JPWO2014115523A1 - Film forming apparatus, film manufacturing method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

The composition ratio of the composite film is controlled by utilizing the phenomenon that the element ratio varies with time in the plasma flow. A film forming apparatus for forming a film containing a plurality of elements in a plurality of raw materials on a target using a composite material in which a plurality of raw materials are mixed, and generating a plurality of arc discharges on the composite material A discharge unit that causes the element to be in a plasma state and emits the element, and a control unit that controls the amount of plasma flow that reaches the object based on the composition ratio of a plurality of elements present in the plasma flow toward the object A film forming apparatus is provided.

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus using a composite material, a film manufacturing method, and a program for causing a computer to function as a control unit of the film forming apparatus.

Conventionally, a method of forming a film using a filtered cathodic vacuum arc (abbreviated as FCVA) method is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[Prior art documents]
[Patent Literature]
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2005-139547

  There is a method of obtaining a film (abbreviated as a composite film) containing carbon and a metal element other than carbon by the FCVA method. In this method, it is conceivable to use a combination of an FCVA mechanism using a carbon raw material and an FCVA mechanism using a raw material of a metal element other than carbon. However, this method requires multiple FCVA mechanisms. Since one FCVA mechanism has a plasma generation mechanism, an electromagnetic filter, and the like, a plurality of plasma generation mechanisms, a plurality of electromagnetic filters, and the like are required in a plurality of FCVA mechanisms. Therefore, if a plurality of FCVA mechanisms are employed, the film forming apparatus becomes complicated.

  Further, for the purpose of obtaining a composite film by the FCVA method, a method using an FCVA mechanism using a composite material containing carbon and a metal element other than carbon is also conceivable. In the method, only one FCVA mechanism is required. However, since the composition ratio in the composite film reflects the composition ratio between carbon and a metal element other than carbon in the composite material, it is difficult to control the composition ratio in the composite film. For example, when obtaining composite films having different composition ratios, composite materials having different composition ratios must be used.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film forming apparatus for forming a film containing a plurality of elements in a plurality of raw materials on a target using a composite material obtained by mixing a plurality of raw materials. On the other hand, a plasma flow that reaches the object is generated based on a discharge portion that causes arc discharge to generate a plurality of elements in a plasma state and emits them, and a composition ratio of the plurality of elements present in the plasma flow toward the object. And a control unit for controlling the amount of the film formation.

  In the second aspect of the present invention, a step of preparing a composite material having a plurality of elements, a plasma generation step for generating an arc discharge to generate a plasma flow from the composite material, and a ratio of the plurality of elements And a control step of controlling the amount of plasma flow that reaches the deposition target based on the ratio of a plurality of elements in the plasma flow.

  In a third aspect of the present invention, a program for causing a computer to function as a control unit in the film forming apparatus of the first aspect is provided.

  It should be noted that the above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the necessary features of the present invention. In addition, a sub-combination of these feature groups can also be an invention.

It is a figure which shows the film-forming apparatus using the FCVA method in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the enlarged view of the discharge part in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the spectrum intensity with respect to the wavelength in the composite material of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the change of the spectral intensity with respect to time in the composite material of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the control algorithm of a composition ratio in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the control algorithm of FIG. 5A on a time axis. It is a figure which shows the control algorithm of a composition ratio in 2nd Embodiment. It is a diagram showing a control algorithm after calculating the average composition ratio c ₂ in FIG. 6A. It is a figure which shows the film-forming apparatus using the FCVA method in 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the hardware constitutions of the computer in 4th Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In addition, not all the combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential for the solving means of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a film forming apparatus 100 using the FCVA method in the first embodiment. A film forming apparatus 100 that forms a film containing a plurality of elements in a plurality of raw materials on a substrate 80 that is a film formation target using a composite material 11 in which a plurality of raw materials are mixed includes a discharge unit 10 and a filter unit 20. , A measuring unit 30, a scanning unit 40, a control unit 50, and a film forming chamber 70.

  A composite material 11 is placed inside the discharge unit 10. A plurality of raw materials are mixed in the composite material 11. The plurality of raw materials may be carbon and titanium and aluminum which are metal elements other than carbon. In this example, the composite material 11 is mixed with carbon and titanium. In this example, the composite material 11 is electrically grounded.

  The discharge unit 10 includes a plasma generation trigger 15 and a trigger moving unit 16. The plasma generation trigger 15 has a contact portion 14 having a pointed tip. When the contact portion 14 having a high voltage is brought into contact with the surface of the composite material 11 and pulled away, an arc discharge is generated in the composite material 11. Due to the arc discharge, carbon and titanium are put into a plasma state and released from the composite material 11. The trigger moving unit 16 moves the position of the contact unit 14 with respect to the composite material 11. The moved contact portion 14 can contact different positions on the surface of the composite material 11. Therefore, arc discharge can be generated at different positions of the composite material 11.

  The filter unit 20 is connected to the discharge unit 10. The filter unit 20 is, for example, a plasma flow electromagnetic spatial filter. The filter unit 20 has a curved cylindrical shape. The filter unit 20 controls the flow of the plasma flow by applying a magnetic field to the plasma flow.

  The filter unit 20 changes the direction of the plasma flow generated from the discharge unit 10 based on the ion valence and ion mass of ions contained in the plasma flow. In this example, the filter unit 20 allows a flow of carbon ions and titanium ions, which are predetermined ion species, to pass (plasma flow 29). However, the filter unit 20 changes the direction of the plasma flow composed of ions other than the predetermined ion species and causes the plasma flow to collide with the inside of the curved cylinder (plasma flow 27). Therefore, the filter unit 20 can block the plasma flow 27 in the filter unit 20.

  The filter unit 20 includes a winding 25 wound around the outer surface of a curved cylinder. The winding 25 may form a solenoid coil. By passing a current through the winding 25, a magnetic field along the inside of the curved cylinder can be applied inside the filter unit 20. Further, the magnitude of the magnetic field can be controlled by controlling the amount of current flowing through the winding 25. Therefore, by controlling the magnitude of the magnetic field, the ion flow can be controlled based on the ion valence and the ion mass.

  The measurement unit 30 measures the abundance ratio of a plurality of ions in the plasma flow. The measurement unit 30 is, for example, an emission spectrophotometer that observes an emission spectrum and identifies a spectral intensity ratio of a plurality of ions. The measuring unit 30 may measure an absorption spectrum due to the target ion species in the plasma. The measurement unit 30 is provided connected to the filter unit 20. The existence ratio of the plurality of ions in the plasma flow can be calculated from the spectral intensity ratio of the plurality of ions. By irradiating the plasma flow onto the substrate 80 while observing the plasma flow with the measurement unit 30, the composition ratio of elements deposited on the substrate 80 can be specified. In this example, the composition ratio of carbon and titanium formed on the substrate 80 is specified by observing the spectral intensity of wavelengths unique to carbon ions and titanium ions. In the present specification, the composition ratio refers to the atomic ratio unless otherwise specified.

  The measurement unit 30 of this example is provided in the filter unit 20 at a position closer to the discharge unit 10 than the scan unit 40. The measurement unit 30 may be provided in the filter unit 20 at a position closer to the scan unit 40 than the discharge unit 10. Further, the measuring unit 30 may be provided in the scanning unit 40 described later. When the measuring unit 30 is provided in the scanning unit 40, the windings 25 provided in the filter unit 20 can be arranged without gaps, so that the magnetic field is more uniformly compared to the case where the measuring unit 30 is provided in the filter unit 20. Can be generated. In addition to the emission spectrophotometer, an ultraviolet to visible absorption spectrophotometer, Raman spectrophotometer, CARS spectrophotometer, Langmuir probe, or the like can be used as the measurement unit 30.

  The scanning unit 40 is provided between the filter unit 20 and the film forming chamber 70. A part of the plasma flow enters the scanning unit 40 after passing through the filter unit 20. The plasma flow that has passed through the scanning unit 40 is guided to the film forming chamber 70.

  The scanning unit 40 controls the direction in which the plasma flow is irradiated onto the substrate 80 by changing the magnitude of the magnetic field in the direction intersecting the plasma flow. For example, the scanning unit 40 can irradiate the substrate 80 with the plasma flow by applying no magnetic field to the plasma flow (plasma flow 43). Further, the scanning unit 40 can adjust the film forming position on the substrate 80 by applying a magnetic field in a direction crossing the plasma flow. By using the scanning unit 40 to uniformly scan the surface of the substrate 80, the film formed on the substrate 80 can be uniformly formed. Further, the scanning unit 40 can change the flow direction of the plasma flow by applying a magnetic field larger than that when the surface of the substrate 80 is scanned uniformly, so that the substrate 80 is not irradiated with the plasma flow (plasma flow 45). ).

  In this example, the scanning unit 40 is provided between the filter unit 20 and the film forming chamber 70. The scanning unit 40 can be omitted. That is, the filter unit 20 may be configured to be directly connected to the film forming chamber 70 in which the substrate 80 is provided.

  Based on the information from the measurement unit 30, the control unit 50 controls the plasma generation trigger 15 and the trigger moving unit 16 of the discharge unit 10, the current amount of the winding 25, the magnetic field of the scanning unit 40, and the film formation chamber 70 described later. The position of a certain shutter unit 60 is controlled. The control unit 50 controls the amount of plasma flow reaching the substrate 80 based on the composition ratio of a plurality of elements present in the plasma flow toward the substrate 80 measured by the measurement unit 30.

  When a plasma flow was generated by applying an arc discharge to the composite material 11, it was observed that the ratio of a plurality of elements in the plasma flow fluctuated with time. Therefore, in this example, the control unit 50 controls the plasma flow while measuring the time variation of the composition ratios of a plurality of elements existing in the plasma flow using the measurement unit 30.

  Specifically, the control unit 50 acquires, from the measurement unit 30, time variation information on the composition ratios of a plurality of elements present in the plasma flow toward the substrate 80 as a film formation target. And the control part 50 controls the quantity of the plasma flow which reaches | attains the board | substrate 80 based on the said time fluctuation. For example, the control unit 50 adjusts the amount of plasma flow applied to the substrate 80 by adjusting the magnitude of the magnetic field of the filter unit 20. Thereby, a film containing a plurality of elements in a plurality of raw materials is formed on the substrate 80. Note that the amount of plasma flow that reaches the object may be the flow rate of the plasma flow, that is, the amount of plasma flow that reaches the object per unit time.

  In addition, the control unit 50 controls the substrate 80 not to be irradiated with the plasma flow when the composition ratio of the plurality of elements is out of a predetermined range. On the other hand, the control unit 50 controls the substrate 80 to be irradiated with a plasma flow when the composition ratio of the plurality of elements is within a predetermined range. When the composition ratio is outside the predetermined range, the control unit 50 controls at least one of the current amount of the winding 25, the magnetic field that the scanning unit 40 vibrates, and the position of the shutter unit 60, The substrate 80 is controlled not to be irradiated with the plasma flow.

  The film forming chamber 70 includes a substrate folder 85 on which the shutter unit 60 and the substrate 80 are placed. In this example, the shutter unit 60 is a mechanical shutter that switches whether to block the plasma flow toward the substrate 80. The mechanical shutter can block the flow of ions reaching the substrate 80 when the elemental composition ratio is outside a predetermined range.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the discharge unit 10 in the first embodiment. In this example, the composite material 11 is mixed with titanium which is the metal element 12 in the carbon matrix 13.

  A region where arc discharge occurs on the surface of the composite material 11 is called an arc cathode spot. The arc cathode spot is generated once and then moves on the surface of the composite material 11. Therefore, once the arc cathode spot is generated, the generation of ions is continued as long as the arc cathode spot continues to move even if the arc discharge is not performed again.

  At the arc cathode spot, the element in the composite material 11 excited by high energy transitions from the solid state to the plasma state. In general, higher energy than carbon or other elements such as metals is required for carbonization. Therefore, in the case of the composite material 11 including carbon and an element other than carbon such as metal, immediately after the occurrence of arc discharge, the element other than carbon such as metal becomes plasma first, and the plasma of carbon is delayed with delay. It is thought to happen. Similarly, when the arc cathode spot is moved, elements other than carbon such as metal are considered to be plasma first.

  Therefore, in the composite material 11 containing carbon and an element other than carbon such as a metal, the plasma and that is, ionization ions are not generated at the same ratio of carbon and an element other than carbon such as a metal. That is, while ion generation continues, a time zone in which carbon ions are dominant and a time zone in which ions of elements other than carbon such as metal genus are dominant are separated. Therefore, it is considered that the ratio of carbon ions and ions of elements other than carbon such as metal in the plasma flow changes with time while the generation of ions continues. This is considered to be one of the causes that the composition ratio of a plurality of elements fluctuates over time while the generation of ions continues.

  In addition, compositional unevenness of the composite material can be considered as a cause of the time variation of the composition ratio of a plurality of elements. If the composite material is not homogeneously mixed with carbon and other elements other than carbon, such as metals, and there is a difference in composition depending on the location of the composite material, the multiple elements that are ionized as the arc cathode spot moves The composition ratio may vary. Therefore, the composition ratio of a plurality of elements in the plasma flow may also vary. Therefore, the composition ratio fluctuation is also transferred to the deposited film. The arc cathode spot is considered to be about 1 to 100 microns in size, and such a phenomenon is considered to occur when the spatial period of the composition unevenness is sufficiently larger than the size of the arc cathode spot. Note that the above phenomenon is not limited to the case of a composite material of carbon and an element other than carbon, and can be observed in a composite material containing different elements.

  Note that once the arc discharge is generated and the generation of ions continues, the contact portion 14 is retracted from the vicinity of the surface of the composite material 11 so as not to disturb the plasma flow. After a while, the contact portion 14 may be returned to the surface of the composite material 11 again, and arc discharge may be applied to the surface of the composite material 11. In this example, the time interval at which arc discharge is generated after arc discharge is generated is about 10 seconds.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the spectral intensity with respect to the wavelength measured by the measurement unit 30 with respect to the plasma flow generated using the composite material 11 of the first embodiment. As described above, the spectral intensity ratio between carbon ions and titanium ions corresponds to the abundance ratio of titanium ions and carbon ions in the plasma flow. However, a certain amount of some ions are released before being deposited on the substrate 80. Therefore, the user of the film forming apparatus 100 beforehand determines the abundance ratio of a plurality of ions in the plasma flow measured through the measurement unit 30 and the composition ratio of each element in the composite film formed on the substrate 80. Check the relationship. Thereby, the conversion factor which shows the composition ratio in a composite film with respect to the abundance ratio of several ion in a plasma flow can be obtained in advance. By using the conversion factor, the spectral intensity ratio observed by the measurement unit 30 is easily converted to the elemental composition ratio during film formation.

  In this example, the control unit 50 acquires the ratio between the peak intensity near 337 nm derived from titanium ions and the peak intensity near 509 nm derived from carbon ions through the measurement unit 30. However, the spectrum peak to be measured is not limited to one peak per element as long as the composition ratio in the film can be estimated with the highest accuracy. That is, the control unit 50 may acquire the ratio of the peak intensity of each element based on the average intensity of a plurality of spectral peaks per element.

  In addition, it has been confirmed that the conversion factor described above varies depending on the degree of vacuum of the discharge unit 10. Therefore, the conversion factor may be prepared using the degree of vacuum of the discharge unit 10 and the wavelengths of a plurality of spectral peaks in each element as parameters.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a change in spectral intensity with respect to time measured by the measurement unit 30 with respect to a plasma flow generated using the composite material 11 of the first embodiment. A solid line A indicates a time variation of a peak at a wavelength of 671 nm derived from carbon ions. The broken line B shows the time variation of the peak at a wavelength of 337 nm derived from titanium ions. A solid line C indicates time fluctuation of a peak at a wavelength of 326 nm derived from titanium ions. It can be seen that the intensity of each specific wavelength in each element varies with time.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a composition ratio control algorithm in the first embodiment. The horizontal axis represents the film thickness of the formed film, and the vertical axis represents the composition ratio of elements in the film. In this example, the surface of the film in contact with the substrate 80 is the position where the film thickness is zero, and the film thickness direction is the positive film thickness direction. In addition, the composition ratio of this example is a composition ratio of carbon and a titanium element. The composition ratio is specified by the measurement unit 30.

The area between the two dotted lines is the range of the predetermined composition ratio in this example. In the present embodiment, the control unit 50, to the position of the thickness h ₁ increases the range of a predetermined composition ratio substantially linear. Further, the control unit 50 is a substantially constant predetermined range of the composition ratio is larger position than the thickness h _1.

  The controller 50 irradiates the substrate 80 with the plasma flow only when the composition ratios of the plurality of elements in the plasma flow fall within a predetermined composition ratio range. For example, the control unit 50 allows the filter unit 20 to pass a specific plasma flow and opens the shutter unit 60. Then, the control unit 50 controls the scanning unit 40 to scan the plasma flow on the surface of the substrate 80. On the other hand, the control unit 50 controls at least one of the filter unit 20, the scanning unit 40, and the mechanical shutter when the composition ratio of the plurality of elements in the plasma flow is outside the predetermined composition ratio range. The plasma flow is blocked from the substrate 80.

  In this example, the controller 50 blocks the plasma flow from the substrate 80 when the composition ratio exceeds the predetermined composition ratio range for the first time. The composition ratio of the blocked plasma flow is indicated by a broken line near the point a. And the control part 50 confirms with the measurement part 30 that the composition ratio has returned to the range of the predetermined composition ratio again, and restarts film-forming. The composition ratio when restarted is indicated by a solid line between points a and b.

  In the vicinity of the point a, when the composition ratio exceeds a predetermined composition ratio range, the plasma flow is blocked from the substrate 80, so that scanning of the surface of the substrate 80 by the scanning unit 40 is also blocked. When the composition ratio returns again to the predetermined composition ratio range, the plasma flow is irradiated onto the substrate 80, and the scanning unit 40 resumes scanning the surface of the substrate 80. When scanning is resumed, scanning may be resumed by returning slightly from the position where scanning was stopped in the scanning direction. By returning the position when the scanning is resumed, it is possible to compensate for the intermittent coating on the scanning line that may occur when the scanning is stopped.

  Next, when the composition ratio exceeds a predetermined composition ratio range, the controller 50 blocks the plasma flow from the substrate 80. The blocked plasma flow is indicated by a broken line near point b. And the control part 50 confirms with the measurement part 30 that the composition ratio has returned to the range of the predetermined composition ratio again, and restarts film-forming. The composition ratio of the plasma flow in which the film formation has been resumed is indicated by a solid line between points b and c.

  Similarly, near the point c, when the composition ratio exceeds the predetermined composition ratio range, the control unit 50 blocks the plasma flow from the substrate 80. And the control part 50 confirms with the measurement part 30 that the composition ratio has returned to the range of the predetermined composition ratio again, and restarts film-forming.

The control algorithm of the present embodiment, until the film thickness h ₁ by increasing the composition ratio substantially linear, the greater place than the thickness h ₁ can be a composition ratio substantially constant. That is, the composition ratio can be controlled in the film thickness direction.

  As described above, even when the composition ratio of elements in the composite material is constant, the ion ratio of the plasma flow generated from the composite material (that is, the ratio of elements contributing to film formation) varies with time. Can be used to control the composition of the composite membrane. In other words, the composition ratio of the composite film is controlled by performing film formation when the element ratio is within a predetermined range in the plasma flow and not performing film formation when the element ratio is not within the predetermined range. Can do. Thereby, the composition ratio of the composite membrane can be controlled using one FCVA mechanism.

FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating the control algorithm of FIG. 5A on a time axis. time of the time and _{a 2-point} of a _1-point corresponds to a point in Figure 5A. Similarly, the time at point b ₁ and the time at point b _{2 correspond to} point b in FIG. 5A, and the time at point c ₁ and time at point c ₂ correspond to point c in FIG. 5A, respectively.

  Since the film formation time is proportional to the film thickness, the conversion factor of the film thickness with respect to the film formation time can be obtained by prior film formation. Therefore, FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B may be converted using the conversion factor. In addition, the range of the predetermined composition ratio represented by two dotted lines in FIG. 5A is extended in parallel with the time axis during the time when film formation is not performed, and is shown in FIG. 5B.

a Plasma is generated after the plasma flow exceeds a predetermined composition ratio range from the time of ₁ point to the time of a ₂ point and from the time of c ₁ point to the time of c ₂ point. This shows a situation in which the composition ratio returns to the predetermined composition ratio range again while the trigger 15 is retracted.

  However, the composition ratio does not always return to the predetermined composition ratio range again. Further, when waiting for the composition ratio to return to the predetermined composition ratio range again, the film formation time may be too long. Therefore, when the composition ratio is out of the predetermined composition ratio range and a predetermined time has elapsed, the composite material 11 is again subjected to arc discharge by the plasma generation trigger 15, thereby reducing the composition ratio of the plasma flow. You may return to the range of the predetermined composition ratio.

b From the time of ₁ point to the time of b ₂ point, after exceeding the range of the predetermined composition ratio, the location of the arc cathode point is newly changed by the plasma generation trigger 15 at a certain time t. It shows a situation where the composition ratio of the flow is returned to a predetermined composition ratio range. Depending on the presence of a plurality of elements in the composite material 11, even if the location of the arc cathode spot is changed, it does not necessarily return to the predetermined composition ratio range. I do not care. By the above means, the composition ratio of the plasma flow can be quickly returned to the predetermined composition ratio range.

  As described above, the control unit 50 controls the timing of starting the next arc discharge after the discharge unit 10 performs the arc discharge based on the change in the composition ratio of the plurality of elements measured by the measurement unit 30. Good. Note that the change in the composition ratio of the plurality of elements measured by the measurement unit 30 may be a change in the composition ratio of the plurality of elements over time. Thereby, when the composition ratio is not within the predetermined range, the time variation of the composition ratio can be newly caused, so that the film formation time can be shortened.

  FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating a composition ratio control algorithm according to the second embodiment. The horizontal axis and the vertical axis are the film thickness and the composition ratio, as in FIG. 5A. The composition ratio is the composition ratio of carbon and titanium elements as in FIG. 5A.

A trapezoidal region drawn by a solid line is an initial range of a predetermined composition ratio. The designed film thickness h _plan is the film thickness of the composite film to be formed. The design composition ratio c _plan is the average composition ratio in the film thickness direction of the composite film to be formed, that is, the composition ratio of the entire film. In this example, by defining the initial range, the design film thickness h _plan, and the design composition ratio c _plan , the variation of the composition ratio in the film thickness direction is allowed, and the unit thickness per unit thickness in the design film thickness h _plan is allowed. The average composition ratio is set to a design composition ratio c _plan which is a constant value.

In the initial range of this example, the range of the composition ratio is widened at the position where the film thickness is zero, and the range of the composition ratio is narrowed at the position of the designed film thickness h _plan . If the range of the composition ratio at the position where the film thickness is zero is narrowed in the initial range, the film formation cannot be started unless the composition ratio falls within the narrow range. Therefore, by increasing the range of the composition ratio at the position where the film thickness is zero, it is possible to start the film formation more smoothly than when the range of the composition ratio at the position where the film thickness is zero is narrowed.

In addition, the initial range of this example is line-symmetric with respect to a straight line parallel to the horizontal axis of the film thickness passing through the design composition ratio c _plan . However, the shape of the initial range in the range from the position of zero film thickness to the position of the designed film thickness h _plan is not limited to a line-symmetric shape. For example, the initial range may be asymmetric with respect to a straight line parallel to the horizontal axis of the film thickness passing through the design composition ratio c _plan . Further, the change in the composition ratio with respect to the film thickness in the initial range between the position where the film thickness is zero and the position where the designed film thickness h _plan may be changed linearly or non-linearly.

Similar to the control of FIG. 5A, the control unit 50 irradiates the substrate 80 with the plasma flow when the composition ratio of the plasma flow is within a predetermined composition ratio range, and when the composition ratio exceeds the range, Is shielded from the substrate 80. The difference from FIG. 5A of the first embodiment is that the control unit 50 calculates the average composition ratio c ₂ at the constant film thickness h ₂ during the film formation, and the initial range of the composition ratio determined in advance based on the calculation result It is a point to change.

  As described above, the film thickness and the film formation time can be easily converted by obtaining the conversion coefficient in advance. In this example, since the film is formed by scanning the plasma flow on the substrate 80, the film formation time and the time when the substrate 80 is irradiated with the plasma flow are also in a certain proportional relationship. Therefore, there is a one-to-one relationship between the film thickness and the time for which the substrate 80 is irradiated with the plasma flow. By utilizing this relationship, in this example, the control unit 50 calculates the integral value of the composition ratio of the plasma flow with respect to the film thickness. This also corresponds to the controller 50 calculating an integral value of the composition ratio of the plasma flow with respect to the time when the substrate 80 is irradiated with the plasma flow.

Thus, the sum of the values of composition ratio of up to a thickness h ₂ is a integral value represented by the hatched area of Figure 6A. Control unit 50, by dividing the integrated value by the thickness h _2, to obtain the average composition ratio c ₂ from zero thickness to thickness h _2. The average composition ratio _{c 2} of the present embodiment is lower than the design composition ratio _{c plan.} Therefore, in the film thickness h ₂ and subsequent deposition, to approximate the design composition ratio c _plan the composition ratio, to change the range of a predetermined composition ratio.

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a control algorithm after calculating the average composition ratio c ₂ in FIG. 6A. The horizontal axis and the vertical axis are the same as in FIG. 6A. The substantially triangular area drawn with a dotted line is the initial range of the composition ratio defined in FIG. 6A, and the trapezoidal area drawn with a solid line is a predetermined area from the film thickness h ₂ to the film thickness h _plan . This is the range after changing the composition ratio.

The controller 50 changes the predetermined range of the composition ratio based on the integrated value of the composition ratio up to the film thickness h ₂ so that the average composition ratio c ₂ approaches the design composition ratio c _plan . In the present embodiment, the control unit 50 computes the difference between the average composition ratio _{c 2} to design the composition ratio _{c plan} and the thickness _{h 2,} modified average composition ratio in the film thickness _{h 2} to the design thickness _{h plan} c Set _new . Specifically, the control unit 50 adjusts the corrected average composition ratio so that the difference between the design composition ratio c _plan and the average composition ratio c ₂ is equal to the difference between the corrected average composition ratio c _new and the design composition ratio c _plan. c Set _new .

Therefore, if the average composition ratio _{c 2} is lower than the design composition ratio _{c plan} is corrected average composition ratio _{c new new} is higher than the design composition ratio _{c plan.} Conversely, if the average composition ratio _{c 2} is higher than the design composition ratio _{c plan} is corrected average composition ratio _{c new new} becomes lower than the design composition ratio _{c plan.} In the present embodiment, the control unit 50, the average composition ratio _{c 2} until a thickness _{h 2} is lower than the design composition ratio _{c plan,} modifying the average composition ratio _{c new new} is greater than the design composition ratio _{c plan.} In order to form a composite film having a design composition ratio c _plan , the range of the composition ratio at the film thickness h ₂ in the changed range is wider than the range of the composition ratio at the film thickness h ₂ in the initial range. ing.

In this example, within the scope of the changed corrected average area enclosed by the curve of the composition ratio of below compositional ratio c _{new new} and modified average composition ratio c _new (S ₁₎ is corrected average composition ratio c _{new new} And the area (S ₂ ) surrounded by the curve of the composition ratio above the corrected average composition ratio c _new . That is, a predetermined corrected average composition ratio c _new from the film thickness h ₂ to the designed film thickness h _plan is obtained. Therefore, the corrected average composition ratio can be set to c _new from the film thickness h ₂ to the design film thickness h _plan , so that a composite film having the design composition ratio c _{plan at} the film thickness h _plan can be finally obtained. it can.

  As a result, a film having a design composition ratio in the design film thickness can be formed as the entire film while allowing variation in the composition ratio in the film thickness direction.

Note that the control unit 50 may change the predetermined range of the composition ratio based on the history of changes in the composition ratio since the start of film formation during film formation. The history of composition ratio variation may be a history of composition ratio variation over time. For example, the average composition ratio from the start of film formation to a predetermined film thickness may be significantly lower than the design composition ratio c _plan . In other words, the history of the time variation of the composition ratio from the start of film formation to a predetermined film thickness may be in a region that is significantly lower than the design composition ratio c _plan . In this case, the control unit 50 may set the corrected average composition ratio c _new at a position that is significantly higher than the design composition ratio c _plan in consideration of the history of temporal variation of the composition ratio.

Note that the control unit 50 may change the predetermined range of the composition ratio a plurality of times. For example, as compared with the range area in the initial range of the predetermined composition ratio, the range area may be gradually reduced as the composition ratio range is changed a plurality of times. That is, in the initial stage of film formation, the possibility of a relatively large variation in composition ratio may be allowed, and film formation may be performed in a gradually limited range of composition ratio as the film thickness increases. Thus, for example, a film having a composition ratio that is significantly lower than the design composition ratio c _plan is formed at a stage where the film thickness is small, and a film having a corrected average composition ratio that is abruptly higher than the design composition ratio c _{plan at a} stage where the film thickness is large. Can be prevented. That is, it is possible to prevent the variation in composition ratio from increasing in the film thickness direction. Therefore, the composition ratio can be made more uniform over the entire film thickness by changing the composition ratio range a plurality of times and gradually reducing the range area.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a film forming apparatus 200 using the FCVA method in the third embodiment. The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that it is based on the premise that the pattern of variation in composition ratio is reproducible. In this example, the variation pattern of the composition ratio may be a time variation pattern of the composition ratio. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it replaces with the measurement part 30 of 1st Embodiment, and the points provided with the memory | storage part 55 in the control part 50 differ.

  If the pattern of variation in the composition ratio of a plurality of elements existing in the plasma flow is reproducible within a predetermined time after the plasma generation trigger 15 generates arc discharge, the storage unit 55 The pattern is stored. In this example, the memory | storage part 55 memorize | stores the fluctuation | variation of the composition ratio of the carbon ion and titanium ion which exist in a plasma flow. The storage unit 55 may store, for example, a variation pattern of the spectral intensity ratio between carbon ions and titanium ions within a predetermined time.

  When the plasma flow is controlled based on the variation pattern stored in the storage unit 55, the control unit 50 can control the plasma flow regardless of the information observed by the measurement unit 30. That is, the control unit 50 can control the amount of plasma flow reaching the substrate 80 by controlling at least one of the filter unit 20, the scanning unit 40, and the shutter unit 60 based on the variation pattern. it can. Since the control using the storage unit 55 does not depend on the information observed by the measurement unit 30, the plasma flow can be controlled more easily.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the computer 90 according to the fourth embodiment. The computer 90 according to the present embodiment is connected to the CPU peripheral unit including the CPU 95, the RAM 120, the graphic controller 175, and the display device 180 connected to each other by the host controller 182, and to the host controller 182 by the input / output controller 184. Input / output unit having communication interface 130, hard disk drive 140, and DVD-ROM drive 160, and legacy input / output unit having ROM 110, flexible disk drive 150, and input / output chip 170 connected to input / output controller 184 With.

  The host controller 182 connects the RAM 120 to the CPU 95 and the graphic controller 175 that access the RAM 120 at a high transfer rate. The CPU 95 operates based on programs stored in the ROM 110 and the RAM 120 and controls each unit. The graphic controller 175 acquires image data generated by the CPU 95 or the like on a frame buffer provided in the RAM 120 and displays the image data on the display device 180. Alternatively, the graphic controller 175 may include a frame buffer that stores image data generated by the CPU 95 or the like.

  The input / output controller 184 connects the host controller 182 to the communication interface 130, the hard disk drive 140, and the DVD-ROM drive 160, which are relatively high-speed input / output devices. The communication interface 130 communicates with other devices via a network. The hard disk drive 140 stores programs and data used by the CPU 95 in the computer 90. The DVD-ROM drive 160 reads a program or data from the DVD-ROM 195 and provides it to the hard disk drive 140 via the RAM 120.

  The ROM 110, the flexible disk drive 150, and the relatively low-speed input / output device of the input / output chip 170 are connected to the input / output controller 184. The ROM 110 stores a boot program that the computer 90 executes at startup and / or a program that depends on the hardware of the computer 90. The flexible disk drive 150 reads a program or data from the flexible disk 190 and provides it to the hard disk drive 140 via the RAM 120. The input / output chip 170 connects the flexible disk drive 150 to the input / output controller 184 and inputs / outputs various input / output devices via, for example, a parallel port, a serial port, a keyboard port, a mouse port, and the like. Connect to controller 184.

  A program provided to the hard disk drive 140 via the RAM 120 is stored in a recording medium such as the flexible disk 190, the DVD-ROM 195, or an IC card and provided by the user. The program is read from the recording medium, installed in the hard disk drive 140 in the computer 90 via the RAM 120, and executed by the CPU 95.

  A program that is installed in the computer 90 and causes the computer 90 to function as the control unit 50 of the film forming apparatus 100 causes an arc discharge to the composite material 11 to turn a plurality of elements into a plasma state and discharge them, and A control module for controlling the amount of plasma flow reaching the object based on fluctuations in the composition ratio of a plurality of elements present in the plasma flow toward the object. Note that the variation in the composition ratio of the plurality of elements present in the plasma flow toward the object may be the time variation of the composition ratio of the plurality of elements. These programs or modules work on the CPU 95 or the like to cause the computer 90 to function as the control unit 50 of the film forming apparatus 100.

  The information processing described in these programs functions as the discharge unit 10 and the control unit 50, which are specific means in which software and the various hardware resources described above cooperate with each other when read by the computer 90. And the specific film-forming apparatus 100 according to the intended purpose is constructed | assembled by implement | achieving the calculation or processing of the information according to the intended purpose of the computer 90 in this embodiment by these specific means.

  As an example, when communication is performed between the computer 90 and an external device or the like, the CPU 95 executes a communication program loaded on the RAM 120, and based on the processing content described in the communication program, the communication interface 130 is instructed to perform communication processing. Under the control of the CPU 95, the communication interface 130 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area or the like provided on a storage device such as the RAM 120, the hard disk drive 140, the flexible disk 190, or the DVD-ROM 195, and sends it to the network. The reception data transmitted or received from the network is written into a reception buffer area or the like provided on the storage device. As described above, the communication interface 130 may transfer transmission / reception data to / from the storage device by the DMA (direct memory access) method. Instead, the CPU 95 transfers the storage device or the communication interface 130 as the transfer source. The transmission / reception data may be transferred by reading the data from the network and writing the data to the communication interface 130 or the storage device of the transfer destination.

  The CPU 95 is all or necessary from among files or databases stored in an external storage device such as the hard disk drive 140, DVD-ROM drive 160 (DVD-ROM 195), and flexible disk drive 150 (flexible disk 190). These parts are read into the RAM 120 by DMA transfer or the like, and various processes are performed on the data on the RAM 120. Then, the CPU 95 writes the processed data back to the external storage device by DMA transfer or the like. In such processing, since the RAM 120 can be regarded as temporarily holding the contents of the external storage device, in the present embodiment, the RAM 120 and the external storage device are collectively referred to as a memory or a storage device. Various types of information such as various programs, data, tables, and databases in the present embodiment are stored on such a storage device and are subjected to information processing. Note that the CPU 95 can also hold a part of the RAM 120 in the cache memory and perform reading and writing on the cache memory. Even in such a form, the cache memory bears a part of the function of the RAM 120. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cache memory is also included in the RAM 120, the memory, and / or the storage device unless otherwise indicated. To do.

  In addition, the CPU 95 performs various operations, such as various operations, information processing, condition determination, information search / replacement, etc., described in the present embodiment, specified for the data read from the RAM 120 by the instruction sequence of the program. Is written back to the RAM 120. For example, when performing the condition determination, the CPU 95 determines whether the various variables shown in the present embodiment satisfy the conditions such as large, small, above, below, equal, etc., compared to other variables or constants. When the condition is satisfied (or not satisfied), the program branches to a different instruction sequence or calls a subroutine.

  Further, the CPU 95 can search for information stored in a file or a database in the storage device. For example, in the case where a plurality of entries in which the attribute value of the second attribute is associated with the attribute value of the first attribute are stored in the storage device, the CPU 95 stores the plurality of entries stored in the storage device. The entry that matches the condition in which the attribute value of the first attribute is specified is retrieved, and the attribute value of the second attribute that is stored in the entry is read, thereby associating with the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition The attribute value of the specified second attribute can be obtained.

  The program or module shown above may be stored in an external recording medium. As the recording medium, in addition to the flexible disk 190 and the DVD-ROM 195, an optical recording medium such as DVD or CD, a magneto-optical recording medium such as MO, a tape medium, a semiconductor memory such as an IC card, and the like can be used. Further, a storage device such as a hard disk or a RAM provided in a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet may be used as a recording medium, and the program may be provided to the computer 90 via the network.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The execution order of each process such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the apparatus, system, program, and method shown in the claims, the description, and the drawings is particularly “before” or “prior”. It should be noted that they can be implemented in any order unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process. Regarding the operation flow in the claims, the description, and the drawings, even if it is described using “first”, “next”, etc. for the sake of convenience, this means that it is essential to carry out in this order. is not.

10 discharge part, 11 composite material, 12 metal element, 13 carbon matrix, 14 contact part, 15 plasma generation trigger, 16 trigger moving part, 20 filter part, 25 winding, 27 plasma flow, 29 plasma flow, 30 measurement part, 40 scanning unit, 43 plasma flow, 45 plasma flow, 50 control unit, 55 storage unit, 60 shutter unit, 70 film forming chamber, 80 substrate, 85 substrate folder, 90 computer, 95 CPU, 100 film forming device, 110 ROM, 120 RAM, 130 communication interface, 140 hard disk drive, 150 flexible disk drive, 160 DVD-ROM drive, 170 input / output chip, 175 graphic controller, 180 display device, 182 host controller, 184 input / output Controller, 190 a flexible disk, 195 DVD-ROM, 200 film deposition apparatus

Claims (10)

A film forming apparatus for forming a film containing a plurality of elements in the plurality of raw materials on a target using a composite material obtained by mixing a plurality of raw materials,
A discharge part that causes arc discharge to the composite material, puts the plurality of elements into a plasma state, and discharges them;
A film forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls an amount of the plasma flow that reaches the target based on a composition ratio of the plurality of elements existing in the plasma flow toward the target. The controller is
When the composition ratio of the plurality of elements is outside a predetermined range, the object is not irradiated with the plasma flow,
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the composition ratio of the plurality of elements is within a predetermined range, the object is irradiated with the plasma flow. A measuring unit for measuring a composition ratio of the plurality of elements present in the plasma flow;
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the amount of the plasma flow based on the composition ratio measured by the measurement unit. A storage unit for storing a variation pattern of the composition ratio of the plurality of elements existing in the plasma flow within a predetermined time after the arc discharge is generated;
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the amount of the plasma flow based on the variation pattern stored in the storage unit. During the film formation, the control unit
Based on the history of changes in the composition ratio since the start of film formation,
The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined range of the composition ratio is changed. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit changes the predetermined range of the composition ratio based on an integral value of the composition ratio with respect to a time during which the object is irradiated with the plasma flow. A filter unit that has a curved cylindrical shape and applies a magnetic field to the plasma flow to control the flow of the plasma flow, a scanning unit that controls the direction in which the plasma flow is irradiated onto the object, and the object Comprising at least one shutter unit for switching whether or not to block the plasma flow toward
The said control part controls at least one of the said filter part, the said scanning part, and the said shutter part, and controls the quantity of the said plasma flow with respect to the said target object. Film forming equipment.   The said control part controls the timing which starts the said next arc discharge after the said discharge part performs the said arc discharge based on the change of the composition ratio of these several elements which the said measurement part measured. 4. The film forming apparatus according to 3. Providing a composite material having a plurality of elements;
Generating a plasma to generate an arc discharge to generate a plasma flow from the composite material;
An observation stage for observing a ratio of the plurality of elements;
And a control step of controlling an amount of the plasma flow that reaches the deposition target based on a ratio of a plurality of elements in the plasma flow.   A program for causing a computer to function as the control unit in the film forming apparatus according to claim 1.

Images