TW202206627A - Sputtering equipment and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A sputtering equipment is adapted for sputtering substrates, wherein each of the substrates includes two opposite main surfaces and side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces. The sputtering equipment includes a cavity, at least one target set and a carrier box. The at least one target set is disposed in the cavity, the target set includes targets, and the targets are staggered at both sides of an axis. The carrier box is movably disposed so as to enter and exit the cavity, and includes substrate accommodating grooves. The substrates are adapted for being placed in the substrate accommodating grooves of the carrier box, and at least one side surfaces of each of the substrates is located outside the carrier box and protrudes toward the at least one target set.

Description

Sputtering equipment and method of operation

The present invention relates to a sputtering apparatus and method of operation, and more particularly, to a sputtering apparatus suitable for sputtering a plurality of substrates and a method of operation thereof.

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a substrate sputtered in a conventional manner. Referring to FIG. 1 , generally speaking, a liquid crystal panel (substrate 10 ) has two main surfaces 12 and a plurality of side surfaces 14 connecting the two main surfaces 12 . The two main surfaces 12 are provided with a plurality of pads 16 near the side surface 14 (ie, the area other than the in-plane area) (for example, there are upper and lower pads 16 near the right side in FIG. 1A ). At present, the upper and lower pads 16 are electrically connected to each other mainly by sputtering the substrate 10 .

In a conventional sputtering process, a single substrate 10 is placed in a sputtering chamber (not shown), a target (not shown) is located above the main surface 12 , and the main surface 12 and the side surfaces 14 are close to the main surface 12 . Then, the substrate 10 is turned over, and the other main surface 12 and the parts of the side surfaces 14 close to the main surface 12 are sputtered to form the lower half of the coating 20. , and as shown in FIG. 1A , the plating layer 20 covers the entire substrate 10 . Subsequent etching is performed on the portion that does not actually need a plating layer to form a circuit connected between the upper and lower pads 16 .

However, this method of sputtering only a single substrate 10 at a time is rather time-consuming. In addition, since the required circuit position is only between the upper and lower pads 16 , the in-plane area of the liquid crystal panel does not need to be coated, resulting in material waste. In addition, sputtering the target material toward the main surface 12 may cause defects in the plating layer beside the pads 16 and close to the side surfaces 14 (the area surrounded by the dotted line in FIG. 1A ). FIG. 1B is an image of a partial region of the substrate 10 of FIG. 1A observed under a microscope. Referring to FIG. 1B , the plating layer 20 has obvious defects 25 next to the pads 16 and near the side surfaces 14 .

The present invention provides a sputtering equipment and an operating method thereof, which can simultaneously sputter multiple substrates, reduce material waste, and reduce the probability of defects occurring in the plating layer.

The sputtering equipment of the present invention is suitable for sputtering a plurality of substrates, wherein each substrate includes two opposite main surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces, and the sputtering equipment includes a cavity, at least one target material group and a carrying box. At least one target material group is arranged in the cavity, each target material group includes a plurality of target materials, and the target materials in each group are staggered and arranged on both sides of an axis. The carrier box is movably arranged to enter and exit the cavity, and includes a plurality of substrate accommodating grooves, the substrates are suitable for being placed in the substrate accommodating grooves of the carrier box, and each substrate is suitable for protruding from the carrier box, so that the side surfaces are At least one of them is located outside the carrier box and protrudes from at least one side surface of the carrier box toward the at least one target material group.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned carrier box includes two opposite first side walls and two opposite second side walls, the two second side walls are connected to the two first side walls, and the substrate accommodating grooves are formed by the two second side walls. A plurality of slots on at least one, the slots facing at least one target group, the substrates passing through the slots.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned substrate accommodating grooves are formed on one of the second side walls, the substrate accommodating grooves are a plurality of slits, at least one target material group is a target material group, and these slits towards the target group.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned carrier box further includes two positioning seats, which are movably disposed between the two first side walls along an extending direction of the substrate accommodating grooves, so as to adjust the distance between the two positioning seats. distance.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned two positioning seats include a plurality of protruding posts facing the two first side walls, the two first side walls include a plurality of grooves extending along the extending direction, and the protruding posts are respectively movably arranged in these grooves.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned sputtering equipment further includes a support column, the two first side walls of the carrying box include two first openings corresponding to each other, and the support column is detachably penetrated through the two first openings. hole.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the two first sidewalls of the above-mentioned carrier box further include two second openings corresponding to each other, and a space between the two first openings and the second sidewall having at least one substrate accommodating groove is The distance is different from the distance between the two second openings and the second side wall having at least one substrate accommodating groove, and the support column can be selectively penetrated through the two first openings or the two second openings.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a moving direction of the above-mentioned carrier box is parallel to an extending direction of the substrate accommodating grooves.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned sputtering equipment further includes a plurality of rotating seats, which are rotatably arranged in the cavity, and the targets are arranged on the rotating seats, and the rotation angles of the rotating seats are between 0- between 40 degrees.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned rotating bases are inclined toward the axis, and the rotation angle of the rotating bases is between 10-35 degrees.

An operating method of a sputtering equipment of the present invention includes placing a plurality of substrates into a plurality of substrate accommodating grooves of a carrier box of a sputtering equipment, wherein each substrate includes two opposite main surfaces and a plurality of connecting the two main surfaces. side, each substrate protrudes from the carrier box, and at least one of these side surfaces is located outside the carrier box; the carrier box together with the substrates carried are put into a cavity of the sputtering equipment, wherein the sputtering equipment includes a set of At least one target material group in the cavity, each target material group includes a plurality of target materials, the targets in each group are staggeredly arranged on both sides of an axis, and at least one side surface of each substrate exposed on the carrier box faces at least one target material A material group; and at least one target material group sputters at least one side surface of each substrate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the two main surfaces of the above-mentioned substrates respectively have two pads, the two pads are close to one of the side surfaces, the side surface and the two pads are exposed to the carrier box, and the side surfaces face the target group. After the step of sputtering the side surfaces of the substrates by the target material group, a plating layer is formed on the side surfaces and the positions close to the side surfaces on the two main surfaces, and the plating layer covers the two pads.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned targets include at least one first target and at least one second target, and in the step of sputtering at least one side surface of each substrate, it further includes moving the carrying box to the corresponding at the position of at least one first target, by sputtering at least one first target to at least one side surface of each substrate, and forming at least one first coating layer on at least one side surface; and moving the carrier box to correspond to the at least one first At the positions of the two targets, at least one second target is sputtered onto at least one first coating to form at least one second coating.

In an embodiment of the present invention, after the at least one second target is sputtered onto at least one side surface of each substrate, the method further includes moving the carrier box to a position corresponding to the at least one first target again, so as to sputter at least one A first target is attached to at least one second coating layer to form at least one third coating layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned carrier box includes two opposite first side walls and two opposite second side walls, the two second side walls are connected to the two first side walls, and the substrate accommodating grooves are formed by the two second side walls. A plurality of slots on at least one, the slots facing at least one target group, the substrates passing through the slots.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned substrate accommodating grooves are formed on one of the second side walls, the substrate accommodating grooves are a plurality of slots, and the substrates pass through the substrate accommodating grooves of the second side wall , at least one target material group is a target material group, and the side surfaces of the substrate accommodating grooves passing through the second side wall face the target material group.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned sputtering equipment further includes a support column, the two first side walls of the carrying box include two first openings corresponding to each other and two second openings corresponding to each other, and the two first openings correspond to each other. The distance between an opening and the second side wall having at least one substrate accommodating groove is different from the distance between two second openings and the second side wall having at least one substrate accommodating groove. Before the step of carrying the box of the plating equipment, the method further includes: according to the width of at least one substrate, detachably passing the support column through the two first openings or the two second openings.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned carrier box further includes two positioning seats, which are movably disposed between the two first side walls along an extending direction of the substrate accommodating grooves, so as to adjust the distance between the two positioning seats. The distance, before the step of placing the substrates into the carrying box of the sputtering equipment, further includes: adjusting the distance between the two positioning seats to correspond to the length of the substrates.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned two positioning seats include a plurality of protruding posts facing the two first side walls, the two first side walls include a plurality of grooves extending along the extending direction, and the protruding posts are respectively movably arranged in these grooves.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a moving direction of the above-mentioned carrier box is parallel to an extending direction of the substrate accommodating grooves.

In an embodiment of the present invention, before the step of sputtering at least one side surface of each substrate, the method further includes adjusting the angles of the targets, wherein the sputtering equipment further includes a plurality of rotating seats, which are rotatably arranged in the cavity inside the body, and the targets are arranged on the rotating bases, and the rotating angles of the rotating bases are between 0-40 degrees.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned rotating bases are inclined toward the axis, and the rotation angle of the rotating bases is between 10-35 degrees.

Based on the above, compared with the conventional sputtering equipment in which the target is sputtered on the main surface of the substrate with a larger area, only one piece can be sputtered at a time. If multiple substrates are to be sputtered, the process needs to be repeated many times, which is quite time-consuming. Time. Subsequent removal of the coating on the main surface is also required, resulting in waste. Furthermore, the conventional sputtering design of the target material toward the main surface may cause defects in the plating layer near the pad and near the side surface. The sputtering equipment and operation method of the present invention is to sputter the side surfaces between two pads in the substrate. The carrier box in the sputtering apparatus of the present invention can allow multiple side surfaces of a plurality of substrates to protrude from the carrier box and face the target group. Therefore, the target material group can sputter these side surfaces of the substrates at the same time, which considerably saves man-hours and materials. In addition, the sputtering design of the target facing the side can also effectively reduce the probability of defects in the coating. In addition, in the sputtering equipment and operation method of the present invention, the targets of the target material group are staggered on both sides of the axis, so that the side surfaces of the substrate can be sputtered slightly staggered, thereby improving the uniformity of the coating film.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are exaggerated for clarity. The same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the specification. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region or substrate is referred to as being on or connected to another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element, or intervening elements may also be exist. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being directly on or directly connected to another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, a connection can refer to a physical and or electrical connection. Furthermore, the electrical connection or coupling may be the existence of other elements between the two elements.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sputtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 , the sputtering apparatus 100 of this embodiment is suitable for sputtering multiple substrates 10 at the same time. The sputtering apparatus 100 includes a preload cavity 105 , a cavity 110 connected to the preload cavity 105 , a target group 120 disposed in the cavity 110 , and a movably disposed to enter and exit the preload cavity 105 and the cavity 110 . Carrying box 130 .

The target material group 120 is disposed in the cavity 110 , and the target material group 120 includes a plurality of target materials 122 . Specifically, the target group 120 includes a plurality of first targets 123 and a plurality of second targets 124 . The first target material 123 is, for example, molybdenum, and the second target material 124 is, for example, copper, but the type of the target material 122 is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the first targets 123 and the second targets 124 are alternately arranged on both sides of an axis A, so that the side surfaces 14 of the substrate 10 can be sputtered slightly staggered, thereby improving the uniformity of the coating film . For example, the lowermost target 122 (first target 123 ) in FIG. 3 is located to the right of the axis A, and the second target 122 (first target 123 ) from the bottom is located to the left of the axis A , the third target 122 (second target 124 ) from the bottom is located to the right of the axis A, and the uppermost target 122 (the second target 124 ) is located to the left of the axis A. Of course, the number and position of the targets 122 are not limited thereto.

The carrier box 130 is suitable for carrying the substrates 10 , and one of the side surfaces 14 of each substrate 10 is located outside the carrier box 130 . Returning to FIG. 2 , the carrying box 130 can enter the cavity 110 from the preloading cavity 105 along the moving direction D2 , and pass under the first targets 123 and the second targets 124 , so that the first targets The side surfaces 14 of the substrates 10 are sputtered by the material 123 and the second targets 124 .

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a swivel base of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4 , in this embodiment, the sputtering apparatus 100 ( FIG. 2 ) further includes a plurality of rotating seats 125 , which are rotatably disposed in the cavity 110 ( FIG. 2 ), and the targets ( FIG. 2 ) 2) Set on these rotating bases 125 . The rotation angle θ ( FIG. 4 ) of the rotating seat 125 can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the angle of the target. The rotation angle θ of the rotating base 125 is between 0-40 degrees. In a preferred embodiment, the rotation angle θ of the rotating base 125 is between 10-35 degrees.

In this embodiment, the rotating bases 125 are inclined toward the axis A (marked in FIG. 3 ), and as shown in FIG. to improve the uniformity of the coating.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a carrier cassette of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating that the second side wall of the carrier box of FIG. 5 is moved upward and the substrate is arranged in the carrier box. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the substrate disposed in the carrier box of FIG. 5 . FIG. 8 is another schematic side view of a plurality of substrates disposed in the carrier box of FIG. 5 . It should be noted that, in FIGS. 5 to 7 , only one substrate 10 is shown by a dotted line as an example, and the number of the substrates 10 is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8 , in this embodiment, the carrier box 130 includes two opposite first side walls 132 and two opposite second side walls 137 , and the two second side walls 137 are connected to the two first side walls 132 . In this embodiment, the two first side walls 132 are, for example, the front wall and the rear wall, and the two second side walls 137 are, for example, the bottom wall and the top wall, but not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the substrate 10 is, for example, a liquid crystal panel, a glass plate, or other plates, and the type of the substrate 10 is not limited thereto. The substrate 10 includes two opposite main surfaces 12 and a plurality of side surfaces 14 connecting the two main surfaces 12 . The area of the major surface 12 is greater than the area of the side surfaces 14 . When the substrate 10 is placed in the carrier box 130 , the main surface 12 of the substrate 10 is located between the two first side walls 132 of the carrier box 130 .

In this embodiment, the area of the first side wall 132 of the carrier box 130 is larger than the area of the second side wall 137 , so that the carrier box 130 has a narrow and tall shape. Of course, in other embodiments, if the carrier box 130 needs to carry a large number of substrates 10 , the carrier box 130 can also be widened to increase the distance between the two first side walls 132 . The area of the side wall 132 may also be smaller than or equal to the area of the second side wall 137 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , the carrier cassette 130 includes a plurality of substrate accommodating grooves 131 , and the substrates 10 are suitable for being placed in the substrate accommodating grooves 131 of the carrier cassette 130 . Specifically, in this embodiment, the carrier box 130 further includes two positioning bases 140 , and the substrate accommodating grooves 131 can be formed between a plurality of grooves 144 of the two positioning bases 140 .

The two positioning seats 140 include a plurality of protruding posts 142 facing the two first side walls 132 , the two first side walls 132 include a plurality of grooves 133 extending along the extending direction D1 , and the protruding posts 142 are respectively movably arranged in the grooves 133 , so that the two positioning seats 140 are movably disposed between the two first side walls 132 to adjust the distance between the two positioning seats 140 . Therefore, the operator can adjust the distance between the two positioning seats 140 according to the size of the substrate 10 , so that the two positioning seats 140 can hold the substrate 10 well.

In addition, in this embodiment, the substrate accommodating grooves 131 further include a plurality of slits 138 on the second side wall 137 , and the slits 138 are, for example, facing upward toward the target group 120 ( FIG. 2 ). The substrate 10 can pass through the slot 138 of the carrier box 130 , so that the side surface 14 is located outside the carrier box 130 and faces the target group 120 . In the present embodiment, the extending direction D1 of the substrate accommodating grooves 131 is parallel to the moving direction D2 of the carrying box 130 ( FIG. 3 ).

In other embodiments, the carrier box 130 may only have the slot 138 on the second side wall 137 as the substrate accommodating slot 131 , or the carrier box 130 may only have the groove 133 between the two positioning seats 140 . As the substrate accommodating groove 131, the form of the substrate accommodating groove 131 is not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , the two first side walls 132 of the carrier box 130 include two first openings 134 corresponding to each other and two second openings 135 corresponding to each other. The distance between the two first openings 134 and the second sidewall 137 with the slot 138 (the upper second sidewall 137 ) is different from (eg, smaller than) the two second openings 135 and the second sidewall 137 with the slot 138 (the upper second side wall 137).

The sputtering apparatus 100 further includes a support column 150 , and the support column 150 can selectively pass through the two first openings 134 or the two second openings 135 according to the size of the substrate 10 . In this embodiment, the support column 150 can be used to support the lower side surface 14 of the substrate 10 , so that the substrate 10 can be stably placed in the carrier box 130 .

In addition, as shown in the enlarged area of FIG. 8 , in this embodiment, the two main surfaces 12 of the substrate 10 respectively have two pads 16 , the two pads 16 are close to the upper side 14 , the upper side 14 and the two The pads 16 are exposed from the carrier box 130 , and the side surfaces 14 face the target set 120 ( FIG. 2 ). The target group 120 can sputter the side surfaces 14 of the substrate 10 and the portions of the two main surfaces 12 exposed to the second sidewalls 137 , so that the two pads 16 are electrically connected to each other.

The following describes an operation method that can be applied to the sputtering apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an operating method of a sputtering device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 9 , the operating method 200 of the sputtering apparatus of this embodiment includes the following steps.

Please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 9 at the same time. First, in step 210, a plurality of substrates 10 are placed into the plurality of substrate accommodating grooves 131 of the carrier box 130 of the sputtering apparatus 100, wherein each substrate 10 includes two opposite main surfaces 12 and a connection For the plurality of side surfaces 14 of the two main surfaces 12 , each substrate 10 protrudes from the carrier box 130 , so that at least one of the side surfaces 14 is located outside the carrier box 130 .

It should be reminded that, before step 210 , the operator can optionally adjust the distance between the two positioning seats 140 of the sputtering apparatus 100 to correspond to the lengths of the substrates 10 , or/and according to the width of at least one substrate 10 . , the support column 150 is detachably penetrated through the two first openings 134 or the two second openings 135 .

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 9 at the same time. Next, proceed to step 220 , placing the carrier box 130 together with the substrates 10 carried in the cavity 110 of the sputtering apparatus 100 , wherein the sputtering apparatus 100 includes the sputtering apparatus 100 disposed in the cavity 110 . At least one target material group 120 inside, each target material group 120 includes a plurality of target materials, these targets in each group are alternately arranged on both sides of the axis A ( FIG. One side 14 faces at least one target group 120 .

Furthermore, the operator can optionally adjust the angles of the targets 122 so that the rotation angles of the rotating bases 125 are between 0-40 degrees, preferably between 10-35 degrees.

Finally, in step 230 , at least one target material group 120 is sputtered on at least one side surface 14 of each substrate 10 . After step 230 , a plating layer 20 a ( FIG. 10 ) is formed on the side surfaces 14 and the main surface 12 near the side surfaces 14 , and the plating layer 20 a covers the pads 16 .

FIG. 10 is an image of a local area of a plating layer and a substrate sputtered by the sputtering apparatus of the present invention observed under a microscope. Referring to FIG. 10 , in this embodiment, since the target 122 ( FIG. 2 ) is sputtered toward the side surface 14 of the substrate 10 , the probability of defects occurring in the plating layer 20 a near the pad 16 and near the side surface 14 can be effectively reduced. In addition, the rotatable design of the target 122 also helps to reduce the defects of the coating layer 20a.

Of course, the number and sequence of sputtering in step 230 can be adjusted as required, and one of the sputtering procedures is described below.

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the substrate after being sputtered by the first target of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 11 at the same time. First, move the carrier box 130 to a position corresponding to the first target material 123 to sputter the first target material 123 onto the side surfaces 14 of the substrates 10 , and form the first target material 123 on the side surfaces 14 . Plating layer 21 (enlarged area of Fig. 11).

Specifically, the carrier box 130 can be moved to the bottom of the leftmost first target 123 in FIG. 2 , so that the first target 123 faces the side 14 of the substrate 10 and the parts on the two main surfaces 12 close to the side 14 Sputtering. It is worth mentioning that the leftmost first target 123 is located at the upper right of the side surface 14 of the substrate 10 , and preferably sputters the side surface 14 and the main surface 12 on the right side of the substrate 10 .

Next, the carrier box 130 can be moved to the bottom of the second target 122 (the first target 123 ) from the left in FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 11 , the first target 123 will be located on the side of the substrate 10 . 14, and preferably sputter the side 14 and the left main surface 12 of the substrate 10, so that a more uniform first plating layer 21 is formed on the side 14 and the two main surfaces 12 near the side 14, and The first plating layer 21 covers the two pads 16 .

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the substrate of FIG. 11 after being sputtered by the second target of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 12 at the same time, the carrier box 130 can be moved to below the third target 122 (second target 124 ) from the left in FIG. 2 to sputter the second target 124 to the first on the plating layer 21. The second target 124 is located on the upper right side of the side surface 14 of the substrate 10 , and preferably sputters the side surface 14 and the main surface 12 on the right side of the substrate 10 .

Next, the carrier box 130 can be moved to the bottom of the target (the second target 124 ) on the far right in FIG. 2 . As shown in FIG. 12 , the second target 124 will be located at the upper left of the side surface 14 of the substrate 10 , and Preferably, the side surface 14 and the left main surface 12 of the substrate 10 are sputtered to form a relatively uniform second coating layer 22 on the first coating layer 21 .

FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the substrate of FIG. 12 after being sputtered by the first target of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 13 at the same time, the operator can move the carrier box 130 to the position of the first target material 123 on the leftmost in FIG. 2 again for sputtering, and then move the carrier box 130 to the second leftmost position in FIG. 2 . The first target material 123 is sputtered on the first target material 123 on the second plating layer 22 to form the third plating layer 23 as shown in FIG. 12 more uniformly.

Of course, the times of sputtering and the number and type of the targets 122 are not limited thereto. Operators can adjust according to needs.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a carrier box according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 14 . The main difference between the carrier box 130 a of FIG. 14 and the carrier box 130 of FIG. 5 is that, in this embodiment, the carrier box 130 a does not have the second side wall 137 located above the carrier box 130 of FIG. 5). That is, in this embodiment, the substrates 10 are positioned only by the grooves 144 between the two positioning seats 140 .

Similarly, the carrier box 130 a of this embodiment can make the side surface 140 of the substrate 10 face the target 122 ( FIG. 2 ) above. In this embodiment, the operator can avoid being splashed on the two main surfaces 12 of the substrate 10 . After the film is applied to the plated part, the target 122 can sputter the side 140 of the substrate 10 and the parts close to the side of the two main surfaces 12 , and the film can be torn off after the sputtering is completed.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a carrier box according to another embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 15 . The main difference between the carrier box 130 b of FIG. 15 and the carrier box 130 of FIG. 5 is that, in this embodiment, the carrier box 130 b does not have the two second side walls 137 of the carrier box 130 of FIG. 130b is placed horizontally. The left and right side surfaces 14 of each substrate 10 are directly exposed, and the two targets 122 are located on both sides of the carrier box 130b and directly face the left and right side surfaces 14 of each substrate 10 . Similarly, in this embodiment, the operator can stick a film on the two main surfaces 12 of the substrate 10 on the parts that do not want to be sputtered, and then tear off the film after the sputtering is completed.

Of course, in other non-illustrated embodiments, a plurality of substrate accommodating grooves (slots) may be symmetrically formed on the two second side walls of the carrier box, and the two target material groups are located beside the two second side walls, respectively. And the substrate accommodating grooves (slots) on the two second side walls face the two target material groups. The two target material groups can sputter the side surfaces protruding from the substrate accommodating grooves (slots).

To sum up, compared with the conventional sputtering equipment, the target is sputtered on the main surface of the substrate with a larger area, and only one piece can be sputtered at a time. quite time consuming. Subsequent removal of the coating on the main surface is also required, resulting in waste. Furthermore, the conventional sputtering design of the target material toward the main surface may cause defects in the plating layer near the pad and near the side surface. The sputtering equipment and operation method of the present invention is to sputter the side surfaces between two pads in the substrate. The carrier box in the sputtering apparatus of the present invention can allow multiple side surfaces of a plurality of substrates to protrude from the carrier box and face the target group. Therefore, the target material group can sputter these side surfaces of the substrates at the same time, which considerably saves man-hours and materials. In addition, the sputtering design of the target facing the side can also effectively reduce the probability of defects in the coating. In addition, in the sputtering equipment and operation method of the present invention, the targets of the target material group are staggered on both sides of the axis, so that the side surfaces of the substrate can be sputtered slightly staggered, thereby improving the uniformity of the coating film.

θ: rotation angle A: axis D1: extension direction D2: moving direction 10: Substrate 12: Main surface 14: Side 16: Pad 20, 20a: Coating 21: The first coating 22: Second coating 23: The third coating 25: Defects 100: Sputtering equipment 105: Preload cavity 110: Cavity 120: Target group 122: Target 123: The first target 124: Second target 125: Turning seat 130, 130a, 130b: carrying boxes 131: Substrate accommodating groove 132: First side wall 133: Groove 134: The first opening 135: Second opening 137: Second side wall 138: Slots 140: Positioning seat 142: convex column 144: Groove 150: Support column 200: How to operate sputtering equipment 210~230: Steps

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a substrate sputtered in a conventional manner. FIG. 1B is an image of a partial region of the substrate of FIG. 1A observed under a microscope. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sputtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a swivel base of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a carrier cassette of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating that the second side wall of the carrier box of FIG. 5 is moved upward and the substrate is arranged in the carrier box. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the substrate disposed in the carrier box of FIG. 5 . FIG. 8 is another schematic side view of a plurality of substrates disposed in the carrier box of FIG. 5 . FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an operating method of a sputtering apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an image of a local area of a plating layer and a substrate sputtered by the sputtering apparatus of the present invention observed under a microscope. FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the substrate after being sputtered by the first target of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the substrate of FIG. 11 after being sputtered by the second target of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . FIG. 13 is a schematic view of the substrate of FIG. 12 after being sputtered by the first target of the sputtering apparatus of FIG. 2 . FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of a carrier box according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a carrier box according to another embodiment of the present invention.

D1: extension direction

D2: moving direction

10: Substrate

14: Side

100: Sputtering equipment

105: Preload cavity

110: Cavity

120: Target group

122: Target

123: The first target

124: Second target

125: Turning seat

130: carrying box

Claims (22)

A sputtering equipment, suitable for sputtering a plurality of substrates, wherein each of the substrates comprises two opposite main surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces, the sputtering equipment comprises: a cavity; At least one target material group is disposed in the cavity, each target material group includes a plurality of target materials, and the target materials in each group are alternately arranged on both sides of an axis; and A carrying box is movably arranged to enter and exit the cavity, and includes a plurality of substrate accommodating grooves, the substrates are suitable for being placed in the substrate accommodating grooves of the carrying box, and each of the substrates is suitable for protruding from the A carrier box is provided, so that at least one of the side surfaces is located outside the carrier box, and the at least one side surface protruding from the carrier box faces the at least one target group. The sputtering equipment of claim 1, wherein the carrier box comprises two opposite first side walls and two opposite second side walls, the two second side walls are connected to the two first side walls, and the substrate accommodating grooves are A plurality of slits on at least one of the two second side walls, the slits face the at least one target material group, and the substrates pass through the slits. The sputtering apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substrate accommodating grooves are formed on one of the second side walls, the substrate accommodating grooves are a plurality of slits, and the at least one target material group is a target material group, the slots face the target group. The sputtering equipment according to claim 2, wherein the carrier box further comprises two positioning seats, which are movably disposed between the two first side walls along an extending direction of the substrate accommodating grooves, so as to adjust the two positioning seats. The distance between the positioning seats. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the two positioning bases comprise a plurality of protruding posts facing the two first side walls, the two first side walls comprise a plurality of grooves extending along the extending direction, the protruding posts The columns are respectively movably arranged in the grooves. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a support column, the two first side walls of the carrier box include two first openings corresponding to each other, and the support column is detachably penetrated through the two first holes hole. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the two first side walls of the carrier box further comprise two second openings corresponding to each other, the two first openings and the at least one substrate accommodating groove The distance between the second sidewalls is different from the distance between the two second openings and the second sidewall having the at least one substrate accommodating groove, and the support post can be selectively penetrated through the two first openings or are the two second openings. The sputtering apparatus of claim 1, wherein a moving direction of the carrier box is parallel to an extending direction of the substrate accommodating grooves. The sputtering equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of rotating seats, which are rotatably arranged in the cavity, and the targets are arranged on the rotating seats, and the rotation angles of the rotating seats are 0 -40 degrees. The sputtering apparatus of claim 9, wherein the rotating seats are inclined toward the axis, and the rotation angles of the rotating seats are between 10-35 degrees. A method of operating a sputtering equipment, comprising: Putting a plurality of substrates into a plurality of substrate accommodating grooves of a carrier box of a sputtering equipment, wherein each of the substrates includes two opposite main surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces, and each of the substrates protrudes from the carrier a pocket so that at least one of the sides is outside the carrier pocket; Put the carrier box together with the substrates carried into a cavity of the sputtering equipment, wherein the sputtering equipment includes at least one target material group disposed in the cavity, and each target material group includes a plurality of targets materials, the targets in each group are alternately arranged on both sides of an axis, and the at least one side surface of each of the substrates exposed from the carrier box faces the at least one target group; and The at least one target material group sputters the at least one side surface of each of the substrates. The operation method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 11, wherein the two main surfaces of each of the substrates respectively have two pads, the two pads are close to one of the side surfaces, and the side surface and the two pads are exposed to the the carrying box, and the side faces the target material group, after the step of sputtering the side surface of each of the substrates by the target material group, a coating layer is formed on the side surface and the position close to the side surface on the two main surfaces, and the The plating layer covers the two pads. The operation method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 11, wherein the targets include at least one first target and at least one second target, and in the step of sputtering the at least one side surface of each of the substrates, Also includes: moving the carrying box to a position corresponding to the at least one first target, so as to sputter the at least one first target to the at least one side surface of each of the substrates, and form at least one first coating layer on the at least one side surface ;as well as The carrier box is moved to a position corresponding to the at least one second target to sputter the at least one second target onto the at least one first coating layer to form at least one second coating layer. The operation method of the sputtering apparatus according to claim 13, wherein after sputtering the at least one second target material to the at least one side surface of each of the substrates, further comprising: The carrier box is moved to a position corresponding to the at least one first target again, so as to sputter the at least one first target onto the at least one second coating layer to form at least one third coating layer. The operating method of the sputtering equipment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the carrier box comprises two opposite first side walls and two opposite second side walls, the two second side walls are connected to the two first side walls, and the substrates contain The slots are a plurality of slots on at least one of the two second side walls, the slots face the at least one target group, and the substrates pass through the slots. The operating method of the sputtering apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the substrate accommodating grooves are formed on one of the second side walls, the substrate accommodating grooves are a plurality of slits, and the substrates pass through the The substrate accommodating grooves of the second side wall, the at least one target material group is a target material group, and the side surfaces of the substrate accommodating grooves passing through the second side wall face the target material group. The operation method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 15, wherein the sputtering equipment further comprises a support column, the two first side walls of the carrying box comprise two first openings corresponding to each other and two corresponding to each other Second openings, the distance between the two first openings and the second sidewall having the at least one substrate accommodating groove is different from the distance between the two second openings and the second opening having the at least one substrate accommodating groove The distance between the side walls, before the step of placing the substrates into the carrier box of the sputtering equipment, further includes: according to the width of the at least one substrate, the support column is detachably passed through the two first opening or the two second openings. The operating method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 15, wherein the carrier box further comprises two positioning seats, which are movably disposed between the two first side walls along an extending direction of the substrate accommodating grooves, to Adjusting the distance between the two positioning seats, before the step of placing the substrates into the carrying box of the sputtering equipment, further includes: adjusting the distance between the two positioning seats to a length corresponding to the substrates. The operation method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 18, wherein the two positioning seats comprise a plurality of protruding posts facing the two first side walls, the two first side walls comprise a plurality of grooves extending along the extending direction, The protruding posts are respectively movably disposed in the grooves. The operating method of the sputtering apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a moving direction of the carrier box is parallel to an extending direction of the substrate accommodating grooves. The operation method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 11, wherein before the step of sputtering the at least one side surface of each of the substrates, further comprising: Adjusting the angles of the targets, wherein the sputtering equipment further includes a plurality of rotating seats, which are rotatably arranged in the cavity, and the targets are arranged on the rotating seats, and the rotating angles of the rotating seats are between between 0-40 degrees. The operation method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 21, wherein the rotating seats are inclined toward the axis, and the rotation angles of the rotating seats are between 10-35 degrees.

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