JPH08176809A - Sputtering target and reutilizing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To remarkably improve the efficiency in using a magnetron sputtering target by changing the remakably consumed region of the target for the less consumed or unconsumed region. CONSTITUTION: As for a plasma-type magnetron sputtering target, for example, two blocks of the target 2 with the parting lines A and B as the opposite sides and the two blocks on both sides with the parting line A and end side C as the opposite sides are respectively turned to an angle of 180 deg. ((a) is replaced by (b), (c) by (d), (e) by (f) and (g) by (h)). Namely, the remarkably consumed region is changed for the less consumed or unconsumed region, relocated and rebonded. Consequently, since the target is reutilized, the efficiency in using the target is greatly improved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a target for magnetron sputtering.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a technique for forming a film in a vacuum, magnetron sputtering, which uses a plasma confined in a magnetic field on a target serving as a film material to obtain a high film forming rate, has been widely practiced.

However, in the magnetron sputtering described above, since the plasma is confined in nature, a distribution occurs in the way the target is consumed, and a portion that is severely eroded, that is, an erosion region is generated. It has a low utilization rate of around 10 to 30%.

Therefore, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-287763 discloses a target formed by being divided into a thick portion including an erosion region and a thin portion including a non-erosion region. In such a divided target, after the portion including the erosion region is eroded, only the relevant portion is separated from the backing plate and replaced with a new target material, whereby the cost can be further reduced. As for the split target based on the same idea, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-42157 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
No. 2-20867 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-317666.

Further, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-131755 discloses a target having a thick erosion region. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-290764 discloses an ITO target having a shape in which 80% or more of the weight of the target is present in the erosion region during sputtering, which can improve the use efficiency.

However, in the split targets disclosed in JP-A-3-287763 and JP-B-63-42157, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of target materials having different thicknesses so that the sputtering surface becomes flat. Special processing such as providing a step on the backing plate is required. Therefore, although the cost of the target is reduced, the cost of the backing plate is increased, and the plate shape is special, which makes it difficult to bond the target material.

In addition, since it is necessary to manufacture at least two types of targets having different shapes in the above-mentioned divided targets, it is clearer than the case of manufacturing targets having the same shape in at least one of the steps of molding, firing, and processing of the target. It will increase the cost. In addition,
In the targets disclosed in JP-A-131755 and JP-A-1-290764, restrictions on the molding and / or firing method in the target forming and firing steps, or
Since the processing cost cannot be avoided in the processing process,
It cannot be a practical or universal means.

As a solution to the above problems of the target, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-172991 discloses that the thickness of the non-erosion portion is 1/3 or more of the thickness of the erosion portion. A target is disclosed in which the range is / 5 or less and the boundary portion thereof forms an inclined portion.
However, such a target also raises the firing and processing costs at the time of manufacture, and the target use efficiency is 4%.
It was about 2%.

[0009]

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides an excellent target and a method for reusing the target, which contributes to a great reduction in the material cost of the target. To aim.

[0010]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a planar magnetron sputtering target in which the target material is exchanged between a region that is significantly consumed by sputtering and a region that is little or is not consumed, Provided is a sputtering target, which is arranged and formed.

The present invention also relates to a target material for a planar magnetron sputtering target by exchanging and relocating a region of the target material that is significantly consumed by sputtering and a region that is consumed or not consumed by sputtering. There is provided a method for reusing a sputtering target, which is characterized by reusing.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example of a target before sputtering to which the present invention is applied. Reference numeral 1 is a backing plate, 2 is a target material, and 10 targets are bonded to the backing plate. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the target shown in FIG. 1, and shows a portion related to one target material. The target material 2 is fixed to the backing plate 1 via the bonding layer 3. Two pairs of magnets 4 are arranged on the back side of the backing plate 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state where the target shown in FIG. 1 is consumed by sputtering. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the consumption state of each target material in the area of FIG.

In the present invention, the target is reused by exchanging a region which is significantly consumed by sputtering and a region which is less consumed or is not consumed and rearranged. More specifically, in the case of the target of FIG. 4, the target is divided at a significantly consumed region (the dividing line is a dividing line A), and further, adjacent to the significantly consumed region, less consumed or consumed. It divides in the area which is not (the dividing line is divided line B).

When the end side of the target is set to the side C, two blocks whose dividing lines A and B are opposite sides and two blocks 2 which are the opposite sides of the dividing line A and end C are shown. Rotate each of the two blocks by 180 ° (that is, if the two ends of each block are A to K, then A and I, U and E, O and K, and K and K, respectively. Replace them) and replace and relocate the heavily consumed areas with the less or less consumed areas. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the target of the present invention which has been rearranged as described above. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state of consumption of the target by sputtering after the target of FIG. 5 is subjected to sputtering again.

The relocation method is 180 ° as described above.
The method of rotation is not limited, and for example, when each block in FIG. 4 is abcd from the left in FIG. 4, a is b, b is c,
An appropriate method such as a method of displacing c at the position of d and arranging d at the position of a can be adopted. 1 above
The method of rotating by 80 ° is most preferable because it can handle any magnet spacing.

On the other hand, the target material shown in FIG. 3B cannot be simply rearranged like the target material shown in FIG. 3A because the erosion region is curved. Therefore, the target material was subdivided, the method of rearranging, the arrangement of the magnet of the sputtering device was changed,
A method of straightening the erosion area or a measure such as replacement with an unused target is taken.

In the above example, the target material was divided after the sputtering. However, from the arrangement of the magnets, it is possible to find the regions which will be significantly consumed by the sputtering later and the regions which are consumed little or are not consumed. In addition, the target material may be divided in advance in these regions.

In the present invention, when the proportion of the straight line portion in the erosion area (that is, the proportion of the portion shown in FIG. 3A) is large, the reusing efficiency of the target material due to the rearrangement becomes very high. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the magnets so that the proportion of the straight line portion in the erosion region is large. Further, by increasing the number of divisions of the target material, the target material can be used more effectively.

The target for sputtering has been increased in size. To give an example of its size, a plurality of target materials are bonded to a backing plate to have a total length of 2
Some have a thickness of 000 mm, a width of 500 mm, and a thickness of 10 mm. In the case of such a large target, in particular, the recycle according to the present invention has a large merit on the material cost of the target material.

[0021]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be specifically described below. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments.

[Example 1] 200 mm × 200 mm × 10 m
Ten m-thick ZrSi ₂ , ITO, Zn, and Ti sputtering target materials were bonded as shown in FIG. 1 to prepare four types of sputtering targets having a total length of about 2000 mm × 200 mm × 10 mm. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the target shown in FIG. 1, and shows a portion related to one target material. Each of these four types of targets was subjected to magnetron sputtering.

After that, the target was eroded by sputtering as shown in FIG. 3 until the remaining thickness became 1 mm. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the consumption state of each target material in the area of FIG. After that, each target material in the region of FIG. 3A will be described with reference to FIG. 4, cut in a region that is significantly consumed (the dividing line is a dividing line A), and further, this remarkable consumption is performed. The cutting was performed in a region that is adjacent to the formed region and is not consumed or is not consumed (the dividing line is a dividing line B).

If the end side of the target is set to the side C, the two blocks whose dividing lines A and B are opposite sides, and the two sides of the two sides where the dividing line A and end C are opposite sides. Rotate each of the two blocks by 180 ° (that is, if the two ends of each block are A to K, then A and I, U and E, O and K, and K and K, respectively. The areas that were significantly consumed and the areas that were less consumed or not consumed were replaced and repositioned. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the target thus rearranged. The area shown in FIG. 3B was replaced with an unused target material and rebonded.

The target was again subjected to magnetron sputtering film formation. Figure 6 by sputtering
After using until the remaining thickness of the consumed target reaches 1 mm, the total weight of each target material is measured and the usage efficiency of each of the four types of targets is calculated.
It was very high at 5%. Further, when the target after use was observed, no cracking or chipping occurred in the target. Further, the film formed on the glass plate by using the above sputtering target was a good film in which impurities such as bonding material were not mixed.

[Example 2] 200 mm x 50 mm x 10 mm
Forty sputtering targets of ZrSi ₂ , ITO, Zn, and Ti each having a thickness of 40 were bonded as shown in FIG. 7 to prepare four types of sputtering targets having a total length of about 2000 mm × 200 mm × 10 mm. The target of the present example is one in which the target material is divided in advance in a region of the concave shape that is consumed and formed by sputtering and is significantly consumed. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the target shown in FIG. 7, and shows a portion related to four target materials. Each of these four types of targets was subjected to magnetron sputtering.

After that, the target was eroded by sputtering as shown in FIG. 9 until the remaining thickness became 1 mm. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the consumption state of each target material in the area of FIG. Then, in FIG.
With respect to each target material in the region (1), the region that was significantly consumed and the region that was less consumed or was not consumed were replaced and rearranged in the same manner as in Example 1. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the target thus rearranged. In each target material in the area of FIG. 9B, a total of four target materials at both ends are each rotated by 180 ° at that position, and the consumed area is rotated to the non-erosion side for rearrangement, The remaining four sheets were replaced with unused target materials and rebonded.

The target was again subjected to magnetron sputtering film formation. Figure 1 by sputtering
After using until the remaining target thickness consumed as shown in 2 becomes 1 mm, the total weight of each target material was measured and the usage efficiency of each of the four types of target materials was calculated. it was high. Further, when the target after use was observed, no cracking or chipping occurred in the target. Further, the film formed on the glass plate by using the above sputtering target was a good film in which impurities such as bonding material were not mixed.

[0029]

As is apparent from Examples 1 and 2, in the sputtering target of the present invention, the region which is consumed after use is replaced with the region with little or no wear and rearranged. Since it can be reused by rebonding, the cost of reuse is rebonding or screwing cost and a very small amount of target material, slight processing cost, or no processing,
Very cheap to manufacture. Therefore, the cost of the target material can be reduced to about half, and the effect is great especially for expensive materials. Further, there is no need to perform special processing on the backing plate, the cost can be kept low from this point of view, and no special processing is required during target bonding, so that the target utilization efficiency is greatly improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an example of a target before sputtering to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a portion related to one target material in the target of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state in which the target of FIG. 1 is consumed by sputtering.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the consumption state of each target material in the area of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a target rearranged according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the state of consumption of the target due to sputtering after the target of FIG. 5 is subjected to sputtering again.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an example of a target before sputtering to which the present invention is applied.

8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a portion related to four target materials in the target of FIG.

9 is a plan view showing a state in which the target of FIG. 7 is consumed by sputtering.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the consumption state of each target material in the area of FIG. 9 (a).

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a target rearranged according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the state of consumption of the target due to sputtering after the target of FIG. 11 is subjected to sputtering again.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Backing plate 2: Target material 3: Bonding layer 4: Magnet

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Tsunemitsu Koizumi 1 Asahi, Taketoyo-cho, Chita-gun, Aichi Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. Aichi Factory

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A planer type magnetron sputtering target, wherein the target material is formed by exchanging and re-arranging a region that is significantly consumed by sputtering and a region that is little or is not consumed. A sputtering target characterized by: 2. A planer type magnetron sputtering target, wherein the target material is divided in advance in a region that will be significantly consumed by sputtering. 3. A target material for a planer type magnetron sputtering target is reused by replacing and relocating a region of the target material that has been significantly consumed by sputtering with a region that has little or no consumption. A method for reusing a sputtering target, comprising: 4. A target material for a planer type magnetron sputtering target is preliminarily divided in a region which will be significantly consumed by sputtering, and a region which is significantly consumed after sputtering,
Swap areas with less or no wear,
A method for reusing a sputtering target, characterized by reusing the target material by rearranging. 5. A target material for a planer type magnetron sputtering target is divided into regions which are significantly consumed after sputtering, and the regions which are significantly consumed and the regions which are less consumed or are not consumed are exchanged, A method for reusing a sputtering target, characterized by reusing the target material by rearranging. 6. A block in which a dividing line A formed in a region significantly consumed by sputtering and a dividing line B formed in a region adjacent to this region with little or no consumption are opposite sides, And / or the target material is rearranged by rotating the block in which the dividing line A and the end side C of the target material are opposite sides by 180 °.
The method for reusing the sputtering target according to the item.