JPS63303059A - Vacuum treatment equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To manufacture wavers having required characteristics by means of prescribed sputtering or etching, by providing intermediate chambers among plural vacuum treatment chambers via closed-type gate valves and by maintain the degrees of vacuum in the intermediate chambers at values higher than those in the vacuum treatment chambers. CONSTITUTION:A loading chamber 12, first-fourth sputtering chambers (vacuum treatment chambers) 13-16, and an unloader chamber 17 are provided to a sputtering device 11. Further, intermediate chambers 18-21 are properly provided among respective chambers mentioned above, and the intermediate chambers 18-21 are set up so that they can maintain degrees of vacuum at values higher than those in the sputtering chambers 13-16 and unloader chamber 17 via outlets 23, 24. Moreover, gate valves 22a-22j having hermetically sealing properties are provided to the loading chamber 12, the sputtering chambers 13-16, and the unloader chamber 17, respectively. By this method, the sputtering or etching, etc., of the prescribed grains can be applied to wafers, and the wafers having required characteristics can be obtained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Objective of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to vacuum processing, particularly multilayer sputtering, reactive sputtering, bias sputtering, sputter etch, DC
V! can be used for combinations of sputtering, RF sputtering, etc., or etching + sputtering. related to the location.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as a sputtering device 81 for sputtering, for example, multi-m1 (31), the one shown in FIG. 2 is known.

1 in the figure is a chamber. a of this chamber 1
ll is provided with an entrance 3 for transporting the wafer 2,
And in the center is a rotatable carrier 4 on which the wafer is propped up.
is provided. Further, on the inner wall of the chamber 1, a target 5 for forming each sputter layer on the wafer is provided.
a, 5b, and 5c are provided, and each target 58 to 5C is provided with a cover 6, respectively. These covers 6 allow particles from targets 58 to 5G to be transferred to another target 5.
This is to prevent it from adhering to a to 5C.

However, according to the prior art, a predetermined target (
For example, when performing sputtering using 5a), particles from this target 5a adhere to other targets 5b and 5c regardless of the presence of the cover 6, and these targets 5b
, 5c, it becomes impossible to sputter with high precision. In addition, since each sputtering is performed in the same chamber 1, sputtering can only be performed at the same pressure.
This leads to a decrease in sputtering work.

Sputtering work is complicated.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is capable of sputtering or etching predetermined particles onto a wafer to obtain a wafer with desired characteristics. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that is capable of processing under pressure-9 conditions and has high working efficiency.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides an intermediate chamber between the vacuum processing chambers via a gate pulp having airtight properties, and also adjusts the degree of vacuum in the intermediate chamber to that in the vacuum processing chamber. By maintaining the pressure higher than the wafer, it is possible to perform sputtering or etching of predetermined particles on the wafer to obtain a wafer with desired characteristics, and also to enable processing under different pressure conditions in each vacuum processing chamber.

That is, the present invention provides a plurality of vacuum processing chambers, an intermediate chamber provided between the vacuum processing chambers via a hermetic gate, and having a higher degree of vacuum than the vacuum processing chambers; The gist is to include means for creating a high vacuum.

(Function) In the present invention, the degree of vacuum in the intermediate chamber is set higher than that in the vacuum processing chamber, so even if particles from sputtering etc. remain in the vacuum processing chamber, the gate pulp is opened and the wafer is placed in a specified position. When attempting to transport the wafer from one high vacuum processing chamber to another high vacuum processing chamber, these particles are discharged into the intermediate chamber, making it possible to perform the desired sputtering or etching on the wafer, making it possible to obtain wafers with excellent properties. can.

(Example) An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

11 in the figure is a sputtering device. This device!
11 is provided with an O-do space 12, first to fourth sputtering chambers (vacuum processing chambers) 13, 14, 15, 16, and an unloader chamber 17. Further, intermediate chambers 18, 19, 20 are provided between the load chamber 12 and the sputtering chambers 13 to 16, and the load chamber 12. An intermediate chamber 21 is provided between the unloader chamber 17 and the sputter chamber 13°16.

The loader chamber 12 is an 8ISm in which a cassette in which a cassette is set is mounted, and a gate pulp 22a is provided on the first sputtering chamber 13 side. Further, the first sputtering chamber 13 has gate pulps 22b and 22c, the second sputtering chamber 14 has gate pulps 226 and 22e, and a third
The gate pulps 22f, 22Q are placed in the sputtering chamber 15, and the gate pulps 22h, 221, 221 are placed in the fourth sputtering chamber 16.
The unloader chamber 17 is provided with a gate pulp 22J.

The intermediate chambers 18 to 20 are connected to each other at the upper part, and each intermediate chamber is made into a high vacuum through the exhaust port 23 by operation of a pump (not shown).

Similarly, an exhaust port 24 is also attached to the intermediate chamber 21. The degree of vacuum in the intermediate chambers 18 to 21 during operation is set higher than that in the sputter chambers 13 to 16 and the unloader chamber 17.

In the sputtering apparatus having such a structure, the wafer set in the load chamber 12 has gate pulp 22a, 2
It moves to the first sputtering chamber 13 via the intermediate chamber 21 with the sputtering chamber 2b opened. Next, the wafer is made of gate pulp 22
It moves from the first sputtering chamber 13 to the second sputtering chamber 14 with c and 22d open. At this time, since the degree of vacuum in the first sputtering chamber 13 is set higher than that in the second sputtering chamber 14, particles etc. scattered during sputtering flow into the intermediate chamber 21. Thereafter, the wafer is transferred from the second sputtering chamber 14 to the intermediate chamber 19. Third sputtering chamber 15. Intermediate chamber 20. The fourth sputtering chamber 16° is transported through the intermediate chamber 21 to the unloader chamber 17.

Therefore, the sputtering apparatus according to the present invention has the following features:
Intermediate chambers 18, 19, and 20 are provided in the fourth sputtering chambers 13, 14, 15, and 16, respectively, and gate valves 22c to 22h having airtight properties are provided in each sputtering chamber, and the intermediate chambers 18 to 20 The vacuum level inside sputtering chamber 1
It has a structure set higher than those in 3 to 16. Therefore, particles generated during sputtering in a predetermined sputtering chamber are moved to an intermediate chamber with a high degree of vacuum, so that predetermined particles can be sputtered onto a wafer, and a wafer having desired characteristics can be obtained. In addition, since each sputtering chamber 13 to 16 is completely partitioned by a gate valve, each sputtering chamber 13 to 16 is completely separated by a gate valve.
~16, sputtering can be performed under appropriate pressures, making sputtering work easier.

In the above embodiment, the case of multilayer sputtering has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a combination of reactive sputtering, bias sputtering, etc., or a combination of etching and sputtering, etc. is also possible.

Further, in the above embodiment, a case was described in which there were four sputtering chambers, but the present invention is of course not limited to this.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, a wafer is subjected to sputtering or etching of predetermined particles to obtain a wafer with desired characteristics, and sputtering, etc. under different pressure conditions in each vacuum processing chamber is performed. It is possible to provide a vacuum processing device with good workability that allows for

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a sputtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional sputtering apparatus. 12... Load chamber, 13-16... Sputtering chamber, 1
7... Unloader room, 18-21... Intermediate room, 22
a to 22j...gate valve, 23.24...exhaust port. Applicant's agent Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A plurality of vacuum processing chambers, an intermediate chamber that is provided through a hermetic gate between the vacuum processing chambers and has a higher degree of vacuum than the vacuum processing chambers, and a high vacuum for this intermediate chamber. 1. A vacuum processing apparatus characterized by comprising means for. (2) The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum processing chamber is a sputtering chamber.