KR101958411B1 - Film Deposition Apparatus and Method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of chambers connected to each other, a conveyance lane provided inside each of the plurality of chambers, a storage lane provided inside a chamber of the plurality of chambers, A film deposition apparatus and method capable of performing a process on a substrate without pretaching after preliminary processing using a dummy is disclosed.

Description

≪ Desc / Clms Page number 1 > Film Deposition Apparatus and Method &

The present invention relates to a film deposition apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a film deposition apparatus and method capable of performing a process on a substrate without performing outgassing after pretreatment using a dummy.

A flat panel display, such as a liquid crystal display, performs a process of depositing a metal film for wiring on a substrate during fabrication, which is performed in an inline type vertical sputter device. This type of sputtering apparatus includes a vacuum chamber for performing a film forming process, a load lock chamber connected in series to the vacuum chamber for sequentially bringing the substrate prepared in lot units into the vacuum chamber, a target mounted in the vacuum chamber, And a conveyance lane for supporting the substrate vertically while conveying the substrate in the process advancing direction.

On the other hand, at various time points, such as after a film formation process is performed on a substrate using a target that has not been used for a certain period of time, after a target has been replaced, and after a film formation process has been performed on a substrate with a specified number of processes, A pre-sputtering process is performed. Previously, a plurality of substrates were prepared, and then the substrate was transferred to the vacuum chamber in order, and the substrate was preliminarily processed. However, at present, the dummy is carried into the vacuum chamber and then preliminarily processed using the dummy.

Typically, during the preliminary treatment using the dummy, the dummy is mounted on the tray and then prepared in the atmosphere, transferred to the inside of the vacuum chamber for the preliminary treatment, and then transferred to the outside of the vacuum chamber after the preliminary treatment is finished .

That is, once the preliminary process is completed, the dummy is taken out of the vacuum chamber, removed from the path through which the substrate to be processed is to be transported, and then carried into the vacuum chamber in the next preliminary process. In this method, since the dummy is always exposed to the atmosphere before the dummy is brought into the vacuum chamber or before and after the preliminary treatment using the dummy, moisture or foreign matter in the air adheres to the dummy and flows into the vacuum chamber.

Therefore, it is difficult to perform the film forming process on the substrate immediately after the preliminary process using the dummy, and the outgassing process for removing the impurity gas while controlling the vacuum chamber in the high temperature and high vacuum state before the film formation process for the substrate after the preliminary process using the dummy (outgassing) process, in which production of the substrate is interrupted while the vacuum chamber is outgassing. In other words, this conventional method has a problem of lowering the operating rate of the apparatus.

On the other hand, the technology as the background of the present invention is disclosed in the following patent documents.

KR 10-2010-0063147 A KR 10-2013-0101081 A KR 10-2016-0063969 A KR 10-2012-0046223 A

The present invention provides a film deposition apparatus and method capable of performing a process on a substrate without pretreatment after preliminary treatment using a dummy.

The present invention provides a film deposition apparatus and method capable of maintaining a vacuum and a clean state inside a chamber before and after pretreatment using a dummy.

The present invention provides a film deposition apparatus and method capable of preventing the dummy from being contaminated by contact with the atmosphere before and after the pretreatment using the dummy.

The present invention provides a film deposition apparatus and method capable of increasing the operating rate of the apparatus while performing preliminary processing using a dummy at a position where processing on the substrate is performed.

A film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of chambers connected to each other; A plurality of chambers; a plurality of chambers; A storage lane installed in a chamber of the plurality of chambers and storing and transporting the dummy tray; An operating part installed at least in a side chamber of the one chamber and selectively installed in the one chamber to slidably support the conveyance lane; And transferring the dummy tray from the storage lane to the conveyance lane during sputtering using the dummy and storing the dummy tray from the conveyance lane to the storage lane at the time of sputtering with respect to the substrate, Wherein the plurality of chambers provide a plurality of rows extending in a direction in which the plurality of chambers are connected, and the plurality of columns intersect the direction in which the plurality of chambers are connected And a second row and a third row which are spaced apart from each other in the direction of the first row and the second row and are capable of storing, transporting and storing the dummy tray in one of the plurality of rows, A preliminary process using the dummy tray, and a process on the substrate to be processed are possible, and the first and second rows of the one chamber Wherein when the conveyance lane is installed and the storage lane accommodating the dummy tray is installed in the third row, the side chamber is slidably installed from one row to the third row in the one conveyance lane, When one of the conveyance lanes is provided in the column or the second column and is slidable in the second column or the first column and the storage lane in which the dummy tray is accommodated is provided in the third column, And a conveyance lane is provided so as to be slidable in the second row and the third row, respectively.

The plurality of chambers are arranged in series, and the interior of the chambers is maintained in vacuum during the process, and the conveyance lanes and the storage lanes may be extended in the direction in which the plurality of chambers are connected.

The plurality of transfer lanes may be provided in the one chamber, and the one chamber may be the chamber in which the substrate to be processed is first transferred, based on the loading direction of the substrate to be processed.

The plurality of transfer lanes may be provided in the one chamber, and the one chamber may be a chamber excluding a chamber in which the substrate to be processed is most recently introduced, with reference to a carrying-in direction of the substrate to be processed.

The plurality of conveyance lanes may be provided in the side chambers, and the one chamber may be the chamber in which the substrate to be processed is most recently introduced, with reference to the carrying-in direction of the substrate to be processed.

The method for depositing a film according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for depositing a film using the deposition apparatus, the method comprising: transferring a dummy tray stored in a chamber among a plurality of chambers connected to each other to a chamber to be pretreated; Performing a preliminary process using the dummy tray; Transporting the dummy tray to the one chamber and storing the dummy tray; And performing a process on the substrate in at least one of the plurality of chambers, the process comprising: a first step of forming a transfer path of the substrate among a plurality of rows extending in a process advancing direction and spaced apart from each other in a direction crossing the process advancing direction; And the dummy tray is housed and stored in a third row spaced apart from the first row and the second row when the substrate to be processed is transported and processed in the second row.

Wherein the dummy tray is capable of transporting the dummy tray in the third row and capable of transporting the substrate to be processed and the dummy tray in the first row and the second row and performing preliminary processing using the dummy tray and processing .

Wherein the first lane and the second lane of the one chamber are respectively provided with a conveyance lane and a third column is provided with a storage lane accommodating the dummy tray, The process of transporting the dummy tray to the chamber to be preliminarily processed includes the steps of sliding the conveyance lane of the side chamber to the third row; Returning a dummy tray accommodated in a storage lane of the one chamber to a conveyance lane of the side chamber; And sliding the conveyance lane of the side chamber up to the first row.

The step of transporting the dummy tray to the chamber to be preliminarily processed may further include the step of transporting the dummy tray from the transfer lane of the side chamber to the transfer lane provided in the first row of the one chamber.

Wherein a storage lane in which the dummy tray is accommodated is provided in a third row of the one chamber and a transport rail is provided in the first row or the second row so as to be slidable in the second row or the first row, The process of transferring the dummy tray to the chamber to be preliminarily processed when the transfer lanes are installed in the first column and the second column respectively and slidable in the second column and the third column, respectively, Sliding the lane to the third row; Transporting a dummy tray accommodated in a storage lane of the one chamber to a transport lane of a third row of the side chamber; Sliding the third row of the conveyance lanes of the side chamber to the second row; Conveying a dummy tray from a conveyance lane of a second row of the side chambers to a conveyance lane of a second row of the one chamber; And sliding the conveyance lane of the second row of the one chamber to the first row.

The process of performing the preliminary process using the dummy tray may include performing a pre-sputter process in the chamber to perform the preliminary process using the dummy tray.

The step of transporting and storing the dummy tray to the one chamber may include the step of transporting the dummy tray to the storage lane of the third row of the one chamber and storing the dummy tray.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to smoothly perform the processing on the substrate in a state in which the tray with the dummy is brought into the chamber. Therefore, after the trays having the dummy are brought into the chamber for the first time, the tray on which the dummy is mounted can be stored in the chamber while the process for the substrate is repeatedly performed, and preliminary processing using the dummy is performed It is possible to quickly prepare the preliminary processing by using the dummy stored in the chamber while being mounted on the tray at each desired point. At this time, a dummy can be prepared at a position where processing on the substrate is performed. For example, a dummy can be prepared at a distance from the target by a distance between the substrate and the target when the substrate is sputtered. Thus, the processing on the substrate and the preliminary processing using the dummy can be performed under the same conditions. In addition, since the dummy is stored in the chamber while being mounted on the tray after the preliminary processing using the dummy, the processing on the substrate can be performed immediately while maintaining the inner atmosphere of the chamber.

Therefore, after the preliminary process using the dummy, the process on the substrate can be performed immediately without the outgassing, and the preliminary process using the dummy can be performed in accordance with the conditions of the process for the substrate. In addition, the vacuum and clean state inside the chamber can be maintained before and after the pretreatment using the dummy. Particularly, since the processing on the substrate can be performed immediately after the preliminary processing using the dummy, the processing on the substrate by the outgassing may not be temporarily stopped, and the waiting time does not occur before and after the preliminary processing using the dummy. This means that it is possible to increase the utilization rate of the apparatus while performing the preliminary processing using the dummy.

For example, the present invention can be applied to a process of manufacturing a large-area substrate for a flat panel display or a process of forming a metal film for wiring on a substrate by using an inline type vertical sputtering apparatus in the process of manufacturing an oxide semiconductor.

In this case, one of the chambers is provided so as to accommodate a tray in which a storage lane is loaded with a dummy, and the side chamber of the chamber in which the storage lane is provided is slidably provided inside the transfer lane. By using these structures, it is possible to use a preliminary process using a dummy, for example, a dummy that is always stored inside the chamber at the time of pre-sputtering. When the preliminary process is completed, A sputter for depositing a film can be performed.

Thus, the dummy tray can be exposed to the atmosphere before and after the pretreatment to prevent the dirty tray from being contaminated, and the chamber can be maintained in an internal vacuum and clean state. Therefore, outgassing of the chamber before and after the pretreatment can be omitted, and the operating rate of the apparatus can be increased. Particularly, in this case, there is an advantage that a stable plasma system can be constructed in the apparatus.

1 is a schematic view of a film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an operational view of a film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic view of a film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an operational view of a film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart of a film deposition method according to embodiments of the present invention.
6 is a process diagram of a film deposition method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a process diagram of a film deposition method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, but may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings may be exaggerated for purposes of describing embodiments of the present invention, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

The present invention relates to a film deposition apparatus and method capable of performing a process on a substrate without pretreatment after preliminary treatment using a dummy. An embodiment will be described in detail on the basis of a process of forming a metal film for wiring on a substrate using an inline type vertical sputtering apparatus in the process of manufacturing an oxide semiconductor. Of course, the present invention can be variously applied to a substrate during manufacture of a flat panel display having a large area or a process for depositing various films on a substrate in which semiconductor devices are being manufactured.

1 and 2 illustrate embodiments of the present invention in which a storage lane 50 to be described later is located in a plurality of chambers or heater chambers except for the outermost chamber, 3 and 4 show an embodiment in the case of being located in the outermost chamber.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an operational view of a film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, a film deposition apparatus according to an embodiment (first embodiment) of the present invention includes a chamber 30, a conveyance lane 40, a storage lane 50 and an operation portion 60, (Not shown) may further include a lock chamber 10, a heater chamber 20, a dummy tray 70, a target 80, a heater 90 and a plasma generator (not shown) .

The load lock chamber 10 is a predetermined chamber that can be switched to a vacuum and atmospheric pressure atmosphere and is connected in series to the chamber 30. [ The load lock chamber 10 can transfer the substrate trays to the chamber 30 through a gate valve (not shown) and transfer them to the chamber 30 in order. The processed substrate tray in the chamber 30 can be transported to the load lock chamber 10 and then taken out to the atmosphere.

A substrate tray (not shown) includes a substrate to be processed and a tray to which a substrate to be processed is mounted. The substrate to be processed may be various plates in which processes for manufacturing electronic devices are in progress or completed, for example, a process in which an oxide semiconductor is manufactured may be an ongoing substrate. Of course, the substrate to be processed may be a substrate in which a process of manufacturing a display device is in progress, a substrate in which a process of manufacturing a semiconductor device is in progress, and the like.

The tray (or referred to as a "carrier") may include a tray frame in a form in which a substrate to be processed is mountable, and a tray base in a form capable of supporting a lower portion of the tray frame. The substrate to be processed is vertically mounted on the tray frame and is supported on the conveyance lane 40 by the tray base. The substrate is carried into the internal decompression chamber of the load lock chamber 10, Can be returned. The processed substrate can be transported to the load lock chamber 10 from the inside of the chamber 30 along the process advancing direction and then taken out to the atmosphere.

The heater chamber 20 is a chamber in which a heating chamber is provided and can be connected in series between the load lock chamber 10 and the chamber 30 in the process advancing direction. The temperature of the heating chamber can be controlled by a heating means (not shown) while being controlled to a vacuum by a vacuum pump (not shown). At this time, the inside of the heating chamber can be always controlled in a vacuum state, except during maintenance of the apparatus. On the other hand, the heater chamber 20 can be connected to the load lock chamber 10 with a gate valve through which the substrate tray can pass.

The chamber 30 is a chamber capable of switching to a vacuum and atmospheric environment, for example, a process chamber. A plurality of chambers 30 may be provided, and they may be connected in series and arranged in series along the process direction. The chamber 30 is provided with a vacuum pump (not shown), which can control the internal processing chamber in a vacuum atmosphere while processing on the substrate is performed. Here, the processing for the substrate may be a film forming process, and for example, the film forming process may include a sputter process for depositing various thin films such as an oxide thin film on a substrate. The chamber 30 can be always controlled to the vacuum except for the maintenance point of the apparatus and can be connected to the heater chamber 20 with a gate valve through which the substrate tray can pass.

The conveyance lane 40 can be installed inside the load lock chamber 10, the heater chamber 20 and the plurality of chambers 30, respectively, and can carry the substrate tray and the dummy tray 70 in a transportable manner . The conveyance lane 40 may be formed to extend in the direction in which the plurality of chambers 30 are connected, for example, in the process advancing direction. The substrate tray and the dummy tray 70 may be formed by various methods such as a magnetic levitation method and a roller- It can be configured in various ways so that it can be transported while being vertically supported. The substrate tray can be carried, carried, and unloaded on the path described later by the conveyance lane 40, and the dummy tray 70 can be conveyed. The conveyance lane 40 may be installed in each of the chambers (referred to as the load lock chamber 10, the heater chamber 20 and the plurality of chambers 30), and at least one conveyance lane (40) may be aligned and aligned in series along the process direction.

On the other hand, when a plurality of conveyance lanes 40 are provided, for example, two or more, the conveyance lanes 40 are spaced apart from each other in a direction crossing the process progress direction (or a direction in which the plurality of chambers 30 are connected) .

A plurality of transfer lanes 40 may be provided inside the load lock chamber 10 and the heater chamber 20 and the transfer lanes 40 may be provided in the load lock chamber 10 and the heater chamber 20, For example, two rows extending in the process advancing direction and spaced apart in the direction crossing the process advancing direction. At this time, the two columns may be the first column A and the second column B described later (see Figs. 1 and 6).

That is, the conveyance lane 40 may be arranged in series and in parallel in two rows inside the load lock chamber 10 and the heater chamber 20. Thus, the substrate tray can be smoothly conveyed and carried in and out. Here, the tandem arrangement means that the tandem arrangement is arranged side by side in the process progress direction, and the tandem arrangement means that a plurality of tandem arranged columns are arranged apart from each other in the direction crossing the process progress direction.

The transfer lanes 40 are installed in the plurality of chambers 30, respectively. At this time, a plurality of transfer lanes 40 may be installed in the chambers depending on the positions of the chambers 30. [ That is, the conveyance lane 40 may be installed in at least one or more of the plurality of chambers 30, respectively. For example, one of the transfer lanes 40 may be installed in an outermost chamber in which a substrate to be processed can be brought in most later when the substrate to be processed is loaded in the apparatus, For example, two, respectively, in the remaining chambers.

The conveyance lanes 40 provided in the respective chambers 30 are aligned in series in the process progress direction to form a plurality of rows and the plurality of rows can be arranged in parallel and spaced from each other in the direction crossing the process progress direction. Of course, the method of installing the conveyance lane 40 may be various, and one of the chambers 30 may be installed in at least one of the chambers 30, and a plurality of the chambers 30 may be installed in the remaining chambers. The substrate tray and the dummy tray 70 are transferred to the desired chamber among the plurality of chambers 30 while the substrate tray and the dummy tray 70 are transported in the process progress direction by the conveyance lane 40 provided in the plurality of chambers 30. [ Respectively.

The storage lane (50) may be installed inside the one chamber (30a) of the plurality of chambers (30). The storage rails 50 are extended in the direction in which the plurality of chambers 30 are connected and can be supported while vertically supporting the dummy tray 70 by various methods such as a magnetic levitation method and a roller supporting method. The dummy tray 70 can be carried on the path inside the plurality of chambers 30 by the conveyance lane 40 and the dummy tray 70 can be stored and stored inside the one chamber 30a. The storage lane 50 serves to store and store the dummy tray 70 while the processing for the substrate is performed inside the chamber 30, The dummy tray 70 is conveyed to the conveyance lane 40 so that the processing can be performed and the dummy tray 70 is conveyed from the conveyance lane 40 upon completion of the preliminary processing. The storage lane 50 and the conveyance lane 40 have the following arrangement in the inside of the plurality of chambers 30 for smooth operation thereof.

Hereinafter, a description will be given of a configuration in which the storage rails 50 are disposed in the plurality of chambers 30, which are arranged to collide with each other in the conveyance of the substrate tray and the storage, transportation, and storage of the dummy tray 70 And it is also possible to make the preliminary process using the dummy equal to the conditions under which the process for the substrate is performed (for example, the sputter target and the target spacing at the time of sputtering and the position of the sputter target) Layout type. In other words, the arrangement of the substrate taking into consideration both the processing on the substrate and the preliminary processing using the dummy allows the sputtering of the substrate to be smooth by this arrangement, and the free sputter using the dummy can be smooth without interfering with each other.

A plurality of conveying lanes 40 are provided in the one chamber 30a and are spaced apart from each other in the direction intersecting the extending direction of the conveying lane 40. The storage lane 50 is provided to cross the extending direction of the conveying lane 40 And can be spaced apart from the conveyance lane 40 in the direction of the arrow.

On the basis of the carrying-in direction of the substrate to be processed, the storage lane 50 can be installed in one of the chambers except for the outermost chamber, which is the chamber in which the substrate to be processed is most recently carried. Here, the direction in which the substrate to be processed is brought in the direction from the load lock chamber 10 to the heater chamber 20 is referred to. Conversely, the direction in which the substrate to be processed is carried out may be the direction from the heater chamber 20 toward the load lock chamber 10.

On the other hand, when the number of the chambers 30 is two, the above arrangement will be described as follows. On the basis of the carrying direction of the substrate to be processed, the storage lane 50 can be installed in the chamber in which the substrate to be processed is first loaded. That is, the one chamber 30a may be the chamber in which the substrate to be processed is first transferred.

At this time, two transfer lanes 40 may be installed in the chamber where the storage lane 50 is installed, that is, one chamber 30a, and the transfer lane 40 is provided in the side chamber 30b of the one chamber 30a. In this case, the conveyance lane 40 provided in the side chamber 30b can be supported by the operation part 60 described later so as to be slidable in the direction crossing the process progress direction.

On the other hand, when the number of the chambers 30 is three or more, the arrangement of the storage lane 50 is as follows. On the basis of the carrying-in direction of the substrate to be processed, the storage lane 50 can be installed in any one of the chambers other than the chambers, such as the outermost chambers, to which the substrate to be processed is most recently carried. In this case, the chamber in which the storage lane 50 is installed may be the chamber in which the substrate to be treated is first brought in, the chamber in which the substrate to be processed is carried in the second order, And may be a chamber. At this time, when the number of the chambers 30 is three or more, the arrangement of the conveyance lanes 40 is changed, and a modification thereof will be described below.

Two conveyance lanes 40 may be installed in one chamber 30a in which a storage lane 50 is installed and one conveyance lane 40 may be installed in a side chamber 30b of the one chamber 30a In this case, the conveyance lane 40 provided in the side chamber 30b can be supported by the operation portion 60, which will be described later, so as to be slidable in the direction crossing the process progress direction. At this time, one conveyance lane 40 of the outermost chamber may be provided, or two conveyance lanes may be provided.

That is, when the number of the chambers 30 is three or more and the storage lane 50 is installed in a chamber other than the side chamber of the outermost chamber and the chamber in which the substrate to be treated is to be most later carried, One of the plurality of chambers 30 is installed in the side chamber of the chamber in which the storage lane 50 is installed and one or two are installed in the outermost chamber and two chambers are installed in the remaining chambers . The conveyance lane 40 provided in the side chamber of the chamber in which the storage lane 50 is installed can be slidably supported on the operation portion 60 and the conveyance lane 40 provided in the outermost chamber can be supported by another operation As shown in Fig.

The conveyance lane 40 positioned in the side chamber 30b is slid in the direction intersecting the process progress direction and is connected in series to the storage lane 50. [ And can then be returned to the dummy tray 70 housed on the storage lane 50. [ That is, in the above arrangement, it is possible to transport the dummy tray 70 between the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50. In addition, since the dummy tray 70 is always stored in the rear row of the sputtered substrate, the dummy tray 70 can be transported and used only when necessary, so that contamination of the dummy 71 can be prevented, It is possible to omit the outgassing processing before and after the preliminary processing.

The conveyance lane 40 carrying the dummy tray 70 is slid in the direction intersecting the process advancing direction inside the side chamber 30b and is conveyed to the conveyance lane 40 of the one chamber 30a and the other chambers And then the dummy tray 70 can be smoothly transported from the side chamber 30b to the desired chamber. That is, in the above arrangement, the dummy tray 70 can be conveyed between the conveyance lanes 40 of the side chambers 30b and the conveyance lanes 40 of the chambers other than the side chambers 30b. Further, in this arrangement, the dummy tray 70 may be provided on the sputter processing position of the substrate tray.

According to the arrangement of the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50, the plurality of chambers 30 arranged in series are provided with a path in a direction in which a plurality of chambers 30 are connected. The path includes a first row (A), a second row (B), and a third row (C) that are spaced from each other in a direction intersecting the direction in which the plurality of chambers (30) do. The conveyance lanes 40 are installed on the first row A and the second row B and at least one of them is supported by the actuating part 60 and is slidable across the path. And the storage lane (50) is installed on the third row (C). The operation of the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50 on this path will be described in detail below when explaining the film deposition method according to the embodiments of the present invention.

A guide (not shown) is provided at each of the chambers facing the conveying lane 40 and the storage lane 50 in the up and down direction, respectively, and is paired with the conveying lane 40 and the storage lane 50 . The guide serves to support the upper surface of the substrate tray or the dummy tray 70 being conveyed along the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50 in contact or noncontact with various means or methods such as rollers, magnetic levitation or air bearing .

The operating portion 60 may be installed in the side chamber 30b of the one chamber 30a and may further be provided in the outermost chamber. The operation portion 60 is not particularly limited as long as it supports the conveyance lane 40 slidably. For example, the operation portion 60 may include a linear motion mechanism such as an LM guide. At this time, the LM guide is a linear motion mechanism having a structure capable of sliding in one direction by using a rail and a bearing, and can have various shapes. The operating lever 60 can slide the conveyance lane 40 across the plurality of rows and can be aligned with the desired column position.

The dummy tray 70 may include a tray 71 and a tray 72, 73 on which the dummy tray 71 is mounted. The dummy 71 may include, for example, an aluminum sprayed plate, such as a shield, and may be a single plate or a plurality of plate pieces adhered side by side.

The trays 72 and 73 may include a tray frame 72 in a form in which the dummy 71 can be mounted and a tray base 73 capable of supporting the lower portion of the tray frame 72. The tray frame 72 may be in the form of a square frame and the tray base 73 may be in the form of a bar. The tray base 73 can be provided on the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50 in a form capable of being supported and conveyed. For example, if the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50 have a structure of a magnetic levitation type, the tray base 73 may also be a structure capable of magnetic levitation.

The dummy 71 is mounted vertically on the tray frame 72 and supported by the tray base 73 between the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50 or between the conveyance lanes 40 Is used for pretreatment in the interior of the chamber 30 supported by the conveyance lane 40 and can be accommodated and stored in the storage lane 50 while the substrate processing is performed inside the chamber 30. [ That is, the dummy 71 can be stored, transported and stored inside the chamber 30, so that exposure to the atmosphere can be prevented.

The target 80 may be installed in at least one of the plurality of chambers 30 and may be disposed closer to the first row than the third row and may be disposed on the opposite side of the storage lane 50 Can be installed. The target 80 may be in the form of a thin plate and may be attached to the chamber 30 and exposed to the interior of the chamber 30. The target 80 may be a target capable of depositing an oxide film, but may be various other than this. In this case, if the target 80 is a target used for deposition of a film in the production of an oxide semiconductor, the target 80 should be preliminarily processed (e.g., pre-sputtered) to recover its initial state after the film deposition is completed a predetermined number of times In the embodiment of the present invention, free sputtering is possible quickly and stably.

The heater 90 may be installed in at least one of the plurality of chambers 30 so as to be vertically installed inside the chamber 30 by being spaced apart from the target 80 on the conveyance lane 40. The heater 90 may be, for example, a heater that operates by an electric resistance heating method or an infrared heating method, and serves to heat the substrate and outgassing the chamber. The heater 90 installed inside the one chamber 30a is installed between the storage lane 50 and the conveyance lane 40, and thus only the substrate can be heated. On the other hand, a mechanism for minimizing the heating to the storage rail side in the vicinity of the heater 90 and the heater 90 may be further provided. The heater 90 installed in the side chamber 30b of the one chamber 30a and the heater 90 installed in the outermost chamber are provided outside the path respectively so that the slide of the conveyance lane 40 is free have.

The plasma generator (not shown) may be applied to various types of plasma generators used in the inline type vertical sputtering apparatus of the oxide semiconductor manufacturing part, and is not particularly limited thereto. A plasma generator is capable of sputtering and pre-sputter processing by applying a plasma between the target 80 and the substrate and between the target 80 and the dummy.

The control unit (not shown) controls the operation of the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50 and the movement of the dummy tray 70 during the pre-sputter processing using the dummy. The control unit controls the operation of the conveyance lane 40 and the storage lane 50 and the storage of the dummy tray 70 during the sputtering process on the substrate and controls the operation of the conveyance lane 40 for conveying the substrate tray It plays a role.

Although the storage lane 50 is illustrated as being installed in the plurality of chambers 30 as a process chamber in which processing for substrates is performed, the storage lane 50 may be installed in the heater chamber 20, In this case, the dummy tray 70 is stored and stored in the heater chamber 20, and can be transported to the plurality of chambers 30 when necessary.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the present invention can be configured in various formats including the following embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an operational view of a film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

3 to 4, a film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment (second embodiment) of the present invention includes a plurality of chambers 30 connected to each other, a plurality of chambers 30, A lane 40, a storage lane 50 installed in the one chamber 30a of the plurality of chambers 40 and a lateral chamber 30b of the one chamber 30a to slide the conveyance lane 40 And an actuating part 60 which is further provided in the one chamber 30a and slidably supports the conveyance lane 40 and also includes a load lock chamber 10, a heater chamber 20, A target 70, a target 80, a heater 90, a plasma generator (not shown), and a controller (not shown).

Meanwhile, the film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention is similar in structure to the film deposition apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention (described above), so a duplicate description will be omitted. Hereinafter, the features of the film deposition apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention, which are different from the embodiments of the present invention, will be described in detail below. Referring to FIG. 4, the arrangement of the conveyance lane 40, the storage lane 50, and the operation part 60 according to another embodiment of the present invention is as follows.

The dummy tray 70 is accommodated in one chamber and two or more conveyance lanes 40 are provided in the side chamber 30b of the one chamber 30a and one in the one chamber 30a. In this structure, the actuating portion 60 is provided in the one chamber 30a and the side chamber 30b, respectively, so that each of the conveyance lanes 40 can be slidably supported. Thus, the dummy tray 70 can be transported on the storage lane 50 and the conveyance lanes 40 while passing over the path or across the path. On the other hand, the plurality of conveyance lanes 40 provided in the side chamber 30b may be slidable together or slidable together.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the storage lane 50 is installed in a chamber excluding the outermost chamber. In the second embodiment, a storage lane 50 is installed in the outermost chamber. At this time, One or two chambers may be installed without any distinction of the embodiment, and the actuating portion 60 may be installed in at least the side chambers 30b without discrimination of the embodiment, and may be selectively installed in the remaining chambers. The present invention is characterized in that in the first embodiment two conveyance lanes 40 are provided in one chamber 30a in which the storage lane 50 is installed and in the chamber in which the storage lane 50 is installed in the second embodiment, And two conveyance lanes 40 are installed in the side chambers. At this time, since one conveyance lane 40 is provided in one chamber 30a in which the dummy tray 70 is stored in the second embodiment, it may be necessary to install a slide mechanism in the two chambers 30a and 30b relatively. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, since two conveyance lanes 40 are provided in the one chamber 30a in which the dummy tray 70 is stored, only the side chamber 30b can be slidably installed.

If the chamber in which the storage lane 50 is installed is referred to as one chamber 30a, the positions of the one chamber are different from those in the first embodiment and the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the dummy tray 70 is stored in the chambers except for the outermost chamber. In the second embodiment, the dummy tray 70 is stored in the outermost chamber. In the first embodiment, (Process efficiency is good), and the slide distance is relatively short in the second embodiment, so that the chamber size and the chamber driving element can be reduced and simplified.

Hereinafter, the film deposition method according to the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a film deposition method according to embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a process diagram of a film deposition method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a flow chart of a film deposition method according to another embodiment of the present invention Fig.

2, 4, and 5 to 7, a film deposition method according to embodiments of the present invention is a method of depositing a dummy tray, which is accommodated in a chamber among a plurality of chambers connected to each other, Performing a preliminary process using a dummy tray, carrying the dummy tray to a chamber and storing the chamber, and performing a process on the substrate in at least one chamber.

As described above, the film deposition apparatus to which the film deposition method according to the embodiments of the present invention is applied is provided with a path in a direction in which a plurality of chambers 30 are connected to a plurality of chambers 30, And has a plurality of rows spaced apart in the direction crossing the direction in which the chamber 30 is connected. The dummy tray can be stored, transported, and stored in one of the plurality of rows, and the substrate to be processed and the dummy tray can be transported from the remaining rows. Further, preliminary processing using the dummy tray in the remaining columns and processing on the substrate are possible.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of rows includes the first row A, the second row B and the third row C, and the first row A of the one chamber 30a The transfer lane 40 is provided in the second row B and the storage lane 50 in which the dummy tray 70 is accommodated in the third row C. In addition, A transfer lane 40 is slidably installed in the chamber 30b from the first row to the third row. Hereinafter, the film deposition method according to the first embodiment will be described first, and the film deposition method according to the second embodiment will be described.

First, the dummy tray 70 stored in the one chamber 30a is returned to the chamber to be subjected to the preliminary processing (S100). The conveyance lane 40 of the side chamber 30b is slid to the third row C and the dummy tray 70 accommodated in the storage lane 50 of the one chamber 30a is conveyed to the side of the side chamber 30b And is conveyed to the lane 40 and the conveyance lane 40 of the side chamber 30b is slid to the first row A. [ The dummy tray 70 is transported from the transport lane 40 of the side chamber 30b to the transport lane 40 provided in the first row A of the one chamber 30a.

In this process, the dummy tray 70 housed in the third row C is prepared in the first row A of the one chamber 30a. Then, the dummy tray 70 prepared in the first row (A) of the one chamber 30a is transferred to the chamber to be subjected to the preliminary process on the first row (A). The sequence of the steps is shown in FIGS. 2 (a) to 2 (e) sequentially, and FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (d) are also shown in order so that only the movement of the dummy tray 70 can be clearly seen.

Meanwhile, if the side chamber 30b is the chamber to be subjected to the preliminary process, the conveyance lane 40 of the side chamber 30b supporting the dummy tray 70 is slid to the first row A, . When the one chamber 30a is the chamber to be subjected to the preliminary processing, the transfer lane 40 of the side chamber 30b is used as the transfer lane 40 provided in the first row A of the one chamber 30a, 70 may be returned and the process may be terminated.

Thereafter, preliminary processing is performed using the dummy tray 70 (S200). For example, the dummy tray 70 is used to perform the pre-sputter processing in the chamber in which the preliminary processing is to be performed. At this time, since the dummy tray 70 can be equally placed at the position where the substrate tray is sputtered, the free sputter efficiency can be good and the target can be smoothly recovered to a desired state. At this time, there may be a plurality of chambers to perform the preliminary process, and in this case, the dummy trays 70 may be pre-sputter processed one by one while being conveyed to the chambers on the first row A. On the other hand, the processing for the substrate may be performed in at least one of the chambers other than the chamber in which the preliminary processing is being performed among the plurality of chambers 30. [

Thereafter, the dummy tray 70 is transported to the one chamber 30a and stored (S300). The dummy tray 70 is transported to the storage lane 50 of the third row C of the one chamber 30a and stored. More specifically, the dummy tray 70 is conveyed to the conveyance lane 40 of the side chamber 30b of the one chamber 30a and the conveyance lane 40 of the side chamber 30b is conveyed from the first row A to the The dummy tray 70 which is supported by the conveyance lane 40 of the side chamber 30b and positioned in the third row C is moved to the third row C of the one chamber 30a, To the storage lane (50) of the storage tank (50).

Thereafter, processing is performed on the substrate in at least one of the chambers (S400). For example, the dummy tray 70 is stored in at least one row, for example, the third row (C), and the film is deposited while the substrate to be processed mounted on the tray is transferred from the remaining row. Thus, the outgassing process can be omitted, and production stoppage of the apparatus can be prevented.

Thereafter, when the film forming process is performed on the substrate having the specified number of processes, the process for the substrate is terminated, and the process of returning the dummy tray 70 stored in the one chamber 30a to the chamber to be preliminarily processed The following processes can be repeatedly performed.

The film deposition method according to the second embodiment will be described below. Since the film deposition method according to another embodiment of the present invention is similar to the film deposition method according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, (Second embodiment) of the present invention, which is distinguished from the first embodiment of the present invention, will be described in detail below.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of rows includes the first row (A), the second row (B) and the third row (C), and the third row A storage lane 50 in which the dummy tray 70 is accommodated is provided and the conveyance rail 40 is installed in the first row A or the second row B so that the second row B or the first row B Two conveyance lanes 40 are provided in the first row A and the second row B respectively in the side chambers 30b of the one chamber 30a and are slidable in the second row B And the third row (C).

Therefore, the process of transferring the dummy tray 70 stored in the one chamber 30a to the chamber to be pretreated (S100) is performed as follows. The conveyance lane 40 of the second row B of the side chamber 30b is slid to the third row C and the dummy tray 70 stored in the storage lane 50 of the one chamber 30a The conveyance lane 40 of the third row C of the side chamber 30b is slid to the second row B after being conveyed to the conveyance lane 40 of the third row C of the side chamber 30b, do. After the dummy tray 70 is transferred from the transfer lane 40 of the second row B of the side chamber 30b to the transfer lane of the second row B of the one chamber 30a, (B) of the first row (A) to the first row (A).

In this process, the dummy tray 70 accommodated in the third row C of the first chamber 30a is prepared in the first row A. Then, the dummy tray 70 prepared in the first row (A) of the one chamber 30a is transferred to the chamber to be subjected to the preliminary process on the first row (A). FIGS. 4A to 4E show a sequence of the steps, and FIGS. 7A to 7E are sequentially shown so that only the movement of the dummy tray 70 can be clearly seen.

If the one chamber 30a is a chamber for performing preliminary processing in the above process, the conveyance lane 40 of the second row B of the one chamber 30a is slid to the first row A, Can be terminated.

Thereafter, the preliminary process is performed using the dummy tray 70 (S200). If there are a plurality of chambers to perform the preliminary process, the dummy tray 70 is transferred to the chambers in the first row A Can be subjected to free sputter processing. In addition, the processing for the substrate may proceed in at least one of the chambers other than the chamber in which the preliminary processing is being performed among the plurality of chambers 30. [

Thereafter, the dummy tray 70 is transported to the one chamber 30a and stored (S300). The dummy tray 70 is transported to the storage lane 50 of the third row C of the one chamber 30a and stored. More specifically, the dummy tray 70 is transported to the transport lane 40 of the first row A of the one chamber 30a and the transport lane 40 of the one chamber 30a is transported to the first row A of the one chamber 30a. (B) of the second row B of the side chamber 30b from the conveyance lane of the second row B of the one chamber 30a to the second row B of the side chamber 30b, ). The conveyance lane 40 of the second row B of the side chamber 30b is slid to the third row C and the sheet is conveyed to the conveyance lane 40 of the third row C of the side chamber 30b The dummy tray 70 is stored in the storage lane 50 of the one chamber 30a and stored. And the conveyance lane 40 of the third row C of the side chamber 30b is slid to the second row B. [

Thereafter, processing is performed on the substrate in at least one of the chambers (S400). For example, the dummy tray 70 is stored in at least one row, for example, the third row (C), and the film is deposited while the substrate to be processed mounted on the tray is transferred from the remaining row. Thus, the outgassing process can be omitted, and production stoppage of the apparatus can be prevented.

Thereafter, when the film forming process is performed on the substrate having the specified number of processes, the process for the substrate is terminated, and the process of returning the dummy tray 70 stored in the one chamber 30a to the chamber to be preliminarily processed The following processes can be repeatedly performed.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention are for the explanation of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It should be noted that the configurations and methods described in the above embodiments of the present invention may be combined or cross-applied to each other and modified in various forms, and modifications thereof may be regarded as the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventions. You will understand.

10: load lock chamber 20: heater chamber
30: chamber 40: conveying lane
50: Storage lane 60: Operation part
70: Dummy tray 80: Target
90: heater A: first column
B: second column C: third column

Claims (12)

delete delete delete delete delete As a film deposition method,
Transferring a dummy tray accommodated in a chamber among the plurality of chambers connected to each other to a chamber to be preliminarily processed;
Performing a preliminary process using the dummy tray;
Transporting the dummy tray to the one chamber and storing the dummy tray; And
And performing a process on the substrate in at least one of the chambers,
When the substrate to be processed is transported and processed in the first and second rows forming the transport path of the substrate among a plurality of rows extending in the process progress direction and spaced apart from each other in the direction crossing the process progress direction, And a third row spaced apart from the second row,
The dummy tray can be transported in the third row,
The substrate to be processed and the dummy tray can be transported in the first and second rows, and preliminary processing using the dummy tray and processing on the substrate are enabled,
Wherein the first lane and the second lane of the one chamber are respectively provided with a conveyance lane and a third column is provided with a storage lane accommodating the dummy tray, When slidably installed,
The process of transferring the dummy tray to a chamber for performing preliminary processing includes:
Sliding the conveyance lane of the side chamber to the third row;
Returning a dummy tray accommodated in a storage lane of the one chamber to a conveyance lane of the side chamber; And
And sliding the conveyance lane of the side chamber to the first row,
The process of performing the preliminary process using the dummy tray may include:
And performing a pre-sputtering process in a chamber for performing the preliminary process using the dummy tray,
The process for processing the substrate may include:
And depositing a film on the substrate while keeping the dummy tray in a third row of the one chamber. delete delete The method of claim 6,
The process of transferring the dummy tray to a chamber for performing preliminary processing includes:
And transferring the dummy tray from the transfer lane of the side chamber to the transfer lane provided in the first row of the one chamber. delete delete delete

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