KR101135389B1 - Sputtering method and sputtering apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] In the conventional magnetron sputtering apparatus, since the magnet assembly is continuously moved during film formation, the plasma in front of the target fluctuates, and abnormal discharge easily occurs.

[Solution] When the film formation of the first processing substrate S is finished and the next processing substrate is conveyed to the position facing the target, the magnetic flux formed in front of the target is moved in parallel to the target and maintained in this state. We form.

Sputtering, Plasma, Process Board, Target, Magnetic Flux

Description

Sputtering method and apparatus therefor {SPUTTERING METHOD AND SPUTTERING APPARATUS}

1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a sputtering apparatus of the present invention.

2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating the parallel movement of the magnet assembly.

It is a figure explaining the structure of the sputtering apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the distribution of magnetic flux densities when a magnet assembly is provided together.

5 is a graph showing the relationship between the input power and the number of arc discharges.

It is a figure explaining the film thickness distribution at the time of forming into a film using the sputtering apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

(Short description of drawing)

1: magnetron sputtering device, 4: cathode assembly,

41: target, 45: magnet assembly,

46: drive means, M: tunnel-shaped magnetic flux,

S: processing substrate,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sputtering method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a sputtering method and apparatus for forming a predetermined thin film on a processing substrate by a magnetron sputtering method.

In the magnetron sputtering method, a magnet assembly composed of a plurality of magnets is alternately arranged at the rear of the target with alternating polarities, and the magnet assembly forms a tunnel-shaped magnetic flux in front of the target and ionizes in front of the target. By capturing the secondary electrons generated by the electrons and sputtering, the electron density is increased in front of the target, the collision probability between the electrons and gas molecules of the rare gas introduced into the vacuum chamber is increased, thereby increasing the plasma density. can do. For this reason, there is an advantage such that the film formation speed can be improved, and it is often used to form a predetermined thin film on a processing substrate.

On the other hand, in the magnetron sputtering method, if the position of the magnet assembly is fixed, the plasma density is locally increased, so that the erosion region of the target by sputtering concentrates only on the portion where the plasma density is high, and the target is uniformly eroded. It does not let you create a non-eroded area. In this case, the utilization efficiency of a target is low, and a non-eroded area | region becomes a cause of particle | grains.

As a method for solving this problem, for example, during film formation, the magnet assembly provided at the rear of the rectangular target is reciprocated at a constant speed parallel to the target, and the film formation speed at each processing substrate is kept constant. By controlling the voltage applied to the target as much as possible, the target is uniformly eroded to increase its use efficiency (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent document 1: Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 7-18435 (for example, description of a claim).

However, if the magnet assembly is continuously moved during the film formation, there is a problem that the plasma in front of the target fluctuates and abnormal discharge is likely to occur, and the target material and the gas are reacted by using an active gas. In sputtering which forms a compound thin film, film quality cannot also be made uniform.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering method and apparatus capable of suppressing the occurrence of abnormal discharge even when the target is uniformly eroded to increase the utilization efficiency.

MEANS TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM In order to solve the said subject, the magnetron sputtering method of this invention conveys a process board in order to the position which opposes the target arrange | positioned in a vacuum chamber, and forms a magnetic flux in front of the said target, and between a target and a process board A sputtering method in which an electric field is formed in a plasma, and a plasma is generated to sputter a target to form a film on a processing substrate. When the film formation of the processing substrate is finished and the next processing substrate is transported to a position facing the target, the magnetic flux is targeted. It is characterized in that the film is formed in this state while being held in parallel with respect to.

According to the present invention, after the film formation of the processing substrate is finished, the magnetic flux is maintained in parallel with the target when the next processing substrate is conveyed to the position facing the target. Then, a voltage is applied to the target to generate plasma in front of the target, and the target is sputtered to form a film on the processing substrate.

In this case, since the position of the magnetic flux is fixed during film formation, the plasma in front of the target does not oscillate, and generation of abnormal discharge can be suppressed. For this reason, the film thickness of the thin film attached to the processing substrate can be made uniform, and the film quality can be made uniform. In addition, after the formation of the thin film on the processing substrate is finished, the position of the magnetic flux is changed when conveying the next processing substrate to the position facing the target, so that the erosion area of the target due to sputtering fluctuates, thereby uniformly eroding the target. It is possible to improve the utilization efficiency.

Moreover, the parallel movement of the magnetic flux may be performed intermittently between at least two positions so as to obtain an erosion region in a uniform shape over the entire surface of the target.

Moreover, it is preferable to perform parallel movement of the said magnetic flux every time the process board is conveyed to the position which opposes the said target.

The magnetron sputtering apparatus of the present invention has a target in a vacuum chamber, and arranges a magnet assembly composed of a plurality of magnets so that magnetic flux is formed in front of the target at the rear of the target, and at the position opposite to the target. In the sputtering apparatus provided with the board | substrate conveying means which conveys in order, when the film formation of a process board | substrate is complete | finished and the next process board | substrate is conveyed to the position which opposes a target, the said magnetic assembly is maintained so that the said magnetic flux may be moved in parallel with a target. A driving means for driving is provided.

In this case, a plurality of the targets may be used, and at least one magnet assembly may be disposed behind each target.

Moreover, if the said drive means is made into the air cylinder or the motor which does not require control, it can be made low cost.

In addition, another sputtering apparatus of the present invention is provided with a plurality of targets arranged in the vacuum chamber at predetermined intervals, and magnets provided at the rear of each target so as to form magnetic flux in front of each target, respectively, and composed of a plurality of magnets. An assembly and an AC power supply that alternately applies either a negative potential and a ground potential or a positive potential to each target, and provided with driving means for integrally driving each magnet assembly to maintain the magnetic flux in parallel with the target. It features.

According to this, when a negative potential is applied to any of the parallel targets through an AC power supply, the target to which the ground potential or the positive potential is applied acts as an anode, and the negative potential is applied. The target is sputtered, and each target is sputtered by alternately changing the potential of the target in response to the frequency of the AC power supply. In this case, by changing the position of the magnetic flux while intermittently maintaining the magnetic flux in parallel with the target, the erosion area of the target due to sputtering fluctuates, and the target can be uniformly eroded to increase the utilization efficiency.

This eliminates the need for providing any component such as an anode or shield, so that the space where sputtered particles are not released can be made as small as possible, and when the film is formed on the substrate, In addition to making the film thickness distribution almost uniform, the film quality can be made uniform.

In this case, a substrate conveying means for sequentially conveying the processing substrates at positions facing each of the targets is provided, and when the film formation of the processing substrates is finished and the next processing substrates are conveyed to the positions facing the targets, When each magnet assembly is driven integrally, the position of the magnetic flux can be fixed during film formation, the plasma in front of the target does not oscillate, the occurrence of abnormal discharge can be suppressed, and the space in which sputter particles are not emitted is prevented. In addition to being able to be made as small as possible, even when forming a large-area processing substrate, the film thickness distribution can be made almost uniform in the surface of the processing substrate and the film quality can be made uniform.

By the way, when the targets are provided in parallel as described above, the spacing between the magnet assemblies is also small, and magnetic interference of the same polarity may occur in close proximity to each other in the same direction. In this case, only the magnetic flux density in that part becomes high and the magnetic field balance is broken. For this reason, when providing the said magnet assembly in parallel, it is good to provide the magnetic flux density correction means which makes the density of the magnetic flux formed by each magnet nearly uniform along the parallel direction.

In this case, the magnetic flux density correcting means is auxiliary magnets provided on both sides of the magnet assembly, which are arranged side by side, and the magnetic flux density is substantially uniform according to the parallel direction with a simple structure when the magnetic flux is moved in parallel with the magnet assembly by the driving means. I can let you do it.

As described above, the sputtering method and apparatus of the present invention have the effect of suppressing the occurrence of abnormal discharge even if the target is uniformly eroded to increase the use efficiency.

(The best mode for carrying out the invention)

1, 1 is a magnetron type sputtering apparatus (henceforth a "sputter apparatus") concerning 1st Embodiment. The sputter apparatus 1 has a sputter chamber 11 maintained in a predetermined vacuum degree in an in-line manner through a vacuum exhaust means (not shown) such as a rotary pump and a turbo molecular pump. The substrate conveying means 2 is provided in the upper part of the sputter chamber 11. This board | substrate conveying means 2 has a well-known structure, for example, has the carrier 21 with which the process board | substrate S is mounted, it drives the drive means which is not shown intermittently, and opposes the target mentioned later. The processing substrate S is conveyed in turn.

In addition, the gas introduction means 3 is provided in the sputter chamber 11. The gas introduction means 3 communicates with the gas source 33 via the gas pipe 32 in which the mass flow controller 31 was installed, and the sputter gas, such as argon, oxygen used at the time of reactive sputtering, etc. Reaction gas can be introduced into the sputter chamber 11 at a constant flow rate. The negative electrode assembly 4 is disposed below the sputter chamber 11.

The negative electrode assembly 4 has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped target 41. The target 41 is manufactured by a well-known method corresponding to the composition of the thin film to be formed on the processing board | substrate S, such as an aluminum (Al) alloy and molybdenum (Mo). The target 41 is joined to the backing plate 42 that cools the target 41 at the time of sputtering, and the backing plate 42 passes through the insulating plate 43 to the frame 44 of the negative electrode assembly 4. It is installed.

The negative electrode assembly 4 is further provided with a magnet assembly 45 positioned behind the target 41. The magnet assembly 45 has a support portion 45a disposed parallel to the target 41, and on the support portion 45a, three magnets 45b and 45c are alternately changed in polarity, at predetermined intervals. It is installed. As a result, the closed-loop tunnel-shaped magnetic flux M is formed in front of the target 41 to capture electrons ionized in front of the target 41 and secondary electrons generated by sputtering. The electron density can be made high in front of the C) to increase the plasma density.

In general, since the external dimensions of the target 41 are set larger than the external dimensions of the processing substrate S, the larger the processing substrate S, the larger the external dimensions of the target 41 are. In this case, the plurality of magnet assemblies 45 are arranged behind the target 41 at predetermined intervals. Moreover, when the external dimension of the process board | substrate S is large, the some negative electrode assembly 4 is arrange | positioned in the sputter chamber 11.

The carrier 21 is intermittently driven by the drive means, and the processing substrate S is sequentially conveyed to a position facing the target 41, and a predetermined sputter gas is introduced through the gas introduction means 3. When a negative DC voltage or a high frequency voltage is applied to the target 41 via the sputter power supply E, an electric field perpendicular to the processing substrate S and the target 41 is formed, and in front of the target 41. Plasma is generated and the target 41 is sputtered to form a film on the processing substrate S. FIG.

Here, as shown in Figs. 1, 2A, and 2B, the three magnets 45b and 45c are alternately changed in polarity, and each magnet is fixed when the positions of the magnet assemblies 45 constituted at predetermined intervals are fixed. Since the tunnel-like magnetic flux M is formed between the 45b and 45c, the plasma density is lowered above the magnet 45b in the center. At that time, the erosion region of the target 41 by sputtering is concentrated only on the portion where the plasma density increases by the formation of the tunnel-shaped magnetic flux M, and is located above the magnet 45b in the center portion where the plasma density decreases. The portion remains the non-eroded area U.

In this case, the utilization efficiency of the target 41 becomes low, and the non-erosion area | region U becomes a cause of particle | grains. For this reason, if the magnet assembly 45 is moved in parallel between A point and B point, and the position of the tunnel-shaped magnetic flux M is changed, the target 41 may be uniformly eroded and the utilization efficiency thereof may be increased. In this case, it is necessary to suppress the occurrence of abnormal discharge.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the magnet assembly 45 is provided with the air cylinder 46 which is a drive means in the magnet assembly 45, and is arranged between two positions (A point, B point) along the horizontal direction of the target 41. 45) was moved in parallel to maintain at each position.

After the film formation of the processing substrate S mounted on the carrier 21 is finished, the application of the negative DC voltage or the high frequency voltage to the target 41 is stopped to stop the discharge once, and then the next carrier 21 is finished. When conveying the processing substrate S on the upper surface to the target 41, the air cylinder 46 is driven to drive the magnet assembly 45, that is, the tunnel-shaped magnetic flux M, from point A to point B. Keep parallel until In this case, the magnet assembly 45 may be moved in parallel from the point A to the point B before the film formation of the processing substrate S attached to at least the next carrier 21.

When the processing substrate S mounted on the next carrier 21 is conveyed to a position facing the target 41, a negative DC voltage or a high frequency voltage is applied to the target 41 again, and the target 41 The film is formed by generating plasma in front and sputtering of the target 41. Furthermore, when the processing board S attached to the next carrier 21 is conveyed to the position facing the target 41, the air cylinder 46 is driven to move the magnet assembly 45 from point B to point A. It keeps moving again until it is parallel, and film-forming is performed in the said order. This operation is repeated to form a film on the processing substrate S which is sequentially conveyed.

In this case, the parallel movement of the magnet assembly 45 by the air cylinder conveys the processing board S attached to the carrier 21 by the board | substrate conveying means 2 to the position which opposes the target 41. As shown in FIG. It is preferable to carry out every time.

Thereby, by fixing the position of the tunnel-shaped magnetic flux M during film formation, the plasma in front of the target 41 does not oscillate, and generation of abnormal discharge can be suppressed. Therefore, the film thickness of the thin film attached to the processing substrate S can be made uniform, and the film quality can be made uniform. In addition, after the film formation of the processing substrate S is completed, the position of the tunnel-shaped magnetic flux M is changed when conveying the next processing substrate S to a position facing the target 41. The erosion area of the target 41 fluctuates, and it becomes possible to erode the target 41 uniformly and to raise the utilization efficiency.

Moreover, by using the air cylinder 46, it can be made low cost compared with driving the magnet assembly 45 by a motor, controlling a speed, a position, etc. In addition, if the air pressure of the air cylinder 46 is set appropriately, the magnet assembly 45 can be moved instantaneously.

Moreover, in this 1st Embodiment, although having demonstrated one magnet assembly 45 in the back of the target 41, even when a plurality of magnet assemblies 45 were provided at predetermined intervals, each magnet assembly was provided. The 45 may be driven by one air cylinder. Thereby, it can be made low cost.

In this embodiment, although using the air cylinder 46 was demonstrated, if the position of the magnet assembly 45 can be changed quickly in at least 2 position, it is not limited to this, For example, a position, a speed, etc. Motors that do not require control can be used.

In addition, in this embodiment, although the inline sputtering apparatus 1 was demonstrated, it is not limited to this, For example, it processes by the conveyance robot comprised in the conveyance chamber and the sputter chamber connected to this conveyance chamber, and provided in the conveyance chamber. The sputtering method of this invention can be applied as long as the process board | substrate S is conveyed one by one in the position which opposes the target 41, such as a sputtering apparatus which made it carry a board | substrate.

Referring to FIG. 3, 10 is a sputtering apparatus according to the second embodiment. The sputter apparatus 10 is an inline system using a plurality of targets to be described later, and has a sputter chamber 110 which is maintained at a predetermined vacuum degree through a vacuum exhaust means (not shown) such as a rotary pump and a turbo molecular pump. In the upper part of the sputter chamber 110, the process board | substrate S is arrange | positioned and the process board | substrate S is placed in the position which opposes each target mentioned later by the board | substrate conveying means (not shown) similar to the said 1st Embodiment. It can be conveyed in order.

In addition, the gas introduction means 30 is provided in the sputter chamber 110. The gas introduction means 30 communicates with the gas source 30c via the gas pipe 30b in which the mass flow controller 30a is installed, and the reactive gas, such as argon or the like, and reactive gas such as oxygen used in reactive sputtering, The sputter chamber 110 can be introduced at a constant flow rate. The negative electrode assembly 40 is disposed below the sputter chamber 110.

The negative electrode assembly 40 has six targets 410a to 410f formed in substantially the same shape, such as a rectangular parallelepiped. Each target 410a to 410f is manufactured by a known method corresponding to the composition of a thin film to be deposited on a processing substrate S, such as Al alloy, Mo, or ITO (indium tin oxide), and a backing plate for cooling ( Not shown). Each target 410a-410f is provided in parallel so that the sputter surface 411 at the time of its non-use may be located on the same plane parallel to the process board | substrate S, and the side surface 412 which each target 410a-410f opposes each other is carried out. There was no component such as an anode or shield at all. In this case, the distance between the targets 410a to 410f is set to a range in which plasma is generated in the space between the side surfaces 412 and each side surface 412 is not sputtered. The external dimensions of the targets 410a to 410f are set to be larger than the external dimensions of the processing substrate S when the targets 410a to 410f are provided together.

On the back surface of each target 410a-410f, the electrode 420 and the insulating plate 430 formed in the same external shape as each target 410a-410f are provided in order, and are installed in the predetermined position of the negative electrode assembly 40, and have. The electrodes 420 are connected to three AC power supplies E1 disposed outside the sputter chamber 11, respectively, to apply an AC voltage.

In this case, when one AC power supply E1 is allocated to two adjacent targets (for example, 410a and 410b) and a negative potential is applied to one target 410a, the other target ( A ground potential or a positive potential is applied to 410b, and when the potential is applied from each AC power supply E1, the potentials of the adjacent targets 410a to 410f do not coincide with each other.

As a result, for example, when a negative potential is applied to the targets 410a, 410c, and 410e through each AC power supply E1, a ground potential or a positive potential is applied through the AC power supply E1. Each of the targets 410b, 410d, and 410f on both sides serves as an anode. (An outer side of the targets 410a and 410f located at both ends is provided with a ground potential barrier plate 111. 111 acts as an anode when targets 410a and 410f are sputtered). Then, the targets 410a, 410c, and 410e to which the negative potential is applied are sputtered, and the potentials of the targets 410a to 410f are alternately changed in correspondence to the frequency of the AC power supply, thereby causing each target 410a to be changed. 410 f) is sputtered.

By the way, when the targets 410a to 410f are provided as described above, sputter particles are not emitted from the space 413 between the side surfaces 412, but an anode, a shield, or the like is formed in the space 413. Since there is no need to provide a component at all, the region where this sputtered particle is not emitted can be made as small as possible. As a result, the film thickness distribution can be made almost uniform in the processing substrate S plane.

The negative electrode assembly 40 is provided with six magnet assemblies 440a to 440f positioned respectively behind the targets 410a to 410f. Each of the magnet assemblies 440a to 440f has the same structure and has a support portion 441 made of magnetic material provided in parallel with the targets 410a to 410f, and faces the targets 410a to 410f on the support portion 441. The polarity of the surface is alternately changed, and the center magnet 442 and two peripheral magnets 443 and 444 provided on both sides thereof are provided.

In this case, the center magnet 442 is an elongated ring shape along the long direction of the targets 410a to 410f, and the peripheral magnets 443 and 444 at both ends are rod-shaped and converted to the same magnetization. The volume of the center magnet 442 is designed to be equal to the sum of the volumes of the peripheral magnets 443 (peripheral magnet: center magnet: peripheral magnet = 1: 2: 1) when converted to the same magnetization.

As a result, a balanced loop-shaped magnetic flux of the closed loop is formed in front of each of the targets 410a to 410f, and captures electrons ionized in front of the targets 410a to 410f and secondary electrons generated by sputtering. As a result, the electron density in front of the targets 410a to 410f can be increased to increase the plasma density.

Then, the processing substrate S is conveyed to a position facing the parallel targets 410a to 410f, a predetermined sputter gas is introduced through the gas introduction means 30, and the targets 410a to 410f. When an electric potential is applied to each electrode through three AC power sources E1, an electric field perpendicular to the processing substrate S and the targets 410a to 410f is formed, and plasma is generated in front of the targets 410a to 410f. Generated, and the targets 410a to 410f are sputtered alternately to form a film on the processing substrate S. FIG.

However, when the positions of the respective magnet assemblies 440a to 440f are fixed, the tunnel magnets M are formed between the center magnets 442 and the two peripheral magnets 443 and 444, and thus the center magnets 442. The plasma density at the top is lowered. At this time, the erosion regions of the targets 410a to 410f due to sputtering concentrate only on the portion where the plasma density increases by the formation of the tunnel-shaped magnetic flux M, and on the upper side of the central magnet 442 where the plasma density decreases. The part that is located remains a non-eroded area. As a result, the utilization efficiency of each target 410a-410f becomes low, and a non-erosion area | region becomes a cause of particle | grains.

In 2nd Embodiment, while making the width dimension of the support part 441 smaller than the width dimension along the parallel direction of each target 410a-410f, the air cylinder 450 is provided in the cathode assembly 40, and The magnet assemblies 440a to 440f are provided on the drive shaft 451, and the magnet assemblies 440a to 440f at two horizontal positions (A1 and B1 points) along the parallel direction of the targets 410a to 410f. Were moved in parallel to change the position of the tunnel-shaped magnetic flux (M).

In this case, in order to suppress the occurrence of abnormal discharge, the magnet assemblies 440a to 440f are held at the A1 or B1 point, for example, the film formation of the processing substrate S is terminated, and the targets 410a to 410f. After the application of the alternating current voltage is stopped and the discharge is stopped once, the next processing substrate S is transported to a position facing the target 41, the air cylinder 450 is driven to drive the magnet assemblies 440a to 440f. In other words, it is preferable to move the tunnel-shaped magnetic flux M in parallel from the A1 point to the B1 point. Thereby, the erosion area can be enlarged and the utilization efficiency of each target 410a-410f can be improved.

However, when the targets 410a to 410f are provided close to each other as described above, the magnet assemblies 440a to 440f are also installed close to each other. In this case, as shown in Fig. 4A, in the parallel direction of the magnet assemblies 440a to 440f at positions spaced a predetermined distance from the upper surfaces of the magnets 442, 443 and 444 of the respective magnet assemblies 440a to 440f. When the magnetic field strength Bs in the vertical direction and the magnetic field strength Bp in the horizontal direction are measured, the peripheral magnets 443 and 444 having the same polarity in the same direction (for example, the peripheral magnets 444 of the magnet assembly 440b) are measured. ) And the peripheral magnets 443 of the magnet assembly 440c) are in close proximity to each other, whereby magnetic field interference occurs, and the peripheral magnets 443 and 444 of the magnet assemblies 440a and 440f having magnetic flux densities at both ends thereof. It becomes higher than the magnetic flux density of the upper side of) and the magnetic field balance falls. When the film is formed in this state, the film thickness distribution in the surface of the processing substrate S cannot be made almost uniform.

In 2nd Embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the peripheral magnet 443 of the adjacent magnet assembly 440a carries the auxiliary magnet 460 which is magnetic flux density correction means on both sides of the magnet assemblies 440a-440f which were parallel. And the polarity of the peripheral magnets 444 of the magnet assembly 440f, respectively, and a support part 461 for supporting the auxiliary magnet 460 is provided on the drive shaft 461 of the air cylinder 450, thereby providing the magnet assembly. (440a ~ 440f) to move integrally.

In this case, the auxiliary magnet 460 is made the same as the peripheral magnets 443 and 444, and the spacing D1 between the auxiliary magnets 460 and the peripheral magnets 443 and 444 is set between the neighboring magnets in proximity to each other. It was made the same as the space | interval D2. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the magnetic flux density at both ends of the magnet assemblies 440a to 440f is also improved, and the magnetic field balance is improved, and the film thickness distribution in the surface of the processing substrate S can be made almost uniform. .

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the use of the auxiliary magnet 460 as the magnetic flux density correcting means has been described. However, the magnetic field balance is not limited to this when the magnet assembly is provided in parallel. For example, it is good also as a magnetic flux density correction means by changing the width dimension of only the peripheral magnets which are located in the both sides of the magnet assembly provided in parallel, or changing to the material from which the magnetic flux density which arises from a magnet becomes large.

(Example 1)

In this embodiment, the glass substrate (1000 mm x 120 mm) is used as the processing substrate S by using the sputtering apparatus 1 shown in FIG. It returned to the position which opposes 41) one by one. Al was used as a target 41, Al was produced by a well-known method, and had an external dimension of 120 mm x 1000 mm, and it bonded to the backing plate 42. As shown to FIG. In addition, the distance between the target 41 and the glass substrate was set to 160 mm. In this case, since the external dimension of the target 41 is large, four magnet assemblies 45 shown in FIG. 1 are provided behind the target 41, and these magnet assemblies 45 are parallel to each other at predetermined intervals. In parallel, the negative electrode assembly 4 was configured.

The mass flow controller 31 was controlled so that the pressure in the sputter chamber 11 evacuated as the sputtering condition was maintained at 0.3 Pa, and argon serving as the sputter gas was introduced into the sputter chamber 11. In addition, the input power to the target 41 was set to 130 KW and the sputtering time to 60 seconds.

And under the said sputtering conditions, three glass substrates S1, S2, S3 were conveyed in order, and Al was formed into each glass substrate S1, S2, S3. In this case, the film formation of the first glass substrate is completed, and once the power supply to the target 41 is stopped, the glass substrate S2 on the next carrier 21 is conveyed to the position facing the target 41. In doing so, the air cylinder 46 was driven to hold the four magnet assemblies 45 in parallel at the same time, and a series of film forming processes were performed.

(Comparative Example 1)

As a comparative example 1, sputter | spatter conditions were made the same as the said Example 1, three glass substrates S4, S5, and S6 were conveyed in order to the position which opposed the target 41, and Al film-forming process was performed. In this case, four magnet assemblies (between two positions along the horizontal direction of the target 41 during the film formation are changed into a motor capable of controlling the position and the speed as the driving means of the magnet assembly 45). 45) were reciprocated continuously in parallel at constant velocity.

Table 1 shows the film thickness distribution of the Al film at a predetermined position along the XY direction of the processing substrate S when the Al film was successively formed on three glass substrates. According to this, in Comparative Example 1, it can be seen that the film thickness distribution of the three substrates S4, S5, S6 cannot be made uniform. On the other hand, in Example 1, it turns out that the three glass substrates S1, S2, S3 can also obtain the stable thickness distribution of Al film around +/- 8, and can be made uniform.

In addition, Table 2 counts the frequency | count of the abnormal discharge (arc discharge) at the time of forming an Al film into a film continuously on three glass substrates. According to this, in the comparative example 1, the frequency | count of abnormal discharge exceeded 30 times in sputtering to each glass substrate S4, S5, S6, respectively. On the other hand, in Example 1, it turns out that the frequency | count of abnormal discharge is suppressed in about half compared with the comparative example 1.

Example 1 Comparative Example 1 First substrates S1 and S4 ± 8.5 ± 12.2 Second Processing Substrates S2 and S5 ± 7.9 ± 6.7 Third processing substrates S3 and S6 ± 7.9 ± 8.5

Example 1 Comparative Example 1 First substrates S1 and S4 13 83 Second Processing Substrates S2 and S5 17 30 Third processing substrates S3 and S6 15 30

(Example 2)

In the present embodiment, the number of arc discharges (abnormal discharges) when the input power to the target 41 is changed in the range of 0 to 200 KW is counted for the conditions of the first embodiment, and the results are shown in FIG. 3. It was. In addition, as the comparative example 2, the number of arc discharges (abnormal discharges) when the input power to the target 41 was changed in the range of 0 to 20 000 KW was counted under the conditions of the comparative example 1, and the results are shown in FIG. 5. . In this case, line 1 is example 2 and line 2 is comparative example 2.

According to this, in the case of the comparative example 2, as the input electric power to the target 41 becomes large, the number of arc discharges increases proportionally, and when the input electric power exceeds lOO KW, the number of arc discharges has exceeded 20 times. On the other hand, in Example 2, even if the input electric power to the target 41 becomes large, the number of arc discharges does not increase extremely, but it is a comparative example generally in the range (50-130 KW) of input electric power used for the sputter of Al. In comparison with 2, the number of arc discharges can be suppressed in about half.

(Example 3)

In this embodiment, using the sputtering apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 3, using the glass substrate (1000 mm x 1250 mm) as the process board | substrate S, the target which parallelly provided this glass substrate as a board | substrate conveyance means ( 410a to 410f) were sequentially conveyed to the position opposite to each other. In this case, lO wt% of SnO ₂ is added to In ₂ O ₃ as the targets 410a to 410f, and each target has a thickness of 10 mm with an external dimension of 20 mm × 1700 mm by a known method. It produced and bonded each to the backing plate 42, and added together so that the space | interval between targets 410a-410f might be 2 mm. The distance between the targets 410a to 410f and the glass substrate was set to 160 mm. The distances D1 and D2 between the auxiliary magnets 460 and the peripheral magnets 443 and 444 were set to 170 mm.

As a sputtering condition, the mass flow controller of the gas introduction means 30 is controlled so that the pressure in the sputter chamber 11 being evacuated is maintained at 0.7 Pa, and argon, which is a sputter gas, and hydrogen and oxygen, which are reactive gases, are sputtered. Introduced within. In addition, the input power to the target 41 by the AC power supply E1 was set to 20 KW, and the frequency was set to 50 Hz. Then, sputtering was performed for 30 seconds while gradually increasing the input power from O KW to 10 KW while applying one of the negative potential and the positive potential or the ground potential alternately to each of the targets 410a to 410f arranged at a frequency of 50 Hz. .

It is a figure which shows the film thickness distribution at the time of forming an ITO film into a glass substrate on the said conditions. According to this Example 3, the film thickness (unit in FIG. 6 is Å) of 35 positions in a glass substrate surface was measured, and the in-plane uniformity of the favorable film thickness distribution was able to be obtained by 1000 Å +/- 8%. In addition, whenever the processing substrate S is conveyed to a position facing the targets 410a to 410f under the above conditions, the surface of the targets 410a to 410f is spun after continuously sputtering for a long time while driving the air cylinder 450. Although confirmed, the non-erosion area was not confirmed on the surface of the target (410a ~ 410f).

Further, as Comparative Example 3, film formation was performed on glass substrate S under the same conditions as in Example 3 using the sputtering device 10 having the same structure as in Example 3. However, the horizontal direction of the targets 410a to 410f is formed during film formation by changing the air cylinder 450 to a motor capable of position and speed control without disposing the auxiliary magnet 460 as the magnetic flux density correction means. The magnet assemblies 440a to 440f were continuously reciprocated in parallel at constant speed between two positions along the reciprocating direction (10 mm / sec).

According to this, in the comparative example 3, when the input electric power by AC power supply E1 was gradually raised from O KW and reached 10 KW, intense abnormal discharge was confirmed above each target 410a-410f, and continuous film-forming was continued. It became impossible.

 As described above, the sputtering method and apparatus of the present invention have the effect of suppressing the occurrence of abnormal discharge even if the target is uniformly eroded to increase the utilization efficiency.

Claims (10)

The processing substrate is sequentially transported to a position facing the target disposed in the vacuum chamber, a magnetic flux is formed in front of the target, an electric field is formed between the target and the processing substrate, and plasma is generated to sputter the target. A sputtering method for forming a film on a plate, wherein the magnetic flux is kept in parallel with the target, and the film is formed in this state when the formation of the processing substrate is completed and the next processing substrate is transported to a position facing the target. Sputtering method to use. The method according to claim 1, A sputtering method, wherein the parallel movement of the magnetic flux is intermittently performed at least between two positions so that an erosion region can be obtained in a uniform shape over the entire surface of the target. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The sputtering method, characterized in that the parallel movement of the magnetic flux is carried out each time the processing substrate is conveyed to a position facing the target. Having a target in the vacuum chamber and arranging a magnet assembly composed of a plurality of magnets so that magnetic flux is formed in front of the target at the rear of the target, and providing a substrate transfer means for sequentially transferring the processing substrate to a position facing the target. A sputtering apparatus, comprising: driving means for driving the magnet assembly to hold the magnetic flux in parallel with the target when the processing substrate is finished and the next processing substrate is transported to a position facing the target. Sputtering apparatus made. The method according to claim 4, The sputtering apparatus characterized by having a plurality of said targets, and arrange | positioning at least 1 magnet assembly in the back of each target. The method according to claim 4, The sputtering apparatus, wherein the drive means is an air cylinder or a motor. A plurality of targets arranged at predetermined intervals in the vacuum chamber, a magnet assembly formed of a plurality of magnets respectively provided at the rear of each target to form magnetic flux in front of each target, and a negative potential and a ground potential at each target Or an AC power source for alternately applying either of the positive potentials, and providing driving means for integrally driving each magnet assembly to maintain the magnetic flux in parallel with the target, Each magnet is provided by said drive means when the substrate conveying means which conveys a process board in order to the said opposing each target is carried in order, and film-forming of the said processing board is complete | finished and conveys the next process board to the position which opposes the target. A sputtering apparatus, characterized in that for driving the assembly integrally. The method of claim 7, The sputtering apparatus characterized by including the magnetic flux density correction means which makes the density of the magnetic flux formed by each magnet uniform when the said plurality of magnet assemblies are added together. The method according to claim 8, The magnetic flux density correcting means is an auxiliary magnet provided on both sides of the magnet assembly, and the sputtering apparatus, characterized in that it is moved in parallel with the magnet assembly by the drive means. delete

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