JPH1112728A - Sputtering device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sputtering device capable of suppressing the damage of products when the insulation condition of a stage part is deteriorated to a minimum by monitoring the insulation condition of the stage part. SOLUTION: In a sputtering device provided with a stage part 41 on which a sample 3 is placed and a target for sputtering are provided in a vacuum vessel 1, a thin film is formed on the sample 3 in a condition where the stage part 41 is insulated from the grounding voltage. An elevating/lowering mechanism 42 to elevate/lower the stage part 41 is provided on the stage part 41, a first terminal 46a to be electrically connected is provided thereon, a second terminal 46b which can be connected/separated to/from the first terminal 46a as the stage part 41 is elevated/lowered is provided on a bottom part 1a of the vacuum vessel 1, and a detecting means 47 to detect the insulation condition of the stage part 41 is provided on the second terminal 46b.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sputtering apparatus suitable for producing a thin film.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view showing an example of a conventional sputtering apparatus. In this sputtering apparatus, a target 2 and a substrate 3 are arranged opposite to each other in a vacuum vessel 1 connected to a ground potential. A negative voltage is applied to the target 2 by a DC power supply 5 through a target holder 4. The substrate 3 is in electrical contact with the vacuum vessel 1 via a metallic holder 6, and these holders (stages) together with the mask 7 are at ground potential. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 8 denotes an insulating material, 9 denotes an inlet for an argon gas, 10 denotes an outlet for an argon gas, and 11 denotes a plasma.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 63-312 discloses an example in which the holder is electrically insulated from ground potential.
There is a sputtering apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 962. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a holder portion of the sputtering apparatus. The holder portion is made of Teflon 15 which is an insulator.
Is fixed to the vacuum container 1 through the contact. In addition,
Reference numeral 16 denotes a substrate cooling water system, which includes a cooling water inlet pipe 17, a cooling water outlet pipe 18, a radiator 19, and a water circulation pump 20.

As described above, by electrically insulating the holder from the ground potential, the mask 7, the substrate 3, the thin film formed on the substrate 3, and the like are maintained at the same floating potential. The insulation state of the holder is monitored using various methods.

As a method of monitoring the insulating state of the holder, there is, for example, a method of monitoring a plasma processing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-170180. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring device of the plasma processing apparatus. A leak current flows through the insulator 32 due to deterioration of the insulator 32 interposed between the substrate 3 and the lower electrode 31. A pulsating discharge is generated in 32.

A leak current flowing into the DC power supply 33 and a pulse signal due to the discharge are respectively supplied to a leak current measuring unit 34.
And the pulse component measuring unit 35. When the amount of leak current becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value, the leak current measuring unit 34 detects the fact and turns on the relay 36. On the other hand, when the number of pulses (the number of discharges) per unit time of the pulse signal becomes equal to or more than a predetermined value, the pulse component measuring unit 35 detects this and turns on the relay 36 via the latch circuit 37.
Let it. In any case, the control device 38 stops the plasma processing by turning on the relay 36.

[0007]

The problem with the conventional sputtering apparatus is that, in the case of a stage section (holder section) electrically insulated from the ground potential, if the stage section becomes conductive with the ground potential for some reason, this problem occurs. This is because the insulating film and the like on the substrate fixed to the stage portion are destroyed, and the yield of the product is reduced. The problem of the monitoring method of the plasma processing apparatus is that the monitoring is performed by detecting the deterioration of the insulator 32.
The point is that the insulation state of the substrate 3 cannot be determined simply by monitoring the insulation state of No. 2 and is insufficient.

Particularly, in a semiconductor device production line, since a large number of substrates are continuously flowing, when the stage section is brought into a conductive state with the ground potential, the number of substrate damages that cause a reduction in yield is one. In some cases, not only the number of substrates but also a number of substrates may cause a reduction in yield. In addition, if a cooling water pipe or gas pipe is provided immediately below the stage electrically insulated from the ground potential, the stage may come into contact with the cooling water pipe or gas pipe for some reason, and the stage may become ground potential. In some cases, it becomes conductive.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and by monitoring the insulation state of a stage, it is possible to minimize product damage when the insulation state of the stage is reduced. An object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering apparatus.

[0010]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention employs the following sputtering apparatus. That is, a sputtering apparatus according to claim 1 is provided with a stage portion for mounting a sample and a sputtering target in a vacuum vessel, and a sputtering device for forming a thin film on the sample while the stage portion is insulated from a ground potential. An elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the stage portion, and a first terminal electrically connected to the stage portion, wherein the first terminal is provided at the bottom of the vacuum vessel along with the elevating of the stage portion. A second terminal which can be separated / connected to the first terminal is provided, and the second terminal is provided with a detecting means for detecting an insulation state of the stage section.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the sputtering apparatus, the detecting means is a detector that measures an insulation resistance of the stage and monitors an insulation state of the stage.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the sputter apparatus, the detecting means is provided with a notifying means for judging whether or not the insulating state of the stage portion is good or not and informing the result of the judgment.

In the sputtering apparatus of the present invention, when the stage is raised by the lifting mechanism, the first terminal also rises with the rise of the stage, and is separated from the second terminal provided at the bottom of the vacuum vessel. As a result, the electrical connection is broken. On the other hand, when the stage is lowered by the elevating mechanism, the first terminal is also lowered and connected to the second terminal with the lowering of the stage, so that the insulation state of the stage becomes detectable. .

Therefore, the insulating state of the stage is detected by the detecting means. This makes it possible to monitor the insulation state of the stage, and to minimize product damage when the insulation state of the stage decreases.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the sputtering apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a sputtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 41 denotes a stage provided in the vacuum vessel 1, reference numeral 42 denotes a shaft (elevation mechanism) for elevating the stage 41, 43 is a shaft guide, 44 and 45 are substrates 3
And an insulating plate for insulating the stage 41 from the ground potential. The stage 41 is provided in a state insulated from a ground potential connected to the vacuum vessel 1, and a substrate (sample) 3 is mounted on an upper surface thereof.

Reference numeral 46 denotes a connector, and 47 denotes a tester (detector). The connector 46 is for connecting the stage 41 and the tester 47 when the stage 41 is lowered, and a terminal (first terminal) 46 a provided at a lower portion of the stage 41 and a bottom 1 a of the vacuum vessel 1. (A second terminal) 46b provided at the second position.

The terminal 46a is electrically connected to the stage 41, and the terminal 46b is separated from the terminal 46b as the stage 41 rises and becomes electrically disconnected.
As the stage 41 descends, it comes into contact and becomes electrically connected. In addition, the tester 47
This is for monitoring the insulation state of the stage 41 by measuring the insulation resistance of the stage 41.

Next, the operation of the sputtering apparatus will be described. When the substrate 3 is placed on the stage 41, the stage is raised to an optimal position for sputtering and is in a stationary state. Therefore, the terminals 46a and 46b of the connector 46 are not connected to each other, and the insulating state is maintained. I have.

On the other hand, when the substrate 3 is not placed, the terminal 46a and 46b of the connector 46 are connected to each other because the substrate 3 descends to the position closest to the bottom 1a of the vacuum vessel 1 and stands still. In this state, the stage 41 and the tester 47 are connected via the connector 46. Therefore, when the stage 41 is conducting for some reason, the insulation resistance is very few Ω to several tens Ω. Smaller,
When the stage 41 keeps the insulation state, the insulation resistance is as large as several MΩ. Since these resistance values are displayed on the tester 47, they can be confirmed on the spot.

The tester 47 has an indicator for displaying different colors depending on the magnitude of the insulation resistance of the stage 41,
If notification means such as an alarm which issues a warning buzzer when the magnitude of the insulation resistance falls below a predetermined value is connected, the insulation resistance of the stage 41 can be quickly reduced without visually confirming the display of the tester 47. You can know. Further, if the tester 47 and the notification means are connected to the control unit of the sputtering apparatus, the sputtering apparatus can be immediately stopped together with the display and the warning buzzer.

The effect of the sputtering apparatus of this embodiment is that even if the stage 41 becomes defective in insulation, it can be detected quickly and the damage to the product is minimized, that is, the substrate 3
Can be reduced to only one. The reason is that since the insulation resistance of the stage 41 is constantly monitored, a decrease in the insulation resistance, that is, an abnormal situation can be detected at an early stage.

The stage 41 may be of any type as long as it can be moved up and down while being insulated from the ground potential connected to the vacuum vessel 1, and is not limited to the above-described embodiment. Is possible.

[0023]

As described above, according to the sputtering apparatus of the present invention, the stage section is provided with an elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the stage section, and the first terminal electrically connected is provided. A second terminal which can be separated / connected to the first terminal at the bottom of the vacuum vessel as the stage moves up and down.
And the second terminal is provided with a detecting means for detecting the insulating state of the stage unit. Therefore, as the stage unit is lowered by the lifting mechanism, the first terminal is also lowered and the second terminal is lowered. By connecting to a terminal and enabling the insulation state of the stage unit to be detected, the insulation state of the stage unit can be detected by the detection means. Therefore, it is possible to constantly monitor the insulation state of the stage section, and it is possible to minimize damage to the product when the insulation state of the stage section is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal sectional view showing a sputtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a conventional sputtering apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of a holder section of a conventional sputtering apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a monitoring apparatus of a conventional plasma processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vacuum container 1a Bottom part 2 Target 3 Substrate (sample) 4 Target holder 5 DC power supply 6 Holder 7 Mask 8 Insulating material 9 Argon gas inlet 10 Argon gas exhaust 11 Plasma 15 Teflon 16 Substrate cooling water system 17 Cooling water inlet pipe Reference Signs List 18 cooling water outlet pipe 19 radiator 20 water circulation pump 31 lower electrode 32 insulator 33 DC power supply 34 leak current measuring unit 35 pulse component measuring unit 36 relay 37 latch circuit 38 controller 41 stage 42 shaft (elevating mechanism) 43 shaft guide 44 , 45 Insulating plate 46 Connector 46a Terminal (first terminal) 46b Terminal (second terminal) 47 Tester (detector)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A sputtering apparatus for providing a stage portion on which a sample is placed and a sputtering target in a vacuum vessel, and forming a thin film on the sample in a state where the stage portion is insulated from a ground potential. And a first terminal that is electrically connected to the first terminal. The first terminal is electrically connected to the first terminal. The first terminal is separated / connected to the first terminal at the bottom of the vacuum vessel as the stage moves up and down. A sputter apparatus comprising: a second terminal capable of being provided; and a detecting means for detecting an insulation state of the stage unit at the second terminal. 2. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means is a detector for measuring an insulation resistance of said stage section and monitoring an insulation state of said stage section. 3. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said detecting means is provided with a notifying means for judging whether the insulation state of said stage portion is good or not, and informing the result of the judgment.