KR20200032276A - Apparatus for producing negative ion - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an anion generating apparatus for irradiating anions to an object, and specifically, to an anion generating apparatus having a plasma source for supplying plasma in a vacuum chamber and a means for lowering the electron temperature of the plasma in the vacuum chamber. will be.

Description

Anion generator {APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING NEGATIVE ION}

The present invention relates to an anion generator.

As a film forming apparatus for forming a film on the surface of a film forming object, for example, a film forming device by an ion plating method is known in which particles of evaporated film forming material are diffused into a vacuum chamber to adhere particles of film forming material to the surface of a film forming object. .

In the conventional film forming apparatus, when a film-forming object formed with a film is taken out into the atmosphere, oxygen in the atmosphere adheres to the surface of the film in the film forming object. When oxygen is attached to the membrane as described above, there is a possibility that the membrane quality is lowered.

More specifically, for example, when a ZnO film formed on an object to be formed is used as a film for detecting a gas of a semiconductor type hydrogen gas sensor, oxygen in the atmosphere adheres to the surface of the ZnO film in the form of O ² , thereby reducing hydrogen. There is a problem that the detection response decreases.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an anion generating device and a film forming device capable of suppressing a decrease in film quality in a film forming object.

In order to solve the above problems, an anion bio-growth value according to an aspect of the present invention is an anion generator for irradiating anion to an object, a plasma source for supplying plasma into a vacuum chamber, and a plasma in the vacuum chamber. It may have a means of lowering the electron temperature.

The means for reducing the electron temperature of the plasma in the vacuum chamber may be a control unit that controls the supply of the plasma into the vacuum chamber intermittently.

Further having a telephone unit for switching supply and interruption of the plasma into the vacuum chamber, the control unit can intermittently supply the plasma by switching the switching unit.

The vacuum chamber has an anion generating chamber for attaching electrons to the raw material by supplying plasma to the raw material of the anion, and a transfer chamber for conveying the object, while electrons in the anion generating chamber are generated during anion generation in the anion generating chamber. A magnetic field generating coil that prevents entry into the transport chamber may be further provided.

The magnetic field generating coil may form a sealing magnetic field having a magnetic force line extending in a direction crossing a direction from the anion generating chamber to the conveying chamber in a vacuum chamber.

The plasma source may be a pressure gradient type plasma gun.

According to another aspect, as an anion generator for irradiating anions to an object, the plasma source for supplying plasma in a vacuum chamber, the plasma source is a pressure gradient type plasma gun having an electrode for converging plasma, and the electrode It may have a switching unit for switching the flow of current to the.

In addition, in order to solve the above problems, the film forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is a film forming apparatus for forming a film forming material on a film forming object, a vacuum chamber for receiving a film forming object and performing film forming processing, and a film forming in the vacuum chamber It is characterized in that it comprises a film-forming part for attaching particles of a material to a film-forming object and an anion generating part for generating anions in a vacuum chamber.

In the film forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, anions are generated in the vacuum chamber by the anion generator, so that the anions can be attached to the surface of the film formed on the film forming object by film forming treatment. In this way, even if the object to be formed after the film-forming treatment is taken out to the atmosphere, negative ions are attached to the surface of the film formed on the film-forming object, so that the deterioration of the film quality due to adhesion of oxygen in the atmosphere to the surface of the film in the film-forming object can be suppressed. . From the above, it is possible to suppress a decrease in film quality in the film formation object.

In the film forming apparatus, the anion generating unit has a plasma gun for generating plasma in the vacuum chamber, a raw material gas supply unit for supplying the raw material gas of the anion in the vacuum chamber, and a control unit for controlling the plasma gun to generate plasma intermittently. May be In this case, since the plasma is intermittently generated in the vacuum chamber, when the plasma generation in the vacuum chamber is stopped, the electron temperature of the plasma in the vacuum chamber rapidly decreases, and particles of negative electrode raw material gas supplied into the vacuum chamber It becomes easy for electrons to adhere. Thus, anions can be efficiently generated in the vacuum chamber. As a result, anions can be efficiently attached to the surface of the film formed on the film forming object. By the above, the fall of the film quality in a film-forming object can be suppressed reliably.

In the film forming apparatus, the anion generating unit further has a switching unit for switching supply and interruption of plasma into the vacuum chamber, and the control unit may control the plasma gun to intermittently generate plasma by switching the switching unit. In this case, plasma can be generated intermittently easily by simply switching the switching unit.

In the film forming apparatus, the vacuum chamber has a transport chamber for transporting a film formation object, a film formation chamber for diffusing the film formation material, and generates a magnetic field having a magnetic field line in a direction crossing the direction from the film formation chamber to the transport chamber, thereby forming a A magnetic field generating coil that suppresses electrons from flowing into the transport chamber may be further provided. In this case, electrons in the deposition chamber can be prevented from flowing into the transport chamber by the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating coil, so that anion can be generated more efficiently in the deposition chamber. As a result, anions can be more efficiently attached to the surface of the film formed on the film forming object.

In the film forming apparatus, the magnetic field generating coil is in a vacuum chamber and may be provided between the film forming chamber and the transfer chamber. In this case, a magnetic field having a magnetic force line in a direction to suppress electrons in the film formation chamber from flowing into the transport chamber can be suitably generated.

In the film forming apparatus, the film forming unit has a plasma gun, and particles of the film forming material are attached to the film forming object by an ion plating method, and the plasma gun of the film forming unit may be combined with the plasma gun of the anion generating unit. In this case, since the plasma gun of the film-forming part and the plasma gun of the anion-generating part are used together, an anion-generating part can be formed without significantly changing the structure originally provided in the vacuum chamber as a necessary structure for film-forming processing. Therefore, it becomes possible to provide the anion generating portion while suppressing the influence on the film formation conditions. In addition, the device configuration can be simplified by using a plasma gun.

In the film forming apparatus, a voltage applying part that applies a positive bias voltage to the film forming object after the film forming process by the film forming part may be further provided. In this case, a positive bias voltage is applied to the film-forming object after the film-forming process by the voltage applying unit. As a result, anions generated in the anion generating portion are attracted to the film formation object side and irradiated to the surface of the film formed on the film formation object. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of film quality due to adhesion of oxygen in the atmosphere to the surface of the film in the film forming object.

In the film forming apparatus, the anion generating unit may generate plasma intermittently in a vacuum chamber, and the voltage applying unit may apply a positive bias voltage to the film forming object after plasma generation by the anion generating unit is stopped. Thereby, many oxygen anions are irradiated to the film formation object. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of the film quality due to the adhesion of oxygen in the atmosphere to the surface of the film in the film forming object.

In the film forming apparatus, a vacuum load lock chamber is disposed adjacent to the vacuum chamber to carry and carry out a film-forming object, and the vacuum load-lock chamber carries the film-forming object after the film-forming process from the vacuum chamber, and carries the film formed therein. The object may be removed into the vacuum chamber after the anion is generated by the anion generator. As a result, the film-forming object is not exposed to the atmosphere, and is brought into the vacuum chamber at an appropriate timing when oxygen anions are generated. As a result, oxygen anion can be suitably irradiated to the film forming object.

In the film forming apparatus, a supporting member for supporting a film forming object is provided, and a trolley wire is stretched and provided in the vacuum chamber, and the feeding member may be provided with a feeding portion that feeds from the trolley ship. In this case, the feeding portion provided on the supporting member for supporting the film-forming object is fed from the trolley ship provided in the vacuum chamber. As a result, a positive voltage can be easily applied to the film-forming object through the feeding portion of the support member.

In the film forming apparatus, a tension may be provided to impart tension to the trolley ship. In this case, tension is applied to the trolley ship by tensioning. Thereby, even when the trolley ship is stretched or contracted by heat generated in the vacuum chamber, it can be suppressed from bending.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the anion generating apparatus and film-forming apparatus which can suppress the fall of the film quality in a film-forming object can be provided.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a view showing an operating state in the film forming processing mode.
Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the film forming apparatus of Fig. 1, and is a view showing an operating state in the oxygen anion generation mode.
3 is a flow chart showing a film forming method in the film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a film forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing an operating state in the oxygen anion generation mode.
5 is a schematic front view and a schematic side view showing the configuration of the trolley line fixing end of FIG. 4;
6 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a film forming object support member of FIG. 4.
7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6.
8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6.
It is a figure explaining the operation | movement of the brush body guided by the brush guide.
10 is a view for explaining the operation of the power supply terminal unit.
11 is a graph showing the change in time of the flux of ions present in the vacuum chamber.
12 is a graph showing the relationship between the presence or absence of applying a bias voltage and the carrier density.
13 is a graph showing the relationship between the presence or absence of applying a bias voltage and the optical mobility.
14 is a graph showing the relationship between the presence or absence of oxygen anion irradiation and the characteristics of a hydrogen gas sensor.

Hereinafter, a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, in the description of the drawings, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

(First embodiment)

First, with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the structure of the film forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. 1 and 2 are schematic cross-sectional views showing the configuration of a film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment. Fig. 1 shows the operating state in the film forming processing mode, and Fig. 2 shows the operating state in the oxygen anion generating mode. However, details of the film forming treatment mode and the oxygen anion generating mode will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is an ion plating apparatus used for a so-called ion plating method. However, for convenience of explanation, the XYZ coordinate system is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The Y-axis direction is a direction in which a film formation target described later is conveyed. The X-axis direction is a position where the object to be formed and the Haas mechanism to be described later face each other. The Z-axis direction is a direction orthogonal to the Y-axis direction and the X-axis direction.

The film-forming apparatus 1 is in a state in which the film-forming object 11 is inclined from an upright or upright state such that the plate thickness direction of the film-forming object 11 is in a horizontal direction (X-axis direction in FIGS. 1 and 2), It is a so-called vertical film forming apparatus in which the film forming object 11 is disposed and conveyed in a vacuum chamber 10. In this case, the X-axis direction is the horizontal direction and the plate thickness direction of the film-forming object 11, the Y-axis direction is the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. However, the film-forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention may be a so-called horizontal film-forming apparatus in which the film-forming object is disposed and conveyed in a vacuum chamber so that the plate thickness direction of the film-forming object is substantially perpendicular. In this case, the Z-axis and Y-axis directions are the horizontal direction, and the X-axis direction is the vertical direction and the plate thickness direction. Hereinafter, a vertical film forming apparatus will be described as an example.

The film forming apparatus 1 includes a vacuum chamber 10, a transport mechanism 3, a film forming portion 14, an anion generating portion 24, and a magnetic field generating coil 30.

The vacuum chamber 10 receives the film forming object 11 and performs film forming processing. The vacuum chamber 10 includes a transport chamber 10a for transporting a film forming object 11 on which a film of the film forming material Ma is formed, and a film forming room for diffusing the film forming material Ma (also referred to as an 'anion generating room') , 10b) and a plasma sphere 10c that receives the plasma P irradiated in the beam form from the plasma source 7 into the vacuum chamber 10. The transport chamber 10a, the film formation chamber 10b, and the plasma sphere 10c communicate with each other. The conveyance chamber 10a is set along a predetermined conveyance direction (arrow A in the figure) (along the Y axis). Further, the vacuum chamber 10 is made of a conductive material and is connected to a ground potential.

The film forming chamber 10b is a wall portion 10W, a pair of side walls along the conveying direction (arrow A), and a pair of side walls 10h along the direction crossing the conveying direction (arrow A) (Z-axis direction) , 10i), and a bottom wall 10j disposed to intersect the X-axis direction.

The conveying mechanism 3 conveys the film forming object support member 16 supporting the film forming object 11 in a state facing the film forming material Ma in the conveying direction (arrow A). For example, the film forming object support member 16 is a frame body that supports the outer circumferential edge of the film forming object 11. The conveying mechanism 3 is constituted by a plurality of conveying rollers 15 provided in the conveying chamber 10a. The conveying roller 15 is arranged at equal intervals along the conveying direction (arrow A), and conveys in the conveying direction (arrow A) while supporting the film forming object support member 16. However, as the object to be formed 11, a plate-like member such as a glass substrate or a plastic substrate is used.

Subsequently, the configuration of the film forming section 14 will be described in detail. The film forming unit 14 adheres particles of the film forming material Ma to the film forming object 11 by ion plating. The film forming section 14 has a plasma source 7, a steering coil 5, a hash mechanism 2, and a ring hash 6.

The plasma source 7 is, for example, a pressure gradient type plasma gun, and its main body portion is connected to the film formation chamber 10b through a plasma sphere 10c provided on the sidewall of the film formation chamber 10b. The plasma source 7 generates plasma P in the vacuum chamber 10. The plasma P generated in the plasma source 7 is emitted in a beam shape from the plasma sphere 10c into the film formation chamber 10b. As a result, plasma P is generated in the deposition chamber 10b.

One end of the plasma source 7 is closed by the cathode 60. The first intermediate electrode (grid) 61 and the second intermediate electrode (grid) 62 are disposed concentrically between the cathode 60 and the plasma sphere 10c. An annular permanent magnet 61a for converging plasma P is built in the first intermediate electrode 61. An electromagnet coil 62a for converging plasma P is also built in the second intermediate electrode 62. However, the plasma source 7 also has a function as an anion generator 24 to be described later. This detail will be described later in the description of the anion generator 24.

The steering coil 5 is provided around the plasma sphere 10c on which the plasma source is mounted. The steering coil 5 guides the plasma P into the deposition chamber 10b. The steering coil 5 is excited by a power source (not shown) for the steering coil.

The Haas mechanism 2 supports the film-forming material Ma. The Haas mechanism 2 is provided in the film formation chamber 10b of the vacuum chamber 10 and is disposed in the negative direction in the X-axis direction as viewed from the transport mechanism 3. The Haas mechanism 2 is a main anode that induces the plasma P emitted from the plasma source 7 to the film forming material Ma or a main anode where the plasma P emitted from the plasma source 7 is induced. It has a main hearth (17).

The main hash 17 has a cylindrical filling portion 17a extending in a positive direction in the X-axis direction filled with the film forming material Ma, and a flange portion 17b protruding from the filling portion 17a. Since the main hearth 17 is maintained at an electrostatic potential with respect to the ground potential of the vacuum chamber 10, the plasma P is sucked. A through hole 17c for filling the film forming material Ma is formed in the filling portion 17a of the main hearth 17 to which the plasma P enters. Then, the tip portion of the film forming material Ma is exposed to the film forming chamber 10b at one end of the through hole 17c.

Examples of the film-forming material Ma include transparent conductive materials such as ITO and ZnO, and insulating sealing materials such as SiON. When the film forming material (Ma) is made of an insulating material, when the plasma (P) is irradiated to the main sheath (17), the main sheath (17) is heated by the current from the plasma (P), and the film forming material (Ma) The tip portion is evaporated or sublimed, and the deposition material particles (evaporation particles) Mb ionized by the plasma P diffuse into the deposition chamber 10b. In addition, when the film forming material (Ma) is made of a conductive material, when the plasma (P) is irradiated to the main sheath (17), the plasma (P) is directly incident on the film forming material (Ma), leading to the tip of the film forming material (Ma) The portion is heated to evaporate or sublime, and the film-forming material particles (Mb) ionized by the plasma P diffuse into the film-forming chamber 10b. The film-forming material particles Mb diffused in the film-forming chamber 10b move in the X-axis positive direction of the film-forming chamber 10b, and are attached to the surface of the film-forming object 11 in the transfer chamber 10a. However, the film-forming material Ma is a solid material molded into a columnar shape of a predetermined length, and a plurality of film-forming materials Ma are filled in the Haas mechanism 2 at a time. In addition, in order to maintain a predetermined positional relationship with the upper end of the main hearth 17, the tip portion of the film forming material Ma at the uppermost end side, the film forming material Ma is a hash mechanism (in accordance with the consumption of the film forming material Ma). 2) is sequentially pushed from the negative side of the X axis.

The ring hearth 6 is an auxiliary anode having an electromagnet for inducing plasma P. The ring hearth 6 is arranged around the filling section 17a of the main hearth 17 that supports the film forming material Ma. The ring hearth 6 has an annular coil 9, an annular permanent magnet part 20, and an annular container 12, and the coil 9 and the permanent magnet part 20 are accommodated in the container 12. It is done. In this embodiment, the coil 9 and the permanent magnet portion 20 are provided in the order of the negative axis along the X axis as viewed from the conveyance mechanism 3, but the permanent magnet portion 20 and coil 9 are arranged in the negative direction of the X axis. ). The ring hearth 6 determines the direction of the plasma P incident on the film forming material Ma or the direction of the plasma P incident on the main heart 17 according to the magnitude of the current flowing through the coil 9. Control.

Subsequently, the configuration of the anion generator 24 will be described in detail. The anion generating unit 24 includes a plasma source 7, a source gas supply unit 40, a control unit 50, and a circuit unit 34. However, some functions included in the control unit 50 and the circuit unit 34 also belong to the film forming unit 14 described above.

The plasma source 7 is the same as the plasma source 7 included in the film forming section 14 described above. That is, in the present embodiment, the plasma source 7 of the film forming portion 14 is used as the plasma source 7 of the anion generating portion 24. The plasma source 7 functions as a film forming portion 14 and also functions as an anion generating portion 24. However, the film forming portion 14 and the anion generating portion 24 may have different plasma sources that are different from each other.

The plasma source 7 generates plasma P intermittently in the film formation chamber 10b. Specifically, the plasma source 7 is controlled to generate the plasma P intermittently in the film formation chamber 10b by the control unit 50 described later. This control will be described in detail in the description of the control unit 50 to be described later.

The raw material gas supply unit 40 is disposed outside the vacuum chamber 10. The raw material gas supply unit 40 is oxygen gas, which is a raw material gas of oxygen anion, in the vacuum chamber 10 through the gas supply port 41 provided on the side wall (for example, the side wall 10h) of the deposition chamber 10b. Supplies. The raw material gas supply unit 40 starts supplying oxygen gas, for example, when the film formation processing mode is switched to the oxygen anion generation mode. In addition, the raw material gas supply unit 40 may continue to supply oxygen gas in both the film formation processing mode and the oxygen anion generation mode.

The position of the gas supply port 41 is preferably a position near the boundary between the film formation chamber 10b and the transfer chamber 10a. In this case, since oxygen gas from the raw material gas supply unit 40 can be supplied near the boundary between the film forming chamber 10b and the transfer chamber 10a, oxygen anion, which will be described later, is generated near the boundary. Therefore, the produced oxygen anion can be suitably attached to the film-forming object 11 in the transfer chamber 10a. However, the position of the gas supply port 41 is not limited to the vicinity of the boundary between the film formation chamber 10b and the transfer chamber 10a.

The control unit 50 is disposed outside the vacuum chamber 10. The control unit 50 switches the switching unit of the circuit unit 34. The switching of the switching unit by the control unit 50 will be described in detail in conjunction with the description of the circuit unit 34 below.

The circuit portion 34 includes a variable power source 80, a first wiring 71, a second wiring 72, resistors R1 to R4, and short circuit switches SW1 and SW2.

The variable power source 80 has a vacuum chamber 10 at the ground potential, a negative voltage to the cathode 60 of the plasma source 7 and a constant voltage to the main hearth 17 of the Haas mechanism 2. Approve. In this way, the variable power source 80 generates a potential difference between the cathode 60 of the plasma source 7 and the main hearth 17 of the hearth mechanism 2.

The first wiring 71 electrically connects the cathode 60 of the plasma source 7 to the negative potential side of the variable power source 80. The second wiring 72 electrically connects the main hearth 17 (positive electrode) of the hearth mechanism 2 to the electrostatic potential side of the variable power source 80.

The resistor R1 has one end electrically connected to the first intermediate electrode 61 of the plasma source 7 and the other end electrically connected to the variable power source 80 through the second wiring 72. have. That is, the resistor R1 is connected in series between the first intermediate electrode 61 and the variable power source 80.

The resistor R2 has one end electrically connected to the second intermediate electrode 62 of the plasma source 7 and the other end electrically connected to the variable power source 80 through the second wiring 72. have. That is, the resistor R2 is connected in series between the second intermediate electrode 62 and the variable power source 80.

The resistor R3 has one end electrically connected to the wall portion 10W of the deposition chamber 10b, and the other end is electrically connected to the variable power supply 80 through the second wiring 72. That is, the resistor R3 is connected in series between the wall portion 10W of the film formation chamber 10b and the variable power supply 80.

The resistor R4 is electrically connected to the variable power supply 80 through the second wiring 72 while one end is electrically connected to the ring heart 6. That is, the resistor R4 is connected in series between the ring heart 6 and the variable power source 80.

The short-circuit switches SW1 and SW2 are switching units that are switched to ON / OFF states by receiving command signals from the above-described control unit 50, respectively.

The short circuit switch SW1 is connected in parallel to the resistor R2. The short circuit switch SW1 is switched on / off by the control unit 50 depending on whether it is a film forming processing mode or an oxygen anion mode. The short circuit switch SW1 is turned OFF in the film forming processing mode. Thus, in the film forming processing mode, since the second intermediate electrode 62 and the variable power source 80 are electrically connected to each other through the resistor R2, between the second intermediate electrode 62 and the variable power source 80, Electric current is difficult to flow. As a result, plasma P from the plasma source 7 is discharged into the vacuum chamber 10, and enters the film forming material Ma (see FIG. 1).

On the other hand, in the oxygen anion generation mode, the short circuit switch SW1 is turned ON / OFF by the control unit 50 to intermittently generate plasma P from the plasma source 7 in the vacuum chamber 10. The state is switched to a predetermined interval. When the short circuit switch SW1 is switched to the ON state, the electrical connection between the second intermediate electrode 62 and the variable power source 80 is shorted, and thus, between the second intermediate electrode 62 and the variable power source 80. Current flows. That is, a short-circuit current flows through the plasma source 7. As a result, the plasma P from the plasma source 7 is not emitted into the vacuum chamber 10.

When the short circuit switch SW1 is switched to the OFF state, since the second intermediate electrode 62 and the variable power source 80 are electrically connected to each other through the resistor R2, the second intermediate electrode 62 and the variable power source 80 ), Current is difficult to flow. As a result, plasma P from the plasma source 7 is discharged into the vacuum chamber 10. In this way, the ON / OFF state of the short circuit switch SW1 is switched at a predetermined interval by the control unit 50, so that the plasma P from the plasma source 7 is intermittently generated in the vacuum chamber 10. That is, the short circuit switch SW1 is a switching unit that switches supply and cutoff of the plasma P into the vacuum chamber 10.

The short circuit switch SW2 is connected in parallel to the resistor R4. The short circuit switch SW2 is switched on / off by the control unit 50 according to whether the standby mode, which is a state before conveyance of the film forming object 11 before the film forming processing mode, is a standby mode or a film forming processing mode, for example. The short circuit switch SW2 is turned on in the standby mode. As a result, the electrical connection between the ring hearth 6 and the variable power source 80 is short-circuited, so it is easier to flow current through the ring hearth 6 than the main hearth 17, and unnecessary consumption of the film forming material Ma Can be prevented.

On the other hand, the short circuit switch SW2 is turned OFF in the film forming processing mode. As a result, since the ring hearth 6 and the variable power source 80 are electrically connected through the resistor R4, it is easier to flow current to the main hearth 17 than the ring hearth 6, and the plasma P is emitted. The direction can be appropriately directed to the film forming material Ma. However, the short circuit switch SW2 may be in an ON state or an OFF state in the oxygen anion generation mode.

The magnetic field generating coil 30 is in the vacuum chamber 10 and is provided between the film formation chamber 10b and the transfer chamber 10a. The magnetic field generating coil 30 is disposed, for example, between the Haas mechanism 2 and the conveying mechanism 3. More specifically, the magnetic field generating coil 30 is positioned so as to be interposed between the end of the film forming chamber 10b on the transport chamber 10a side and the end of the transport chamber 10a on the film formation chamber 10b side. The magnetic field generating coil 30 has a pair of coils 30a, 30b facing each other. Each of the coils 30a, 30b faces each other in a direction intersecting the direction from the film forming chamber 10b to the transfer chamber 10a (direction from the Haas mechanism 2 to the transfer mechanism 3), for example. have.

The magnetic field generating coil 30 is not excited in the film forming processing mode, and is excited by a power supply (not shown) for the magnetic field generating coil 30 in the oxygen anion generation mode. Here, the film-forming processing mode is a mode in which the film-forming object 11 is formed in the vacuum chamber 10. The oxygen anion generating mode is a mode in which oxygen anions are generated in the vacuum chamber 10 to adhere to the surface of the film formed on the film forming object 11. The magnetic field generating coil 30 is excited in the oxygen anion generation mode, so that it crosses the direction from the film formation chamber 10b to the transfer chamber 10a (the direction from the Haas mechanism 2 to the transfer mechanism 3). A sealing magnetic field M having a magnetic force line extending in the direction is formed in the vacuum chamber 10 (see FIG. 2). The magnetic field generating coil 30 suppresses electrons in the film forming chamber 10b from flowing into the transfer chamber 10a by generating such a sealing magnetic field M. The magnetic field line of the sealing magnetic field M may have, for example, a portion extending in a direction substantially parallel to the transport direction (arrow A) of the film forming object 11. However, the switching of the ON / OFF state of the power supply for the magnetic field generating coil 30 may be controlled by the control unit 50 described later. The magnetic field generating coil 30 is covered with a case 31 so that the film-forming material Ma is not deposited. However, the magnetic field generating coil 30 need not be covered with the case 31.

Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the film forming method in the film forming apparatus 1 is demonstrated in detail. 3 is a flowchart showing a film forming method in the film forming apparatus 1.

As shown in Fig. 3, first, in the film forming apparatus 1, when the film forming processing mode is switched by the control unit 50, a film of the film forming material Ma is formed on the film forming object 11 (S1: film forming process). . At this time, the short circuit switch SW1 is turned OFF by the control unit 50. Further, in the film forming processing mode, the steering coil 5 is excited, while the magnetic field generating coil 30 is not excited. As a result, the plasma P is generated in the film formation chamber 10b by the plasma source 7, and the plasma P is irradiated to the main hearth 17 (see FIG. 1). As a result, the film forming material (Ma) in the main hearth (17) is ionized by plasma (P) to form film forming material particles (Mb), diffuses into the film forming chamber (10b), and forms a film in the transfer chamber (10a). It is attached to the surface of the object 11. In this way, a film of the film forming material Ma is formed on the film forming object 11, and the film forming step S1 is finished.

Subsequently, in the film forming apparatus 1, in the oxygen anion mode, oxygen anions are generated (S2: oxygen anion generation process). Hereinafter, the oxygen anion generating step S2 will be described in detail. First, oxygen gas is supplied into the film formation chamber 10b by the raw material gas supply unit 40 (S21: raw material gas supply process).

Subsequently, the plasma source 7 is controlled by the control unit 50 so that the plasma P from the plasma source 7 is intermittently generated in the film formation chamber 10b (S22: plasma generation process). For example, by the control unit 50, the ON / OFF state of the short circuit switch SW1 is switched at a predetermined interval, so that the plasma P from the plasma source 7 is intermittently generated in the deposition chamber 10b. do.

When the short circuit switch SW1 is in the ON state, the plasma P from the plasma source 7 is not emitted into the film formation chamber 10b, so the electron temperature of the plasma P in the film formation chamber 10b Rapidly decreases. For this reason, electrons of the plasma P are easily attached to the particles of oxygen gas supplied into the film formation chamber 10b in the raw material gas supply step S21 described above. Thereby, oxygen anion is efficiently generated in the film formation chamber 10b.

Subsequently, a sealing magnetic field M is formed in the vacuum chamber 10 by the control unit 50 (S23: sealing magnetic field forming process). For example, when the magnetic field generating coil 30 is excited, a sealing magnetic field M is formed to be interposed between the film forming chamber 10b and the transfer chamber 10a in the vacuum chamber 10 (see FIG. 2). . The sealing magnetic field M has a magnetic force line extending in a direction intersecting the direction from the film forming chamber 10b to the transfer chamber 10a (the direction from the Haas mechanism 2 to the transfer mechanism 3).

The electrons of the plasma P in the film formation chamber 10b generated in the plasma generation step S22 described above are inhibited by the magnetic force line of the sealing magnetic field M formed in the sealing magnetic field formation step S23, and the transfer chamber 10a The inflow of the furnace is suppressed. Thereby, electrons of the plasma P are easily attached to the particles of oxygen gas in the film formation chamber 10b, and oxygen anions can be generated more efficiently. Then, the oxygen anion generated in the plasma generating step S22 moves in the X-axis positive direction of the film forming chamber 10b, and is attached to the surface of the film formed on the film forming object 11 by film forming treatment in the transport chamber 10a. . However, by applying a positive bias voltage to the film formation object 11, oxygen anion may be more actively attached to the surface of the film formed on the film formation object 11. As described above, when the oxygen anion generating step S2 ends, the film forming method shown in Fig. 3 ends.

As described above, according to the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, since oxygen anions are generated in the vacuum chamber 10 by the anion generating unit 24, the oxygen anions are applied to the film forming object 11 by film forming treatment. It can be attached to the surface of the formed film. In this way, even if the object 11 to be formed after the film-forming treatment is taken out to the atmosphere, oxygen anions adhere to the surface of the film formed on the object 11, so that oxygen in the atmosphere adheres to the surface of the film in the object 11 to be formed. It can suppress the fall of film quality by this. From the above, the fall of the film quality in the film-forming object 11 can be suppressed.

According to the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, since the plasma P is intermittently generated in the vacuum chamber 10, when the generation of the plasma P in the vacuum chamber 10 is stopped, the vacuum chamber 10 ), The electron temperature of the plasma P rapidly decreases, and electrons are easily attached to particles of oxygen gas supplied into the vacuum chamber 10. Thus, oxygen anions can be efficiently generated in the vacuum chamber 10. As a result, anions can be efficiently attached to the surface of the film formed on the film formation target 11. By the above, the fall of the film quality in the film-forming object 11 can be suppressed reliably.

According to the film forming apparatus 1, the plasma P can be generated intermittently easily by simply switching the short circuit switch SW1. For example, when the plasma source 7 is a pressure gradient type plasma gun, it is difficult to directly stop the generation of the plasma P, but according to the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the short circuit switch SW1 is switched. It is suitable because the generation of the plasma P can be easily stopped simply by doing.

According to the film forming apparatus 1, electrons in the film forming chamber 10b can be prevented from flowing into the transfer chamber 10a by the magnetic force lines of the sealing magnetic field M generated by the magnetic field generating coil 30. It becomes possible to generate anions more efficiently in the deposition chamber 10b. As a result, anions can be more efficiently attached to the surface of the film formed on the film forming object.

According to the film forming apparatus 1, since the magnetic field generating coil 30 is provided between the film forming chamber 10b and the transport chamber 10a, electrons in the film forming chamber 10b flow into the transport chamber 10a. A sealing magnetic field M having a magnetic force line in the direction of suppression can be suitably generated.

According to the film forming apparatus 1, since the plasma source 7 of the film forming section 14 and the plasma source 7 of the ion generating section 24 are used together, the vacuum chamber 10 is a configuration required for the film forming process. The anion generating portion 24 can be configured without significantly changing the structure originally provided therein. Therefore, it is possible to provide the anion generating portion 24 while suppressing the influence on the film formation conditions. Further, the device configuration can be simplified by using the plasma source 7 in combination.

(Second embodiment)

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, the structure of the film-forming apparatus 1A concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. The film forming apparatus 1A has the same elements and structures as the film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. For this reason, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements and structures as those of the film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, and detailed description is omitted, and parts different from the first embodiment will be described.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the film forming apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, and is a diagram showing an operating state in the oxygen anion generation mode. However, in the figure showing the operating state in the film forming processing mode of the film forming apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment, the short circuit switch SW1 is in the OFF state, and the film forming material particles Mb are formed in comparison with FIG. 4. Since it differs only in the point diffused in the seal 10b, and the other points are the same, illustration is omitted.

As shown in Fig. 4, in the film forming apparatus 1A of the present embodiment, the film forming object 11 is a vacuum chamber such that the plate thickness direction of the film forming object 11 is substantially in a vertical direction (Z axis direction in Fig. 4). It is a so-called horizontal film-forming apparatus which is disposed and conveyed in (10). However, the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment may be the so-called vertical film forming apparatus described above. Hereinafter, a horizontal film forming apparatus will be described as an example.

The film forming apparatus 1A is provided with a vacuum chamber 10, a transport mechanism 3, a film forming section 14, and an anion generating section 24, similarly to the film forming apparatus 1. On the other hand, the film forming apparatus 1A, unlike the film forming apparatus 1, does not include a magnetic field generating coil 30 and its case 31.

In addition, in the film forming apparatus 1A, the transport direction of the film forming object 11 is not in one direction, but in two directions (arrow B in the figure), and instead of the film forming object support member 16 supporting the film forming object 11 , A film forming object supporting member 16A (supporting member) for supporting the film forming object 11 is provided. That is, in the present embodiment, the transport mechanism 3 transports the film forming object support member 16A in the transport direction (arrow B). The film forming object support member 16A is, for example, a tray or the like that supports and transports the film forming object 11 in a state where the film forming surface of the film forming object 11 is exposed. However, the detailed configuration of the film-forming object support member 16A will be described later.

In addition, the film forming apparatus 1A includes a bias circuit unit 35 for applying a positive bias voltage to the object 11 to be formed after film formation, a trolley wire 18 provided in the vacuum chamber 10, and a trolley wire 18. It is different from the film-forming apparatus 1 in that it is provided with a tensioning portion 25 for imparting tension and a load lock chamber 26 (vacuum load lock chamber) disposed adjacent to the vacuum chamber 10. However, although the illustration and description of the load lock chamber 26 are omitted in the first embodiment, the film forming apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment may include the load lock chamber 26. Moreover, the conveyance direction of the film-forming object 11 in the film-forming apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment may be two-way rather than one direction.

The bias circuit section 35 includes a bias power supply 27 (voltage application section) that applies a positive bias voltage (hereinafter, simply referred to as a "bias voltage") to the film formation object 11, a bias power supply 27, and a trolley wire. The third wiring 73 electrically connecting (18) and the short circuit switch SW3 provided in the third wiring 73 are provided. The bias power supply 27 applies a voltage signal (periodic electrical signal) that is a square wave that periodically increases or decreases as a bias voltage. The bias power supply 27 is configured to be able to change the frequency of the applied bias voltage under the control of the control unit 50. The third wiring 73 has one end connected to the positive potential side of the bias power supply 27 and the other end connected to the pulley 25b of the tension applying unit 25. As a result, the third wiring 73 electrically connects the trolley wire 18 and the bias power source 27 through the pulley 25b.

The short circuit switch SW3 is connected in series between the pulley 25b and the electrostatic potential side of the bias power supply 27 by the third wiring 73. The short circuit switch SW3 is a switching section for switching whether or not the bias voltage is applied to the trolley wire 18. The ON / OFF state of the short circuit switch SW3 is switched by the control unit 50. The short circuit switch SW3 is turned on at a predetermined timing in the oxygen anion generation mode. When the short circuit switch SW3 is turned on, the trolley wire 18 and the positive potential side of the bias power supply 27 are electrically connected to each other, and a bias voltage is applied to the trolley wire 18.

On the other hand, the short circuit switch SW3 is turned OFF in the film forming processing mode and at a predetermined timing in the oxygen anion generation mode. When the short-circuit switch SW3 is turned OFF, the trolley wire 18 and the bias power source 27 are electrically cut off from each other, so that no bias voltage is applied to the trolley wire 18. However, the timing of applying the bias voltage will be described later.

The trolley ship 18 is a wire that feeds power to the film forming object support member 16A. The trolley ship 18 is fed to the film forming object support member 16A through the feed brush 42 by connecting to the feed brush 42 described later provided on the film forming object support member 16A. The trolley ship 18 is made of, for example, a stainless steel wire or the like.

The trolley ship 18 is elongated in the conveyance direction (arrow B) in the conveyance chamber 10a. One end side of the trolley ship 18 is fixed to the upper inner wall 10d in the transfer chamber 10a by the trolley ship fixing portion 28. On the other end side of the trolley ship 18, a tensioning portion 25 is provided. However, the detailed configuration of the trolley selection unit 28 will be described later.

The tensioning portion 25 includes a pulley support portion 25a fixed to the lower inner wall 10e in the transfer chamber 10a, a pulley 25b supported by the pulley support portion 25a, and a trolley ship 18 It has a weight member (25c) connected to the other end of the. The unwinding portion 25a extends from the lower inner wall 10e of the transfer chamber 10a toward the upper inner wall 10d, and is connected to the shaft of the pulley 25b. The pulley 25b supports the trolley line 18 and converts the direction of the trolley line 18 extending in the conveying direction (arrow B) to the Z-axis portion direction. The weight member 25c has a predetermined weight, and the trolley wire 18 is pulled in the Z-axis direction by the weight. Thereby, tension is applied to the trolley ship 18, so that the trolley ship 18 is not bent even when the trolley ship 18 is stretched or contracted by heat or the like.

The load lock chamber 26 is connected to one end of the transfer chamber 10a in the transfer direction (arrow B) through a gate 29 that can be opened and closed. However, the load lock chamber 26 is not limited to one end of the transfer chamber 10a, and may be connected to the other end, or may be connected to both of the one end and the other end. The load lock chamber 26 is controlled in a vacuum state independently of the transfer chamber 10a and the film formation chamber 10b. The load lock chamber 26 carries the film-forming object 11 into and out of the transfer chamber 10a through the gate 29.

The load lock chamber 26 carries the object 11 to be formed after the film forming process by the film forming unit 14 from the transfer chamber 10a of the vacuum chamber 10. Thereby, the film-forming object 11 after the film-forming process is accommodated in the load lock chamber 26. In the load lock chamber 26, the operation of the power supply terminal portion 51 (see Figs. 6 and 8) in the film forming object support member 16A, which will be described later, is performed. For example, the power supply terminal portion 51 is operated so as to contact the back surface of the film forming object 11 (the surface on the side to be formed). By this operation, a bias voltage can be applied to the back surface of the film-forming object 11 through the power supply terminal portion 51.

In addition, the load lock chamber 26, when the above operation of the power supply terminal portion 51 is performed in the load lock chamber 26, and a bias voltage can be applied to the back surface of the film formation object 11, the film formation object 11 is transferred to the room. (10a). For example, the load lock chamber 26 carries out the formed film-forming object 11 into the transfer chamber 10a of the vacuum chamber 10 after the anion is generated by the anion generator 24.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the detailed structure of the trolley selection unit 28 is demonstrated. Fig. 5 (a) is a schematic front view of the trolley selection fixing portion 28, and Fig. 5 (b) is a schematic side view of the trolley selection fixing portion 28. As shown in (a) and (b) of FIG. 5, the trolley ship fixing part 28 includes a mounting member 32 and a trolley ship 18 mounted on a peripheral structure (here, the upper inner wall 10d). It has a fixing portion 33 for fixing and a brush guide portion 37 for guiding the feeding brush 42 (see FIGS. 7 and 9) with a trolley wire 18.

The mounting member 32 is, for example, a bracket constituted by a U-shaped plate-shaped member. The mounting member 32 is Z from the top fixing portion 32a and the top fixing portion 32a fixed by a bolt 32f or the like to the upper inner wall 10d (see Fig. 4) in the transfer chamber 10a. It has a extending portion 32b extending in the axial portion direction, and a seat surface portion 32c provided at a tip end portion in the Z-axis portion direction in the extending portion 32b.

The fixing part 33 includes a screw support part 33a provided at an end portion in a negative direction in the Z-axis direction of the mounting member 32, a mounting screw 33b protruding from the screw support part 33a, and a mounting screw It has a crimping terminal 33c mounted on 33b. The screw support portion 33a is, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped metal block. The screw support portion 33a is fixed to the extension portion 32b of the mounting member 32 by a bolt 33f or the like through an insulating member 33g such as magnetic or glass. The screw support portion 33a is provided so as to protrude in the Y-axis positive direction from the extending portion 32b. The mounting screw 33b protrudes in the X-axis positive direction from the side surface of the screw support portion 33a. The crimping terminal 33c is fixed to the mounting screw 33b by a nut 33e or the like. One end of the trolley wire 18 is connected to the crimp terminal 33c.

The guide portion 37 for the brush has an extension portion 37a extending in the X-axis direction from the seat surface portion 32c of the mounting member 32 and a mountain-shaped guide portion 37b bending in the Z-axis direction. have. The extension portion 37a is integrally formed with the seat surface portion 32c of the mounting member 32 and protrudes in the X-axis positive direction from the mounting screw 33b of the fixing portion 33.

The guide portion 37b has a mountain-shaped edge 37e rising in the Z-axis positive direction as viewed from the X-axis direction. In the guide portion 37b, the portion positioned at the center in the Y-axis direction is the widest, and the wide portion corresponds to the position of the crimp terminal 33c of the fixing portion 33. The guide portion 37b guides the feeding brush 42 of the film forming object support member 16A, which has been carried out from the load lock chamber 26 and brought into the transfer chamber 10a, to be placed on the trolley ship 18. It has a function (see Fig. 9).

Next, with reference to Figs. 6 to 8, a detailed configuration of the film-forming object support member 16A will be described. Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the film-forming object support member 16A in Fig. 4. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 6. 6 to 8, a rectangular plate-shaped film forming object 11 is illustrated. In Fig. 6, the back surface 11b (the surface on the side to be formed) of the object 11 is a surface on the inside of the surface, and the surface 11a of the object 11 is a surface on the front side of the surface.

As shown in FIG. 6, the film-forming object support member 16A has a tray 63 and a holder 66 for placing and transporting the film-forming object 11. The tray 63 and the holder 66 are formed of, for example, a conductive metal material such as stainless steel.

The tray 63 is a frame-shaped container for placing the holder 66 on which the film formation object 11 is supported. The tray 63 has a pedestal portion 64 on which the holder 66 is placed, and an edge portion 65 that rises corresponding to the outer diameter of the holder 66. The pedestal portion 64 protrudes from the inner side surface 65a of the edge portion 65, and supports the back surface of the holder 66 (the inner surface of the paper in Fig. 6). The pedestal portion 64 has an opening 64c having an outer diameter corresponding to the object to be formed 11 in the central portion.

The holder 66 is a frame-shaped support portion that supports the object 11 to be formed. The holder 66 includes a holder body portion 67, a plurality of claw portions 68 provided on the back surface 67b of the holder body portion 67 (a surface on the inside surface of FIG. 6), and a holder body portion 67 ) Has a mounting portion 69 provided through an insulating insulator 70 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) on the back side 67b side, and a cover 75 for preventing contamination of the insulating insulator 70 have.

The holder main body portion 67 is a plate shape having a substantially rectangular outer shape, and has an opening 67c corresponding to the outer shape of the object to be formed 11 in the central portion. Moreover, the holder main body portion 67 has a substantially Y-shaped opening 67d at a position corresponding to the power supply terminal portion 51 to be described later.

In addition, the holder body portion 67 is provided with a feeding brush 42 and a feeding terminal portion 51 as a feeding portion fed from the trolley ship 18. The feeding brush 42 and the feeding terminal portion 51 are formed of a conductive material. However, details of the functions and configurations of the power feeding brush 42 and the power feeding terminal unit 51 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10.

In this embodiment, when viewed from a plane, the power feeding brush 42 and the power feeding terminal portion 51 are provided at two positions, each of which is in point symmetry. As a result, even when the film forming object 11 is conveyed in a state where the holder 66 is rotated 180 degrees, it is possible to feed the trolley ship 18 to the feeding brush 42 and the feeding terminal portion 51. In addition, the film forming object 11 on the holder 66 can be formed by placing the film forming object 11 at a position contactable with any one of the two power supply terminal parts 51 positioned so as to be in point symmetry. To improve the size and position of freedom.

The claw portion 68 protrudes inward from the opening 67c in plan view, and has a portion exposed so as not to overlap with the holder body portion 67. The claw portion 68 supports the back surface 11b of the film forming object 11 in this exposed portion. However, since the claw portion 68 overlaps the portion supported by the claw portion 68 on the back surface 11b of the object to be formed 11, a state that is not formed even after the film forming treatment is maintained. That is, between the claw portion 68 and the back surface 11b of the object to be formed 11 is in an insulating state, even when a bias voltage is applied to the holder body portion 67, the object to be formed from the claw portion 68 It does not feed to the back surface 11b of (11).

7 and 8, the mounting portion 69 is placed on the pedestal portion 64 of the tray 63. The mounting portion 69 is fixed to the back surface 67b side of the holder body portion 67 by bolts 69f or the like. The mounting portion 69 is fixed to be separated from the back surface 67b side of the holder body portion 67, and is non-contact to the back surface 67b of the holder body portion 67.

An insulating insulator 70 is provided between the mounting portion 69 and the bolt 69f, and the mounting portion 69 is electrically insulated from the holder body portion 67. The insulating insulator 70 is formed of, for example, an insulating material such as porcelain or glass. By placing the holder body portion 67 and the mounting portion 69 electrically insulated between the holder body portion 67 and the tray 63, the tray 63 is electrically connected to the holder body portion 67. Insulated. Therefore, even when a bias voltage is applied to the holder main body 67, the tray 63 is in an electrically insulated state.

The cover 75 protects the insulating insulator 70 so that a conductive film does not adhere to the insulating insulator 70 during film formation. The cover 75 includes a cylindrical member 75a and a disk member 75b. The cylindrical member 75a is in non-contact with the back surface 67b of the holder main body 67, and between the back surface 67b of the holder main body 67 and the mounting portion 69, an insulator 70 ). The disc member 75b is provided on the lower end of the insulating insulator 70 (the end in the Z-axis direction), and covers the entire lower end. In this way, the insulating insulator 70 is protected by the cover 75, and as a result, it is possible to suppress the reduction of the insulating insulator 70.

Next, the structures of the power feeding brush 42 and the power feeding terminal unit 51 will be described in detail.

The power feeding brush 42 performs power feeding from the trolley wire 18 to the holder main body 67 by contacting the trolley wire 18 to which the bias voltage has been applied. That is, the power feeding brush 42 has a function of applying a bias voltage from the trolley wire 18 to the holder body portion 67. In addition, as described above, even when the bias voltage is applied to the holder body portion 67, power is not supplied from the claw portion 68 to the back surface 11b of the film forming object 11. Therefore, the power supply terminal portion 51 supplies power from the holder main body portion 67 to the back surface 11b of the film formation object 11 by contacting the back surface 11b of the film formation object 11. That is, the power supply terminal portion 51 has a function of applying a bias voltage from the holder body portion 67 to the back surface 11b of the film formation object 11. Hereinafter, each configuration of the feeding brush 42 and the feeding terminal portion 51 will be described in more detail.

First, the power feeding brush 42 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, and 9. 6 and 7, the feeding brush 42 includes a plate-shaped brush body 43, a brush shaft portion 44 supporting the brush body 43, and a paper sheet supporting the brush shaft portion 44. It has a branch portion 45 and a brush fixing portion 46 that secures the shaft support portion 45 to the surface 67a of the holder body portion 67.

The brush body 43 has a substantially rectangular shape, and its plate thickness direction is along the Y-axis direction. The brush body 43 has one end in the longitudinal direction as a free end, and a circular base end portion 43d is formed at the other end in the longitudinal direction. The base end portion 43d is rotatably supported by a brush shaft portion 44 extending along the Y-axis direction through a not-shown joint portion or the like. That is, the brush body 43 is rotatable around the brush shaft portion 44, and in the state where the brush body 43 extends along the X-axis direction, the free end of the brush body 43 is the Z-axis. It is possible to move in the direction along the direction (arrow C in FIG. 7). The edge 43e of the brush body 43 is placed on the trolley line 18 extending along the Y-axis direction. Thereby, the brush body 43 contacts the trolley line 18. As a result, the holder body portion 67 is fed from the trolley wire 18 through the brush body 43.

The brush body 43 is guided to be placed on the trolley line 18 by the brush guide portion 37. 9 is a view for explaining the operation of the brush body 43 guided by the brush guide portion 37. As shown in FIG. 9, when conveying the film-forming object support member 16A, the brush body 43 is on the guide portion 37b of the brush guide portion 37 along the Y-axis direction as the conveying direction. To move. At this time, the edge 43e of the brush body 43 and the edge 37e of the guide portion 37b come into contact. Thereby, the brush body 43 moves along the Y-axis direction so as to exceed the crimp terminal 33d, and is placed on the trolley line 18 connected to the crimp terminal 33d, so that the brush body 43 is a trolley line. (18).

Referring again to FIGS. 6 and 7, the brush shaft portion 44 extends in the Y-axis direction, and one end and the other end thereof are fixed to the shaft support portion 45. The shaft support portion 45 is located at one end and the other end of the brush shaft portion 44. The shaft support portion 45 is a substantially L-shaped plate member, and has a side portion 45a extending along the Z-axis direction and a bottom surface portion 45b extending along the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The side surface portion 45a is fixed to the brush shaft portion 44, and the bottom surface portion 45b is fixed to the brush fixing portion 46.

The brush fixing portion 46 is disposed between the shaft support portion 45 and the holder body portion 67. The brush fixing portion 46 is a substantially L-shaped plate member, and has a side portion 46a extending along the Z-axis direction and a bottom surface portion 46b extending along the Z-axis and Y-axis directions. The side surface 46a may support the edge 43e of the brush body 43 so that the brush body 43 does not rotate in the Z-axis portion direction than the holder body portion 67. The bottom surface portion 46b is fixed to the bottom surface portion 45b of the shaft support portion 45 and the surface 67a of the holder body portion 67.

Next, with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 10, the power supply terminal part 51 is demonstrated. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the power supply terminal portion 51. FIG. 10A is an enlarged view of the power supply terminal portion 51 of FIG. 6, and FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view along the line b-b of FIG. 10A.

8 and 10, the power supply terminal portion 51 includes a lead terminal 52 capable of contacting the back surface 11b of the film formation object 11, and a lead shaft portion 56 supporting the lead terminal 52 And a shaft support portion 57 for supporting the lead shaft portion 56, and a rotation regulating portion 58 for restricting the rotation of the lead terminal 52.

The lead terminal 52 is rotatably supported by a lead shaft portion 56 extending along the Y-axis direction through a not-shown joint portion or the like. That is, the lead terminal 52 is rotatable around the lead shaft portion 56.

The lead terminal 52 is formed by bending a plate-shaped member, and the abutting portion 53 abutting against the rotation regulating portion 58 and a bent portion 54 bent in a V-shape from the abutting portion 53 Wow, the bent portion 54 has a tip protrusion 55 that is bent from the bent portion 54 toward the opposite side to the bent direction.

The back surface 53b of the abutting portion 53 is supported by the rotating regulating portion 58 by abutting the surface 58a of the rotating regulating portion 58. Thereby, rotation of the lead terminal 52 with the lead shaft portion 56 as the rotation center is restricted. The weight member 53c is joined to the surface 53a of the abutting portion 53.

The bent portion 54 is from the abutment portion 53 in a state where the abutment portion 53 is supported by the rotation regulating portion 58, that is, the abutment portion 53 extends along the X-axis direction. It is bent in the Z-axis direction. The bent portion 54 extends to form an obtuse angle with respect to the abutting portion 53. The tip protrusion 55 is Z from the bent portion 54 in the state in which the abutting portion 53 is supported by the rotation regulating portion 58, that is, the abutting portion 53 extends along the X-axis direction. It is bent in the axial direction. The tip projection 55 extends toward the back surface 11b of the object to be formed 11 at a substantially right angle to the bent portion 54. The front end protruding portion 55 is capable of contacting the back surface 11b of the film formation object 11 by rotation of the lead terminal 52.

The lead shaft portion 56 extends in the Y-axis direction, and one end and the other end thereof are fixed to the shaft support portion 57. The shaft support portion 57 is located at one end and the other end of the lead shaft portion 56. The shaft support portion 57 is an approximately L-shaped plate member, and has a side portion 57a extending along the Z-axis direction and a bottom surface portion 57b extending along the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The side portion 57a sags from the opening 67d of the holder body portion 67 to the back surface 67b side of the holder body portion 67, and is fixed to the lead shaft portion 56. The bottom surface portion 57b is fixed to the surface 67a of the holder body portion 67.

The rotation regulating portion 58 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member, and is provided on the back surface 67b of the holder body portion 67. The rotation regulating portion 58 is rotatably supported along the back surface 67b of the holder body portion 67 by a bolt 58f or the like.

Specifically, the rotation regulating portion 58 is rotatable in the direction of the arrow E shown in Fig. 10A from the position supporting the lead terminal 52 indicated by the solid line, and to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line. It is made movable. When the rotation regulating portion 58 rotates in the direction of the arrow E shown in Fig. 10A, the surface 58a of the rotation regulating portion 58 does not come into contact with the back surface 53b of the abutting portion 53. . Thereby, the rotation regulation of the lead terminal 52 by the rotation regulation unit 58 is released, and the lead terminal 52 is moved in the direction of the arrow D shown in FIG. 10B by the weight of the weight member 53c or the like. Rotates. Then, the lead terminal 52 moves from the position indicated by the solid line to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line, and the tip projection 55 of the lead terminal 52 contacts the back surface 11b of the film forming object 11. As a result, the power is supplied from the holder main body 67 to the back surface 11b of the film forming object 11 through the tip projection 55.

Moreover, the rotation control part 58 is provided with the operation part 58d which operates the said rotation movement. The operation portion 58d is formed of, for example, a bolt or the like, and penetrates from the back surface 58b side of the rotation regulating portion 58 to the surface 58a side and protrudes on the surface 58a. As described above, the operation of the power supply terminal portion 51 is performed at a timing when the film formation object support member 16A is carried into the load lock chamber 26. That is, in the load lock chamber 26, the operating portion 58d of the feeding terminal portion 51 is operated, so that the feeding terminal portion 51 contacts the back surface 11b of the film formation object 11. The operation unit 58d is operated by, for example, an actuator (not shown) that operates when a predetermined operating condition is satisfied. However, the operation of the operation portion 58d is not limited to operation by an actuator or the like, and may be any other operation method including manual operation.

Next, with reference to FIG. 11, a suitable timing for applying a bias voltage to the film formation object 11 will be described. However, the timing for applying the bias voltage to the film formation object 11 is not limited to the timing described below, and for example, the bias voltage may be applied at any timing in the anion generation mode.

11 is a graph showing the change in time of the flux of ions present in the vacuum chamber 10. The horizontal axis in Fig. 11 represents the processing time [sec] in the oxygen anion generation mode, and the vertical axis in Fig. 11 represents the flux strength of ions in the vacuum chamber 10 [a. u.]. Graph G1 is a graph showing the time change of the flux of the argon cation, graph G2 is a graph showing the time change of the flux of the oxygen cation, and graph G3 is a graph showing the time change of the flux of the oxygen anion. In Fig. 11, the period T1 indicates a period during which plasma P is being generated, and the period T2 indicates a period during which plasma P is not generated. That is, FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the timing at which the plasma P is generated and the ions present in the vacuum chamber 10.

As shown in Fig. 11, the period T1 for generating the plasma P and the period T2 for stopping the generation of the plasma P are repeated, and the plasma P is generated intermittently. After the generation of the plasma P is stopped, a large amount of argon and oxygen cations exist between about 0.001 to 0.0015 seconds, and electrons corresponding thereto exist. Then, after the generation of plasma P is stopped, after about 0.002 seconds, argon cations and oxygen cations are lost and electrons are lost while the proportion of oxygen anions is increased.

Therefore, in the film forming apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, after the generation of the plasma P by the anion generating unit 24 is stopped, a bias voltage is applied to the film forming object 11. For example, in the oxygen anion generation mode, the bias power supply 27 applies a bias voltage to the film formation object 11 at a timing milliseconds after generation of the plasma P is stopped. More specifically, while the plasma P is being generated, the short circuit switch SW3 is turned OFF by the control unit 50 and a few milliseconds after the plasma P is stopped from being generated, The short circuit switch SW3 is turned on by the control unit 50. When the short circuit switch SW3 is turned on, the trolley wire 18 and the bias power supply 27 are electrically connected to each other, and a bias voltage is applied to the trolley wire 18.

Then, the trolley ship 18 is fed to the holder body portion 67 through the brush body 43, and from the holder body portion 67 to the rear surface 11b of the film formation object 11 through the tip projection 55. It feeds. In this way, as a result of applying a positive bias voltage to the back surface 11b of the film formation object 11, the oxygen anion generated in the oxygen anion generation mode is pulled toward the back surface 11b side of the film formation object 11.

Particularly, in the present embodiment, a bias voltage is applied to the film formation object 11 at a time when the generation of plasma P is stopped and oxygen anion after a few milliseconds has increased significantly. Thereby, many oxygen anions are attracted to the back surface 11b side of the film formation object 11 and irradiated to the film formed on the film formation object 11.

Further, the application of the bias voltage to the film formation object 11 continues until the next generation of the next plasma P by the anion generator 24 is started. Specifically, just before the next plasma generation in the anion generator 24 starts, the short circuit switch SW3 is turned OFF by the control unit 50, and the trolley wire 18 and the bias power supply ( 27) are electrically disconnected from each other. As described above, the timing of applying the bias voltage to the film formation object 11 is alternately repeated with the generation period of the plasma P in the anion generation mode.

Next, with reference to Figs. 12 to 14, the action effect by irradiating oxygen anions by applying a bias voltage to the film-forming object 11 after the film-forming process will be described.

First, with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13, the effect of oxygen anion irradiation on the electrical properties of the film formed on the film formation object 11 will be described. 12 is a graph showing the relationship between the presence or absence of oxygen anion irradiation and the carrier density. The horizontal axis in Fig. 12 represents the oxygen flow rate (OFR) [sccm], and the vertical axis in Fig. 12 represents the carrier density [cm ^-3 ]. Graph G4 in FIG. 12 is a graph showing carrier density corresponding to the oxygen gas flow rate when oxygen anion is irradiated to the film formation object 11 in the oxygen anion generation mode. The graph G5 in FIG. 12 is a graph showing the carrier density corresponding to the oxygen gas flow rate when the film forming object 11 is not irradiated with oxygen anion in the oxygen anion generation mode.

13 is a graph showing the relationship between the presence or absence of oxygen anion irradiation and the optical mobility. The horizontal axis in Fig. 13 represents the oxygen gas flow rate [sccm], and the vertical axis in Fig. 13 represents the optical mobility (μopt) [cm ² / Vs]. The graph G6 in FIG. 13 is a graph showing the optical mobility corresponding to the oxygen gas flow rate when the object to be formed is irradiated with oxygen anion in the oxygen anion generation mode. The graph G7 in FIG. 13 is a graph showing the optical mobility corresponding to the oxygen gas flow rate when the film forming object 11 is not irradiated with oxygen anion in the oxygen anion generation mode. However, the optical mobility is a measurement of the mobility in the crystal grains of the film formation object 11.

As the film forming conditions in the film forming treatment mode, the total value was set to 150A, and the oxygen gas flow rate was set to 10 sccm, 15 sccm, 20 sccm, or 25 sccm, thereby forming a ZnO film with a Ga content of 4.0 wt% and a thickness of 50 nm in the film formation object 11. did. As the conditions for irradiating oxygen anions in the oxygen anion generation mode, the discharge voltage was set to 12 A, the oxygen gas flow rate was set to 10 sccm, and a bias voltage of 15 V with a frequency of 60 Hz and a square wave was applied to the film formation object 11 for 10 minutes. .

As shown in Fig. 12, when the oxygen anion is irradiated to the film forming object 11, the carrier density is lowered than when the oxygen anion is not irradiated to the film forming object 11 for all the oxygen gas flow rates. Specifically, when the oxygen gas flow rate is 10 sccm, 15 sccm, or 20 sccm, a carrier density of about 20% is decreased, and when the oxygen gas flow rate is 25 sccm, a carrier density of about 7% is decreased. The decrease in carrier density indicates that the carrier (electron) is trapped in grain boundaries, impurities, or the like, and oxygen vacancies are reduced.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 13, when the oxygen anion is irradiated to the film-forming object 11, the optical mobility is increased, compared to the case where the oxygen anion is not irradiated to the film-forming object 11 for all oxygen gas flow rates. have. The increase in the optical mobility indicates that the oxygen vacancy in the crystal decreases and the mobility in the particle improves. This result is also consistent with the decrease in carrier density. From the above, it can be confirmed that the film formed on the film forming object 11 after film formation was modified by oxygen anion irradiation.

Therefore, by irradiating oxygen anion to the film-forming object 11 after the film-forming treatment, the adjustment of reducing the oxygen vacancy in the film of the film-forming object 11 can be performed to modify the film. Therefore, even when the film-forming object 11 on which the film is formed is taken out from the atmosphere, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of oxygen in the atmosphere to the surface of the film in the film-forming object 11, and furthermore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in film quality. .

Subsequently, with reference to Fig. 14, the effect of oxygen anion irradiation on the characteristics of the hydrogen gas sensor when the film in the film forming object 11 is used for the hydrogen gas sensor will be described. 14 is a graph showing the relationship between the presence or absence of oxygen anion irradiation and the characteristics of a hydrogen gas sensor. The horizontal axis in Fig. 14 represents the response time [sec] of the hydrogen gas sensor, and the vertical axis in Fig. 14 represents the electric current value [A] flowing through the hydrogen gas sensor. 14 (a) is a graph showing the electric shock value relative to the response time of the hydrogen gas sensor in the case where oxygen anion is irradiated to the film formation object 11 in the oxygen anion generation mode. 14 (b) is a graph showing the electric shock value relative to the response time of the hydrogen gas sensor when the object to be formed is not irradiated with oxygen anion in the oxygen anion generation mode.

As shown in Fig. 14 (b), when oxygen anion is not irradiated to the film formation object 11, the ground level of the electric charge value of the hydrogen gas sensor is not stable, and the operation of the hydrogen gas sensor is unstable. . On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 14 (a), when oxygen anion is irradiated to the film-forming object 11, the ground level of the total value of the hydrogen gas sensor is stable, and the operation stability of the hydrogen gas sensor is improved. You can confirm that.

As described above, according to the film forming apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, a positive bias voltage is applied to the film forming object 11 after the film forming process by the bias power supply 27. As a result, the oxygen anion generated by the anion generator 24 is attracted to the film formation object 11 side, and irradiated to the surface of the film formed on the film formation object 11. As a result, it is possible to further suppress a decrease in the film quality due to the deposition of oxygen in the atmosphere on the surface of the film in the film forming object 11.

Further, according to the film forming apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, the power feeding brush 42 and the power feeding terminal portion 51 provided on the film forming object supporting member 16A supporting the film forming object 11 have a vacuum chamber 10. It is fed from the trolley ship 18 provided therein. Accordingly, a positive voltage can be easily applied to the film forming object 11 through the power supply brush 42 and the power supply terminal portion 51 of the film forming object support member 16A.

Further, according to the film forming apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, tension is applied to the trolley ship 18 by the tensioning unit 25. Accordingly, even when the trolley ship 18 is newly stretched due to heat or the like generated in the vacuum chamber 10, it can be suppressed from bending.

In addition, the oxygen anion existing in the vacuum chamber 10 increases after the generation of the plasma P by the anion generator 24 is stopped. According to the film forming apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, a positive bias voltage is applied to the film forming object 11 at a timing when the oxygen anion increases after the generation of such plasma P is stopped. Thereby, many oxygen anions are irradiated to the film formation object 11. As a result, it is possible to further suppress the deterioration of the film quality due to the adhesion of oxygen in the atmosphere to the surface of the film in the film forming object 11.

Further, according to the film forming apparatus 1A according to the present embodiment, the film forming object 11 after the film forming process is carried into the load lock chamber 26 from the transfer chamber 10a of the vacuum chamber 10, and the film is transferred therein. The object 11 is carried out from the load lock chamber 26 to the transfer chamber 10a of the vacuum chamber 10 after the oxygen anion is generated by the anion generator 24. Thereby, the film-forming object 11 is not exposed to the atmosphere, and is carried into the transfer chamber 10a at an appropriate timing at which oxygen anion is generated. As a result, oxygen anion can be suitably irradiated to the film forming object 11.

As mentioned above, although one embodiment of this embodiment was described, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and may be modified within the scope of not changing the gist described in each claim or applied to another.

For example, in the above embodiment, the plasma source 7 is a pressure gradient type plasma gun, but the plasma source 7 is only required to generate plasma in the vacuum chamber 10, and is limited to the pressure gradient type plasma gun. Does not work.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the plasma is intermittently generated at the time of generation of the anion, but is not limited thereto. For example, when generating negative ions, a normal current may be normally supplied to the second intermediate electrode 62 to generate a normal discharge.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, although only one set of the plasma source 7 and the Haas mechanism 2 is provided in the vacuum chamber 10, a plurality of sets may be provided. Further, the plasma P may be supplied from a plurality of plasma sources 7 for one material. In the above embodiment, the ring hearth 6 is provided, but the ring hearth 6 may be omitted by considering the direction of the plasma source 7 and the position or direction of the material in the hearth mechanism 2.

The steering coil 5 does not necessarily need to be excited in the oxygen anion generation mode.

In the film forming method shown in Fig. 3, the raw material gas supplying step S21, the plasma generating step S22, and the sealing magnetic field forming step S23 included in the anion generating step S2 are not necessarily processed in this order, and the processing of S21 to S23 is performed. You may do it at the same time. Further, in the film forming step S1, the film forming step S1 may be ended before the film forming process is completely completed, and the anion generation step S2 may be performed.

The film forming apparatuses 1 and 1A are disposed outside the vacuum chamber 10, for example, at a position facing the plasma source 7 (for example, on the sidewall 10i side of the film forming chamber 10b). It may be provided with an opposing coil. In this case, a magnetic field extending in the direction from the plasma source 7 toward the opposing coil may be formed in the vacuum chamber 10. When such a magnetic field is formed, electrons of the plasma P in the vacuum chamber 10 are constrained by this magnetic field, and the inflow of the electrons into the film forming object 11 is suppressed. As a result, the anions generated in the vacuum chamber 10 can be easily diffused toward the film formation object 11, so that the anions can be efficiently attached to the surface of the film formed on the film formation object 11.

Further, the film forming apparatuses 1 and 1A may be provided on the inner wall 10k of the side wall 10i of the film forming chamber 10b, for example, and may include a counter electrode functioning as an anode. The counter electrode can converge the magnetic field formed in the vacuum chamber 10 when the counter coil is provided. In addition, the electrons of the plasma P can be suitably maintained along the converged magnetic field, thereby further suppressing the inflow of the electrons into the film formation object 11. Thus, the oxygen anion generated in the vacuum chamber 10 can be more easily diffused toward the film formation object 11, and thus the oxygen anion can be more efficiently attached to the surface of the film formed on the film formation object.

Although the film forming apparatuses 1 and 1A according to the above-described embodiment are said to be a film forming apparatus using an ion plating method, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, sputtering or chemical vapor deposition may be used.

* Although the film forming apparatus 1A according to the second embodiment is not provided with a magnetic field generating coil 30 and its case 31, it is not limited thereto, and the magnetic field generating coil 30 and the case 31 ) May be provided.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, although it was said that oxygen anion is irradiated to the film formation object 11 by applying a bias voltage to the film formation object 11, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, applying a bias voltage to the film-forming object 11 can be used when depositing (film-forming) the film-forming material particles Mb on the film-forming object 11. In this case, by applying a negative bias voltage to the film formation object 11, the film formation object 11 is negatively charged, so that electrons present in the film formation chamber 10b are prevented from entering the transfer chamber 10a side. In addition, it becomes possible to promote the ionized film-forming material particles (Mb) existing in the film-forming chamber 10b to enter the transfer chamber 10a side.

One… Film forming equipment
7… Plasma One (Plasma Gun)
10… Vacuum chamber
10a… Return room
10b… Tabernacle
11… Tabernacle object
14… Tabernacle
16A… Film-forming object support member
18… Trolley ship
24… Anion generator
25… Tension
26… Load lock chamber (vacuum load lock chamber)
27… Bias power supply (voltage application part)
30… Magnetic field generating coil
40… Raw material gas supply
42… Feeding brush (feeding part)
50… Control
51… Feeding terminal part (feeding part)
Ma… Film forming materials
Mb… Film-forming material particles
P… plasma
SW1… Short circuit switch (switching part)
M… Sealed magnetic field

Claims (7)

Anion generator for irradiating negative ions to an object,
A plasma source for supplying plasma in the vacuum chamber,
An anion generating apparatus having a means for reducing the electron temperature of the plasma in the vacuum chamber. According to claim 1,
The means for reducing the electron temperature of the plasma in the vacuum chamber is an anion generator, characterized in that a control unit that controls the supply of the plasma into the vacuum chamber intermittently. According to claim 2,
Further having a telephone portion for switching the supply and cut-off of the plasma into the vacuum chamber,
The control unit is an anion generating apparatus, characterized in that the supply of the plasma intermittently by switching the switching unit. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The vacuum chamber has an anion generating chamber that supplies electrons to the raw material by supplying plasma to the raw material of the anion, and a transfer chamber that transports the object,
An anion generating apparatus further comprising a magnetic field generating coil that prevents electrons in the anion generating chamber from flowing into the transfer chamber during the generation of anions in the anion generating chamber. According to claim 4,
The magnetic field generating coil, anion generating apparatus, characterized in that a sealing magnetic field having a magnetic force line extending in a direction crossing the direction from the anion generating chamber to the transport chamber is formed in the vacuum chamber. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The plasma source is an anion generating apparatus, characterized in that the pressure gradient plasma gun. Anion generator for irradiating negative ions to an object,
Has a plasma source that supplies plasma in the vacuum chamber,
The plasma source is a pressure gradient type plasma gun having an electrode that converges plasma, and an anion generating device, characterized in that it has a switching portion for switching the flow of current to the electrode.

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