JPS61210177A - Inline type thin film forming device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a titled device which decreases a loss time by cleaning and to improves throughput by providing successively and adjacently a substrate charging chamber, a deposition chamber for forming a thin film on a substrate and a substrate taking out chamber. CONSTITUTION:This inline type thin film forming device is constituted by providing successively and adjacently the substrate charging chamber 1, the deposition chamber 2 provided with a sputtering electrode 7 carrying a target 6 which is a vapor deposition source for depositing the thin film on the substrate and the substrate taking out chamber 3. An antisticking plate 8 to be disposed in the chamber 2 so as to cover the target 6, etc. of the above-mentioned device is provided conveyably by a suitable conveying means to the chambers 1-3. The clean plate 8 is carried from the chamber 1 through a valve 4 into the chamber 2 to prevent the sticking of the material for deposition on the wall surface. The plate 8 is taken out through the chamber 3 in the stage of cleaning the plate so that the loss time by the cleaning is decreased.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to an in-line thin film forming apparatus for depositing a thin film onto a substrate by sputtering or vapor deposition.

[Background of the invention]

The in-line thin film forming apparatus includes a substrate loading chamber, a deposition chamber having a deposition source for depositing a thin film onto a substrate, and a substrate unloading chamber, which are successively adjacent to each other.

In this way, in the in-line thin film forming apparatus, the deposition chamber is separated from the substrate loading chamber and the substrate unloading chamber, so that the throughput is improved. However, throughput is limited due to detachment of deposits that accumulate in the deposition chamber.

Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of foreign matter being deposited, it is necessary to occasionally peel off and remove the deposits adhering to the walls of the deposition chamber.

In order to peel off and remove the deposits adhering to the walls, it is necessary to make the deposition chamber atmospheric, so products cannot be manufactured during this time. In addition, compared to batch-type thin film forming equipment that deposits several to dozens of sheets at a time, in-line thin film forming equipment processes more sheets each time, and the amount of deposits inside the equipment increases, so it is more frequent than batch-type thin film forming equipment. It is necessary to remove the deposits from the deposition chamber.

[Purpose of the invention]

One object of the present invention is to provide an in-line thin film forming apparatus that can easily clean the inside of a deposition chamber and reduce loss time due to cleaning.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an in-line thin film forming apparatus that can improve throughput.

[Summary of the invention]

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an in-line thin film forming apparatus in which a deposition prevention plate is disposed to cover a deposition source, and the deposition prevention plate can be transported outside the deposition chamber and into the deposition chamber. This provides the effect that the deposition chamber can be cleaned easily.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. gg
Figure 1 shows an in-line sputtering device. A substrate loading chamber 1, a deposition chamber 2, and a substrate unloading chamber 3 are provided adjacent to each other in this order, and a valve 4.5 is provided between each chamber 1.2.3 so as to be movable up and down. The deposition chamber 2 includes a sputter electrode 7 having a target 6 for depositing a thin film on the substrate.
is established.

This sputter electrode 7 is covered with a cylindrical adhesion prevention plate 8 shown in FIG. The adhesion prevention plate 8 is automatically transported from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the substrate preparation chamber 1 to the position indicated by the solid line in the deposition chamber 2, and from the position in the deposition chamber 2 to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the substrate removal chamber 3. I am doing my best to be able to do it.

Next, the effect will be explained. First, the cleaned adhesion prevention plate 8 was placed in the substrate preparation chamber 1. After evacuating the substrate preparation chamber 1, the valve 4 was opened and the adhesion prevention plate 8 was transferred from the substrate preparation chamber 1 to the deposition chamber 2. After that, valve 4 is closed.

In this state, it is sputter deposited on the substrate. Sputter deposition on this substrate is accomplished by the following operations. First, a substrate is installed in the substrate preparation chamber 1. Then, the substrate preparation chamber 1 is evacuated, and when the predetermined degree of vacuum is reached, the valve 4 is opened.
After the substrate is transported directly above the upper hole of the adhesion prevention plate 8 and the valve 4 is closed, sputter deposition is performed. After the deposition, the valve 5 is opened and the substrate is transported from the deposition chamber 2 to the substrate removal chamber 3.

When the deposition is repeated a predetermined number of times in this manner, the deposition prevention plate 8 is removed. To take out the adhesion prevention plate 8, the valve 5 is opened, the adhesion prevention plate 8 is transported from the deposition chamber 2 to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in the substrate removal chamber 3, and then the valve 5 is closed. Next, the substrate removal chamber 3 is leaked and the adhesion prevention plate 8 is dammed out. Then, a new adhesion prevention plate 8 that has been cleaned by the above-described operation is installed in the adhesion chamber 2.

In this way, in order to clean the deposition chamber 2, the deposition prevention plate 8 is transported from the deposition chamber 2 to the substrate removal chamber 3, and then a new Since this can be done by transporting the plate 8 from the substrate preparation chamber 1 to the deposition chamber 2, loss time due to cleaning is reduced and throughput is improved.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a mechanism for conveying and vertically moving the deposition prevention plate 8 described above. The adhesion prevention plate 8 has a flange portion 8a for transportation on the outer periphery.
is formed. On both side walls 10 of the sputtering apparatus, a large number of pins 11, 12 are rotatably provided in parallel horizontally in a row, and the side walls 10 of the pins 11, 12 are arranged horizontally in parallel.
Rollers 13 and 14' that support the collar portion 8a are fixed to the inwardly protruding portion. The portion of the pin 11 outside the side wall 10 corresponding to the portion that moves the anti-adhesion plate 8 up and down includes:
A sprocket 15 is inserted so as to be rotatable with the pin 11 and slidable in the axial direction with respect to the pin 11, and a sprocket 16 is fixed to a portion of the other pin 12 outside the side wall 10. A chain 17 driven by a drive means (not shown) is attached to these sprockets 15 and 16.

An engagement plate 18 is fixed to the end portion of the pin 11, and a roller drive plate 19 is engaged with the engagement plate 18, which is driven in the direction of arrow A by a drive means (not shown). Further, on the bottom plate 20 of the sputtering apparatus, a support ring 21 that supports the bottom surface of the deposition prevention plate 8 is disposed at a portion where the deposition prevention plate 8 is moved up and down. It is fixed to a vertically moving plate 22 that is moved vertically by a driving means.

Next, the effect will be explained. When the adhesion prevention plate 8 is conveyed, the rollers 13 and 14 are in the state shown by the two-dot chain line, and the collar portion 8a of the adhesion prevention plate 8 is placed on the rollers 13 and 14. When the chain 17 is driven in this state, the roller 13.
14 rotates, and the adhesion prevention plate 8 is conveyed from the left side to the right side. and.

When the anti-adhesive plate 8 is conveyed and positioned at a predetermined vertical movement position of the roller 13, an unillustrated chamber is activated by the anti-adhesive plate 8, and the vertically movable plate 22 is raised by the detection signal of this sensor to prevent the anti-adhesive material. Supports the bottom surface of the plate 8. In this state, the roller drive plate 19 retreats from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line to the position indicated by the solid line, and the roller 13 is located outside the flange portion 8a of the adhesion prevention plate 8. Next, the vertically movable plate 22 is lowered, and the adhesion prevention plate 8 is positioned as shown by the solid line. Thereby, the adhesion prevention plate 8 is arranged so as to cover the sputter electrode 7 shown in FIG.

In order to transport the adhesion prevention plate 8 from the deposition chamber 2 to the substrate unloading chamber 3, first, the vertical movement plate 22 is raised in the opposite manner to the above. Next, the roller drive plate 19 is operated in the opposite direction to the above to position the roller 13 below the flange 8a of the adhesion prevention plate 8. Subsequently, when the vertical moving plate 22 is lowered, the adhesion prevention plate 8 is supported by the roller 131. When the chain 17 is driven in this state, the rollers 13 and 14 rotate, and the adhesion prevention plate 8 is conveyed to the left.

In the above embodiments, the sputtering apparatus ζ has been explained, but the same effect can be obtained using a vapor deposition apparatus.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, the deposition chamber can be cleaned easily, loss time is reduced, and throughput is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the in-line thin film forming apparatus according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the adhesion prevention plate, and Fig. 3 is the transportation and vertical movement of the adhesion prevention plate. showing the mechanism,
+a+ is a plan sectional view, and ibl is a longitudinal sectional view. 1... Board preparation room, 2... Deposition room, 3...
・Substrate removal chamber, 7... Sputter electrode, 8.
...Adhesion prevention plate, 11.12...Pin, 1
3.14...roller, 15.16...sprocket, 17...chain/. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 (a)

Claims (1)

[Claims] In an in-line thin film forming apparatus in which a substrate preparation chamber, a deposition chamber having a deposition source for depositing a thin film on a substrate, and a substrate removal chamber are successively provided adjacent to each other, the deposition chamber is arranged so as to cover the deposition source. an in-line type characterized by comprising: a deposition prevention plate disposed in the substrate preparation chamber; and a conveying means for conveying the deposition prevention plate from the substrate loading chamber to the deposition chamber and from the deposition chamber to the substrate removal chamber. Thin film forming equipment.