JPS62218570A - Apparatus for producing deposited film - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To shorten the time for operation and to improve workability by forming the part of a reaction chamber where a by-product sticks into a cassette so that said part can be attached and detached at the time of forming a deposited film on a base body. CONSTITUTION:The cylindrical base body 2 to be formed with the deposited film is installed in the reaction chamber 1 and a cylindrical cassette 3 is attachably and detachably fixed to enclose the base body 2. The inside of the reaction chamber 1 is evacuated to a desired degree of vacuum and the base body 2 is heated to a prescribed temp. by a heater. A gaseous raw material is then introduced from an introducing part 8 into the reaction chamber. The gaseous raw material enters the inside of the reaction chamber 1 via an aperture 4 of the cassette 3 and at the same time, a high frequency is impressed to a high-frequency electrode 5 to generate plasma between said electrode and the base body 2. The deposited film is thereby formed on the surface of the base body 2 and at the same time, the by-product sticks on the inside surface of the cassette 3. The by-product is, therefore, removed extremely easily from the reaction chamber 1 simply by taking out the cassette 3 after the operation.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a deposited film on a substrate in a reaction chamber, and in particular, to shorten the time required for the deposited film manufacturing process and improve workability. The present invention relates to a deposited film manufacturing apparatus intended for such purposes.

[Prior Art] Normally, by-products during thin film production adhere as contaminants in the reaction chamber after thin film production. Such contaminants can be easily peeled off by repeating the film formation process.
When the reaction chamber is leaked or evacuated, it easily flies up in the form of small pieces. For this reason, the surface of the substrate on which the thin film is formed or on which it will be formed is contaminated, causing a deterioration in the quality of the product.

Therefore, in order to reduce the influence of contaminants as much as possible, it is necessary to clean one reaction chamber every time a film is formed, or every few times.

Conventionally, such reaction chambers have been cleaned by manual decomposition cleaning or by dry etching using a special gas.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, manual disassembly cleaning takes a long time and requires a lot of effort.

Further, cleaning by dry etching uses an etching gas and generates plasma with high frequency power, and therefore requires high cleaning costs. In addition, cleaning cannot be carried out in such a short time, and contaminants are generated in the reaction chamber as the process is repeated.

For example, when an electrophotographic photoreceptor is manufactured by a plasma CVD method, remaining contaminants cause deterioration of the characteristics of the photoreceptor and image defects.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the deposited film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention includes a removable cassette for attaching the part to which by-products generated during the formation of the deposited film adhere. It is characterized by being formed by.

[Function] In this way, by making the part of the reaction chamber where by-products adhere into a cassette and making it removable, the cleaning work for the reaction chamber is greatly reduced, reducing the time required for the entire manufacturing process and improving work efficiency. can achieve improvements in

[Example] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1A to 1C are schematic configuration diagrams of first to third embodiments of the deposited film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, respectively.

In FIG. 1(A), a cylindrical base 2 for forming a deposited film is installed in a reaction chamber 1, and a cylindrical cassette 3 is detachably fixed to surround the base 2.

A plurality of openings 4 for introducing raw material gas into the reaction chamber 1 are provided on the upper surface of the cassette 3 as gas introduction means.

The side surface of the reaction chamber 1 is surrounded by a high frequency electrode 5, and the high frequency electrode 5 is electrically separated from the bottom plate 7 and the gas introduction part 8 by an insulating material 6. Further, the top plate 8 covers the gas introduction part 8, and an exhaust port 10 is provided in the bottom plate 6 inside the reaction chamber 1 to exhaust the inside of the reaction chamber 1. Note that the cylindrical base 2
Although not shown, a heater is provided inside to heat the base 2 to a desired temperature.

Next, as a specific example, a cylindrical base 2 is placed inside the reaction chamber l.
The process of depositing a thin film of amorphous silicon will be briefly explained below.

First, the cylindrical base 2 is installed and exhausted, and the reaction chamber 1 is
Create the desired degree of vacuum inside. Subsequently, after raising the temperature of the base 2 to a desired temperature using a heater, the gas introduction part 8
A raw material gas such as silane is introduced from the The source gas is introduced into the reaction chamber 1 through the opening 4 of the cassette 3, and at the same time, a high frequency is applied to the high frequency electrode 5 to generate plasma between it and the substrate 2. As a result, silane, which is a raw material gas, is decomposed by discharge, and an amorphous silicon film is formed on the surface of the base 2.

When an amorphous silicon film is formed by the plasma CVD method in this manner, fine powder polysilane is produced as a by-product, and this by-product adheres to the inner surface of the cassette 3. Therefore, by-products can be removed from the reaction chamber 1 very easily by simply taking out the cassette 3 after taking out the substrate 2 on which the amorphous silicon film has been deposited. Then, simply by installing a new cassette 3, a similar film forming process can be performed quickly.

In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 1(B), a plurality of gas introduction openings 12 are formed on the side surface of a removable cassette 11 provided in the reaction chamber 1, and the gas introduced from the gas introduction part 8 is is released into the reaction chamber 1 through the opening 12. In addition,
Other members and operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the same numbers are given and explanations are omitted (hereinafter the same)
.

In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 1(G), a removable cassette 13 is provided with a pipe 14 for introducing gas, and a vibrator 1
Gas is introduced into the reaction chamber 1 through 4. Therefore, the gas introduction section 8 as in the first embodiment is unnecessary.

In this manner, in the first to third embodiments, the structure inside the reaction chamber 1 is simple, and the loading and unloading of the cassettes 3, 11 and 13 is simplified. Therefore, as already mentioned, by-products can be removed from the reaction chamber 1 very easily, improving workability.

FIGS. 2A to 2G are schematic configuration diagrams of fourth to sixth embodiments of the present invention, respectively.

In the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 2(A), a removable cassette 15 covers the side surface of the reaction chamber 1, and gas is directly introduced into the reaction chamber 1 from the gas introduction part 8.

In the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 2(B), gas is introduced from the gas introduction part IB fixed to the reaction chamber 1, and the cassette H7 is the inner surface of the reaction chamber 1 excluding the gas discharge part of the gas introduction part 16. is covered.

In the sixth embodiment shown in FIG. 2(C), a gas introduction pipe 18 is fixed in the reaction chamber 1, and a removable cassette 19 covers the side and top surfaces of the reaction chamber 1.

Note that the gas is emitted from the pipe 18 toward the high-frequency electrode 5 side.

By fixing the gas introducing means within the reaction chamber 1 as in the fourth to sixth embodiments, the structure of the cassette 15, 17 or 19 that is attached and detached can be further simplified. In terms of simplifying the structure, the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 2(A) is most effective.

FIGS. 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams of seventh to ninth embodiments of the present invention.

In the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 3(A), a removable cassette 20 is connected to the high frequency electrode 5, and the cassette 20
functions as a high-frequency electrode. That is, the gas introduction section 8
While introducing gas into the reaction chamber 1, a plasma discharge is generated between the substrate 2 and the cassette 20, and a thin film is deposited on the substrate 2.

In the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 3CB), the case 21 forming the side surface of one reaction chamber l is not an electrode, but a detachable cassette 22 is a high-frequency electrode.

In the ninth embodiment shown in FIG. 3 (CC), similarly to the eighth embodiment, the case 21 forming the side surface of the reaction chamber 1 is not an electrode, but the rod electrode 23 is a high-frequency electrode. The rod electrode 23 is fixed to a removable cassette 24 that covers the side surface of the reaction chamber 1, and is removable together with the cassette 24.

In this way, since the removable cassette is or has a high-frequency electrode, optimal conditions can be set even when the size of the substrate 2 is different, and flexible film formation becomes possible.

FIGS. 4(A) and 4(B) are schematic diagrams of a disciple and a disciple-embodiment of the present invention.

In the disciple embodiment shown in FIG. 4(A), the side surface of one reaction chamber 1 is formed with a high frequency electrode 5, and a cassette 25 formed of an insulator is removably installed so as to cover the side surface.

In the disciple embodiment shown in FIG.
is fixedly installed as a high frequency electrode. And a cylindrical case made of insulator.

A groove 27 covers the side surface of the reaction chamber 1.

In this way, since the removable cassettes 25 and 27 do not have high-frequency electrodes, the structure of the cassette is simplified.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, a cylindrical cassette 2 covering a high frequency electrode 5 is used.
The cover and the substrate holder that holds the substrate 2 are integrated, and the insertion and removal of the substrate 2 and the cassette 28 is simplified. Furthermore, the processing time for heating or cooling the base 2 can be shortened.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the substrate holder 2' and the cylindrical cassette 29 that covers the high-frequency electrode 5 are integrated, and a heater 30 for heating the substrate and a thermocouple 31 for measuring the temperature of the substrate are provided in the substrate holder 2'. is also integrated with the cassette 28. Therefore, the heater 30 and the thermocouple 31 can be removed at the same time as the cassette 29 for easy inspection and replacement, and it is possible to prevent the quality of the deposited film from deteriorating due to deterioration of their characteristics.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the cassette 32 can be cooled by introducing cooling gas into the detachable cassette 32. Cooling can prevent gas release from the cassette 32 and improve the quality of the deposited film on the substrate 2.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, cooling means 3 is provided outside the detachable cassette 33.
4 is provided, and the cassette 33 is cooled by introducing cooling gas into the cooling means 34. With this, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the fourth embodiment of the disciple.

Further, in the fourth and thirteenth embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, if a heating gas is used instead of the cooling gas, the heating means for baking the cassettes 32 and 33 can be used.

Note that the first to thirteenth embodiments described above can be easily combined.

In addition, although the above specific example shows the case where an amorphous silicon film is formed, it goes without saying that SiO2 film, Si3N4 film, A
It goes without saying that an apparatus for forming a thin film such as a 1103 film may also be used.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained in detail, in the deposited film forming apparatus according to the present invention, the part of the reaction chamber to which byproducts adhere is made into a removable cassette, thereby reducing the cleaning work of the reaction chamber. This significantly reduces the time required for the entire manufacturing process and improves workability. Therefore, it is suitable for mass production, and contaminants are unlikely to remain in the reaction chamber even after repeated film formation, so if the present invention is applied to, for example, the manufacture of electrophotographic photoreceptors, high-quality photoreceptors can be manufactured. The frequency of image defects that have been a problem in the prior art is significantly reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIGS. 1(A) to 1(C) are schematic configuration diagrams of first to third embodiments of the deposited film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, respectively. FIGS. 2(A) to (C) are schematic configuration diagrams of fourth to sixth embodiments of the present invention, respectively, and FIGS. 3(A) to (G) are seventh to ninth embodiments of the present invention. Figure 4 (A) and (B) are schematic diagrams of the 13th embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the 13th embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic block diagram of a 13th Example. 1...Reaction chamber 2...Substrate 3, 11. 13, 15, 17, 19.20.22.2
4, 25.27.28.28.32.33・Pu・Ita・
・Cassette 5・Fist・High frequency electrode 8, IB--・Gas introduction part 101111 @ exhaust port 14.18-φ・Gas introduction pipe Agent Patent attorney Seki Yamashita Taira cD ψ ψ<D
ψ <D Q cu () 6 Figure 7

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An apparatus for producing a deposited film on a substrate in a reaction chamber, characterized in that a part to which by-products generated during the formation of the deposited film adhere is formed by a removable cassette. .