JPH02305976A - Etching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform uniform etching work to a thin film on the surface of a base plate by allowing gas to flow between the base plate with the thin film formed thereon and a cathode opposed thereto in the case of fitting the base plate to an anode and discharging plasma between the anode and the cathode to perform etching work for the thin film formed on the base plate. CONSTITUTION:An endless beltlike anode 5 is endlessly turned by the pulleys 5a, 5b in a vacuum treatment chamber equipped with an introducing chamber 8 and a takeout chamber 9 forward and backward. A base plate 7 to be worked which has a thin film on the surface thereof is freely detachably fitted to the beltlike anode. While rotating the anodic belt 5, discharge is caused between a cathode 4 connected to a high frequency power source 6 and the base plate 7. Both radicals or ions in the generated plasma and the thin film on the base plate 7 are allowed to react with each other and etching is performed. In this case, gas is introduced through a gas introducing port 2 in the progressing side of the belt 5. An etching reaction product is discharged through an exhaust pipe 3 provided to the introducing side of the belt 5. Thereby the reaction product is always removed from the surface of the base plate 7 and uniform etching work is performed to the thin film on the bash plate 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an etching apparatus for finely processing a thin film formed on the surface of a substrate traveling in a vacuum processing chamber.

(Prior art) As shown in FIG. 3, in a conventional etching apparatus, a gas introduction pipe 2 and a vacuum exhaust pipe 3 are connected to a vacuum processing chamber 1, and a flat plate is installed in the vacuum processing chamber 1. A cathode 4 and an anode 5, which is also a flat plate, are arranged to face the funeral line. A high frequency wire 6 is connected to the flat cathode 4, and a substrate 7 with a thin film formed on the surface is placed on the flat anode 5.

Therefore, in the above device, due to the action of the plasma generated by the discharge between the cathode 4 and the anode 5, radicals or ions in the plasma react with the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate 7, and the thin film is Becomes etched.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) When the thin film on the surface of the substrate 7 that reacts with radicals or ions in plasma is subdivided into a large number of surface pieces ΔSi, the reaction conditions for all surface pieces ΔSi are If they are the same, uniform etching will be possible, but if the reaction conditions are different, non-uniform etching will result.

In the conventional etching apparatus, as described above, reaction products are generated by the reaction between radicals or ions in the plasma and the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate 7, and the thin film is etched. When the reaction is repeated and a new reaction is performed, the reaction products that have already been reacted cannot be removed successfully, and the reaction conditions on the surface pieces ΔSi obtained by dividing the thin film on the surface of the substrate 7 are different. There was a problem with uneven etching.

An object of the present invention is to provide an etching apparatus that can solve the above-mentioned conventional interlayer problem and uniformly microfabricate the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate by making the reaction conditions the same for the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate. It is something.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, an etching apparatus of the present invention includes a pair of electrodes arranged in a vacuum processing chamber, and a surface that runs opposite to one of the pair of electrodes. A substrate on which a thin film is formed, and a substrate placed on the advancing side of this traveling substrate,
A gas introduction pipe that introduces gas into the vacuum processing chamber and causes the gas to flow along the surface of the traveling substrate, and a vacuum that is disposed on the opposite side of the traveling substrate and evacuates the inside of the vacuum processing chamber. and an exhaust pipe, and the plasma generated by the discharge between the pair of electrodes in the vacuum processing chamber,
This method is characterized in that a thin film formed on the surface of the substrate traveling in the vacuum processing chamber is microfabricated.

(Function) In this invention, the gas introduced into the vacuum processing chamber from the gas introduction tube flows along the surface of the substrate, and since the substrate is traveling, radicals or ions in the plasma and the substrate When the thin film formed on the surface reacts, the reaction products that have already been generated by the reaction are removed, and then a new reaction occurs, and the thin film on the substrate surface is subdivided into surface pieces ΔS1. The reaction conditions are the same, making uniform etching possible.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an etching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which a preparation chamber 8 is provided on one side of a vacuum processing chamber l, and a take-out chamber 9 is provided on the other side. It's been done. A cathode 4 and an anode 5 are disposed within the vacuum processing chamber l. The anode 5 is connected to a pulley 5a in the preparation chamber 8,
It is composed of a metal endless belt 5c that is stretched between a pulley 5b in the takeout chamber 9 and a pulley 5b. A substrate 7 having a thin film formed on its surface is removably attached to the endless belt 5C.
The substrate 7 runs opposite the cathode 4 together with the endless belt 5c by driving the pulleys 5a and 5b. Gas introduction pipe 2 that introduces gas into the vacuum processing chamber 1
is disposed on the advancing side of the traveling substrate 7, and its discharge port 2a
is located between the cathode 4 and the anode 5, and has a shape that widens toward the front. On the other hand, a main evacuation pipe 3 for evacuating the inside of the vacuum processing chamber l is disposed on the opposite side of the traveling substrate 7, and its inlet port 3a is located between the cathode 4 and the anode 5. It has a shape. In addition, in the figure, ■0 is a sub-evacuation pipe.

Therefore, after the gas introduced into the vacuum processing chamber l through the gas introduction pipe 2 flows along the surface of the substrate 7, most of the gas is exhausted through the main evacuation pipe 3.

When the radicals or ions in the plasma generated by the discharge between the cathode 4 and the anode 5 react with the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate 7, the gas introduction tube 2 is inserted into the vacuum processing chamber. The gas introduced into the chamber flows along the surface of the substrate 7, and since the substrate 7 is traveling, the reaction products that have already been reacted are removed, and then a new reaction occurs. Surface piece Δ that subdivides the thin film on the substrate surface
The reaction conditions in S1 are controlled, and uniform etching becomes possible.

Note that instead of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A shielding plate 11 may be provided on the advancing side of the nearby board 7. In addition, multiple metal endless belts are arranged in parallel between pulleys, and a substrate with a thin film formed on the surface is attached to each endless belt. An exhaust pipe, a cathode, an anode, etc. may also be provided.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, the gas introduced into the vacuum processing chamber from the gas introduction tube flows along the surface of the substrate, and since the substrate is traveling, it is free from radicals or ions in the plasma. When reacting with the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate,
After the reaction products already generated by the reaction are removed, a new reaction occurs, and the reaction conditions on the surface pieces ΔSi obtained by dividing the thin film on the substrate surface become the same, making uniform etching possible. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing another embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional device. In the figure: l...Vacuum processing chamber 2...Gas introduction pipe 3...Main vacuum exhaust pipe 4...Cathode 5...Anode 5λ... Pulley 5b...Pulley 5c...Endless belt 7...Substrate In the drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts. Patent applicant: Japan Vacuum Technology Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of electrodes disposed in a vacuum processing chamber, a substrate with a thin film formed on the surface running so as to face one of the pair of electrodes, and a substrate disposed on the advancing side of the running substrate, A gas introduction pipe that introduces gas into the vacuum processing chamber and causes the gas to flow along the surface of the traveling substrate, and a vacuum that is disposed on the opposite side of the traveling substrate and evacuates the inside of the vacuum processing chamber. An etching apparatus comprising an exhaust pipe and microfabricating a thin film formed on a surface of the substrate traveling in the vacuum processing chamber using plasma generated by discharge between the pair of electrodes in the vacuum processing chamber.