JPS609103B2 - Continuous sputtering equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a continuous sputtering apparatus for continuously manufacturing thin films of elements such as semiconductor wafers and communication devices in a vacuum.

First, a conventional sputtering apparatus of this type will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

Conventional devices use a substrate that has been stored in a transport jig in advance.

That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 3 is iron-coupled between the inner grooves 2, 2 of the conveying jig 1, in which members la and lb each having a C-shaped cross section and having an inner groove 2 are placed facing each other. , is stored. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional sputtering apparatus includes a rail 4 for transporting a transport jig (hereinafter referred to as jig) 1 containing the substrate 3, a fluid pressure cylinder 5,
6 cooperates to insert the jig 1 into the intake chamber 15 of the sealed box body 7, the sealed box body 7, and take out the shellfish 1' having the processed substrate from the extraction chamber 21 of the sealed box body 7. It has a section.

The sealed box body 7 has side walls 8 in order of substrate processing steps in the jig 1.
and partition walls 9, 9', 10, 10', 11, 11', 12
, 12', 13, 13' and a side wall 14, it has an intake chamber 15, a sputter etch chamber 17, a heating chamber 18, a sputter chamber turtle 9, a cooling chamber 20, and a take-out chamber 21.

An intake preliminary chamber 1 is installed on the side wall of the intake chamber 15 near the rail 4.
6 is formed. In addition, the intake room 15 has an intake preliminary room 1.
A fluid pressure cylinder 23 having a sealing lid 24 for 6 is attached, and a pallet (not shown) for the jig 1 is provided on the sealing lid 24, and outside of the intake chamber 15 there are other containers for the intake preliminary chamber. A hydraulic cylinder 25 is provided having a sealing lid 26;
The side wall 8 of the intake chamber 15 is provided with a fluid pressure cylinder 28 that pushes the jig 1 horizontally toward the transfer surface on the stereotaxic layer 30 in the intake chamber 15. A pipe 27 is attached to the intake chamber 15, and an exhaust pipe 29 is attached to the intake chamber 15. A jig is installed inside the sealed box body 7 from a position approaching a part of the intake chamber 15 to a position penetrating between the partition walls 9, 9' to 13, 13' and approaching a part of the extraction chamber 21. Rails 30 for transportation are laid. The sputter etch chamber 17 is equipped with an exhaust pipe 31 and a sputter etch electrode 32, the heating chamber 18 is equipped with an exhaust pipe 33 and a heater 34, and the sputter chamber 19 is equipped with an exhaust pipe 35.
and a sputter electrode 36 are attached to the cooling chamber 20.
One is attached with an exhaust pipe 37 and a cooling pipe (not shown) disposed on the seal 30. Sputter gas is introduced into the sputter etch chamber 17 and the sputter chamber 19. A pre-take-out chamber 22 is formed in the take-out chamber 21 on the left side when viewed from the transfer direction on the roll 30. The extraction chamber 21' is also equipped with an exhaust pipe 38 and a fluid pressure cylinder 39 that receives the deodorant 1 from the transfer surface of the rail 30 and transports it to the stereotaxic layer on the left when viewed from the transfer direction on the rail 30.
A hydraulic cylinder 40 is provided on the side wall 14' to horizontally push the jig 1 out of the localization layer. Rough extraction room 2
1 is provided with a fluid pressure cylinder 41 having an airtight lid 42 for the unloading preliminary chamber 22, and a pallet (not shown) for the recovery shell 1 is attached to the front of the airtight lid 42 in the direction of transfer of the substrate. A fluid pressure cylinder 43 having an airtight lid 44 for the extraction preliminary chamber is provided outside the extraction chamber 21, and a pipe 45 is attached to the extraction preparation chamber 22. A fluid pressure cylinder 46 for pushing out the jig turtle' to the outside of the sealed box body 7 is installed outside the extraction preparatory chamber 22 which is the extraction part for the tool 1'.
9, 31, 33, 35, 37, and 38 are connected to a vacuum pump (not shown), and the pipes 27 and 45 are connected to the vacuum pump (not shown) and the atmosphere so as to be switchable. Each chamber has a conductance (a value indicating the ease of gas flow) formed by the gap between the partition walls 9, 9' to 13, 13' and the jig 1, which is sent sequentially between the partition walls 9, 9' to 13, 13', and a sputter etch chamber 17 and A dynamic equilibrium state is established based on the relationship between the sputtering gas flow rate introduced into the sputtering chamber 19 and the exhaust speed of the exhaust pipe of each chamber, and each chamber has a different degree of vacuum. In the above-mentioned follower device, the jigs 1 containing the substrates are arranged on the rails 4 installed outside the sealed box 7 and are transferred in the direction of the arrow a.

Next, the pick-up tool 1 is moved from the A position to the B position in the direction of arrow b by a fluid pressure cylinder 5 installed at the insertion part disengaged from the tip of the rail 4, and then moved to the B position by another fluid pressure cylinder 6.
Push it in the direction of arrow C from the intake chamber 15, and move it to the C position in the intake preliminary chamber 16, where the intake chamber side is closed with a sealing lid 24 driven by a fluid pressure cylinder 23 provided in the intake chamber 15, and then remove the sealing lid. Place it on the pallet attached to 24.

When the jig 1 is inserted into the C position, the fluid pressure cylinder 25 provided outside the intake chamber 15 is activated, and the interior of the pre-intake chamber 16 is sealed with the sealing lids 24 and 26, and the jig 1 is It is housed in a sealed chamber, and the sealed chamber is evacuated to approximately the same degree of vacuum as the intake chamber 15 through piping 27.

After the sealed chamber is evacuated, the pallet and jig 1 are moved in the direction of arrow d to position E in the intake chamber 15, and the sealing diamond 24 is moved to position F in the direction of arrow d.

When the jig 1 is moved to the B position, the fluid pressure cylinder 28 attached to the side wall 8 of the intake chamber 15 is activated, the jig 1 is pushed in the direction of arrow e, and the jig 1 is transferred onto the rail 30.

As a result, the railing 1 remounted on the rail 30 is transferred one pitch in the direction of arrow f. After pushing the jig 1 onto the seal 30 from the E position, the sealing lids 24 and 26 are returned to their original positions shown by solid lines. In the sputter etch chamber 17, a voltage is applied between the sputter etch electrode 32 and the substrate housed in the jig 1, and the surface of the substrate is bombarded with ionized sputter gas, thereby sputter etching the substrate surface. Remove minute foreign matter adhering to the surface.

Next, the substrate is heated by the heater 34 in the heating chamber 18 to release the impurity gas adsorbed onto the surface of the substrate and occluded inside the substrate, and to raise the temperature to the temperature required for sputtering.

Next, in the sputtering chamber 19, by ion bombardment in the opposite direction to the sputter etching process in the sputter etching chamber 17,
A sputtering process is performed to deposit the sputtering material of the sputtering electrode 36 onto the substrate.

Next, the substrate is cooled in the cooling chamber 201, and the jig 1' having the substrate subjected to the desired sputtering treatment is sent to the extraction chamber 21.

In the extraction chamber 21, the odor 1' transferred to the G position is moved in the direction of the arrow g by the fluid pressure cylinder 39, and moved to the H position, and then the jig 1' is moved to the H position by the fluid pressure cylinder 401.
It is sent out from the position in the direction of arrow h and transferred to a position on a pallet provided on a sealing lid 42 attached to a fluid pressure cylinder 41.

Next, the fluid pressure cylinder 41 is operated to move the sealing lid 42, the pallet, and the jig 1' from the J, 1 position shown by the solid line in the direction of the arrow i, and to the L, K position shown by the broken line.

At this point, the outer opening of the unloading preliminary chamber 22 is the unloading chamber 2.
When the inner sealing lid 42 moves to the L position, the extraction preliminary chamber 22 is sealed and the jig 1' is closed. Placed in a closed room.

Atmospheric air is introduced into the sealed chamber through piping 45 to bring the pre-takeout chamber 22 to atmospheric pressure, and then the fluid pressure cylinder 43 moves the sealing lid 44 from the M position to the N position. Next, the fluid pressure cylinder 46 of the take-out section is driven to move the jig 1' located at position K on the pallet in the direction of arrow j and send it out onto the rail 4, and pick up the pick-up jig 1' having the sputtered substrate. Take it out and complete the series of actions.

The sputtering process is performed on each substrate by sequentially repeating the above operations.

However, according to the conventional apparatus, since the substrate is housed in a jig and sputtered, impurity gas adsorbed by the jig in the atmosphere is brought into the sputtering chamber, so the impurity gas partial pressure in the sputtering chamber is It has the disadvantage of increasing the temperature and having a negative effect on the purulent matter, and since the heat capacity of the pick-up tool is larger than that of a wafer, it has the disadvantage of requiring a long time to heat and cool down.The size of the jig is larger than that of a wafer, so There is also the disadvantage that the entire device is larger than when no tools are used. In addition, since the processing is continuous for one substrate, the intake pre-chamber is evacuated from atmospheric pressure to the mirror into which one substrate is introduced, but the evacuation time is often longer than other processing times. However, the disadvantage is that the cycle time of the equipment is limited and production speed cannot be increased, and since the pick-up tool is transported from the intake chamber to the unloading chamber in a uniform takt time, it is difficult to fully heat the substrate, which normally takes a long time. However, since each chamber is evacuated independently, the vacuum evacuation system is complicated. An object of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art described above, and to provide a continuous sputtering apparatus that can form a thin film of stable quality on a substrate and that facilitates wafer transport connection between the front and rear chambers. That is, in order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a sputter etch chamber and a sputter chamber adjacent to each other, a gate valve that is opened and closed between them, and a single substrate is taken into the sputter etch chamber from the entrance, and the gate valve is connected to the sputter etch chamber. The sputtering chamber includes a conveying means for horizontally conveying the substrate to the valve, and a means for performing sputter etching and heating on the substrate in a horizontally oriented state, and the sputtering chamber has a single substrate introduced from the gate valve to a predetermined position. A transport means for horizontal transport, a sputter processing means provided substantially vertically so as to perform horizontal sputtering on the substrate, and a sputter processing means for the substrate brought to a predetermined position by the transport means. This continuous sputtering apparatus is characterized by having a substrate raising/returning means for raising the substrate substantially vertically directly facing the substrate and returning it to a horizontal position after sputtering.

The present invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

3, 4, and 5 show an embodiment of the present invention, in which a daily intake chamber 52, a first storage room 53,
sputter etch chamber 54, sputter chamber 55, cooling chamber 56,
A second storage chamber 57 and a take-out chamber 58 are partitioned, and these chambers are arranged in a U-shape when viewed from above. 50, and a second external storage means 59 is provided on the extraction chamber 58 side in the outside.

The first external storage means 50' includes a pair of compare belts 60, 61, and a cassette elevator 62 having a substrate cassette 63.

The cassette elevator 62 is connected to a drive source (not shown) such as a combination of a motor and a ball screw. The cassette 63 is formed so that the substrates 3 can be stored vertically in a shelf-like manner. In this first external storage means 50, the substrate 3 to be processed is stored alone on the compare belts 60, 61, that is, without being stored in a jig.
The board 3 is directly placed and transported to the installation position of the cassette elevator 62, and stored in the shelf of the board cassette 63 at this position. The cassette elevator 62 is intermittently raised by one pitch corresponding to each stage so that a set number of sheets can be stored. After storing the set number of sheets, the cassette elevator 62 and the compare belts 60 and 61 move The structure is such that the substrates 3 can be transferred one by one from the substrate cassette 63 into the intake chamber 52 by the operation. A gate valve 64 is provided between the first external storage means 50 and the intake chamber 52, that is, on the side wall of the intake chamber 52 on the inlet side.
The gate valve 64 is equipped with a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) and is connected to the compare belts 60, 6 of the first external storage means 50.
1, the opening operation is performed while the substrate 3 is taken into the intake chamber 52.

The intake chamber 52 has compare belts 65, 66, a cassette elevator 67 having a cassette 68, an exhaust port 60 connected to a vacuum pump 7 as shown in FIG. 5, a heater, and air leak means. , the heater and the air leak means are not shown.

The cassette elevator 67 and the board cassette 68 are the cassette elevator 6 of the first external storage means 50.
2 and the substrate cassette 63. In this intake chamber 52, the compare belts 65, 66 receive the substrates 3 one by one from the compare belts 60, 61 of the first external storage means 50 through the gate valve 64, and the substrates 3 are transferred through the operation of the cassette elevator 67. Cassette 6
After loading the set number of sheets one by one on a shelf board,
The gate valve 64 is closed, the inside of the intake chamber 52 is exhausted through the exhaust port 69, and the substrate 3 is degassed from outside the heater (baking is performed). The structure is such that the substrates 3 can be fed one by one from the substrate cassette 68 to the first storage chamber 53 by cooperation. A gate valve 71 is provided between the intake chamber 52 and the first storage chamber 53, and the gate valve 71 has the same structure as the gate valve 64.

Compare belts 72, 73 are provided in the first storage chamber 53,
It includes a cassette elevator 74 having a substrate cassette 75, an exhaust port 76 connected to a vacuum pump, and gas introduction means, but the vacuum pump and gas introduction means are not shown.

The cassette elevator 74 and the substrate cassette 75 are constructed similarly to the cassette elevator 62 and the substrate cassette 63 of the first external storage means 50. After the first storage chamber 53 is brought to approximately the same pressure as the intake chamber 52 by adjusting the gas flow rate introduced by the gas introducing means and the exhaust speed of the vacuum pump connected to the exhaust port 76, the gate valve 71 is closed. The compare belts 72 and 73 receive the substrates 3 one by one from the compare belts 65 and 66 in the intake chamber 52 through the gate valve 71, and transfer them to the substrate cassette 5 via the action of the cassette elevator 74 on the shelf board. After loading the set number of sheets, the Kate Valve 7
1 is closed, the gas flow rate introduced from the gas introduction means and the exhaust speed of the vacuum pump connected to the exhaust port 76 are adjusted to make the pressure approximately the same as that of the sputter etch chamber 54, and then the cassette elevator 74 and the compare belt 72 are closed. , 73, the substrates 3 can be fed one by one from the substrate cassette 75 to the sputter etching chamber 54. Said first
A gate valve 77 is provided between the storage chamber 53 and the sputter etching chamber 54, and the gate valve 77 has the same structure as the gate valve 64 described above. The sputter etch chamber 54 is equipped with a pair of compare belts 78 and 79, ropes of other compare belts 80 and 81, an elevator 82, a sputter etch electrode 83, an exhaust port 84 connected to a vacuum pump, gas introduction means, and a heater 85. However, the vacuum pump and gas introduction means are not shown.

As shown in FIG. 4, the compare belts 78, 79, 80, and 81 are arranged close to each other on the same horizontal plane, and are capable of rotating vertically from a horizontal position with the outer end side as the center of rotation. There is. The elevator 82 is the fourth
As shown in the figure, compare belts 78, 79; 80
, 81 to the center of the sputter etching chamber 54 is once transferred to the compare belts 78, 79: 80, 81.
After raising the substrate 3 to a P position higher than the conveying surface of the substrate 3, the compare belts 78, 79:80, and 81 rotate in the vertical direction, and then the substrate 3 can be lowered to a Q position above the sputter etching electrode 83. . The sputter etching electrode 83 is placed in the lower part of the sputter etching chamber 54, and the heater 85 is placed in the upper part. The sputter etch chamber 54 has a flow rate of sputter gas introduced from the gas introduction means and an exhaust port 8.
1 determined from the relationship with the pumping speed of the vacuum pump connected to 4.
Dynamically balanced to constant pressure. In the sputter etch chamber 54, compare belts 72, 73 in the first storage chamber 53
from the gate valve 77 to the compare belts 78, 7.
9 receives one board 3 and transfers it to the compare belt 78
, 79; 80, 81 to the center of the sputter etch chamber 54, the gate valve 77 is closed, the substrate 3 is then lifted up by the elevator 82, and the compare belt 78
, 79:80, 81 are rotated in the vertical direction, the substrate 3 is lowered by the elevator 82 to the Q layer above the sputter etch electrode 83, and a voltage is applied to the sputter etch electrode 83 to perform the sputter etch process on the substrate 3. The processed substrate 3 is then lifted by the elevator 82 to the P position approaching the heater 85, and heated by the heater 85 to a temperature suitable for sputtering, while the compare belts 78, 7
9:80 and 81 are returned to the horizontal state, the elevator 82 is lowered, and the heated substrate 3 is transferred to the compare belt 78.
, 79; 80, 81, and then sputtering chamber 55.
It is configured so that it can be delivered to A gate valve 86 is provided between the sputter etch chamber 54 and the sputter chamber 55, and the gate valve 86 has the same structure as the gate valve 64. The sputtering chamber 55 includes first compare belts 87 and 88, a first rising arm 89, a first sputtering electrode 90, an anti-adhesion shield 91 for preventing sputtered particles from adhering to the sputtering chamber peripheral wall, and a second 1st shirt evening 92, 2nd compare belt 93/94, 2nd
a lifting arm 95, a second sputtering electrode 96, a second shirt plate 97, a transfer arm 99 that moves between the first and second compare belts 87, 88; 93, 94 along a ball screw 98, a vacuum Although it has an exhaust port 100 and a gas introduction means that are connected to the pump, the vacuum pump and the gas introduction means are not shown.

The sputtering chamber 55 is dynamically balanced at a constant pressure determined by the relationship between the flow rate of the sputtering gas introduced from the gas introduction means and the evacuation speed of the vacuum pump connected to the exhaust ports 10. The first and second compare belts 87, 88 are the compare belts 78, 79: 80, 8 of the sputter etch chamber 54.
1 receives the substrates 3 one by one through the gate valve 86, and approaches the first rising arm 89 in the same direction.
Transport to the location. The first lifting arm 89 receives the substrate 3 transferred to the R position in a horizontal state, rotates approximately 90 degrees vertically from the S position as shown in FIG. 4, and lifts the substrate 3. It is made to stand up vertically directly facing the first sputter electrode 90, and after sputtering, returns to a position lower than the conveying surface of the first compare belts 87, 88. The first shirt plate 92 and the first sputter electrode 90 are connected to the first shirt plate 92 after the substrate 3 is erected.
is opened, the first sputtering electrode 90 performs the first sputtering process on the substrate 3, and after the sputtering process, the first sputtering electrode 90
2 is closed. The transfer arm 99 is connected to a drive source such as a combination of a ball screw 98 and a motor (not shown) stretched between the first and second compare belts 87, 88: 93, 94, and While the first sputtering process is being performed, the first compare belts 87 and 88 move to the T position above the conveying surface, and at this position, the substrate that has been subjected to the first sputtering process is removed from the first raising arm 89. 3, moves to the U position above the conveyance surface of the second compare belts 93, 94, delivers the substrate 3 to the second lifting arm 95, and then moves again in the direction of the first compare belts 87, 88. It's supposed to be done. The second lifting arm 95 receives the substrate 3 from the transfer arm 99 at the U position, rotates approximately 90 degrees, and then lifts the substrate 3.
stand up in a vertical position directly facing the second sputtering electrode 96, and after the sputtering process, the second compare belts 93, 94
It is designed so that it can be rotated to a horizontal position lower than the conveyance surface. The second shirt plate 97 and the second sputter electrode 96 are connected to each other after the substrate 3 is raised by the second raising arm 95.
The second shirt cover 97 is opened, a second sputtering process is performed on the substrate 3 using the second sputter electrode 96, and after the sputtering process, the second shirt cover 97 is closed. Said second
The compare belts 93 and 94 are connected to the second lifting arm 95.
The substrate 3 that has been subjected to the second sputtering process is received from there and transported toward the cooling chamber 56. Therefore, this sputtering chamber 5
4, the compare belt 78 of the sputter etch chamber 53
, 79; 80, 81 through the gate valve 86.
Receive one board 3 with the compare belt 87788,
After carrying in the substrate, the gate valve 86 is closed, and when the substrate 3 is transported to the R position by the first compare belts 87 and 88, the substrate 3 is rotated vertically by the first lift arm 89. When the first shirt cover 92 is stood up, the first shirt cover 92 is opened, and the first sputtering process is performed using the first sputter electrode 90. The substrate 3 that has been subjected to the first sputtering process is transferred from the first stand-up arm 89 to the transfer arm 99 waiting at the T position by rotating in the horizontal direction, and the transfer arm 99 is transferred to the transfer arm 99 waiting at the T position. Compare belt 93,9
4 to the U position above the U position, the second raising arm 95, which is waiting below the U position, is rotated to vertically raise the substrate 3, and at this point the second shirt cover 97 is opened. A second sputtering process is performed on the substrate 3 using the second sputtering electrode 96, and during this time the transport arm 99 is moved from the U position in the direction of the first compare belts 87 and 88, the second shirt cover 97 is closed, and the The second stand-up arm 96 is rotated in the horizontal direction, and the sputtered substrate 3 is transferred to the second compare belts 93 and 94 and transported to the cooling chamber 56. A gate valve 101 is provided between the sputtering chamber 55 and the cooling chamber 56, and the gate valve 01 is constructed in the same manner as the gate valve 64.

The cooling chamber 56 is connected to the sputter etch chamber 54 and the partition wall 102.
The sections are adjacent to each other via the compare belt 10.
39104 "Although it has an exhaust row 05 connected to a vacuum pump and a gas introduction means, the vacuum pump and the gas introduction means are not shown.

Further, the exhaust port 105 is the exhaust port 84 of the sputter etch chamber 54.
The vacuum pump is shared with the sputter etch chamber 54, and the cooling chamber 56 is maintained at the same pressure as the sputter etch chamber 54. The substrate 3 is received onto the compare belts 103, 104 through the valve 101, and after the substrate 3 is radiatively cooled on the compare belts 103, 104, the substrate 3' as a product can be sent to the second storage chamber 57 as well. A gate valve 106 having the same configuration as the gate valve 64 is provided between the cooling chamber 56 and the second storage chamber 57.
The storage chamber 57 is adjacent to the first storage chamber 53 with a partition wall 107 in between.

In addition, the second storage chamber 57' and compare belts 108, 10
9. A cassette elevator 10 having a substrate cassette 111, an exhaust row 12, and a gas introduction means are provided, but the gas introduction means is not shown. The cassette elevator 110 and the substrate cassette 111 are constructed similarly to the cassette elevator 62 and the substrate cassette 63 of the first external storage means 50. The exhaust row 12 is formed into a circular shape with the exhaust port 76 of the first storage chamber 53, and is connected to a common vacuum pump, although the vacuum pump is not shown. In this second storage chamber 57, the compare belts 103, 10 of the cooling chamber 56 are
4 through the gate valve 106, and load it into the substrate cassette 111 with the cassette elevator 110. When the set number of substrates are stored in the substrate cassette 111, the gate valve 106 is closed.
The gas flow rate introduced by the gas introduction means and the exhaust low 1
The pressure in the second storage chamber 57 is made approximately the same as that in the extraction chamber 58 by adjusting the evacuation speed of the vacuum pump connected to the second storage chamber 57, and then the cassette elevator 110 and the compare belts 108, 1
09, one substrate 3' can be fed from the substrate cassette 111 to the take-out chamber 58. A gate valve 1 is provided between the second storage chamber 57 and the extraction chamber 58.
13 is attached, and the gate valve 113 is configured similarly to the gate valve 64.

The extraction chamber 58 is adjacent to the intake chamber 52 with a partition wall 114 in between.

In this take-out chamber 58, compare belts 115, 116,
Cassette elevator 11 loaded with board cassettes 118
7, 9E air□1 19 and an air leak means, but the air leak means is not shown. The cassette elevator 1 and the substrate cassette 118 are constructed similarly to the cassette elevator 62 and the substrate cassette 63 of the first external storage means 50. The exhaust port 119 is formed in a circular shape with the exhaust port 69 of the intake chamber 52, and communicates with a common vacuum pump 701. In this take-out chamber 58, the compare belts 115 and 116 receive the substrates 3' one by one from the compare belts 108 and 109 in the second storage chamber 57 through the gate valve 113, and the substrates 3' are transferred to the cassette elevator 117. After loading the board into the board cassette 118 through the board and storing the set number of boards,
The gate valve 113 is closed, the exhaust port 119 is closed by a valve not shown, and then the atmosphere is introduced by the atmosphere leak means to bring the inside of the extraction chamber 58 to atmospheric pressure, and the cassette elevator 17 and compare belts 115, 116 are closed.
The structure is such that the substrates 3' can be sent out one by one from the substrate cassette 118 in cooperation with the substrate cassette 118. The extraction chamber 5
A gate valve 120 having the same structure as the gate valve 64 is attached between the extraction chamber 8 and the second external storage means 59, that is, on the outlet side wall of the extraction chamber 58. The introduction portion of the moving member from the atmosphere side to the indoor side of each of the chambers 52 to 58 is hermetically sealed with a sealing member such as a vacuum bellows or an O-ring.

The second external storage means 59 includes a compare belt 121,
122 and a cassette elevator 123 equipped with a substrate cassette 124.

The cassette elevator 123 and the substrate cassette 124 are constructed similarly to the cassette elevator 62 and the substrate cassette 63 of the first external storage means 50. In this second external storage means 59, the substrate 3' is transferred from the compare belts 115, 116 of the take-out chamber 58 to the gate valve 120 by the compare belts 121, 122.
The substrates 3' are received one by one and transported to the set position of the cassette elevator 123. At this position, the cassette elevator 23 loads the substrates 3' into the substrate cassette 124, and after temporarily accumulating the set number of substrates, the cassette elevator 123 and the compare belts 121, 122 The structure is such that the substrates 3' can be pulled out one by one from the substrate cassette 124 and transported. Note that the gate valve 120 is closed when the set number of substrates 3' are stored in the substrate cassette 124.
The continuous sputtering apparatus having the above structure operates as follows.

That is, the compare belt 6 of the first external storage means 50
0,61, the substrates 3 to be processed are freely rearranged, and the substrates 3 are transported to the set position of the cassette elevator 62, and stored one by one on the shelf of the substrate cassette 63. Each time one board 3 is stored, the cassette elevator 62 is raised by one pitch corresponding to one shelf level, so that the next board 3 to be transported can be stored.

Thereafter, this operation is repeated, and a set number of substrates 3, which are transported irregularly in time, are accumulated in the substrate cassette 63 at one time. When the set number of substrates 3 are stored in the substrate cassette 63, the gate valve 64 on the inlet side of the intake chamber 52 is opened, and the cassette elevator 62 of the first external storage means 50 is lowered one pitch at a time, and Compare belts 60, 61 and intake chamber 52 of external storage means 50 of No. 1
The substrates 3 are transported one by one to the intake chamber 52 by the compare belts 65 and 66. The substrates 3 continuously transported to the intake chamber 52 are transferred to the substrate cassette 6 by a cassette elevator 67.
The substrates 3 of the substrate cassette 63 of the first external storage means 50 are stored one by one in the substrate cassette 6 of the intake chamber 52.
8, the gate valve 64 is closed, and the vacuum pump 701 then evacuates through the exhaust port 69.

At this point, the extraction chamber 58 is also evacuated. While the intake chamber 52 is being evacuated, baking for degassing the substrate 3 is performed using a heater.
The import process is complete. Next, by adjusting the gas flow rate introduced by the gas introduction means and the exhaust speed of the vacuum pump connected to the exhaust port 76, the pressure in the first storage chamber 53 is adjusted to the same level as the pressure in the intake chamber 52. After that, the gate valve 7 between the intake chamber 52 and the first storage chamber 53 is opened, the cassette elevator 74 in the intake chamber 52 is lowered one pitch at a time, and the substrates 3 of the substrate cassettes 75 are transferred to the intake chamber 52.
The sheets are conveyed one by one by compare belts 65 and 66 inside and compare belts 72 and 73 inside the first storage chamber 53,
The cassette elevator 74 in the first storage chamber 53 stores the substrates one by one in the substrate cassette 75, and all the substrates 3 in the substrate cassette 68 in the intake chamber 52 are stored in the substrate cassette 75 in the first storage chamber 53. At this point, the gate valve 71 is closed.

After the gate valve 71 is closed, the intake chamber 52 starts again to take in the next lot of substrates 3. Next, by adjusting the gas flow rate introduced by the gas introducing means in the first storage chamber 53 and the exhaust speed of the vacuum pump connected to the exhaust port 76, the pressure in the first storage chamber 53 is adjusted to the sputter etching. The pressure is adjusted to approximately the same level as the pressure inside the chamber 54.

After this pressure adjustment, the gate valve 77 between the first storage chamber 53 and the sputter etching chamber 54 is opened, and the first storage chamber 53
The inner cassette elevator 74 is lowered one pitch at a time,
The substrates 3 in the substrate cassette 75 are transported one by one to the center of the sputter-etch chamber 54 by compare belts 72, 73 in the first storage chamber 53 and compare belts 78, 79; 80, 81 in the sputter-etch chamber 54. , the gate valve 77 is closed every time one substrate 3 is transferred. When the substrate 3 is transported to the center of the sputter etch chamber 54, the elevator 82 is activated and the substrate 3 is transported to the center of the sputter etch chamber 54.
8, 79; 80, 81 is lifted to a higher position than the conveying surface, and then the compare belt 78, 79; 80, 81
is rotated in the vertical direction, then the elevator 82 is lowered, the substrate 3 is lowered to the Q position on the sputter etch electrode 83, a voltage is applied to the sputter etch electrode 83, and the adhesion of the substrate 3 is caused by the sputter etch electrode 83. A sputter etch process is performed to remove foreign matter. After the sputter etching process, the elevator 82 is raised again to the P position where the substrate 3 approaches the heater 85, the heater 85 is ignited, and the temperature is raised to a level suitable for the sputter process, while the compare belts 78, 79 : 80, 81 are rotated in the horizontal direction. After the substrate 3 is heated by the heater 85, the elevator 82 is lowered again, and the substrate 3 is transferred to the compare belt 7.
8, 79; 80, 81, and at this point the gate valve 86 between the sputter etch chamber 54 and the sputter chamber 55 is
is opened and the compare belt 7 in the sputter etch chamber 54 is opened.
The substrate 3 is transported to the R position of the sputtering chamber 55 by 80, 81 and the first compare belts 87, 88 in the sputtering chamber 55, the gate valve 86 is closed, and then the substrate 3 is transported to the R position of the sputtering chamber 55. The gate valve 77 between the sputter etch chamber 54 and the sputter etch chamber 54 is opened to prepare for the introduction of the next substrate 3. When the substrate 3 is transferred to the R position of the sputtering chamber 55, the first upright arm 89 is rotated from the horizontal S position in the vertical direction, and the first upright arm 89 moves the substrate 3 to the R position. A voltage is applied to the first sputter electrode 90, the first sputter electrode 92 is opened, and the first sputtering process is performed on the substrate 3. The shirt cover 92 is closed and the first sputtering process is completed.

Next, the first lifting arm 89 is rotated from the vertical position toward the horizontal direction, and the substrate 3 is transferred to the transport arm 99 at the T position on the first compare belts 87 and 88. is the upper U of the second compare belts 93, 94.
moved to position. When the substrate 3 is moved to the U position, the second raising arm 95 is rotated from the horizontal state to the vertical direction, and the substrate 3 is vertically raised directly facing the second sputtering electrode 96. A voltage is applied to the sputter electrode 96, the second cover 95 is opened, the second sputtering process is performed on the substrate 3, the second cover 95 is closed, and the second sputtering process is completed. The reason why the sputtering process is performed twice is to operate without increasing the takt time even when the required film thickness is large. During the second sputtering process, the transport arm 99 is moved to a position away from the second compare belts 93 and 94, and after the second sputtering process is completed, the second raising arm 95 is rotated horizontally. and the board 3 is connected to the second compare belt 93
, 94, and then sputtering chamber 55 and cooling chamber 56.
The gate valve 101 between is opened, and the substrate 3 is transported to the cooling chamber 56 by the second compare belts 93, 94 in the sputtering chamber 55 and the compare belts 103, 104 in the cooling chamber 56, and then the substrate 3 is transferred to the cooling chamber 56 and then cooled. Gate valve 101 between chambers 56 is closed, and then gate valve 86 between sputter etch chamber 54 and sputter chamber 55 is opened.

The substrate 3 transported to the cooling chamber 56 is transferred to the compare belt 103
, 104 are radiatively cooled.

After cooling the substrate 3, the gate valve 106 between the cooling chamber 56 and the second storage chamber 57 is opened, and the substrate 3', which is a product, is transferred to the compare belts 103, 104 in the cooling chamber 56 and the second storage chamber 57. The comparison belts 108 and 109 transport the storage chamber 57 to the second storage chamber 57. The aforementioned sputter etch chamber 54
In the sputtering chamber 55 and the cooling chamber 56, the substrates 3 are processed one by one. Substrate 3' transported to second storage chamber 57
is conveyed to the set position of the cassette elevator 10 by compare belts 108 and 109, and the cassette elevator 110 is raised one pitch at a time, and the substrate cassette 11
One board 3' is stored in each fence, and each board 3' is stored in a board cassette 111.

When the set number of substrates 3' are stored in the substrate cassette 111, the gate valve 106 between the cooling chamber 56 and the second storage chamber 57 is closed, and the gas flow rate introduced by the gas introduction means and the exhaust port 112 are controlled. The pressure in the second storage chamber 57 is adjusted to approximately the same pressure as the pressure in the extraction chamber 58 by adjusting the evacuation speed of the vacuum pumps connected to each other. Gate valve 113 is opened.
After the gate valve 113 is opened, the second storage chamber 5
The cassette elevator 110 in the second storage chamber 57 is lowered one pitch at a time, and the substrates 3' are fed out one by one from the substrate cassette 111.
09 and compare belts 115 and 116 in the take-out chamber 58 to the set position of the cassette elevator 117 in the take-out chamber 58, and the cassette elevator 117 is raised one pitch at a time, and one sheet is placed on the shelf of the substrate cassette 118. The substrates 3' in the substrate cassette 111 in the second storage chamber 57 are stored in the substrate cassette 11 in the take-out chamber 58.
8 is fully loaded, the gate valve 113 between the second storage chamber 57 and the take-out chamber 58 is closed, and the exhaust row 19
is closed by a valve (not shown), atmospheric air is introduced from the atmospheric leak means, the extraction chamber 58 is adjusted to atmospheric pressure, and the gate valve 1 between the extraction chamber 58 and the second external storage means 59 is closed.
02 will be held. Next, the compare belts 115, 116 in the take-out chamber 58 and the cassette elevator 117 work together to pull out the substrates 3' accumulated in the substrate cassette 118 one by one, and the compare belts 121, 121 of the second external storage means 59 Reprinted in 122, Cassette Elevator 12
The cassette elevator 123 is transported to the 1 position.
The board 3' is raised by pitches, and the board cassette 12
4, and the substrate cassette 11 in the unloading chamber 58.
When the eight substrates 3' are stored in the substrate cassette 124 of the second external storage means 59, the gate valve 120 is closed.

If necessary, the second external storage means 59 is activated, and the cassette elevator 123 is lowered one pitch at a time, and the substrates 3' are pulled out one by one from the substrate cassette 124 and transferred to the next process through compare belts 121 and 122. Sent out.

By repeating the above operations, the sputtering process can be continuously performed on the substrate. In the above configuration, if radiation cooling alone is insufficient for the cooling chamber 56, conductive cooling means may be added, such as bringing a water cooling rod into direct contact with the substrate.

In the illustrated embodiment, the sputter processing chamber is composed of the sputter etch chamber 54, the sputter chamber 55, and the cooling chamber 56, but depending on the application, one or both of the sputter etch chamber 54 and the cooling chamber 56 may be omitted. It's okay.

Further, in the illustrated embodiment, a pair of compare belts constitutes a conveyance means capable of conveying the substrate in a substantially horizontal position, and a cassette elevator and a substrate cassette constitute a substrate storage means.
The gate valve constitutes a gate means that opens only when the substrate passes, but these are not limited to the structure of the illustrated embodiment.

Further, the sputter processing means is constituted by the sputter etching electrode, the heater, the sputter electrode, the jacket, and the cooling means, and the evacuation means is constituted by the exhaust port and the vacuum pump.

As explained above, according to the present invention, the substrate is transported by the transport means in the sputter etch chamber and the sputter chamber as a single substrate in the horizontal direction, which facilitates the connection of the wafer transport between the front and rear chambers, and also allows the transfer of the wafer to the sputter chamber. To raise a substrate by reducing the amount of dust and impurity gas brought in, and by standing the substrate substantially vertically facing a sputtering means in a sputtering chamber and returning it to a horizontal position after sputtering.

Since it has a returning means, it is possible to reduce the amount of foreign matter falling onto the substrate, and it is possible to form a high-quality thin film.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a conventional device, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a combination of a substrate and its jig to be fed to the conventional device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional plan view of one embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views taken along the one-dish line and the V-V line in FIG. 3. 3...Substrate, 3'...Product substrate, 50...
・First external storage means, 51... Sealed box "52...
Intake chamber, 53... First storage chamber, 54... Sputter etch chamber, 55... Sputter chamber, 56... Cooling chamber, 57
...Second storage chamber, 58...Removal chamber, 59...Second external storage means, 60, 61, 65, 66, 72, 73,
78, 79, 80, 81, 87, 88, 93, 94, 1
03,104,108,109,115,116,12
1,122... Compare belt constituting a conveyance means, 62
, 67, 74, 110, 117, 123...Cassette elevator constituting board storage means, 63, 68, 75
, 111, 118, 124...Same board cassette, 64
,71,77,86,101,106,1 13,12
0...Gate valve as a means of entrance, 69, 76, 84
, 100, 105, 112, 1 19... 9E air port constituting the vacuum means, 70... The same vacuum pump, 82...
- Elevator in the sputter etch chamber, 83... Sputter etch electrode constituting the sputter processing means, 85...
heater, 89, 95...first and second raising arms serving as means for raising the substrate; 90,96...first and second sputtering electrodes constituting sputtering means; 91; Attached shield, 92, 93...Same first and second shirt t9
9...Transferring arm for the substrate in the sputtering chamber. 1: Jig (LA member, LB member), 2: Inner groove, 3: Board, 4: Rail, 5: Fluid pressure cylinder, 6: Fluid pressure cylinder, 7: Sealed box body, 8: Side wall, 9 three partitions Wall " 10 Three walls, 11; Partition wall, 12: Partition wall, 13: Partition wall, 1
4: side wall, 15: intake chamber, 16: intake preliminary chamber, 17: sputter etch chamber, 18: heating chamber, 19: sputter chamber, 2
0: Cooling chamber, 21: Unloading chamber, 22: Unloading preliminary chamber, 23 Three fluid pressure cylinders, 24: Sealing lid, 25: Fluid pressure cylinder, 26: Sealing lid, 27: Exhaust pipe, 28: Fluid pressure cylinder, 29 : Exhaust pipe, 30: Rail, 31: Exhaust pipe, 32:
Sputter etch electrode, 33: Exhaust pipe, 34: Heater, 3
5: Exhaust pipe, 36: Sputter electrode, 37: Exhaust pipe, 38
: Exhaust pipe 39 Three fluid pressure cylinders, 40: Fluid pressure cylinder, 41: Fluid pressure cylinder, 42: Sealing lid, 43: Fluid pressure cylinder, 44: Sealing lid, 45: Ventilation pipe, 46: Fluid pressure cylinder, 47 : , 50: First external storage means, 51: Sealed box body, 52: Intake chamber, 53: First storage chamber, 54: Sputter etch chamber, 55 Three sputter chambers 5
6: Cooling room "57: Second storage room, 58: Retrieval room, 59
: second external storage means, 60: compare belt, 61:
Compare belt, 62: Cassette elevator, 63; Board cassette, 64: Gate valve, 65: Compare belt, 66: Compare belt, 67: Force set level, 68: Force set, 69: 9E 70: Vacuum Pump, 71: Gate valve, 72: Compare belt, 73
; Compare belt, 74: Cassette elevator, 75:
Board cassette, 76: Exhaust port, 77: Gate valve, 7
8: Compare belt, 79: Compare belt, 80: Compare belt, 81: Compare belt, 82: Elevator, 83 Miss grasshopper etch electrode, 84: Exhaust port, 85:
Heater, 86: Gate valve, 87: Compare belt,
88: Compare belt, 89: First rising arm, 9
0: First sputter electrode, 91: Anti-adhesion shield, 92:
1st shirt cover, 93: 1st shirt cover, 94: 1st shirt cover, 95: 2nd rising arm, 96: 2nd sputter electrode, 97: 2nd shirt cover, 98: Ball Screw, 99: Transfer arm, 100: Exhaust port, 101: Gate valve, 102: Partition wall, 103: Compare belt, 1
04: Compare belt, 105: Exhaust port, 106: Gate valve, 107: Partition wall, 108: Compare belt,
109: compare belt, 110: cassette elevator, 111: board cassette, 112: exhaust port, 113: gate valve, 114: partition wall, 115: compare belt, 116: compare belt, 117: cassette elevator, 118: board cassette, 119: Exhaust port, 120:
Gate valve, 121: Compare belt, 122: Compare belt, 123: Cassette elevator, 124: Board cassette. illustrator] illustrator and illustrator

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A sputter etching chamber and a sputtering chamber are provided adjacent to each other, and a gate valve that is opened and closed is provided between them, and a conveying means for taking in a single substrate from the inlet into the sputtering chamber and horizontally conveying it to the gate valve; means for subjecting the substrate to sputter etching and heating in the sputtering state, and conveying means for horizontally conveying a single substrate introduced from the gate valve into the sputtering chamber to a predetermined position;
A sputter processing means is provided substantially vertically so as to perform horizontal sputtering on the substrate, and the substrate brought to a predetermined position by the above-mentioned conveyance means is stood up substantially vertically directly facing the above-mentioned sputter processing means, and after the sputter processing, the substrate is horizontally disposed. 1. A continuous sputtering device comprising: means for raising and returning a substrate.