treatment apparatus 1a. Furthermore, in the horizontal direction, the extending direction of the swing shaft 111 of the storage unit support member 110 is defined as the length direction Y of the surface treatment apparatus 1a, and both the vertical direction Z and the length direction Y of the surface treatment apparatus 1a are The orthogonal direction will be described as the width direction X in the surface treatment apparatus 1a.

The surface treatment apparatus 1a according to the present embodiment includes a chamber 10 that is formed to accommodate a material W to be treated, and a plasma generation device 40 that is an example of a surface treatment means that performs surface treatment on the material W to be treated. , a sputtering device 70 which is an example of a surface treatment means that performs a surface treatment different from that of the plasma generation device 40 on the material to be processed W, a housing unit 100 that accommodates the material to be processed W, and a pressure inside the chamber 10. It has a pump unit 140 that reduces pressure. Note that the material to be processed W is a small three-dimensional workpiece molded from a resin material such as plastic resin, for example.

The plasma generation device 40 performs surface treatment on the workpiece W by generating plasma and irradiating the workpiece W with the generated plasma. More specifically, functional groups are generated by irradiating the surface of the material W to be treated with plasma. This improves the adhesion of the thin film when forming the thin film as a base for plating on the surface of the material to be processed W in a subsequent process.

The sputtering device 70 performs a surface treatment on the workpiece W to form a thin film that becomes a base for plating by sputtering the workpiece W whose surface has been treated by the plasma generation device 40 . Note that, as described later, the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 can perform different surface treatments on the same workpiece W by switching the devices disposed in the chamber 10. (See Figures 3 and 4).

1 and 2 show the positional relationship in the chamber 10 when the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 are located in the chamber 10, so the device located in the chamber 10 is the plasma generation device 40. This is a schematic diagram that can be applied to both cases. The chamber 10 is formed in the shape of a hollow substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 are attached to the upper wall 12, which is the upper wall surface, and are arranged inside the chamber 10. Further, in the chamber 10 , a gas inlet 16 through which a gas used when the sputtering device 70 performs sputtering flows into the chamber 10 is arranged on the side wall 13 of the chamber 10 .

Further, the accommodation unit 100 is installed inside the chamber 10 in a state where it is supported by an accommodation unit support member 110. Thereby, the chamber 10 is capable of accommodating the material to be processed W therein.

A correction plate 130a is installed inside the accommodation unit 100. The correction plates 130a are installed in the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70, and two correction plates 130a are installed facing each other with an interval substantially equal to the dimension in the length direction Y of the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70. Ru. The correction plate 130a limits the range in which the workpiece W is accommodated to the area between the two correction plates 130a when the workpiece W is accommodated in the storage unit 100. That is, the accommodation range of the material to be processed W is corrected (limited) from the entire area of the accommodation unit 100 to the area between the two correction plates 130a.

Note that the dimensions of the housing unit 100 in the width direction X are approximately equal to the dimensions of the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 in the width direction X, as shown in FIG. Therefore, when the material to be processed W is accommodated in the storage unit 100, the range in the width direction X in which the material to be processed W is accommodated is approximately equal to the dimension in the width direction limited.

The accommodation unit support member 110 is connected to a support wall 14, which is a pair of opposing side walls 13 among the plurality of side walls 13 constituting the chamber 10, through a swing shaft 111, and is supported by the support wall 14. There is.

The accommodation unit support member 110 swings about a swing shaft 111 extending in the length direction Y toward both of the opposing support walls 14 as a support shaft. That is, a servo motor 120, which is a swinging means for swinging the storage unit 100, is attached to the chamber 10, and the storage unit support member 110 swings by the driving force transmitted from the servo motor 120. When the accommodation unit support member 110 swings, the accommodation unit 100 supported by the accommodation unit support member 110 is integrated with the accommodation unit support member 110 using the swing shaft 111 as a support shaft, as shown in FIG. It swings in the direction of angle θ. The material to be processed W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 is stirred inside the accommodation unit 100 as the accommodation unit 100 swings. Note that the swing shaft 111 passes through the accommodation unit 100 in the length direction, that is, in a direction parallel to the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70.

The pump unit 140 is attached to the bottom 15 of the chamber 10 as shown in FIG. 1, and reduces the pressure in the chamber 10 by sucking the fluid in the chamber 10, that is, the gas in the chamber 10.

The pump unit 140 includes a flow rate adjustment valve 150 that is a valve unit that adjusts the flow rate of fluid, and a turbo molecular pump 170 that is a pump that sucks fluid. By adjusting the flow rate adjustment valve 150, the pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced to a desired pressure.

Among these, the flow rate adjustment valve 150 includes an elevating valve 153 disposed within the chamber 10 and a servo actuator 160 that is a driving means for moving the elevating valve 153 in the vertical direction Z within the chamber 10. The lift valve 153 adjusts the flow rate of the fluid sucked by the turbo-molecular pump 170 by moving in the up-down direction Z within the chamber 10 . The opening and closing operations of the lift valve 153 are guided by a valve guide 165.

In addition, the flow rate adjustment valve 150 has an elevating shaft 162 to which the elevating valve 153 is connected, and a worm jack 161 that transmits the power generated by the servo actuator 160 to the elevating shaft 162 and moves the elevating shaft 162 in the vertical direction Z. have. Further, a vacuum gauge 180 is attached to the chamber 10, and the pressure inside the chamber 10 is detected by the vacuum gauge 180. The servo actuator 160 operates based on the detection value detected by the vacuum gauge 180 to move the lift valve 153 in the vertical direction Z based on the detection value detected by the vacuum gauge 180 to cause suction by the turbo molecular pump 170. Adjust the flow rate of the fluid.

3 and 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating switching between the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 located within the chamber 10. In particular, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram when the plasma generation device is located within the chamber. Moreover, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram when the sputtering device is located within the chamber.

The chamber 10 has an opening 11 at the top, and the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 are switched between the devices located in the chamber 10 by entering the chamber 10 through the opening 11, respectively. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the plasma generation device 40 is disposed on the first opening/closing member 20 that is attached to the chamber 10 so as to be openable and closable at the hinge portion 21. As shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the sputtering device 70 is disposed on a second opening/closing member 30 that is attached to the chamber 10 so as to be openable and closable at a hinge portion 31.

Both the first opening/closing member 20 and the second opening/closing member 30 have a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the outer periphery formed by the plurality of side walls 13 when the chamber 10 is projected in the vertical direction Z. The shape is approximately the same as the shape of . Therefore, the first opening/closing member 20 and the second opening/closing member 30 have a shape that can cover the opening 11 of the chamber 10. That is, the first opening/closing member 20 and the second opening/closing member 30 close the opening 11 of the chamber 10 by covering it. Further, the first opening/closing member 20 and the second opening/closing member 30 are rotatably attached to the chamber 10, so that the first opening/closing member 20 and the second opening/closing member 30 are attached to the chamber 10. The opening 11 is opened and closed by rotating relative to the opening 11.

Specifically, in the first opening/closing member 20 , one rectangular side and one side wall 13 of the chamber 10 are connected by a hinge portion 21 . The hinge portion 21 connects the first opening/closing member 20 to the chamber 10 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft extending in the horizontal direction. By rotating around the hinge part 21, the first opening/closing member 20 can be moved between a position in which it covers the opening 11 of the chamber 10 and the opening 11 is closed, and a position in which it is flipped up above the opening 11 and the opening 11 is closed. Switch to open position. The plasma generation device 40 is attached to penetrate the first opening/closing member 20 in the thickness direction of the first opening/closing member 20 . Further, the plasma generation device 40 is configured such that when the first opening/closing member 20 rotatably connected to the chamber 10 is closed, the portion of the plasma generation device 40 that generates plasma is located within the chamber 10. 1 is attached to the opening/closing member 20.

The second opening/closing member 30 has one rectangular side and a side wall 13 that faces the side wall 13 to which the first opening/closing member 20 is connected among the plurality of side walls 13 of the chamber 10 and is connected by a hinge portion 31. . The hinge portion 31 connects the second opening/closing member 30 to the chamber 10 so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft extending in the horizontal direction. By rotating around the hinge part 31, the second opening/closing member 30 can be moved between a position in which it covers the opening 11 of the chamber 10 and the opening 11 is closed, and a position in which it is flipped up above the opening 11 to close the opening 11. Switch to open position. The sputtering device 70 is attached to pass through the second opening/closing member 30 in the thickness direction of the second opening/closing member 30 . Further, the sputtering device 70 is configured such that when the second opening/closing member 30 rotatably connected to the chamber 10 is closed, the part of the sputtering device 70 that performs sputtering is located inside the chamber 10. It is attached to 30.

When the opening 11 of the chamber 10 is closed, one of the first opening and closing member 20 and the second opening and closing member 30 is closed and the other is in an open state. . That is, the first opening/closing member 20 and the second opening/closing member 30 close the opening 11 of the chamber 10 while the other one does not close the opening 11. Therefore, the first opening/closing member 20 closes the opening 11 in a state where the second opening/closing member 30 does not close the opening 11, thereby positioning the portion of the plasma generating device 40 that generates plasma within the chamber 10. (See Figure 3). Similarly, the second opening/closing member 30 closes the opening 11 in a state where the first opening/closing member 20 does not close the opening 11, thereby positioning the part of the sputtering apparatus 70 that performs sputtering within the chamber 10 (Fig. (see 4).

[1-2. Description of plasma generation device]
FIG. 5 is a detailed diagram of the plasma generation device. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. The plasma generation device 40 includes a gas supply pipe 41 that supplies gas used to generate plasma, and a pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 that generate plasma from the gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 41 using a high frequency voltage. and has.

Specifically, the gas supply pipe 41 passes through the first opening/closing member 20 in the thickness direction of the first opening/closing member 20, and is attached to the first opening/closing member 20 by a gas supply pipe attachment member 45. Further, a gas flow path 42 along the extending direction of the gas supply pipe 41 is formed inside the gas supply pipe 41, and gas is supplied from the outside of the chamber 10 into the chamber 10 via the gas flow path 42. supply. A gas supply unit 44 that supplies gas to the gas supply pipe 41 is connected to the end of the gas supply pipe 41 outside the first opening/closing member 20 (outside the chamber 10). A gas supply hole 43, which is a hole through which the gas flowing through the gas flow path 42 is introduced into the chamber 10, is formed at the other end of the tube 41 (inside the chamber 10). Gas is supplied to the gas supply unit 44 via a mass flow controller (MFC) 64 (see FIG. 6), which is a mass flow meter with a flow rate control function.

The pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 are both formed into a flat plate shape, and are formed by arranging metal plates such as aluminum or other conductor plates in parallel. Note that the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 may have a dielectric film on their surfaces, and the surfaces of the pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 on the plasma gas outlet side are coated to avoid arc discharge and the like. The plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 may be coated with a dielectric film by alumina spraying or hard anodic oxidation treatment. Hard anodic oxidation treatment may also be applied.

A pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 are supported by a support plate 50. The support plate 50 is made of, for example, an insulating material such as glass or ceramic. The support plate 50 is formed in such a shape that a convex portion is formed around the entire circumference near the outer periphery on one side of the plate. In other words, the support plate 50 is formed in a thick plate shape with a concave portion 50a formed along the outer periphery of the support plate 50 on one side.

In the support plate 50 formed in this way, the surface on the side where the recess 50a is not formed faces the first opening/closing member 20, and the surface on the side where the recess 50a is formed faces the first opening/closing member 20. The support member 46 supports the support member 46 . The support member 46 has a cylindrical member and mounting members located at both ends of the cylindrical member, with the mounting member on one end being attached to the first opening/closing member 20 and the mounting member on the other end being It is attached to a support plate 50. Thereby, the support plate 50 is supported by the support member 46 disposed between the support plate 50 and the first opening/closing member 20 and attached to both.

The gas supply pipe 41 that penetrates the first opening/closing member 20 extends through the inside of the cylindrical member of the support member 46 to the position of the support plate 50 and penetrates through the support plate 50 . The gas supply hole 43 formed in the gas supply pipe 41 is arranged in a portion of the support plate 50 where the recess 50a is formed.

The pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 are arranged on the side of the support plate 50 where the recess 50a is formed, covering the recess 50a. At this time, a spacer 55 is arranged near the outer periphery between the pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52, and the pair is overlapped with the spacer 55 interposed therebetween. In this way, in the pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 overlapped with the spacer 55 in between, the plate-shaped conductor part 51 and the plate-shaped conductor part 52 are spaced apart from each other in the part other than the part where the spacer 55 is arranged. and forms a cavity 56. The interval between the pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 is preferably set appropriately depending on the gas introduced in the plasma generation device 40, the frequency of the electric power supplied, the size of the electrode, etc., and is, for example, 3 mm to 12 mm. That's about it.

The pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 are held by a holding member 58, which is a member for holding the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52, in an overlapping state with a spacer 55 in between. That is, the holding member 58 is disposed on the opposite side of the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 from the side where the support plate 50 is located, and is supported with the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 sandwiched between the holding member 58 and the support plate 50. It is attached to the plate 50. As a result, the pair of plate-shaped conductor portions 51 and 52 stacked on top of each other with the spacer 55 interposed therebetween is held by the holding member 58 while being sandwiched between the holding member 58 and the support plate 50.

The pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 are thus disposed to cover the recess 50a in the support plate 50, and when held by the holding member 58, the pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 cover the recess 50a of the support plate 50 and the plate-shaped conductor part. A space is formed between 51 and 52.

Of the pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 arranged one on top of the other, if the plate-shaped conductor part 52 is arranged on the support plate 50 side and the plate-shaped conductor part 51 is arranged on the holding member 58 side, this space is is defined by the recess 50a of the support plate 50 and the plate-shaped conductor portion 52. The space thus formed is formed as a gas introduction part 57 into which the gas supplied by the gas supply pipe 41 is introduced. The gas supply hole 43 of the gas supply pipe 41 is located at the gas introduction section 57 and opens into the gas introduction section 57 . The gas introduction section 57 is defined by the support plate 50 and the plate-shaped conductor section 52 being attached in close contact with each other.

Moreover, a large number of through holes 53 and 54 are formed in the pair of plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52, respectively, passing through them in the thickness direction. That is, the plate-shaped conductor part 52 located on the inflow side of the gas supplied by the gas supply pipe 41 has a plurality of through holes arranged at predetermined intervals in a matrix when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped conductor part 52. 54 is formed, and the plate-shaped conductor part 51 located on the outflow side of the gas supplied by the gas supply pipe 41 has a predetermined interval in a matrix shape when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped conductor part 51. A plurality of through holes 53 are formed.

The through-hole 53 of the plate-shaped conductor part 51 and the through-hole 54 of the plate-shaped conductor part 52 are each cylindrical holes, and both the through-holes 53 and 54 are arranged coaxially. That is, the through-holes 53 of the plate-shaped conductor part 51 and the through-holes 54 of the plate-shaped conductor part 52 are arranged at positions where the centers of each through-hole are aligned. Among these, the through-hole 53 of the plate-shaped conductor part 51 has a smaller diameter than the through-hole 54 of the plate-shaped conductor part 52 on the gas inflow side. In this way, a plurality of through holes 53 and 54 are formed in the pair of plate-shaped conductor portions 51 and 52 to form a hollow electrode structure, and the generated plasma gas flows through the plurality of through holes 53 and 54 to a high temperature. It will flow with density.

A gap 56 is interposed between the parallel plate type plate-shaped conductors 51 and 52, and the gap 56 functions as a capacitor having electrostatic capacity. A conductive part (not shown) is formed from a conductive member on the support plate 50 and the plate-like conductor parts 51 and 52, and the support plate 50 is grounded 63 by the conductive part, and the plate-like conductor part 52 is also grounded. It is grounded 63. In addition, one end of the high frequency power source (RF) 61 is grounded 63, and the other end of the high frequency power source 61 is connected to a matching box (MB) for adjusting the capacitance etc. to obtain consistency with the plasma. ) 60 and is electrically connected to the plate-shaped conductor portion 51. Therefore, when the high frequency power source 61 is operated, the potential of the plate-shaped conductor portion 51 swings between positive and negative directions at a predetermined frequency such as 13.56 MHz.

[1-3. Description of sputtering equipment]
FIG. 7 is a detailed diagram of the sputtering apparatus. FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. The sputtering device 70 includes a cooling water pipe 71 through which cooling water flows, a magnet 81 that generates a magnetic field, and an inert gas (for example, argon) introduced from the gas inlet 16 that is ionized within the magnetic field generated by the magnet 81. It has a target 84 that repels atoms used for film formation by causing them to collide, a cooling jacket 82 that cools the target 84, and a support plate 80 that supports the magnet 81, the target 84, and the cooling jacket 82. There is. Specifically, the cooling water pipe 71 passes through the second opening/closing member 30 in the thickness direction of the second opening/closing member 30, and is attached to the second opening/closing member 30 by a cooling water pipe attachment member 75. Note that the target 84 is, for example, a copper plate, and a thin film is formed on the surface of the material W to be processed by the copper atoms ejected from the target 84 coming into close contact with the surface of the material W to be processed. The thin film thus formed serves as a base for plating the surface of the material W to be treated in a subsequent step.

Further, a cooling water channel 72 is formed inside the cooling water pipe 71 along the extending direction of the cooling water pipe 71, and a cooling water channel 72 is formed between the outside of the chamber 10 and the cooling jacket 82 disposed inside the chamber 10. Circulate water. Note that, as shown in FIG. 8, the end of the cooling water pipe 71 outside the second opening/closing member 30 (outside the chamber 10) is connected to a water inlet 73, which is an inlet of the cooling water, and a water inlet, which is an outlet of the cooling water. It is connected to the outlet 74. For this reason, a cooling water channel 72 formed inside the cooling water pipe 71 is formed with a cooling water channel 72 connected to a water inlet 73 and a cooling water channel 72 connected to a water outlet 74. On the other hand, the other end of the cooling water pipe 71 (inside the chamber 10 ) is connected to a cooling jacket 82 . The cooling jacket 82 has a cooling water flow path formed therein, through which the cooling water flows. Thereby, cooling water circulates between the outside of the chamber 10 and the cooling jacket 82.

The support plate 80 supports the magnet 81, the cooling jacket 82, and the target 84 in a stacked state. Specifically, the support plate 80, the magnet 81, the cooling jacket 82, and the target 84 are all formed in a plate shape, and the support plate 80 is more flat than the magnet 81, the cooling jacket 82, and the target 84. The shape is large when viewed. Therefore, the magnet 81, the cooling jacket 82, and the target 84 are stacked on each other in the order of the magnet 81, the cooling jacket 82, and the target 84 from the support plate 80 side. By supporting the vicinity of the outer periphery of the surface by the holding member 85, it is held by the support plate 80 and the holding member 85. Further, the magnet 81 , the cooling jacket 82 , and the target 84 held by the holding member 85 are held with their outer peripheral portions also surrounded by the holding member 85 .

At this time, an insulating material 83 is arranged between the support plate 80 and the magnet 81, and the insulating material 83 is also arranged at the outer peripheral portion of the magnet 81 in a plan view. That is, the insulating material 83 is arranged between the support plate 80 and the magnet 81 and between the magnet 81 and the holding member 85. Therefore, the magnet 81 is held by the support plate 80 and the holding member 85 via the insulating material 83.

The surface of the support plate 80 that holds the magnet 81 etc. is located on the opposite side of the side where the second opening/closing member 30 is located, and the surface of the support plate 80 that is opposite to the side that holds the magnet 81 etc. It is arranged on the side facing the second opening/closing member 30 and is supported by a support member 76 . The support member 76 has a cylindrical member and mounting members located at both ends of the cylindrical member, the mounting member at one end is attached to the second opening/closing member 30, and the mounting member at the other end is attached to the second opening/closing member 30. It is attached to a support plate 80. At this time, the support plate 80 is attached at a position near the center when the support plate 80 is viewed in the thickness direction. Thereby, the support plate 80 is supported by the support member 76 arranged between the support plate 80 and the second opening/closing member 30 and attached to both.

Note that the cooling water pipe 71, whose one end is connected to the cooling jacket 82, is connected to the support plate 80 from the side opposite to the side of the support plate 80 that holds the magnet 81, etc., at a position different from the position where the support member 76 is arranged. 80, the magnet 81, and the insulating material 83. Thereby, the cooling water pipe 71 is connected to the cooling jacket 82.

[1-4. Explanation of the configuration around the containment unit]
9 and 10 are explanatory views of the accommodation unit 100, the accommodation unit support member 110, and the correction plate 130a shown in FIG. 1. In particular, FIG. 9 shows the accommodation unit when the plasma generation device is located in the chamber. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the surrounding configuration. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration around the accommodation unit when the sputtering apparatus is located in the chamber. Further, FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG.

The accommodation unit support member 110 is supported by a swing shaft 111 connected to a support wall 14 that is a pair of opposing side walls 13 among the plurality of side walls 13 of the chamber 10, and is supported by a swing shaft 111. It swings by the driving force transmitted from the servo motor 120. Specifically, the storage unit support member 110 includes a pair of side plates 112 that are spaced apart in the length direction Y inside the chamber 10 and arranged parallel to the support wall 14, and a pair of side plates 112 that extend in the length direction Y and are arranged parallel to the support wall 14. It has a mounting member 113 disposed between the side plates 112. Each side plate 112 is formed in a substantially semicircular plate shape as shown in FIG. The portion is oriented toward the bottom 15 of the chamber 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

Further, the distance between the side plates 112 in the length direction Y is larger than the size of the plasma generation device 40 or the sputtering device 70 in the length direction Y when the plasma generation device 40 or the sputtering device 70 is located in the chamber 10. It has become. Further, the upper end of the side plate 112 in the vertical direction Z in the chamber 10 is located at the top of the plasma generating device 40 or the sputtering device 70 in the vertical direction Z when the plasma generating device 40 or the sputtering device 70 is located in the chamber 10. It is arranged so as to be located above the lower end.

Further, the length of the semicircular flat portion of the side plate 112 is larger than the width of the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 in the width direction X. In other words, the total width of the side plate 112 in the width direction It is larger than the total width of the generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70. In addition, the side plate 112 is formed in a substantially semicircular shape, and is arranged with the arc side portion located closer to the bottom 15 of the chamber 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), so that the side plate 112 has a substantially semicircular shape. The width of the plate 112 decreases from the top to the bottom.

The swing shaft 111 is provided for each pair of side plates 112 with its axis parallel to the longitudinal direction Y, and different swing shafts 111 are connected to the side plates 112, respectively. Of the swing shafts 111, the swing shaft 111 on the side where the servo motor 120 that swings the storage unit 100 is located is connected to the output shaft 121 of the servo motor 120 and rotates integrally with the output shaft 121. A drive shaft 125 is used as the swing shaft 111. That is, the servo motor 120 is attached to one of the set of support walls 14 . The servo motor 120 is attached to the outer surface of the chamber 10 on the support wall 14 by a servo motor attachment member 122, and the output shaft 121 that is generated by the servo motor 120 and outputs driving force is attached to the support wall 14. It extends therethrough from the support wall 14 into the chamber 10 . The drive shaft 125 is disposed within the chamber 10 and is in a state in which it cannot rotate relative to the output shaft 121 of the servo motor 120 within the chamber 10, that is, it can rotate integrally with respect to the output shaft 121. The output shaft 121 is connected to the output shaft 121 in this state. Further, the end of the drive shaft 125 opposite to the end connected to the output shaft 121 of the servo motor 120 is connected to the side plate 112 by a swinging means shaft connecting portion 114 . As a result, the drive shaft 125 is used as the swing shaft 111, and the driving force generated by the servo motor 120 is transmitted from the output shaft 121 of the servo motor 120 to the drive shaft 125, and the drive shaft 125 supports the housing unit. The signal is transmitted to the side plate 112 of the member 110.

A support shaft 116 is used for the swing shaft 111 located on the opposite side of the swing shaft 111 from the side where the servo motor 120 is located. The support shaft 116 has one end supported by a support shaft support member 117 and the other end connected to the side plate 112 by a support shaft connection portion 115.

More specifically, the vicinity of the end of the support shaft 116 on the side supported by the support shaft support member 117 penetrates the support wall 14, and the support shaft support member 117 in a non-rotatable manner. The vicinity of the end of the support shaft 116 connected to the support shaft connection portion 115 is rotatably supported by the support shaft connection portion 115 attached to the side plate 112 . That is, the support shaft connecting portion 115 and the support shaft 116 are relatively rotatable about the axis of the support shaft 116.

The side plate 112 to which the drive shaft 125 is connected and the side plate 112 to which the support shaft 116 is connected are connected by a mounting member 113 disposed between both side plates 112. The attachment member 113 is made of a rod-shaped member extending in the longitudinal direction Y, and both ends thereof are attached to different side plates 112, respectively. Further, a plurality of mounting members 113 are arranged, and the plurality of mounting members 113 are arranged near the outer periphery of the arc-shaped portion of the side plate 112 formed in a substantially semicircular shape, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. It is located in Thereby, the pair of side plates 112 are connected to each other by the plurality of attachment members 113. Therefore, when the side plate 112 connected to the drive shaft 125 swings due to the driving force transmitted from the servo motor 120, the force in the swing direction is also transmitted to the other side plate 112, and the pair The side plates 112 swing together as one.

The housing unit support member 110 formed in this manner supports the housing unit 100. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the storage unit. The housing unit 100 is formed into a cage-like shape by a processing material holding wall 101 and a side wall 102. Among these, the side wall 102 is made of a plate-shaped member arranged in parallel to the side plate 112 of the housing unit support member 110 in the state where the housing unit 100 is supported by the housing unit support member 110, A pair is arranged similarly to the side plates 112. The distance between the pair of side walls 102 is slightly narrower than the distance between the pair of side plates 112.

In addition, when the side wall 102 is supported by the housing unit support member 110 , the width in the width direction X varies from the opening 11 side of the chamber 10 to the bottom 15 ( (see FIGS. 3 and 4), it becomes smaller toward the side. In this embodiment, the side wall 102 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape, and the longer side of the upper and lower bases of the trapezoid is located on the upper side when supported by the storage unit support member 110. , are arranged with the shorter side at the bottom. Thereby, the width of the side wall 102 in the width direction X becomes smaller from the upper side toward the lower side.

Furthermore, in the side wall 102, a portion of the upper base and the lower base of the trapezoid, which is located on the upper side and has a longer length, extends upward. In other words, the side wall 102 has a substantially pentagonal shape when viewed in the length direction Y, with a rectangle of the same length added to the longer side of the upper and lower bases of the trapezoid. ing. Thereby, the width of the side wall 102 in the width direction X becomes smaller from the upper side toward the lower side.

The treated material holding wall 101 is disposed between the pair of side walls 102 and is formed along the sides of the outer periphery of the side walls 102 other than the upper side of the pentagon. As a result, when the housing unit 100 is supported by the housing unit support member 110, only the portion of the chamber 10 on the opening 11 side is open, and this portion becomes the opening 103 of the housing unit 100. There is. By forming the opening 103 in this way, the storage unit 100 is formed in a cage-like shape, and the material to be processed W stored in the storage unit 100 can be taken in and out from the opening 103. It has become. Further, the opening 103 of the housing unit 100 prevents the support plate 50 of the plasma generation device 40 and the support plate 80 of the sputtering device 70 from entering when the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 are placed in the chamber 10. It is large enough to do so.

Further, the processing material holding wall 101 included in the storage unit 100 is formed of a plate-shaped member having a large number of holes, such as a punching plate. The housing unit 100 has a material retaining wall 101 formed of a member with a large number of holes, so that air permeability is achieved between the inside and outside of the housing unit 100 through the material retaining wall 101. are doing.

A mounting plate 104 used when supporting the housing unit 100 with the housing unit support member 110 is arranged on the outer surface side of the processing material holding wall 101 in the housing unit 100 . A plurality of mounting plates 104 are arranged on the outer surface side of the material holding wall 101 with the thickness direction being the same as the thickness direction of the side wall 102. In this embodiment, the mounting plates 104 are Two locations are arranged between the pair of side walls 102. A notch (not shown) through which the mounting member 113 passes is formed in the mounting plate 104 at a position where the mounting member 113 of the storage unit support member 110 is disposed when viewed in the longitudinal direction Y. . Therefore, when supporting the housing unit 100 with the housing unit support member 110, the mounting member 113 of the housing unit support member 110 is inserted into the notch formed in the mounting plate 104 of the housing unit 100. Thereby, the accommodation unit 100 is supported by the accommodation unit support member 110 in a state where relative movement of the accommodation unit 100 with respect to the accommodation unit support member 110 in the direction in which the accommodation unit support member 110 swings can be restricted.

Furthermore, the surface treatment apparatus 1a includes a correction plate 130a that is disposed in the accommodation unit 100 and at least one of the plasma generation apparatus 40 and the sputtering apparatus 70, and that limits the range in which the material to be treated W is accommodated. There is. In this embodiment, the correction plate 130a is attached to the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70.

The correction plates 130a are oriented parallel to the side walls 102 of the accommodation unit 100 when the plasma generation device 40 is located in the chamber 10 in which the accommodation unit 100 is arranged, and the pair of correction plates 130a are arranged between the pair of side walls 102. It is located in That is, the pair of correction plates 130a are arranged to face each other.

Each of the pair of correction plates 130a has an attachment portion 132, and the attachment portion 132 of the correction plate 130a attached to the plasma generation device 40 is attached to the lower surface of the holding member 58 of the plasma generation device 40. That is, the mounting portion 132 is located at the upper end of the correction plate 130a when the correction plate 130a is viewed in the width direction has been done. The correction plate 130a is attached to the plasma generation device 40 by attaching the attachment portion 132 formed in this way to the lower surface of the holding member 58 of the plasma generation device 40. Further, by attaching the correction plate 130a to the holding member 58 of the plasma generation device 40, the distance between the pair of correction plates 130a is approximately the same as the width of the support plate 50 of the plasma generation device 40 in the length direction Y. It has become. Specifically, the distance between the pair of correction plates 130a attached to the plasma generation device 40 is approximately the same as the width in the longitudinal direction Y of the gas introduction section 57 of the plasma generation device 40.

Further, the width of the correction plate 130a attached to the plasma generation device 40 in the width direction X is approximately the same as the width of the support plate 50 of the plasma generation device 40 in the same direction. Further, the height of the correction plate 130a in the vertical direction Z is such that when the plasma generation device 40 is positioned in the chamber 10 where the accommodation unit 100 is supported by the accommodation unit support member 110, the correction plate 130a is separated from the accommodation unit 100. The height is such that they can be separated in the vertical direction Z (that is, the first opening/closing member 20 can be opened and closed). Furthermore, when the plasma generation device 40 is located in the chamber 10, a gap is formed between the lower end position of the correction plate 130a in the vertical direction Z and the accommodation unit 100, through which the material to be processed W cannot pass. As a result, when the plasma generation device 40 is located in the chamber 10, the workpiece W is accommodated in the housing shown in FIG. It is accommodated in space R. Note that the housing space R is formed in a region where the plasma generation device 40 can uniformly irradiate plasma, that is, a region where the surface treatment of the material to be treated W can be properly performed.

Note that the pair of correction plates 130a attached to the sputtering device 70 also have the same size and positional relationship as the pair of correction plates 130a attached to the plasma generation device 40, and the processing target material W is accommodated as shown in FIG. It is accommodated in space R. The housing space R is formed in a region where the sputtering device 70 can uniformly emit ions emitted from the target 84, that is, a region where the surface treatment of the material W to be treated can be properly performed.

[1-5. Explanation of the rocking state of the storage unit]
FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the accommodation unit and the accommodation unit support member shown in FIG. 11 are oscillated. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the accommodation unit and the accommodation unit support member shown in FIG. 12 are swung. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the correction plate 130a attached to the plasma generation device 40 and the correction plate 130a attached to the sputtering device 70 have almost the same shape, and are located inside the chamber 10. The actual arrangement positions within the chamber 10 are substantially the same. Further, the correction plates 130a are arranged on both sides in the width direction There is a chamfer between the sides and the bottom edge.

The accommodation unit 100 and the accommodation unit support member 110 swing about the swing axis 111 in the vertical direction Z within an angle range of ±θa. Note that the swinging angle range is set so that when the storage unit 100 is swung, the processed material W stored in the storage unit 100 does not fall from the storage unit 100 into the chamber 10 . That is, the angle θa is appropriately set according to the size of the material W to be processed and the amount of the material W to be processed. The value of θa is set to approximately 50°, for example. That is, the accommodation unit 100 and the accommodation unit support member 110 swing from the neutral position of the accommodation unit support member 110 in an angular range of about 50° on each side in the swinging direction, for a total of about 100°. The neutral position of the accommodation unit support member 110 referred to here is a state in which the opening 103 of the accommodation unit 100 faces directly above, that is, upward in the vertical direction Z, when the accommodation unit 100 is attached to the accommodation unit support member 110. This is the position where

Further, a swing pattern indicating how to swing the accommodation unit 100 over time is arbitrarily set by a voltage waveform applied to the servo motor 120 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). A typical voltage waveform is a sine waveform.

As the accommodation unit 100 swings, the material to be processed W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 is stirred inside the accommodation unit 100. As a result, the workpiece W to be surface-treated by the plasma generation device 40 is uniformly irradiated with plasma over the front surface of the workpiece W, so that uniform surface treatment is performed. In addition, the material W to be surface-treated by the sputtering device 70 is irradiated with ions emitted from the target 84 (see FIG. 7) all around the material W, so that a uniform thin film is formed. It is formed.

Note that the pattern for stirring the material to be processed W is not limited to the pattern in which the material to be processed W is swung in the θ direction, as described above. That is, the material to be processed W may be stirred by swinging (vibrating) the storage unit 100 in the vertical direction Z.

[1-6. Description of pump unit configuration]
FIG. 16 is a detailed diagram of the pump unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 17 is a detailed view of the elevating shaft and worm jack portion when FIG. 16 is viewed from the FF direction. FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 16. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the lift valve shown in FIG. 18 has an opening.

A pump unit 140 attached to the bottom 15 of the chamber 10 includes a flow rate adjustment valve 150 and a turbomolecular pump 170. As shown in FIG. 18, the flow rate adjustment valve 150 includes a flow path section 151 through which fluid flows, a lift valve 153 that opens and closes an opening 152 formed at one end of the flow path section 151, and a lift valve 153 that controls the opening and closing operation of the lift valve 153. It has a servo actuator 160 which is a driving means for causing the movement. Further, the turbo molecular pump 170 is a pump that sucks the fluid flowing through the flow path section 151 of the flow rate adjustment valve 150.

Specifically, the flow path portion 151 of the flow rate adjustment valve 150 is formed in a mounting flange 141 for mounting the pump unit 140 to the chamber 10, and the turbo molecular pump 170 is formed in a mounting flange 141 for mounting the pump unit 140 to the chamber 10. It is attached to the mounting flange 141 by being attached to the flange 141 . The mounting flange 141 is a plate-shaped member, and the flow path portion 151 is formed as a hole penetrating the mounting flange 141 in the thickness direction. The opening 152 of the flow path section 151 is thus located at one end side of the flow path section 151 penetrating the mounting flange 141, and the turbo molecular pump 170 is located at the opening of the flow path section 151 in the mounting flange 141. 152 is attached to the surface opposite to the surface on which it is located. Thereby, the turbo molecular pump 170 is disposed on the opposite side of the end of the flow path section 151 on the side where the opening 152 is formed.

The pump unit 140 is attached to the chamber 10 by attaching a mounting flange 141 to the lower surface of the bottom 15 of the chamber 10. The mounting flange 141 is attached in such a direction that the surface on which the opening 152 of the flow path section 151 is located is located on the chamber 10 side, and the surface on which the turbo molecular pump 170 is attached is located on the opposite side of the chamber 10. . As a result, the mounting flange 141 is attached in such a direction that the flow direction of the fluid in the flow path portion 151 is the vertical direction Z, and the opening portion 152 is located at the upper end of the flow path portion 151. In other words, the channel portion 151 is arranged with the opening direction of the opening portion 152 being in the vertical direction Z. When the mounting flange 141 is attached to the bottom 15 of the chamber 10, the opening 152 of the flow path portion 151 is open to the inside of the chamber 10, and the flow path portion 151 communicates with the inside of the chamber 10. There is.

The lift valve 153 included in the flow rate adjustment valve 150 is disposed within the chamber 10 and is disposed on the opening 152 side of the flow path portion 151, that is, above the opening 152. The lift valve 153 opens and closes the opening 152 by changing the distance d (see FIG. 19) from the opening 152 in the vertical direction Z. That is, when closing the opening 152, the lift valve 153 can be closed by covering the entire area of the opening 152, and when opening the opening 152, from the opening 152 to the opening direction of the opening 152, That is, by separating in the vertical direction Z, the opening 152 can be opened. The opening 152 and the lift valve 153 are both approximately circular in shape when viewed in the opening direction of the opening 152, and the lift valve 153 has a larger diameter than the opening 152. ing. Note that "substantially circular" in this case means that it is formed in a substantially circular shape, regardless of dimensional errors or the presence or absence of slight irregularities during manufacturing.

The servo actuator 160 that opens and closes the lift valve 153 causes the lift valve 153 to open and close the opening 152 by moving the lift valve 153 in the opening direction of the opening 152, that is, in the vertical direction Z. The servo actuator 160 is disposed on the side of the mounting flange 141 to which the turbo molecular pump 170 is attached, and is supported by the driving means support section 143. That is, the servo actuator 160 is attached to the mounting flange 141 via the drive means support part 143.

The driving force generated by the servo actuator 160 is transmitted to the lifting valve 153 via the worm jack 161, the lifting shaft 162, and the connecting member 163. Then, the lift valve 153 moves in the vertical direction Z by the transmitted driving force, and opens and closes the opening 152. Among these, the worm jack 161 moves the elevating shaft 162 in the axial direction of the elevating shaft 162 by the driving force transmitted from the servo actuator 160. This elevating shaft 162 is arranged with its axial direction along the vertical direction Z. Therefore, when the driving force from the servo actuator 160 is transmitted from the worm jack 161, the elevating shaft 162 moves in the vertical direction Z by this driving force. The lifting shaft 162 is disposed to pass through the bottom 15 of the chamber 10 and the mounting flange 141, with an upper end located inside the chamber 10 and a lower end located outside the chamber 10 and below the mounting flange 141. There is.

Note that the portion where the lifting shaft 162 passes through the mounting flange 141 is airtight, and fluid does not flow on both sides of the portion where the lifting shaft 162 passes through the mounting flange 141. Further, the elevating shaft 162 passes through the bottom 15 of the chamber 10.

The worm jack 161 is connected to a position near the lower end of the lifting shaft 162, transmits the driving force transmitted from the servo actuator 160 to the lifting shaft 162 from a position near the lower end of the lifting shaft 162, and moves the lifting shaft 162 in the vertical direction. Move to Z.

The connecting member 163 is disposed within the chamber 10 and connects the upper end of the lifting shaft 162 and the lifting valve 153. That is, the connecting member 163 is disposed between the surface of the lift valve 153 opposite to the surface that opens and closes the opening 152 of the flow path section 151 and the upper end of the lift shaft 162, and is connected to both. This connects the upper end of the lift shaft 162 and the lift valve 153. Thereby, when the lift shaft 162 moves in the up-down direction Z, the connecting member 163 moves in the up-down direction Z together with the lift shaft 162, and the lift valve 153 also moves in the up-down direction Z. The lift valve 153 opens and closes the opening 152 of the flow path portion 151 by moving in the vertical direction Z by the driving force transmitted from the servo actuator 160 in this manner.

The chamber 10 is provided with a valve guide 165 that guides the opening and closing operations of the lift valve 153, and the lift valve 153 is provided with a guide engagement portion 166 that engages with the valve guide 165. The valve guide 165 is formed in a rod-like shape extending in the vertical direction Z, which is the direction in which the lift valve 153 moves when opening and closing, and is located on the inner surface of the bottom 15 of the chamber 10 at the portion where the lift valve 153 is located. is located near.

Specifically, the valve guide 165 is arranged on the side opposite to the side where the lift shaft 162 is located with respect to the lift valve 153. The guide engaging portion 166 is attached to the upper surface of the lifting valve 153 and is formed from the upper surface of the lifting valve 153 to the position of the valve guide 165. A through hole is formed in the guide engaging portion 166, through which the lifting valve 153 passes, and the lifting valve 153 passes through the through hole formed in the guide engaging portion 166.

Since the guide engagement portion 166 is attached to the lift valve 153, when the lift valve 153 moves, the guide engagement portion 166 also moves together. At this time, since the valve guide 165 extending in the vertical direction Z passes through the through hole formed in the guide engaging part 166, when the guide engaging part 166 moves together with the lift valve 153, the guide The engaging portion 166 moves along the valve guide 165. Thereby, the valve guide 165 guides the vertical movement of the lifting valve 153 to which the guide engaging portion 166 is attached in the vertical direction Z.

The lift valve 153 opens and closes the opening 152 of the flow path section 151 by moving in the vertical direction Z, but when the lift valve 153 opens the opening 152, the inside of the chamber 10 and the flow path section 151 are closed. In between, fluid flows from a portion between the outer periphery of the lift valve 153 and the mounting flange 141.

That is, when the lift valve 153 closes the opening 152, the bottom surface of the lift valve 153 and the top surface of the mounting flange 141 come into contact, so that the lift valve 153 closes the opening 152. In this case, the fluid path between the inside of the chamber 10 and the flow path portion 151 is blocked by the contact portion between the lower surface of the lifting valve 153 and the upper surface of the mounting flange 141. Furthermore, when the lift valve 153 opens the opening 152, the lift valve 153 moves upward, so the lower surface of the lift valve 153 is separated from the upper surface of the mounting flange 141. As a result, fluid flows between the chamber 10 and the flow path section 151 from the portion between the lower surface of the lift valve 153 and the upper surface of the mounting flange 141. and flows out of the chamber 10.

Therefore, when the lift valve 153 opens the opening 152, the substantial opening of the fluid path flowing between the inside of the chamber 10 and the flow path section 151 is the outer periphery of the lower surface of the lift valve 153; This is the portion between the upper surface of the mounting flange 141 and the upper surface of the mounting flange 141. That is, the distance between the lower surface of the lift valve 153 and the upper surface of the mounting flange 141 changes by moving the lift valve 153 in the vertical direction Z. Therefore, the opening formed between the outer periphery of the bottom surface of the lift valve 153 and the top surface of the mounting flange 141 is an adjustment opening 155 whose opening area changes by moving the lift valve 153 in the vertical direction Z. (See Figure 19).

The adjustment opening 155 is an opening for fluid to flow between the chamber 10 and the opening 152, and the opening area of the adjustment opening 155 is for fluid to flow between the chamber 10 and the opening 152. This is the distribution area DA (not shown) during distribution. The flow area DA of the adjustment opening 155 is a value calculated by integrating the length of the outer periphery of the lower surface of the lifting valve 153 and the distance between the lower surface of the lifting valve 153 and the upper surface of the mounting flange 141. That is, the flow area DA changes depending on the distance between the lifting valve 153 and the mounting flange 141. In other words, the flow area DA increases as the distance between the lift valve 153 and the mounting flange 141, that is, the distance d between the opening 152 of the flow path section 151 and the lift valve 153, increases. It becomes smaller as the distance d becomes smaller. Therefore, the lift valve 153 changes the flow area DA with respect to the opening 152 by changing the distance d between the lift valve 153 and the opening 152 in the opening direction of the opening 152.

The lifting valve 153, which can change the circulation area DA, is moved in the vertical direction Z by a servo actuator 160, and the servo actuator 160 moves the lifting valve 153 in the vertical direction Z based on a predetermined detected value. Specifically, the servo actuator 160 moves the lift valve 153 based on the pressure inside the chamber 10 detected by the vacuum gauge 180 (see FIG. 1). Thereby, the servo actuator 160 changes the circulation area DA based on the pressure inside the chamber 10 detected by the vacuum gauge 180.

[1-7. Description of operation of first embodiment]
Hereinafter, the operation of the surface treatment apparatus 1a according to this embodiment will be explained. The surface treatment apparatus 1a according to the embodiment forms a plating layer on the surface of a workpiece W made of a difficult-to-plated material, such as a resin material, which is difficult to form a plating layer in, for example, a normal plating process. Perform surface treatment to make it easier. It should be noted that the workpiece W to be surface treated with the surface treatment apparatus 1a according to the present embodiment is assumed to be a relatively small member as shown in FIG. It is suitable for performing surface treatment on a large number of small workpieces W at once.

Note that the material to be treated W subjected to surface treatment in the surface treatment apparatus 1a is larger in size than the holes formed in large numbers in the material-to-be-treated wall 101 of the housing unit 100; The size of the member is such that it cannot pass through the hole formed in the hole.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing surface treatment on a material to be treated using the surface treatment apparatus according to the embodiment. When performing surface treatment on the material W to be treated with the surface treatment apparatus 1a, the material W to be treated is first accommodated in the storage unit 100 (step ST11). That is, the material to be processed W is accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 through the opening 103 of the accommodation unit 100 .

Next, the accommodation unit 100 containing the material to be processed W is placed in the chamber 10 (step ST12). The accommodation unit 100 is placed in the chamber 10 by attaching the accommodation unit 100 containing the material W to be processed to the accommodation unit support member 110 in the chamber 10 . That is, with both the first opening/closing member 20 and the second opening/closing member 30 open, the accommodation unit 100 containing the material W to be processed is inserted into the chamber 10, and the accommodation unit 100 is placed on the accommodation unit support member 110. Attach. Thereby, the material to be processed W is accommodated inside the chamber 10.

Once the material to be processed W is housed inside the chamber 10, the opening 11 of the chamber 10 is closed by the first opening/closing member 20 by rotating the first opening/closing member 20 around the hinge portion 21 (step ST13). As a result, a part of the plasma generation device 40 attached to the first opening/closing member 20 is positioned inside the chamber 10 (see FIGS. 3 and 9). In this case, by positioning at least the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 supported by the support plate 50 of the plasma generation device 40 in the chamber 10, the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 are arranged in the chamber 10. It enters into the accommodation unit 100 through the opening 103 of the accommodation unit 100. Thereby, the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 of the plasma generation device 40 are positioned above the workpiece W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 and relatively close to the workpiece W.

A pair of correction plates 130a are attached to the plasma generation device 40 to limit the range in which the processing target material W is accommodated. Since the correction plate 130a is disposed below the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 of the plasma generation device 40, the plate-shaped conductor parts 51 and 52 are allowed to enter the accommodation unit 100 through the opening 103 of the accommodation unit 100. When the state is set, the correction plate 130a also enters into the accommodation unit 100. Thereby, the processed material W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 is placed between the pair of correction plates 130a located within the accommodation unit 100.

After the accommodation unit 100 containing the material to be processed W is placed in the chamber 10 and the first opening/closing member 20 is closed to position the plasma generation device 40 in the chamber 10, the pressure in the chamber 10 is reduced by the pump unit 140. (Step ST14). At this time, the path of the gas inlet 16 through which the gas used for sputtering flows into the chamber 10 is closed to prevent gas from flowing from the gas inlet 16. Note that when the pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced by the pump unit 140, by operating the turbo molecular pump 170, the turbo molecular pump 170 sucks the gas inside the chamber 10 and also pumps the sucked gas out of the chamber 10. Discharge. In addition, the pump unit 140 operates the flow rate adjustment valve 150 while the gas in the chamber 10 is sucked by the turbo-molecular pump 170, thereby controlling the flow rate of the gas flowing from the inside of the chamber 10 to the turbo-molecular pump 170 side. adjust. This adjusts the pressure inside the chamber 10.

More specifically, the pump unit 140 adjusts the flow area DA of the adjustment opening 155 by moving the lift valve 153 in the vertical direction Z based on the pressure inside the chamber 10 detected by the vacuum gauge 180. The pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced to a predetermined set pressure by adjusting the flow rate of gas flowing from inside to the flow path section 151 side. Note that the set pressure in this case is set to, for example, a pressure suitable for generating plasma in the plasma generation device 40 and performing surface treatment on the material to be treated W, for example, a pressure of about 10 Pa to 300 Pa. The pump unit 140 adjusts the pressure inside the chamber 10 to a pressure of about 10 Pa to 300 Pa according to the set pressure, thereby bringing the inside of the chamber 10 into a state of low vacuum to medium vacuum.

After reducing the pressure inside the chamber 10 to the set pressure, the surface treatment apparatus 1a starts swinging the accommodation unit 100 (step ST15). The accommodation unit 100 is rocked by driving a servo motor 120, which is a swinging means for swinging the accommodation unit 100. When the servo motor 120 is driven, the driving force generated by the servo motor 120 is transmitted from the output shaft 121 of the servo motor 120 to the housing unit support member 110 via the drive shaft 125. The housing unit support member 110 to which the driving force from the servo motor 120 is transmitted swings about the rocking shaft 111 of the housing unit support member 110, which is composed of a drive shaft 125 and a support shaft 116 (see FIG. 9). do. Thereby, the accommodation unit 100 supported by the accommodation unit support member 110 swings together with the accommodation unit support member 110.

When the accommodation unit 100 swings, an inertial force generated by the swinging of the accommodation unit 100 acts on the workpiece W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100. The workpieces W accommodated in the storage unit 100 may move within the storage unit 100 due to this inertial force, or the workpieces W may collide with each other, causing the workpieces W to be overturned.

Note that when the housing unit 100 is rocked by the driving force generated by the servo motor 120, it is preferable to also include an operation that rapidly changes the speed or acceleration. By rapidly changing the rocking speed and acceleration of the accommodation unit 100, it becomes easier to move the material W to be processed within the accommodation unit 100. Moreover, it becomes easier to turn over the material W to be processed within the storage unit 100.

After the accommodation unit 100 starts rocking, the surface treatment apparatus 1a performs surface modification on the workpiece W using the plasma generation apparatus 40 (step ST16). When performing surface modification using the plasma generation device 40, while supplying plasma generation gas to the gas introduction section 57 (see FIGS. 5 and 6), parallel plate type plate-shaped conductors 51 and 52 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) (see FIG. 6) is brought into a high frequency discharge state to generate plasma. The plasma generating gas is supplied to the gas introducing section 57 by supplying the plasma generating gas from the gas supply section 44 to the gas flow path 42, and from the gas supply hole 43 formed at one end of the gas flow path 42 to the gas introducing section 57. This is done by emitting plasma-generating gas. Further, when the gap portion 56 between the plate-shaped conductor portions 51 and 52 is brought into a high-frequency discharge state, the high-frequency power source 61 is operated. Because the plasma-generating gas supplied to the gas introduction section 57 flows into the gap 56 through the through hole 54 formed in the plate-shaped conductor 52, the plasma-generating gas flowing into the gap 56 is in a high-frequency discharge state. It is turned into plasma in the cavity 56 of. At this time, since the pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced to a pressure suitable for generating plasma, the gap 56 is brought into a high-frequency discharge state while flowing the plasma generation gas into the gap 56. Plasma is generated efficiently.

The plasma generated in the gap 56 passes through the through hole 53 formed in the plate-shaped conductor 51 and flows out from the gap 56 toward the side opposite to the side where the plate-shaped conductor 52 is located. That is, the plasma generated in the gap 56 passes through the through hole 53 of the plate-shaped conductor 51 and flows downward in the vertical direction Z.

At this time, the diameter of the through hole 53 of the plate-shaped conductor part 51 is smaller than the diameter of the through-hole 54 formed in the plate-shaped conductor part 52. Therefore, the plasma gas, which is the gas turned into plasma in the void portion 56, flows out from the through hole 53 to the lower side in the vertical direction Z at a relatively high flow rate. Since the processed material W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 is located below the plate-shaped conductor part 51 in the vertical direction Z, the plasma gas flowing out from the through-hole 53 of the plate-shaped conductor part 51 will not flow into the accommodation unit 100. The material W to be treated is irradiated. The surface of the material W to be treated is modified by the plasma generated by the plasma generation device 40 in this manner. That is, the surface of the material W to be treated is treated by the irradiated plasma.

Specifically, an example of surface modification performed by plasma is surface roughening in which ions in plasma gas collide with the material W to be processed, thereby roughening the surface of the material W to be processed. Other examples of surface modification performed by plasma include cleaning the surface of the material W to be treated by plasma, and generating hydrophilic functional groups on the surface of the material W to be treated by plasma. .

Note that since the plasma generation device 40 is equipped with a pair of correction plates 130a that limit the range in which the material to be treated W is accommodated, the plasma gas flowing out from the through hole 53 of the plate-shaped conductor portion 51 is The current flows between the correction plates 130a. Since the material to be processed W is accommodated between the pair of correction plates 130a, the plasma gas evenly covers the material to be processed W by flowing between the pair of correction plates 130a. Therefore, the surface of the material W to be treated is efficiently treated by the plasma gas.

Further, since the storage unit 100 swings while the plasma gas is being sprayed, the workpiece W moves or turns over within the storage unit 100, and the plasma gas is spread over the entire surface of the workpiece W. reach. That is, the entire surface of the workpiece W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 is exposed to plasma evenly as the accommodation unit 100 swings. As a result, even when the workpiece W has a complicated shape, the entire surface of the workpiece W having a complicated shape is uniformly subjected to surface treatment.

When the surface modification by the plasma generation device 40 is performed for a predetermined period of time, the surface treatment device 1a stops the generation of plasma in the plasma generation device 40.

Then, the surface treatment apparatus 1a ends the swinging of the accommodation unit 100 by stopping the driving of the servo motor 120 (step ST17). At this time, the accommodation unit support member 110 stops at the neutral position, that is, the state shown in FIG. 11.

When the plasma generation in the plasma generation device 40 stops and the housing unit support member 110 also stops, the surface treatment device 1a makes the pressure in the chamber 10 the same as the atmospheric pressure (step ST18). To make the pressure inside the chamber 10 the same as the atmospheric pressure, the pump unit 140 is stopped and the pressure adjustment valve (not shown) installed in the chamber 10 is opened to reduce the pressure around the chamber 10. Air is taken into the chamber 10. As a result, the pressure inside the chamber 10, which had been reduced in pressure, is increased, and the pressure inside the chamber 10 is made equal to the atmospheric pressure.

Once the pressure inside the chamber 10 is equal to the atmospheric pressure, the first opening/closing member 20 is opened and the second opening/closing member 30 is closed (step ST19). Since the pressure inside the chamber 10 is approximately the same as the atmospheric pressure outside the chamber 10, the first opening/closing member 20 can be easily opened by rotating around the hinge portion 21. After opening the first opening/closing member 20, the second opening/closing member 30, which is attached to a different position from the first opening/closing member 20 near the opening 11 of the chamber 10, is closed.

When closing the second opening/closing member 30, similarly to the first opening/closing member 20, by rotating the second opening/closing member 30 around the hinge part 31, the opening 11 of the chamber 10 is opened to the second opening/closing member 30. Closed by. As a result, a part of the sputtering device 70 attached to the second opening/closing member 30 is positioned inside the chamber 10 (see FIGS. 4 and 10). In this case, by positioning at least the target 84 supported by the support plate 80 of the sputtering device 70 in the chamber 10, the target 84 can be moved into the housing unit 100 from the opening 103 of the housing unit 100 arranged in the chamber 10. Let it go inside. Thereby, the target 84 of the sputtering device 70 is positioned above the workpiece W accommodated in the housing unit 100 and relatively close to the workpiece W.

A pair of correction plates 130a are attached to the sputtering device 70 to limit the range in which the material to be processed W is arranged. Since the correction plate 130a is arranged below the target 84 included in the sputtering device 70, when the target 84 is brought into the accommodation unit 100 through the opening 103 of the accommodation unit 100, the correction plate 130a also enters into the accommodation unit 100. Thereby, the processed material W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 is placed between the pair of correction plates 130a located within the accommodation unit 100.

After the sputtering device 70 is positioned within the chamber 10 by closing the second opening/closing member 30, the pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced by the pump unit 140 (step ST20). The pressure inside the chamber 10 is reduced in the same manner as described in step S14.

After reducing the pressure inside the chamber 10 to the set pressure, the surface treatment apparatus 1a starts swinging the accommodation unit 100 (step ST21). The accommodation unit 100 is rocked in the same manner as described in step ST15 above.

When the storage unit 100 swings, an inertial force generated by the reciprocating swing of the storage unit 100 in the swinging direction acts on the workpiece W stored in the storage unit 100. The workpieces W accommodated in the storage unit 100 may move within the storage unit 100 due to this inertial force, or the workpieces W may collide with each other, causing the workpieces W to be overturned.

After the accommodation unit 100 starts swinging, the surface treatment apparatus 1a sputters the material to be treated W using the sputtering apparatus 70 (step ST22). When sputtering is performed by the sputtering device 70, a gas used for sputtering flows into the chamber 10 from the gas inflow section 16 arranged in the chamber 10. Then, the gas flowing in from the gas inflow section 16 is ionized by the magnetic field generated by the magnet 81 of the sputtering device 70, and the ions collide with the target 84, thereby repelling the atoms of the target 84. Since the inside of the chamber 10 is reduced to a pressure suitable for sputtering by the pump unit 140, a magnetic field can be generated by the magnet 81 while the gas used for sputtering flows into the chamber 10 from the gas inflow part 16. Therefore, in the vicinity of the target 84 of the sputtering device 70, the gas flowing from the gas inlet portion 16 is efficiently ionized.

In this embodiment, the target 84 is made of copper, so when the ions of the ionized gas near the target 84 collide with the target 84, the target 84 kicks out copper atoms. The atoms ejected from the target 84 head toward the lower side, which is the opposite side to the side where the magnet 81 is located, in the vertical direction Z. Since the processed material W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 is located below the target 84 in the vertical direction Z, the atoms ejected from the target 84 are directed toward the processed material W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100. The particles move and come into close contact with the material W to be processed, and are deposited on the surface of the material W to be processed. As a result, a thin film is formed on the surface of the material W to be processed by the substance forming the target 84. In the case of this embodiment, a thin copper film is formed on the surface of the material W to be processed.

At that time, since the surface of the material to be processed W has been surface-modified by the plasma generation device 40, when forming a film on the surface of the material to be processed W using the substance that forms the target 84 by the sputtering device 70, The degree of adhesion of the thin film to the surface of the material W to be treated can be increased. That is, since the sputtering apparatus 70 forms a film by sputtering on the surface of the surface-modified material W to be processed, it is possible to form a thin film on the surface of the material W to be processed with high adhesion. Note that a plating layer tends to adhere to the formed thin film when plating is applied to the surface of the material W to be processed using another device in a post-process.

Note that since the sputtering device 70 is equipped with a pair of correction plates 130a that limit the range in which the material to be processed W is accommodated, the atoms ejected from the target 84 flow between the pair of correction plates 130a. . Since the material to be processed W is accommodated between the pair of correction plates 130a, the atoms ejected from the target 84 pass between the pair of correction plates 130a, thereby evenly covering the material to be processed W. . Therefore, a thin film is uniformly formed on the surface of the material W to be processed.

Atoms that are ejected from the target 84 and adhere to the surface of the material W to be processed by sputtering with the sputtering device 70 may be caused by the material W being moved or tipped over within the storage unit 100 due to the rocking of the storage unit 100. By turning it around, it comes into close contact with the entire surface of each workpiece W. In other words, as the storage unit 100 swings, the atoms ejected from the target 84 evenly adhere to the entire surface of the material W to be processed, thereby forming the target 84. The thin film formed by the deposition of the substance is uniformly formed over the entire surface of the material W to be processed. Thereby, even when the processed material W has a complicated shape, a thin film is evenly formed over the entire surface of the processed material W having a complicated shape.

When sputtering by the sputtering device 70 is performed for a predetermined period of time, the surface treatment device 1a stops the sputtering by the sputtering device 70.

Then, the surface treatment apparatus 1a ends the swinging of the accommodation unit 100 by stopping the driving of the servo motor 120 (step ST23). At this time, the accommodation unit support member 110 stops at the neutral position, that is, the state shown in FIG. 12.

When the sputtering device 70 stops and the housing unit support member 110 also stops, the surface treatment device 1a makes the pressure in the chamber 10 the same as the atmospheric pressure (step ST24). To make the pressure inside the chamber 10 the same as the atmospheric pressure, the pump unit 140 is stopped and the pressure adjustment valve (not shown) installed in the chamber 10 is opened to reduce the pressure around the chamber 10. Air is taken into the chamber 10. As a result, the pressure inside the chamber 10, which had been reduced in pressure, is increased, and the pressure inside the chamber 10 is made equal to the atmospheric pressure.

When the pressure inside the chamber 10 is made equal to the atmospheric pressure, the second opening/closing member 30 is opened and the housing unit 100 is taken out (step ST25). Since the pressure inside the chamber 10 is approximately the same as the atmospheric pressure outside the chamber 10, the second opening/closing member 30 can be easily opened by rotating around the hinge portion 31. After opening the second opening/closing member 30, the housing unit 100 housed in the chamber 10 is taken out of the chamber 10 through the opening 11 of the chamber 10. Through the series of processes described above, after surface modification is performed in the plasma generation device 40, sputtering is performed in the sputtering device 70, thereby forming a thin film with high adhesion of the plating layer when plating is performed in a subsequent process. A processed material W is obtained.

The material to be treated W having a thin film formed on its surface is subjected to a plating treatment in a later step. The plating process is performed by, for example, electrolytic plating, electroless plating, hot-dip plating, or the like. These plating treatments are performed on the workpiece W on which a thin film has been formed through the series of surface treatments described above, so the thin metal film (plating layer) covering the surface is applied to the workpiece W by the plating process. It can be formed with high adhesion to the thin film formed on the surface.

As explained above, when the surface treatment apparatus 1a of the first embodiment accommodates the material to be treated W in the accommodation unit 100, the storage range of the material to be treated W is limited to the plasma generating device 40 (surface treatment means). A pair of correction plates 130a are provided to limit the range in which the material to be processed W can be accommodated within the effective range of the processing capacity. Furthermore, when the material to be processed W is accommodated in the accommodation unit 100, the surface treatment apparatus 1a is configured such that the accommodation range of the material to be processed W is within the effective range of the processing capacity of the sputtering device 70 (surface treatment means). A pair of correction plates 130a are provided to limit the range in which the material W is accommodated. Therefore, while the surface treatment is being performed, the material to be treated W can be kept within the effective range of the processing capacity of the surface treatment means, so that the surface treatment can be performed reliably.

Furthermore, in the surface treatment apparatus 1a of the first embodiment, the correction plates 130a are installed at opposing positions along the side wall 102 of the storage unit 100. Therefore, the accommodation range of the processed material W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 can be reliably limited between the two opposing correction plates 130a.

In the surface treatment apparatus 1a of the first embodiment, the surface treatment means performs surface treatment on the workpiece W accommodated in the storage unit 100 by irradiating the workpiece W with plasma. This is a plasma generation device 40, and the effective range of the processing capacity of the plasma generation device 40 is the plasma irradiation range. Therefore, surface modification (surface treatment) using plasma can be reliably performed on the material W to be treated.

In the surface treatment apparatus 1a of the first embodiment, the surface treatment means is a sputtering apparatus 70 that performs sputtering on the workpiece W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100, and the processing capacity of the sputtering apparatus 70 is The effective range is the emission range of atoms emitted from the target 84. Therefore, sputtering can be reliably performed on the material W to be treated.

[2. Second embodiment]
A surface treatment apparatus 1b according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described using FIGS. 21 to 24. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration around the accommodation unit when the plasma generation device is located in the chamber in the second embodiment. FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration around the housing unit when the sputtering apparatus is located in the chamber in the second embodiment. FIG. 23 is a sectional view taken along the line JJ in FIG. 21. FIG. 24 is a sectional view taken along line KK in FIG. 22.

[2-1. Description of another configuration example of correction plate]
The surface treatment apparatus 1b includes a pair of correction plates 130b that limit the range in which the material to be treated W is accommodated, instead of the pair of correction plates 130a included in the surface treatment apparatus 1a described in the first embodiment. The other configurations are the same as the surface treatment apparatus 1a.

The correction plate 130b includes an apparatus side correction plate 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70, and an accommodation unit side correction plate 133 attached to the accommodation unit 100.

Among these, the device side correction plate 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 is attached to the side wall of the accommodation unit 100 when the plasma generation device 40 is located in the chamber 10 in which the accommodation unit 100 is arranged, as shown in FIG. 102 and between a pair of side walls 102 . That is, the pair of device-side correction plates 131 are arranged to face each other. Note that the device-side correction plate 131 is an example of a first correction plate in the present disclosure.

The pair of device-side correction plates 131 each have a mounting portion 132. The attachment part 132 is attached to the lower surface of the holding member 58 of the plasma generation device 40. That is, as shown in FIG. 23, the mounting portion 132 is located at the upper end of the device-side correction plate 131 when the device-side correction plate 131 is viewed in the width direction It is formed in a plate-like shape extending in the vertical direction Z. The device-side correction plate 131 is attached to the plasma generation device 40 by attaching the attachment portion 132 formed in this manner to the lower surface of the holding member 58 of the plasma generation device 40. Further, as shown in FIG. 21, the distance between the pair of device-side correction plates 131 is approximately the same as the width of the support plate 50 of the plasma generation device 40 in the longitudinal direction Y. Specifically, the distance between the pair of device-side correction plates 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 is approximately the same as the width in the longitudinal direction Y of the gas introduction section 57 of the plasma generation device 40. There is.

Further, as shown in FIG. 23, the width of the device-side correction plate 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 in the width direction It has become. Further, the height of the device side correction plate 131 in the vertical direction Z is such that when the plasma generation device 40 is positioned in the chamber 10 where the accommodation unit 100 is supported by the accommodation unit support member 110 The height is such that it can be separated from the storage unit 100 in the vertical direction Z (that is, the first opening/closing member 20 can be opened and closed).

Similarly, the device-side correction plate 131 attached to the sputtering device 70 is attached to the sputtering device 70 by having a mounting portion 132 attached to the lower surface of the holding member 85 of the sputtering device 70, as shown in FIG. The distance between the pair of device-side correction plates 131 attached to the sputtering device 70 is approximately the same as the width of the support plate 80 of the sputtering device 70 in the longitudinal direction Y. Specifically, the distance between the pair of device-side correction plates 131 attached to the sputtering device 70 is approximately the same as the width in the longitudinal direction Y of the magnet 81 included in the sputtering device 70.

Further, as shown in FIG. 24, the width of the device-side correction plate 131 attached to the sputtering device 70 in the width direction X is approximately the same as the width of the support plate 80 of the sputtering device 70 in the same direction. There is. The height of the apparatus-side correction plate 131 in the vertical direction Z is such that the apparatus-side correction plate 131 is accommodated when the sputtering apparatus 70 is positioned in the chamber 10 in which the accommodation unit 100 is supported by the accommodation unit support member 110. The height is such that it can be separated from the unit 100 in the vertical direction Z (that is, the second opening/closing member 30 can be opened and closed).

As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the device-side correction plate 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 and the device-side correction plate 131 attached to the sputtering device 70 have almost the same shape, and the chamber 10 The arrangement position within the chamber 10 when located within the chamber 10 is substantially the same position. Further, the device side correction plate 131 comes into contact with the accommodation unit 100 when the accommodation unit 100 swings together with the accommodation unit support member 110 about the swing axis 111 (see FIGS. 25 and 26). Chamfering is applied between the sides on both sides in the width direction X and the bottom edge to prevent this from happening.

Further, the surface treatment apparatus 1b includes an accommodation unit-side correction plate 133 at the bottom inside the accommodation unit 100, as shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. A pair of accommodation unit side correction plates 133 are arranged inside the accommodation unit 100, and the pair of accommodation unit side correction plates 133 are spaced apart in the length direction Y. Further, the distance between the pair of storage unit side correction plates 133 in the length direction Y is slightly larger than the distance between the pair of device side correction plates 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70. Note that the storage unit side correction plate 133 is an example of a second correction plate in the present disclosure.

Further, the storage unit side correction plate 133 is formed to extend in the width direction X with a substantially constant height in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the height of the accommodation unit side correction plate 133 is such that the upper end of the accommodation unit side correction plate 133 is located within the chamber 10 such that the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 are located within the chamber 10. The height is slightly higher than the position of the lower end of the apparatus-side correction plate 131 in the case of the present invention. Therefore, when the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 are located in the chamber 10, the pair of accommodation unit side correction plates 133 are placed in a state where the pair of device side correction plates 131 are sandwiched from both sides in the length direction Y. , the vicinity of the upper end of the storage unit-side correction plate 133 in the vertical direction Z overlaps the vicinity of the lower end of the apparatus-side correction plate 131. That is, when performing surface treatment on the workpiece W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100, the apparatus side correction plate 131 and the accommodation unit side correction plate 133 have an overlapping area 134a (see FIG. 23) and an overlapping area 134b. (see FIG. 24).

Here, an example has been described in which the storage unit side correction plate 133 is installed with a pair of device side correction plates 131 sandwiched between them from both sides in the length direction Y. , it may be installed with a pair of storage unit side correction plates 133 sandwiched from both sides in the length direction Y.

[2-2. Explanation of the rocking state of the storage unit]
FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the accommodation unit and the accommodation unit support member shown in FIG. 23 are swung. FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which the accommodation unit and the accommodation unit support member shown in FIG. 24 are swung. The accommodation unit 100 to which the accommodation unit side correction plate 133 is attached swings together with the accommodation unit support member 110 about the swing axis 111, but regardless of the swing angle of the accommodation unit 100, the accommodation unit The side correction plate 133 and the device side correction plate 131 form an overlapping area 134c (see FIG. 25) and an overlapping area 134d (see FIG. 26). That is, the storage unit side correction plate 133 is continuously aligned with the apparatus side correction plate 131 regardless of the change in the relative angle to the apparatus side correction plate 131 due to the rocking of the storage unit 100. The sections are arranged so that they can be overlapped.

In other words, the device side correction plate 131 is chamfered between both sides and the bottom edge in the width direction X when the storage unit 100 swings, but the storage unit side correction plate 133 is , overlaps the chamfered portion of the device-side correction plate 131 when the accommodation unit 100 swings. That is, the correction plate 130b prevents the apparatus-side correction plate 131 from coming into contact with the accommodation unit 100 when the accommodation unit 100 swings by forming a chamfer on the apparatus-side correction plate 131. Regardless of the swinging state, the storage unit side correction plate 133 and the device side correction plate 131 can maintain a partially overlapping state.

In this way, when the accommodation unit side correction plate 133 is attached to the accommodation unit 100, when the processing target material W is accommodated in the accommodation unit 100, the processing target material W is placed between the pair of accommodation unit side correction plates 133. can be accommodated. In this state, when the first opening/closing member 20 or the second opening/closing member 30 is closed, the pair of device-side correction plates 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 are disposed in the accommodation unit 100. It fits between the pair of storage unit side correction plates 133.

Specifically, the distance between the pair of device side correction plates 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 is slightly smaller than the distance between the pair of accommodation unit side correction plates 133 disposed in the accommodation unit 100. It has become. Therefore, when the first opening/closing member 20 or the second opening/closing member 30 is closed, the pair of device-side correction plates 131 enters between the pair of storage unit-side correction plates 133. As a result, the workpiece W accommodated in the accommodation unit 100 and located between the pair of accommodation unit-side correction plates 133 is moved between the pair of apparatus-side correction plates 131 attached to the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70. In the meantime, it will be in a securely contained state.

As a result, when surface modification is performed with the plasma generation device 40, the plasma gas from the plasma generation device 40 passes between the pair of device-side correction plates 131 and is more reliably directed toward the material W to be treated. The surface of the material W to be treated is efficiently treated by the plasma gas. Similarly, when sputtering is performed with the sputtering device 70, the atoms ejected from the target 84 pass between the pair of device-side correction plates 131 and more reliably head toward the material W to be processed. A thin film can be formed efficiently.

As explained above, in the surface treatment apparatus 1b of the second embodiment, when the workpiece W is accommodated in the accommodation unit 100, the apparatus side correction plate 131 and the accommodation unit side correction plate 133 partially By arranging them overlappingly, the accommodation range of the material to be processed W can be adjusted to a pair of device-side correction plates 131 (first correction plates) installed in the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 (surface treatment means). , and a pair of accommodation unit side correction plates 133 (second correction plates) installed in the accommodation unit 100. Therefore, the accommodation range of the material to be treated W can be reliably limited within the effective range of the processing capacity of the surface treatment means.

Furthermore, in the surface treatment apparatus 1b of the second embodiment, when the servo motor 120 (swinging means) swings the accommodation unit 100, the apparatus side correction plate 131 (first correction plate) and the storage unit side The correction plate 133 (second correction plate) maintains a partially overlapping state. Therefore, even while the storage unit 100 is rocking and the material to be treated W is being stirred, the accommodation range of the material to be treated W can be reliably limited within the effective range of the processing capacity of the surface treatment means.

Note that the method of installing the correction plate is not limited to these embodiments. That is, the same effect can be obtained even if the correction plate is installed only on the storage unit side.

Note that the distance between the apparatus-side correction plate 131 and the storage unit-side correction plate 133 may be adjusted so as to be changed in accordance with the amount of the material W to be processed, processing conditions, and the like. Furthermore, depending on the type of surface treatment means, for example, when surface treatment is performed using the plasma generation device 40 and when surface treatment is performed using the sputtering device 70, the correction plate 131 on the device side and the correction plate 133 on the housing unit side may differ. The interval may be changed.

Further, in the surface treatment apparatuses 1a and 1b according to the above-described embodiments, the plasma generation device 40 and the sputtering device 70 are provided as surface treatment means, but another surface treatment means may be provided. In that case, depending on the shape of each surface treatment means, the chamber 10, etc., the hinge parts attached to different surface treatment means may be arranged in the chamber 10 at appropriate intervals. That is, a plurality of surface treatment means, which are attached to the chamber 10 via hinges so as to be openable and closable, can be respectively positioned in the chamber 10 in turn, and in a state where the surface treatment means are located outside the chamber 10, , as long as it can be located outside the chamber 10 without interfering with other surface treatment means.

1a, 1b...Surface treatment device, 10...Chamber, 11...Opening, 12...Top wall, 13...Side wall, 14...Supporting wall, 15...Bottom, 16...Gas inflow part, 20...First opening/closing member, 21... Hinge part, 30... Second opening/closing member, 31... Hinge part, 40... Plasma generation device (surface treatment means), 41... Gas supply pipe, 42... Gas flow path, 43... Gas supply hole, 44... Gas supply part, 45... Gas supply pipe attachment member, 46... Support member, 50... Support plate, 50a... Recessed portion, 51, 52... Plate conductor portion, 53, 54... Through hole, 55... Spacer, 56... Cavity, 57... Gas Introduction part, 58... Holding member, 60... Matching box (MB), 61... High frequency power supply (RF), 63... Grounding, 64... Mass flow controller (MFC), 70... Sputtering device (surface treatment means), 71... Cooling water pipe , 72... Cooling water channel, 73... Water inlet, 74... Water outlet, 75... Cooling water pipe mounting member, 76... Support member, 80... Support plate, 81... Magnet, 82... Cooling jacket, 83... Insulating material, 84... Target , 85... Holding member, 100... Accommodation unit, 101... Processed material holding wall, 102... Side wall, 103... Opening, 104... Mounting plate, 110... Accommodation unit support member, 111... Swing shaft, 112... Side plate , 113... Mounting member, 114... Swinging means shaft connection part, 115... Support shaft coupling part, 116... Support shaft, 117... Support shaft support member, 120... Servo motor (swinging means), 121... Output shaft, 122 ...Servo motor mounting member, 125...Drive shaft, 130a, 130b...Correction plate, 131...Device side correction plate (first correction plate), 132...Mounting portion, 133...Accommodation unit side correction plate (second correction plate) ), 134a, 134b, 134c, 134d...Overlapping area, 140...Pump unit, 141...Mounting flange, 143...Drive means support part, 150...Flow rate adjustment valve, 151...Flow path part, 152...Opening part, 153...Elevating Valve, 155...Adjustment opening, 160...Servo actuator, 161...Worm jack, 162...Elevating shaft, 163...Connecting member, 165...Valve guide, 166...Guide engaging portion, 170...Turbo molecular pump, 171...Pump flange , 180... Vacuum gauge, R... Accommodation space, W... Processed material

Claims (3)

a cage-like storage unit that stores a material to be processed and has a pair of side walls with an open top ;
a surface treatment means installed at a position facing the opening of the accommodation unit, which performs a film forming process on the surface of the material to be treated that is accommodated in the accommodation unit ;
When the surface treatment means performs surface treatment on the material to be treated housed in the accommodation unit, the accommodation unit is moved around a swing axis installed in a direction penetrating a pair of side walls of the accommodation unit. A rocking means for rocking;
A pair of first first screws attached to the surface treatment means in a direction orthogonal to the swing axis limit the range in which the material to be treated is accommodated to an effective range of the processing capacity of the surface treatment means. The correction plate is disposed to partially overlap the first correction plate in the extending direction of the swing shaft, so that when the swing means swings the storage unit, the first correction plate a pair of second correction plates attached to the storage unit, the second correction plates partially overlapping with the correction plates;
A surface treatment device comprising: The surface treatment means is a plasma generation device that performs surface treatment of the material to be treated by irradiating the material to be treated housed in the storage unit with plasma,
The effective range of processing ability by the surface treatment means is the irradiation range of the plasma,
The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1 . The surface treatment means is a sputtering device that performs sputtering on the material to be treated accommodated in the accommodation unit,
The effective range of processing ability by the surface treatment means is the emission range of atoms emitted from the target by the sputtering device,
The surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 .

Images