JPH09279338A - Thin film forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thin film forming device which lessens the change in a film formation distribution and improves the utilization efficiency of a target. SOLUTION: This thin film forming device 20 ionizes the gas introduced into a vacuum vessel 21 by generating plasma between a target 25 arranged in the vacuum vessel 21 and an object for film formation and bringing these ions into collision against the target 25 by confining the ions into a magnetic field formed by a magnetic field generating section, thereby depositing the constituting material of the target jumping out of the surface of the target onto the object 31 for film formation and forming the thin film thereon. In such a case, the device is provided with a fixing and supporting means for fixing and supporting the magnetic field generating section so as to face the object 31 for film formation via the target and moving means for moving the target relative to the magnetic field generating section and the object for film formation. The thin film forming device which lessens the change in the film formation distribution and improves the utilization efficiency of the target is thereby obtd.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Table of Contents] The present invention will be described in the following order. TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION Conventional Technology (FIGS. 4 and 5) Problems to be Solved by the Invention (FIGS. 4 and 5) Means for Solving the Problems (FIGS. 1 to 3) Embodiments of the Invention (FIGS. 1 to 3) Effect of the invention

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a thin film forming apparatus, and is particularly suitable for application to a magnetron type sputter device.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as one of the sputter devices of this type, there is a device constructed as shown in FIG. That is, in this sputtering device 1, a container 4 is fitted in the upper portion of the vacuum chamber 2 via an annular insulator 3, and a target 6 made of aluminum lumps or the like is attached to the lower surface of the container 4 via a backing plate 5. ing.

In this case, the vacuum chamber 2 is provided with an exhaust port 2A and a gas introduction port 2B, and during operation, the air inside the vacuum chamber 2 is exhausted through the exhaust port 2A, while inside the vacuum chamber 2. A predetermined inert gas (for example, argon (Ar) gas) is introduced through the gas inlet 2B.

The vacuum chamber 2 is grounded and
The target 6 is connected to the cathode power source 7 through the backing plate 5 and the container 4 in this order, and thus the target 6 acts as a cathode during operation, and the inner wall surface of the vacuum chamber 2 acts as an anode. Also, a discharge can be generated between the substrates 9 to generate plasma. The periphery of the target 6 is electrically grounded by a ground shield 8 fixed inside the vacuum chamber 2.

Thus, in this sputter device 1,
During operation, the inert gas introduced into the vacuum chamber 2 is ionized by the plasma generated in the vacuum chamber 2 and collides with the target 6 to cause the surface 6 of the target 6 to collide.
The constituent atoms (for example, Al atoms) are ejected from A,
By depositing this on the surface 9A of the substrate 9 which is arranged in the vacuum chamber 2 so as to face the target 6, a thin film composed of the constituent atoms of the target 6 can be formed on the substrate 9. .

In this case, the spatter device 1 having such a configuration
Then, during operation, the kinetic energy of the inert gas ions is given to the surface 6A of the target 6 by the collision of the inert gas ions in the vacuum chamber 2 as described above, so that the surface 6A generates heat. There's a problem.

Therefore, in this spatter device 1, the container 4 is
Cooling water is sequentially introduced into the inside through the cooling water inlet 4A,
In addition, the cooling water inside the container 4 can be sequentially discharged to the outside through the cooling water discharge port 4B.
The target 6 can be cooled via the so that the temperature rise of the surface 6A of the target 6 during operation can be suppressed.

Further, in this sputtering device 1, a magnetic field generating portion is formed by concentrically fixing a ring-shaped first magnet 10 and a columnar second magnet 11 to one surface of a disk 12 inside a container 4. 13 are arranged. In this case, the magnetic field generator 13
Is rotatably held by the rotary bearing 15 via the support shaft 14, and the shaft K1 (of the support shaft 14) is rotated based on the rotational force given to the support shaft 14 from the magnet rotary drive mechanism 16 in the direction indicated by the arrow a. Corresponding to the central axis) is designed to be able to rotate with an eccentricity about the center.

Thus, in this sputtering device 1, during operation, a magnetic field is formed in the vacuum chamber 2 by the magnetic field generator 13 so that the inert gas ions existing in the vacuum chamber 2 are confined in this magnetic field. Thereby causing the inert gas ions to efficiently collide with the surface 6A of the target 6,
By rotating this magnetic field with eccentricity, the target 6
The target 6 can be efficiently used by sequentially moving the collision position of the inert gas ions with respect to.

FIG. 5 shows an expected erosion (target surface reduction) pattern of the target 6 in the sputtering apparatus 1. In this case, in this sputtering device 1, since the magnetic field generator 13 rotates with respect to the target 6, the surface 6A of the target 6 is uniformly reduced by rotating the erosion pattern accordingly. .

[0012]

By the way, in the conventional sputtering device 1 thus constructed, the erosion of the target 6 is applied to the surface 6A of the target 6 as described above.
The magnetic field generator 13 is movable with respect to the target 6 in order to travel over the entire surface of the target 6, and the positional relationship between the target 6 and the substrate 9 does not change.

In such a case, in the sputtering device 1 of this type, the film formation distribution on the substrate 9 is determined only by the magnetic field generating unit 13 and the distance between the target 6 and the substrate 9, so that the erosion of the target 6 is advanced. Therefore, there is a problem that the film formation distribution on the substrate 9 is deteriorated.

Further, in the sputtering device 1 configured as described above, in order to keep the film formation distribution on the substrate 9 constant, it is necessary to keep the positional relationship between the magnetic field generator 13 and the substrate 9 constant. However, in this case, since the magnetic flux of the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field generator always passes through the same position on the target 6, there is a problem that the erosion progresses only at a certain position on the surface 6A of the target 6.

In this case, in the sputtering apparatus 1 of this type, since the film formation distribution on the substrate 9 largely depends on the distance between the target 6 and the substrate 9 as described above, the erosion can be performed only at a certain position on the surface 6A. The advanced target 6 cannot be used, and as a result, the utilization efficiency of the target 6 deteriorates.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to propose a thin film forming apparatus in which the change in film formation distribution is small and the target utilization efficiency is high.

[0017]

In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, in a thin film forming apparatus, a fixed supporting means for fixedly supporting a magnetic field generating portion so as to face a film formation target through a target, A magnetic field generation unit and a moving unit that relatively moves the target with respect to the film formation target are provided.

As a result, the erosion of the target can be advanced in a wide range while the positional relationship between the magnetic field generator and the film-forming target is always kept constant.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 20 denotes a sputter device according to the embodiment as a whole, which discharges the air inside the vacuum chamber 21 to the outside through an exhaust port 21A, and at the same time, introduces a gas introduction port 21.
A predetermined inert gas (eg, Ar gas) can be introduced into the vacuum chamber 21 via B.

A tubular introduction shaft 23 is attached to the vacuum chamber 21 so as to penetrate the upper wall thereof and be rotatably supported by a vacuum introduction bearing 22. Note that the vacuum introduction bearing 22 can pivot the introduction shaft 23 while maintaining the degree of vacuum inside the vacuum tank 21 regardless of the rotation of the introduction shaft 23, while the introduction shaft 23 and the vacuum tank 21 are supported.
It is configured so that the spaces can be insulated.

At the lower end of the introducing shaft 23, a target 2 made of a predetermined material is provided via a hollow backing plate 24.
5, the rotary drive mechanism 26 including a motor and a belt is connected to the upper portion of the introduction shaft 23, and thus the rotary drive mechanism 26 provides a rotary drive to the introduction shaft 23 via the belt. Based on the force, the backing plate 24 and the target 25 can be rotated integrally with the introduction shaft 23 in the direction indicated by the arrow b.

Further, the introduction shaft 23 is electrically connected to the cathode power source 27, and the vacuum chamber 21 is grounded, so that the target 25 acts as a cathode during operation, and the lower inner wall surface of the vacuum chamber 21 is By acting as an anode, plasma can be generated between the target 25 and the lower inner wall surface of the vacuum chamber 21. The periphery of the target 26 is electrically grounded by a ground shield 28 fixed inside the vacuum chamber 21.

Thus, in this sputtering device 20, during operation, the inert gas introduced into the vacuum chamber 21 is ionized by the plasma generated inside the vacuum chamber 21 and collided with the target 25. The constituent substance atoms or molecules can be ejected from the surface 25A of the target 25 and deposited on the substrate 31 arranged so as to face the target 25 under the inside of the vacuum chamber 21. A thin film made of the constituent atoms of the target 25 can be formed on the substrate 31.

For this reason, the cooling water introducing pipe 29 and the drainage pipe 30 are arranged inside the introducing shaft 23, and the cooling water is introduced into the backing plate 24 through the cooling water introducing pipe 29 and drained. The cooling water inside the backing plate 24 can be discharged to the outside via the pipe 30, and thereby the target 25 can be cooled via the backing plate 24.

Further, inside the vacuum chamber 21, a magnetic field generator 32 made of a magnet is fixedly supported by a support shaft 33 so as to face the substrate 31 with the target 25 and the backing plate 24 in order, and thus The target 2 in which the inert gas ions generated inside the vacuum chamber 21 are confined within the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generation unit 32 and face each other.
The surface 25A of No. 5 can efficiently collide with the portion facing the substrate 31.

In the above structure, this spatter device 2
At 0, during operation, a negative voltage applied from the cathode voltage 27 to the introduction shaft 23 generates a donut-shaped magnetic field at a portion of the surface 25A of the target 25 facing the magnetic field generation portion 32. Therefore, the erosion progresses like a donut on the surface 25A of the target 25. At this time, the target 2
Since 5 rotates about the introduction shaft 23, the eroded position of the surface 25A of the target 25 moves from moment to moment. Therefore, in this sputtering device 20, the erosion position of the surface 25A of the target 25 is not constant, and the erosion is performed in a wide range over the entire surface 25A of the target 25, so that the target 25 can be used efficiently. .

In this case, in this sputtering device 20, the magnetic field generator 32 is fixedly arranged inside the vacuum chamber 21 so as to face the substrate 31 via the target 25 and the like, and accordingly, the magnetic field generator 32 and the substrate. Since the relative position between the substrates 31 is always constant, the film formation distribution on the substrate 31 can be kept substantially constant regardless of the erosion of the target 25.

According to the above structure, in the sputtering device 20, the target 25 is rotatably arranged in the vacuum chamber 21, and the magnetic field generator 32 is arranged so as to face the substrate 31 via the target 25. By being fixedly arranged inside 21, the surface 25A of the target 25 can be eroded over a wide range while keeping the relative positional relationship between the magnetic field generator 32 and the substrate 31 constant. It is possible to realize a sputtering device in which the change in the film formation distribution is small and the utilization efficiency of the target 25 is high.

In the above embodiment, the vacuum chamber 21
The case in which only one magnetic field generating unit 32 is fixedly arranged so as to face the substrate 31 via the target 25 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a portion corresponding to FIG. As shown in FIG. 2 with the same reference numerals,
A magnetic field generator 32 is provided on the back side of the target 25 in the vacuum chamber 21.
A, 32B support shaft 33A corresponding to two or more,
33B are fixedly arranged in a state of being supported by 33B, and the substrates 31A, 3A to be processed are arranged so as to face the magnetic field generating portions 32A, 32B via the target 25, respectively.
Two or more 1B may be held by a substrate holding mechanism (not shown). By doing so, the erosion of the target 25 can be removed from its surface 25A.
Since it is possible to proceed over the entire surface, the same effect as in the case of the embodiment can be obtained, while the work efficiency of the sputtering process can be improved because a plurality of substrates 31A and 31B can be simultaneously formed. It is possible.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, as is apparent from FIG. 1, the magnet diameter of the magnetic field generating section 32 is selected to be substantially the same as the diameter (or width) of the one surface of the substrate 31 facing the target 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 3 in which parts corresponding to those in FIG.
The magnetic field generation unit 51 may be configured to be able to generate a magnetic field in a range wider than the one surface of the substrate 31 by selecting the magnet diameter of the one larger than the diameter (or width) of the one surface of the substrate 31. By doing so, the erosion of the target 25 can expand the uniform area,
The utilization efficiency of the target 25 can be further improved.

The magnet diameter of the magnetic field generator 51 is shown in FIG.
When the diameter (or width) of the one surface of the substrate 31 is selected as described above, the magnetic field generation unit (magnet) 5 does not interfere with the rotation of the introduction shaft 23 by the magnetic field generation unit 51.
1 may be provided with an opening into which the introduction shaft 23 is fitted.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the rotary drive mechanism 26 is constituted by a motor, a timing belt and the like has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various other constitutions may be applied. You can

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the support shaft 33 is applied as the fixed support means for fixing and supporting the magnetic field generating portion 32 so as to face the substrate 31 via the target 25 has been described. The present invention is not limited to this, and various other fixed supporting means can be applied.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the target 25 is rotatably supported by the vacuum bearing 22 via the introduction shaft 23, and a rotary driving force is applied to the introduction shaft 23 from the rotary drive mechanism 26. Target 2
5 has been described so that it can be moved relative to the magnetic field generator 32 and the substrate 31, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the point is that the target 25 relative to the magnetic field generator 32 and the substrate 31. Can be relatively moved, various other configurations can be applied as the configuration of the moving unit that relatively moves the target 25 with respect to the magnetic field generation unit 32 and the substrate 31.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, a potential difference is generated between a target and a film-forming target which are arranged in a vacuum chamber so as to face each other with a distance, thereby generating plasma. The gas introduced into the vacuum chamber is ionized, and the ions are confined in the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field generator to collide with the target, and the constituent substances of the target jumping out from the surface of the target face the target. In a thin film forming apparatus that forms a thin film on one surface of a film-forming target arranged in such a manner that the magnetic field generation unit is fixed so as to face the film-forming target through a target. By providing the fixed support means for supporting and the moving means for relatively moving the target with respect to the magnetic field generation unit and the film formation target, The target erosion can be made to proceed in a wide range while keeping the positional relationship between the field generation part and the film formation target constant, and thus a thin film forming apparatus with little change in film formation distribution and good target utilization efficiency can be provided. realizable.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a sputtering device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a sputter device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a sputter device according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a conventional magnetron type sputter device.

FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the erosion of the target.

[Explanation of symbols]

20, 40, 50 ... Sputter device, 21 ... Vacuum tank,
24 ... backing plate, 25 ... target, 2
5A ... Front surface, 26 ... Rotational drive mechanism, 27 ... Cathode power supply, 31, 31A, 31B, ... Substrate, 32, 32A,
32B, 51 ... Magnetic field generator, 33, 33A, 33B ...
... support shaft.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A gas introduced into the vacuum chamber is generated by generating a potential difference between a target and a film-forming target which are arranged to face each other with a distance in the vacuum chamber. While ionizing, the ions are confined in the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field generating unit and collide with the target, and the constituent material of the target that has jumped out of the surface of the target is the one surface of the film-forming target facing the target. In a thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on the one surface by depositing on the one surface, fixed supporting means for fixedly supporting the magnetic field generation unit so as to face the film formation target through the target, and the magnetic field. A thin film forming apparatus comprising: a generating unit and a moving unit that relatively moves the target with respect to the film formation target. 2. A plurality of the magnetic field generating units and a plurality of the fixing and supporting means, wherein each of the magnetic field generating units corresponds to the film forming target among the plurality of film forming targets arranged in the vacuum chamber. 2. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thin film forming apparatus is fixed and supported by the corresponding fixed supporting means so as to face each other via the target. 3. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field generating unit generates the magnetic field in a range wider than one surface of the object to be film-formed.