TWI731401B - Plasma processing device - Google Patents

Abstract

A plasma processing device includes: a conveying part having a rotating body arranged in a vacuum container and carrying a workpiece to rotate, and conveying the workpiece in a circular conveying path; a delimiting part having a side wall part and an opening, and the side wall part is demarcated Part of the gas space into which the reaction gas is introduced, the opening faces the conveying path; the gas supply part supplies the reaction gas to the gas space; and the plasma source, which makes the reaction gas generate plasma for plasma treatment of the workpiece, The gas supply unit supplies the reactant gas from a plurality of supply sites that have different time from the surface of the rotating body through the processing area where the plasma treatment is performed, and has an adjustment unit that adjusts to the supply sites of the plurality of supply sites based on the time of passing through the processing area. The supply amount of reaction gas per unit time is individually adjusted.

Description

Plasma processing device

The invention relates to a plasma processing device.

In the manufacturing steps of various products such as semiconductor devices, liquid crystal displays (displays) or optical discs (disks), there are cases where thin films such as optical films are formed on work such as wafers or glass substrates. The thin film can be produced by forming a film of metal or the like with respect to the workpiece, etching, oxidizing, or nitriding the formed film, or the like.

Film formation or film treatment can be performed by various methods, and as one of them, there is a method using plasma. During film formation, an inert gas is introduced into a chamber where a target is placed, and a direct current voltage is applied. The plasma-formed inert gas ion (ion) is made to collide with the target material, and the material collided from the target material is deposited on the workpiece to form a film. During film processing, a process gas is introduced into the chamber where the electrode is arranged, and a high-frequency voltage is applied to the electrode. Reactive species such as ions and free radicals of the plasmaized process gas collide with the film on the workpiece, thereby performing film processing.

There is a plasma processing apparatus in which a rotating platform (table) as a rotating body is installed in a chamber, and a plurality of film forming units and film processing units are arranged in the circumferential direction above the rotating platform. In order to continuously perform such film formation and film processing (for example, refer to Patent Document 1). As described above, the workpiece is held on the rotating platform and transported, and passed directly under the film forming unit and the film processing unit, thereby forming an optical film or the like.

In a plasma processing apparatus using a rotating platform, as a membrane processing unit, a cylindrical electrode having an upper end closed and a lower end having an opening (hereinafter, referred to as a “cylindrical electrode”) may be used. When a cylindrical electrode is used, an opening is provided in the upper part of the chamber, and the upper end of the cylindrical electrode is attached to the opening with an insulating material interposed therebetween. The side wall of the cylindrical electrode extends inside the chamber, and the opening at the lower end faces the rotating platform through a small gap. The chamber is grounded, the cylindrical electrode functions as an anode, and the chamber and the rotating platform function as a cathode. The process gas is introduced into the cylindrical electrode and a high-frequency voltage is applied to generate plasma. The electrons contained in the generated plasma flow into the side of the rotating platform as the cathode. The workpiece held by the rotating platform is passed under the opening of the cylindrical electrode, so that active species such as ions and radicals generated by the plasma collide with the workpiece to perform membrane treatment. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 4428873

[The problem to be solved by the invention]

In recent years, the size of a workpiece as a processing object has been increased, and an improvement in processing efficiency has also been required. Therefore, there is a tendency for the area where plasma is generated to perform film formation and film processing to expand. However, when a voltage is applied to a cylindrical electrode to generate plasma, it may be difficult to generate a wide-range, high-density plasma.

Therefore, a plasma processing device has been developed that generates linear and high-density uniform plasma, scans the workpiece in the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the plasma source, and can perform film processing on large workpieces (such as , Refer to Patent Document 2). This type of plasma processing device uses a plasma source to generate plasma to perform membrane processing in a gas space into which a process gas is introduced.

In the plasma processing apparatus using the rotating platform as described above, it is considered that as the membrane processing unit, a membrane processing unit using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR: Electron Cyclotron Resonance) plasma is used. In this case, it is also conceivable that the range of film processing in the circumferential direction of the rotating platform, that is, the width of the processing area, is formed in parallel in the direction along the radial direction of the rotating platform. However, there is a difference in the speed of the processed area on the surface of the rotating platform on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the rotating platform. That is, the passing speed within the same distance is faster on the outer peripheral side of the rotating platform and slower on the inner peripheral side. When the width of the processing area is formed in parallel in the direction along the radial direction of the rotating platform as described above, the outer peripheral side of the surface of the rotating platform passes through the processing area in a shorter time than the inner peripheral side. Therefore, the film processing rate after the treatment for a certain period of time is small on the outer peripheral side and large on the inner peripheral side.

Thus, for example, when the niobium or silicon film formed by the film forming part is subjected to oxidation treatment or nitridation treatment as a film treatment to produce a compound film, the niobium or silicon film is formed on the inner and outer peripheral sides of the rotating platform. The degree of oxidation or nitridation of the film will vary greatly. Therefore, it is difficult to achieve a situation where the entire workpiece is to be uniformly processed, or to the extent that it is difficult to change the processing at a desired position of the workpiece.

For example, when a wafer such as a semiconductor or the like as a workpiece is arranged in a line in the circumferential direction on a rotating platform and subjected to plasma processing, the above-mentioned problem may also occur. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of efficiency of processing, etc., when plasma processing is performed by arranging a plurality of them in the radial direction, this becomes a more significant problem. Specifically, if the radius of the rotating platform exceeds 1.0 m, and the width of the processing area in the radial direction of the rotating platform is as large as 0.5 m, the difference between the processing rates on the inner and outer peripheral sides becomes very large. .

An object of the present invention is to provide a plasma processing device that can perform desired plasma processing on a workpiece that is circulated by the rotating body according to positions at different passing speeds of the surface of the rotating body. [Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the plasma processing apparatus of the present invention includes: a vacuum container capable of setting the inside to a vacuum; The rotating body rotates to transport the workpiece in a circular transfer path; the delimiting portion has a side wall portion and an opening, and the side wall portion defines a part of the gas space into which the reaction gas is introduced, and the opening and the vacuum The conveying paths inside the container are opposed to each other; a gas supply unit that supplies the reaction gas to the gas space; and a plasma source that generates plasma in the gas space into which the reaction gas is introduced, the Plasma is used to perform plasma treatment on the workpiece passing through the conveying path, and the gas supply part supplies from the surface of the rotating body through a plurality of supply locations where the plasma treatment is performed at different times The reaction gas has an adjustment unit that individually adjusts the supply amount of the reaction gas per unit time of the plurality of supply locations based on the elapsed time.

The adjustment unit can adjust the supply amount of the reaction gas introduced from each supply location in accordance with the position in the direction intersecting the transport path.

The plurality of supply locations may be arranged at opposing positions in the gas space, and may be arranged in a direction along the conveying path.

The adjustment unit may adjust the supply amount of the reaction gas supplied from each supply port based on the film thickness of the film formed on the workpiece and the elapsed time.

The workpiece may have a convex portion on the surface of the processing object subjected to the plasma treatment, and between the surface of the side wall portion of the delimiting portion that faces the rotating body and the rotating body, it may have The side wall part may have a recessed part along the convex part of the workpiece in the gap through which the workpiece held by the rotating body can pass.

A plurality of trays holding the workpiece may be held by the rotating body, and between the surface of the side wall portion of the demarcation part facing the rotating body and the tray, the tray may be held by the rotating body. A gap through which the held workpiece can pass, and the tray may have a convex part along a concave part of the side wall part. The surface of the rotating body facing the delimiting portion and the surfaces of the plurality of trays facing the delimiting portion may have portions that are continuously the same surface along the trajectory of the circumference.

The rotating body may hold the workpiece on the installation surface side where the vacuum container is installed, and the opening of the delimiting portion may face the workpiece from the installation surface side.

The plasma source may be a device that generates electron cyclotron resonance plasma in the gas space.

The plasma source may be a device that generates inductively coupled plasma in the gas space. [Effects of the invention]

According to the present invention, it is possible to perform a desired plasma treatment on the workpiece that is circulated by the rotating body according to the position where the passing speed of the surface of the rotating body is different.

An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as this embodiment) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [summary] The plasma processing apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus that uses plasma to form a compound film on the surface of each workpiece W. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, in the plasma processing apparatus 100, when the rotating body 31 rotates, the workpiece W on the tray 1 held by the rotating body 31 moves along a circular trajectory. By the movement described above, the workpiece W repeatedly passes through a position facing the film forming section 40A, the film forming section 40B, or the film forming section 40C. Each time the above-mentioned passage, particles of the target material 41A to the target material 41C are adhered to the surface of the workpiece W by sputtering.

In addition, the workpiece W repeatedly passes through a position facing the film processing section 50A or the film processing section 50B. In each pass, the particles attached to the surface of the workpiece W are combined with the substances in the introduced process gas G2 to form a compound film. FIG. 1 is a perspective perspective view of the plasma processing apparatus 100, FIG. 2 is a perspective bottom view, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the line A-A in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along the line B-B in FIG. In addition, in the following description, the direction compliant with gravity is referred to as downward, and the direction opposing gravity is referred to as upward. In the case where the vacuum container 20 of the plasma processing apparatus 100 is installed with the surface of the floor or the ground of a building existing in a direction compliant with gravity relative to the vacuum container 20 as the installation surface, the inside of the vacuum container 20, Take the installation surface side as the bottom and the side opposite to the installation surface side as the upper.

[Workpiece] As shown in the side view of Fig. 5(A), the plan view of Fig. 5(B), and the perspective view of Fig. 5(C), the workpiece W is on the surface facing the processing section, that is, the surface as the processing object (hereinafter referred to as The processing object surface Sp) has a convex part Cp, and has the plate-shaped member of the recessed part Rp on the surface opposite to the convex part Cp. The so-called convex part Cp refers to the curved part of the processing object surface Sp whose center of curvature is located on the opposite side of the processing object surface Sp, or when the processing object surface Sp is composed of multiple planes with different angles, it means to combine different The part where the planes are connected to each other. That is, the convex portion Cp includes not only the case where it has a curved portion, but also the case where it has a corner portion. The recessed part Rp refers to the part on the opposite side of the convex part Cp.

In this embodiment, the workpiece W is a rectangular substrate, and a convex portion Cp is formed on the surface Sp of the object to be processed using a curved portion formed on one short side. That is, in the present embodiment, the side that is stretched by bending is the convex portion Cp, and the side that is stretched by the bending is the concave portion Rp. In addition, the processing target surface Sp from the convex portion Cp of the workpiece W to the other short side becomes a flat surface.

[tray] As shown in the side view of FIG. 6(A), the plan view of FIG. 6(B), and the perspective view of FIG. 6(C), the tray 1 is a member that holds the workpiece W. The tray 1 is a substantially fan-shaped plate-shaped body, and one of the surfaces becomes the facing surface 11 facing the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 as the processing section. In this embodiment, when the tray 1 is mounted on the rotating body 31, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the facing surface 11 faces the lower side. However, FIGS. 6(A) to 6(C) are shown with the opposing surface 11 side as the upper side. Here, the side having the facing surface 11 of the tray 1 is referred to as the facing portion X1, and the side opposite to the facing surface 11 is referred to as the supporting portion X2.

More specifically, the facing portion X1 has a pair of side surfaces along the V-shape, that is, the inclined surface 12. The end portions on the side close to the pair of inclined surfaces 12 are connected by an inner peripheral surface 13 along a straight line. An outer peripheral surface 14 is connected to the end of the side away from the pair of inclined surfaces 12 of the tray 1, and the outer peripheral surface 14 follows a convex shape formed by combining sides orthogonal in plan view.

In addition, the facing surface 11 of the facing portion X1 has a convex portion 11a that swells toward the film forming portion 40 and the film processing portion 50 as the processing portion. The convex portion 11a has a shape along the concave portion 81 of the mask member 8 described later, and the concave portion 51b of the side wall portion 51c of the delimiting portion 51. Along the recessed part 81 and the recessed part 51b means the shape imitating the recessed part 81 and the recessed part 51b. The convex portion 11 a of the tray 1 faces the concave portion 81 and the concave portion 51 b in a non-contact manner (refer to FIG. 3 ).

As shown in FIG. 6(A), the convex portion 11a is also a curved surface imitating the concave portion Rp of the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. 6(B), the convex portion 11 a is formed along an arc shape connecting the centers of the pair of inclined surfaces 12 in a plan view. In the facing surface 11 of the tray 1, the inner peripheral surface 13 side becomes a flat surface close to the rotating body 31, and the outer peripheral surface 14 side becomes a flat surface away from the rotating body 31 with the convex portion 11 a interposed therebetween. With respect to such a facing surface 11, the surface on the concave portion Rp side of the workpiece W is attached to the concave portion Rp side of the workpiece W via an adhesive material such as a double-sided adhesive tape to imitate the convex portion 11 a, thereby holding the workpiece W.

The number of workpieces W held by the pallet 1 is not limited to a specific number. In this embodiment, three workpieces W are held on one pallet 1. In addition, the means for holding the workpiece W is not limited to the adhesive material. The pallet 1 may also be provided with the following holding mechanisms: a holding mechanism such as a chuck mechanism for holding the workpiece W detachably; or a holding mechanism capable of holding the workpiece W by inserting the workpiece W to hold the workpiece W.

The outer shape of the supporting portion X2 is substantially the same as the outer shape of the facing portion X1, but the size of the supporting portion X2 is slightly larger than the facing portion X1. Therefore, in the pallet 1, the outer circumference of the support part X2 has the overhanging part 15 that protrudes more outward than the outer circumference of the opposing part X1.

The material of the tray 1 is preferably a material with high thermal conductivity, for example, a metal. In this embodiment, the material of the tray 1 is SUS. In addition, the material of the tray 1 may be, for example, ceramic or resin having good thermal conductivity, or a composite material thereof.

[Plasma processing device] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the plasma processing apparatus 100 has a vacuum vessel 20, a conveying unit 30, a film forming unit 40A, a film forming unit 40B, a film forming unit 40C, a film processing unit 50A, a film processing unit 50B, and a load lock Section 60, control device 70.

[Vacuum Container] The vacuum container 20 is a container whose inside can be vacuumized, that is, a so-called chamber. The vacuum container 20 forms a vacuum chamber 21 inside. The vacuum chamber 21 is a cylindrical closed space surrounded by a bottom surface 20 a, a top plate 20 b, and an inner peripheral surface 20 c inside the vacuum container 20. The vacuum chamber 21 is airtight, and can be set to a vacuum by reducing pressure. In addition, the bottom surface 20a of the vacuum container 20 is configured to be openable and closable. In addition, the vacuum container 20 is installed on an installation surface (not shown) via a bracket in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis. At this time, the bottom surface 20a side becomes the lower side, that is, the installation surface side.

The reaction gas G is introduced into a predetermined area inside the vacuum chamber 21. The reactive gas G includes a sputtering gas G1 for film formation and a process gas G2 for film processing (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In the following description, the sputtering gas G1 and the process gas G2 are sometimes referred to as reactive gas G, unless distinguishing between the sputtering gas G1 and the process gas G2. The sputtering gas G1 is a gas for causing the ions generated by the plasma generated by the application of electric power to collide with the targets 41A to 41C, so that the materials of the targets 41A to 41C are deposited on the surface of the workpiece W. For example, an inert gas such as argon can be used as the sputtering gas G1.

The process gas G2 is a gas used to permeate the active species generated by the plasma generated by the microwave to the film deposited on the surface of the workpiece W to form a compound film. Hereinafter, such surface treatment using plasma, that is, treatment without using the target material 41A to the target material 41C may be referred to as reverse sputtering. The process gas G2 can be appropriately changed according to the purpose of processing. For example, in the case of performing nitrogen oxidation of the film, a mixed gas of oxygen O2 and nitrogen N2 is used.

As shown in FIG. 3, the vacuum container 20 has an exhaust port 22 and an introduction port 24. The exhaust port 22 is an opening for exhaust E to ensure gas flow between the vacuum chamber 21 and the outside. The exhaust port 22 is formed, for example, on the side surface of the vacuum container 20. The exhaust port 23 is connected to the exhaust port 22. The exhaust part 23 has piping, a pump, a valve, etc. which are not shown in figure. The pressure in the vacuum chamber 21 is reduced by the exhaust treatment performed by the exhaust unit 23.

The introduction port 24 is an opening for introducing the sputtering gas G1 to each of the film forming section 40A, the film forming section 40B, and the film forming section 40C. The introduction port 24 is provided at the bottom of the vacuum container 20, for example. A gas supply unit 25 is connected to the inlet 24. The gas supply unit 25 not only has piping, but also has a gas supply source for sputtering gas G1, a pump, a valve, and the like, which are not shown. The sputtering gas G1 is introduced from the inlet 24 into the mask member 8 described later by the gas supply unit 25. In addition, the bottom surface 20a of the vacuum container 20 is provided with mounting holes 21a into which the film processing section 50A and the film processing section 50B, which will be described later, are inserted.

[Transportation Department] The outline of the conveying unit 30 will be described. The conveying unit 30 has a rotating body 31 provided in the vacuum container 20. The rotating body 31 holds the workpiece W. The conveying unit 30 is a device that conveys the workpiece W in a circular motion on a circular conveying path T by rotating the rotating body 31. To hold the work W on the rotating body 31, it is sufficient to specify the position of the work W relative to the rotating body 31 so that the work W is circulated and conveyed with the rotation of the rotating body 31. Therefore, the workpiece W can be directly held by the rotating body 31, and the workpiece W can also be indirectly held by the rotating body 31 via other members such as the pallet 1, and the above two cases are included in the case of being held by the rotating body 31.

In addition, the workpiece W may be held on the lower side of the rotating body 31 or may be held on the upper side. The processing object surface Sp of the workpiece W may be held on the surface facing the film processing section 50 or the film forming section 40 in the rotating body 31. The case where the workpiece W is placed on the rotating body 31 or the pallet 1 is also included in the case where the workpiece W is held. In this embodiment, the workpiece W is held by the pallet 1 held by the rotating body 31 and transported circularly.

Cyclic conveyance means that the workpiece W is repeatedly moved around in a circular trajectory. The conveying path T is a trajectory for moving the workpiece W or the tray 1 described later by the conveying unit 30. The conveyance path T shown in FIG. 2 is linear, but is actually a circular ring with a width. Hereinafter, the details of the conveying unit 30 will be described.

The rotating body 31 of this embodiment is a circular plate-shaped rotating platform. The rotating body 31 may be formed by spraying aluminum oxide on the surface of a stainless steel plate-shaped member, for example. Hereinafter, when it is simply referred to as the "circumferential direction", it means the "circumferential direction of the rotating body 31", and when it is simply referred to as the "radial direction", it means the "radial direction of the rotating body 31".

The conveying unit 30 has not only the rotating body 31 but also a motor 32 and a holding unit 33. The motor 32 is a drive source that provides a driving force to the rotating body 31 to rotate the rotating body 31 about the center of the circle as an axis. The holding section 33 is a component that holds the tray 1 conveyed by the conveying section 30. On the surface of the rotating body 31, a plurality of holding portions 33 are configured at equidistant positions on the circumference. Regarding the surface of the rotating body 31 described in this embodiment, when the rotating plane of the rotating body 31 extends in the horizontal direction, it is a surface facing downward, that is, the lower surface. For example, the area in which each holding portion 33 holds the tray 1 is formed in an orientation parallel to a tangent to a circle in the circumferential direction of the rotating body 31, and is provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

In this embodiment, six holding parts 33 are provided. Therefore, six trays 1 are held on the rotating body 31 at intervals of 60°. However, the holding portion 33 may be one or multiple. The rotating body 31 circulates and transports the pallet 1 with the workpiece W, and causes the pallet 1 with the workpiece W to repeatedly pass through the film forming section 40A, the film forming section 40B, the film forming section 40C, the film processing section 50A, and the film processing section 50B. Opposite position.

More specifically, the holding portion 33 is an opening 33 a provided in the rotating body 31. The opening 33 a is a through hole provided in the circumferential equal arrangement position of the rotating body 31 where each tray 1 is placed. The opening 33a has substantially the same shape as the outer shape of the support portion X2 of the tray 1, and is slightly larger than the outer shape of the support portion X2, so the support portion X2 can be inserted.

A mounting portion 33b is provided on the inner circumference of the opening 33a. The mounting portion 33b is a portion where the inner circumference of the opening 33a has a shape that is substantially the same as the outer shape of the facing portion X1 and is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the facing portion X1. Therefore, the facing portion X1 can be inserted into the mounting portion 33b. That is, when the support portion X2 of the pallet 1 on which the workpiece W is placed is fitted into the opening 33a, the extension portion 15 is supported by the mounting portion 33b. In addition, the facing surface 11 penetrates through the opening 33 a and is exposed to the lower side of the rotating body 31. As a result, the processing object surface Sp of the workpiece W held on the facing surface 11 faces downward.

[Film Formation Department] The film-forming section 40A, the film-forming section 40B, and the film-forming section 40C are provided at a position facing the workpiece W that is circulated on the conveying path T, and the film-forming material is deposited on the workpiece W by sputtering to form a film. Processing department. Hereinafter, without distinguishing between the plurality of film forming parts 40A, the film forming parts 40B, and the film forming parts 40C, the description will be given in the form of the film forming part 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the film forming unit 40 has a sputtering source 4, a power supply unit 6, and a mask member 8.

(Sputter source) The sputtering source 4 is a supply source of a film-forming material that deposits a film-forming material on the workpiece W by sputtering to form a film. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the sputtering source 4 includes a target material 41A, a target material 41B, a target material 41C, a backing plate 42, and an electrode 43. The target material 41A, the target material 41B, and the target material 41C are formed of a film-forming material deposited on the workpiece W to become a film, and are arranged at positions facing away from the conveying path T.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the three target materials 41A, the target material 41B, and the target material 41C are provided in positions aligned on the vertices of the triangles in a plan view. The target material 41A, the target material 41B, and the target material 41C are arranged in this order from a position close to the rotation center of the rotating body 31 toward the outer periphery. Hereinafter, without distinguishing the target material 41A, the target material 41B, and the target material 41C, the description will be given in the form of the target material 41. The surface of the target material 41 faces the workpiece W moved by the conveying unit 30 while being separated from each other.

In addition, the area where the film-forming material can be attached by the three targets 41A, 41B, and 41C is larger than the size of the tray 1 in the radial direction. As described above, corresponding to the area where the film is formed by the film forming unit 40, the ring-shaped area along the transport path T is referred to as the film formation area F (indicated by the dotted line in FIG. 2 ). The width of the film formation area F in the radial direction is longer than the width of the tray 1 in the radial direction. In addition, in the present embodiment, the three target materials 41A to 41C are arranged so that the film-forming material can be attached to the film-forming region F over the entire width in the radial direction of the film-forming region F without a gap.

As the film-forming material, for example, niobium, silicon, etc. are used. However, as long as it is a material for film formation by sputtering, various materials can be applied. In addition, the target material 41 has a cylindrical shape, for example. However, it may also have other shapes such as a long cylindrical shape and an angular column shape.

The back plate 42 is a member which individually holds each target material 41A, target material 41B, and target material 41C. The electrode 43 is a conductive member for individually applying electric power to the target 41A, the target 41B, and the target 41C from the outside of the vacuum container 20. The power applied to each target 41A, target 41B, and target 41C can be individually changed. In addition, the sputtering source 4 includes a magnet, a cooling mechanism, and the like as necessary.

(Mask component) As shown in the perspective views of FIGS. 3 and 7, the mask member 8 is a member facing the workpiece W placed on the pallet 1 with a space therebetween. The mask member 8 of the present embodiment has an opening 80 on the side through which the workpiece W passes, and forms a film formation chamber S in which the film formation section 40 performs film formation. That is, the mask member 8 forms a space into which the sputtering gas G1 is introduced to generate plasma, and prevents the sputtering gas G1 and the film-forming material from leaking into the vacuum container 20.

The shield member 8 has a bottom surface 82 and a side surface 83. The bottom surface 82 is a member that forms the bottom surface of the film formation chamber S. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the bottom surface portion 82 is a substantially fan-shaped plate-shaped body arranged in parallel with the plane of the rotating body 31. On the bottom surface 82, target holes 82a having the same size and shape as the targets 41A, 41B, and 41C are formed at positions corresponding to the respective targets 41A, 41B, and 41C, so that each The target material 41A, the target material 41B, and the target material 41C are exposed in the film formation chamber S. The bottom surface portion 82 is attached to the bottom surface 20a of the vacuum container 20 so that the target material 41A, the target material 41B, and the target material 41C are exposed from the target material hole 82a.

The side surface 83 is a member that forms the periphery of the film formation chamber S. The side part 83 has an outer peripheral wall 83a, an inner peripheral wall 83b, a partition wall 83c, and a partition wall 83d. The outer peripheral wall 83a and the inner peripheral wall 83b are rectangular parallelepipeds curved in an arc shape, and are plate-shaped bodies that stand upright in a direction orthogonal to the rotation plane of the rotating body 31. The lower edge of the outer peripheral wall 83a is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface 82. The lower edge of the inner peripheral wall 83b is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the bottom surface 82. The partition wall 83c and the partition wall 83d have a flat rectangular parallelepiped shape, and are plate-shaped bodies that stand upright in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the rotating body 31. The lower edges of the partition wall 83c and the partition wall 83d are respectively attached to a pair of edge portions in the radial direction of the bottom surface portion 82.

The junction between the bottom surface portion 82 and the side surface portion 83 as described above is hermetically sealed. In addition, the bottom surface portion 82 and the side surface portion 83 may be formed integrally, that is, continuously formed of a common material. With such a masking member 8, a film forming chamber S is constructed in which the bottom and peripheral side surfaces are covered by the bottom surface portion 82 and the side surface portion 83, and the upper portion facing the workpiece W has an opening 80. In the film formation chamber S, the tip of the gas supply part 25 extends to the vicinity of the target 41A, the target 41B, and the target 41C.

The shield member 8 has a substantially fan shape whose diameter is enlarged from the center side in the radial direction of the rotating body 31 toward the outside in a plan view. The substantially fan shape mentioned here refers to the shape of the fan surface of the fan. The opening 80 of the shield member 8 is also substantially fan-shaped. The speed at which the workpiece W held under the rotating body 31 passes over the opening 80 is slower toward the center side in the radial direction of the rotating body 31, and faster toward the outside. Therefore, if the opening 80 is rectangular or square in a plan view, the time for the workpiece W to pass above the opening 80 differs between the center side and the outer side in the radial direction.

In this embodiment, by expanding the diameter of the opening 80 from the center side in the radial direction toward the outside, the time for the workpiece W to pass through the opening 80 can be made constant, and the plasma processing described later can be made uniform. However, if the difference in the elapsed time is such that it does not cause problems on the product side, it may be rectangular or square when viewed from above. As the material of the mask member 8, for example, aluminum or SUS can be used.

As shown in FIG. 8(A), between the upper end of the partition wall 83 c and the partition wall 83 d and the rotating body 31, a gap D1 through which the workpiece W under the rotating body 31 can pass is formed. That is, the heights of the partition wall 83c and the partition wall 83d are set so that a slight gap is generated between the upper edge of the mask member 8 and the workpiece W.

More specifically, the opening 80 of the shield member 8 has a concave portion 81 along the convex portion Cp of the workpiece W held by the pallet 1. "Along the convex part Cp" means to imitate the shape of the convex part Cp. In this embodiment, the concave portion 81 is a curved curved surface along the convex portion Cp. However, there is a gap D1 between the concave portion 81 and the convex portion Cp as described above. That is, on the upper edges of the partition wall 83c and the partition wall 83d including the recess 81, a shape is formed along the processing object surface Sp of the workpiece W in a non-contact manner. The distance D1 between the processing object surface Sp of the workpiece W and the mask member 8 (including the distance between the convex portion Cp and the concave portion 81) is preferably set to 1 mm to 15 mm. This is to allow the workpiece W to pass and maintain the pressure of the film forming chamber S inside.

As shown in FIG. 2, with such a mask member 8, a film formation site M2, a film formation site M4, a film formation site M5, and a film processing site M1 for film formation of the workpiece W using the sputtering source 4 , The membrane treatment part M3 is separated. The mask member 8 can prevent the sputtering gas G1 and the film-forming material in the film-forming part M2, the film-forming part M4, and the film-forming part M5 from diffusing into the vacuum chamber 21.

The range in the horizontal direction of the film formation site M2, the film formation site M4, and the film formation site M5 becomes an area partitioned by each mask member 8. In addition, the workpiece W that is circulated and transported by the rotating body 31 repeatedly passes through the positions of the film-forming part M2, the film-forming part M4, and the film-forming part M5 facing the target 41, whereby the film-forming material is deposited in the form of a film. The surface of the workpiece W.

The film formation chamber S delineated by the mask members 8 of the film formation site M2, the film formation site M4, and the film formation site M5 is an area where most of the film formation is performed. However, even in regions other than the film formation chamber S, there is leakage of the film formation material from the film formation chamber S. Therefore, the accumulation of film is not completely absent. That is, the film formation area F where the film is formed in the film formation section 40 is a slightly wider area than the film formation chamber S delineated by the mask member 8.

This kind of film forming section 40 can increase the amount of film formed within a certain period of time by simultaneously forming a film with the same film forming material in the plurality of film forming sections 40A, 40B, and 40C, which can increase the amount of film formed within a certain period of time, that is, film formation rate. In addition, it is also possible to form a film including layers of a plurality of film forming materials by simultaneously or sequentially forming films using different kinds of film forming materials in the plurality of film forming sections 40A, 40B, and 40C.

(Power supply department) The power supply unit 6 is a component that applies power to the target 41. By applying power to the target 41 by the power supply unit 6, plasma-formed sputtering gas G1 is generated. Furthermore, by colliding the target material 41 with the ions generated by the plasma, the film-forming material collided from the target material 41 can be deposited on the workpiece W. Therefore, the power supply unit 6 can be understood as a plasma source that generates plasma for plasma processing the workpiece W. The power applied to each target 41A, target 41B, and target 41C can be individually changed.

In this embodiment, the power supply unit 6 is a direct current (DC) power supply that applies a high voltage. In addition, in the case of a device that performs high-frequency sputtering, it can also be set as a radio frequency (RF) power supply. In addition, the power supply unit 6 may be provided for each of the film forming section 40A, the film forming section 40B, and the film forming section 40C, or only one may be provided for the plurality of film forming sections 40A, the film forming section 40B, and the film forming section 40C. When only one power supply unit 6 is provided, the application of the used power is switched. The rotating body 31 and the grounded vacuum container 20 have the same potential, and a potential difference is generated by applying a high voltage to the target 41 side.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, in the conveying direction of the conveying path T, three film forming sections 40A, film forming sections 40B, and film forming sections are arranged between the film processing section 50A and the film processing section 50B.部40C. The film forming part M2, the film forming part M4, and the film forming part M5 correspond to the three film forming parts 40A, the film forming part 40B, and the film forming part 40C. The membrane treatment part M1 and the membrane treatment part M3 correspond to the two membrane treatment parts 50A and the membrane treatment part 50B.

[Film Processing Department] The film processing section 50A and the film processing section 50B are processing sections that perform film processing on the material deposited on the workpiece W conveyed by the conveying section 30. The film treatment is reverse sputtering without using the target 41. Hereinafter, without distinguishing between the film processing section 50A and the film processing section 50B, the description will be given in the form of the film processing section 50. The film processing section 50 has a processing unit 5.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 8(B), the processing unit 5 has a delimiting part 51. The delimiting portion 51 is a constituent portion having a side wall portion 51c and an opening 51a, the side wall portion 51c delimits a part of the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced, and the opening 51a opposes the conveying path T inside the vacuum vessel 20 . The gas space R is formed in the space enclosed by the side wall portion 51c, that is, the space between the inside of the delimiting portion 51 and the rotating body 31, and the workpiece W that is circulated by the rotating body 31 passes through this space repeatedly. That is, the gas space R includes not only the internal space of the delimiting portion 51 but also the end surface of the opening 51 a, that is, the space between the opposing surface of the delimiting portion 51 facing the rotating body 31 and the rotating body 31. The term "delimiting a part of the gas space R" means a boundary that forms a part of the gas space R. Therefore, the delimiting portion 51 does not cover the entire gas space R, and the gas space R between the facing surface of the delimiting portion 51 and the rotating body 31 is not covered.

The delimiting portion 51 of the present embodiment is a cylindrical body surrounded by a side wall portion 51c and having a rounded rectangular cross section. The rounded rectangle described here is the shape of a track for athletics. The racetrack shape refers to a shape in which a pair of partial circles are opposed to each other in a direction opposite to the convex side, and the two ends of each are connected by straight lines parallel to each other. The delimiting portion 51 is made of the same material as the rotating body 31.

The delimiting portion 51 is arranged such that its long diameter is parallel to the radial direction of the rotating body 31. In addition, it does not need to be strictly parallel, and there may be some inclination. The cross section orthogonal to the axis of the internal space of the delimiting portion 51 is a rectangle with rounded corners from the facing surface as the end surface of the opening 51 a to the inner bottom surface, and has a shape similar to the outer diameter of the delimiting portion 51. The space constitutes a part of the gas space R. Therefore, the treatment area that is the area where the plasma treatment, that is, the film treatment is performed, becomes a rectangle with rounded corners similar in shape to the opening 51 a of the defined portion 51. In this way, the length in the rotation direction of the processing area is substantially the same in the radial direction.

The opening 51a of the upper edge of the delimiting portion 51 faces the rotating body 31 side apart from the rotating body 31 side, and faces the conveying path. That is, as shown in FIG. 8(B), a space D2 through which the workpiece W held by the rotating body 31 can pass is formed between the surface facing the rotating body 31 in the demarcation portion 51 and the rotating body 31. That is, the height of the side wall portion 51c of the demarcating part 51 is set so that a slight gap is generated between the upper edge of the demarcating part 51 and the workpiece W.

More specifically, like the recessed portion 81 of the mask member 8, the side wall portion 51 c of the demarcation portion 51 has a recessed portion 51 b along the convex portion Cp of the workpiece W held by the pallet 1. "Along the convex part Cp" means the shape imitating the convex part Cp. In this embodiment, the concave portion 51b is a curved surface along the curve of the convex portion Cp. However, there is a gap D2 between the concave portion 51b and the convex portion Cp as described above. That is, on the upper edge of the delimiting portion 51 including the recessed portion 51b, a shape is formed along the processing object surface Sp of the workpiece W in a non-contact manner. The distance D2 between the processing object surface Sp of the workpiece W and the delimiting portion 51 (including the distance between the convex portion Cp and the concave portion 51b) is preferably set to 1 mm to 15 mm. This is to allow the workpiece W to pass through and maintain the pressure inside the delimiting portion 51. In the inside of the delimiting portion 51, plasma is generated by the introduction of microwaves.

As shown in FIG. 3, most of the side wall portion 51 c of the delimiting portion 51 is housed in the vacuum chamber 21. However, the bottom surface of the delimiting portion 51 protrudes downward and is inserted into the mounting hole 21 a provided on the bottom surface 20 a of the vacuum container 20. The space between the delimiting portion 51 and the vacuum container 20 is sealed by an O-ring 21b. In addition, a window portion 52 is provided on the bottom surface of the delimiting portion 51. The window portion 52 is a component that separates the gas space R in the delimiting portion 51 from the outside and enables the introduction of microwaves.

The window 52 of this embodiment has a window hole 52a and a window member 52b. The window hole 52 a is a through hole formed in the bottom surface of the delimiting portion 51. The shape of the window hole 52a can be used to change the distribution shape of the generated plasma. In other words, the distribution shape of the plasma can be determined by the shape of the window 52a. In this embodiment, by making the horizontal cross-section of the window hole 52a a rectangular shape with rounded corners, it is possible to generate a plasma having a shape substantially similar to the horizontal cross-section of the gas space R. In addition, when the material forming the window hole 52a, that is, the material of the delimiting portion 51 is a dielectric such as quartz, the distribution shape of the plasma can be determined by the shape of the wave guide 55a described later. The window member 52b is received inside the delimiting portion 51, and is a flat plate for closing the window hole 52a. The window member 52b is placed on an O-ring 52c inserted around the window hole 52a of the inner bottom of the delimiting portion 51 to airtightly seal the window hole 52a. In addition, the window member 52b may be a dielectric such as alumina or a semiconductor such as silicon.

Furthermore, the processing unit 5 has a gas supply unit 53, an adjustment unit 54 (refer to FIG. 10 ), a plasma source 55, and a cooling unit 56. As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 9, the gas supply unit 53 supplies the process gas G2 to the gas space R. The gas supply unit 53 is a device that supplies the process gas G2 from a plurality of supply locations where the time of the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through the processing area is different. The plurality of supply locations are provided at equal intervals along a pair of opposed inner walls of the demarcation portion 51 in the longitudinal direction, that is, in the radial direction of the rotating body 31. Therefore, a plurality of supply locations are provided at opposing positions in the gas space R, and at the same time, are provided in the direction along the transport path T. The direction along the conveying path T is a direction substantially parallel to the conveying path T or a tangential direction of the conveying path T.

The gas supply unit 53 has a supply source of the process gas G2 such as a pump (not shown), and a plurality of pipes 53a connected to the supply source. The process gas G2 is, for example, oxygen and nitrogen. Each pipe 53a is branched and connected to a supply source of oxygen and a supply source of nitrogen. The ends of the plurality of pipes 53a are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction in the defined portion 51, thereby constituting a plurality of supply ports 531A to 531D, and supply ports 531a to 531d as the supply locations.

Here, if the rotation center side (inner circumferential side) of the rotating body 31 of the workpiece W held by the rotating body 31 is compared with the outer circumferential side, the length of the circumference that a point on the surface of the rotating body 31 travels, that is, the circumference different. Therefore, the points on the surface of the rotating body 31 have a difference in speed over a certain distance. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the delimiting portion 51 is arranged such that the major diameter of the opening 51 is parallel to the radial direction of the rotating body 31. In addition, the linear portions of the opening 51a where the plurality of supply ports 531A to 531D and the supply ports 531a to 531d are formed are parallel to each other in the radial direction. In addition, in the following, without distinguishing the supply ports 531A to 531D, and the supply ports 531a to 531d, the description will be given in the form of the supply port 531.

With such a configuration, the outer circumferential side of the rotating body 31 is shorter than the inner circumferential side of the time for the workpiece W to pass a certain distance above the delimiting portion 51. Therefore, the rate of film processing differs between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side. The plurality of supply ports 531 are provided at a plurality of locations at different times during which the surface of the rotating body 31 passes through the treatment area where the plasma treatment is performed. The direction in which the plurality of supply ports 531 are arranged intersects with the conveying path T. Furthermore, the supply port 531 is arranged at a position facing each other with the gas space R interposed therebetween. In the gas space R, the arrangement direction of the supply ports 531 facing each other is along the transport path T.

More specifically, each pipe 53a is branched at a position where one of the inner walls of the delimiting portion 51 faces the other inner wall, and each end becomes the supply ports 531A to 531D and the supply ports 531a to 531d of the process gas G2. The supply ports 531A to 531D are arranged side by side at equal intervals along one of the inner walls in the longitudinal direction of the defined portion 51. The supply ports 531 a to 531 d are arranged side by side at equal intervals along the other inner wall in the longitudinal direction of the partition 51.

The supply ports 531A to 531D are arranged in the order of the supply port 531A, the supply port 531B, the supply port 531C, and the supply port 531D from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. Similarly, the supply port 531a to the supply port 531d are arranged in the order of the supply port 531a, the supply port 531b, the supply port 531c, and the supply port 531d from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side. The supply port 531A to the supply port 531D are arranged on the downstream side of the conveying path T, and the supply port 531a to the supply port 531d are arranged on the upstream side of the conveying path T. Moreover, the supply port 531A and the supply port 531a, the supply port 531B and the supply port 531b, the supply port 531C and the supply port 531c, and the supply port 531D and the supply port 531d respectively face the downstream side and the upstream side.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the innermost supply part and the outermost supply part are located outside the film formation area F. That is, the supply port 531A and the supply port 531a are arranged on the inner side of the inner periphery of the film formation area F, and the supply port 531D and the supply port 531d are arranged on the outer side of the outer periphery of the film formation area F.

As shown in FIG. 9, the adjustment unit 54 adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 introduced by the gas supply unit 53 according to the position in the direction intersecting the conveyance path T. The direction intersecting the conveying path T is a direction that is not parallel to the conveying path T, and is not limited to a direction orthogonal to the conveying path T. That is, the adjustment unit 54 individually adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 per unit time at the plurality of locations of the gas supply unit 53 according to the time for the surface of the rotating body 31 to pass through the processing area. The regulator 54 has a mass flow controller (MFC) 54a provided in a pair of paths of the pipe 53a, respectively. The MFC 54a is a member having a mass flow meter that measures the flow rate of the fluid and a solenoid valve that controls the flow rate.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plasma source 55 is a component that generates plasma for processing the workpiece W passing through the transport path T in the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced. The plasma source 55 has a waveguide 55a and a coil 55b. The wave guide 55a is a tube whose one end is connected to a microwave transmitter (not shown) and the other end is arranged outside the gas space R in the vicinity of the window 52. The waveguide 55a guides the microwave from the microwave transmitter to the window 52. The microwave is introduced into the gas space R via the window member 52b of the window 52.

The coil 55b is a member that generates a magnetic field in the gas space R by applying a voltage from a power supply not shown. In the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced, a magnetic field is generated by the coil 55b, and microwaves are introduced. If the frequency of the electrons moving in a circle around the magnetic field coincides with the frequency of the microwave, the electrons undergo a high-speed rotational movement due to resonance, and the electrons collide with gas molecules, thereby generating high-density plasma. As a result, active species such as electrons, ions, and radicals are generated in the gas space R.

The cooling part 56 is a component that cools the demarcation part 51. The cooling part 56 has a pipe 56a and a cavity 56b. Although not shown in the figure, the pipe 56a is connected to a cooler as a cooling water circulation device that circulates and supplies the cooling water C, and is a circulation path through which the cooling water C circulates. The cavity 56b is a space formed in the side wall portion 51c of the defined portion 51 to allow the cooling water C to flow, and the supply side and the discharge side of the pipe 56a communicate with each other. The cooling water C cooled by the cooler is repeatedly supplied from the supply side, circulated in the cavity, and discharged from the drain side, whereby the delimiting portion 51 is cooled and heating is suppressed.

[Load Lock Department] The load lock unit 60 is used to carry the pallet 1 carrying the unprocessed workpiece W into the vacuum chamber 21 from the outside by the conveying equipment not shown while maintaining the vacuum in the vacuum chamber 21, and carry the processed workpieces W into the vacuum chamber 21. The pallet 1 of the workpiece W is carried out to the device outside the vacuum chamber 21. A well-known structure can be applied to the load lock portion 60, so the description is omitted.

[Control device] The control device 70 is a device that controls each part of the plasma processing device 100. The control device 70 may be constituted by, for example, a dedicated electronic circuit or a computer running in a predetermined program. That is, regarding the control related to the introduction and exhaust of the sputtering gas G1 and the process gas G2 into the vacuum chamber 21, the control of the power supply unit 6, the control of the rotation of the rotor 31, and the introduction of microwaves in the plasma source 55, The control content of the control related to the generation of the magnetic field and the control related to the cooling water C in the cooling unit 56 has been programmed. The control device 70 executes the program by a processing device such as a programmable logic controller (PLC) or a central processing unit (CPU), and can correspond to various plasma processing specifications.

If the specific controlled objects are listed, they are as follows. That is, the rotation speed of the motor 32, the initial exhaust pressure of the plasma processing apparatus 100, the selection of the sputtering source 4, the power applied to the target 41 and the coil 55, the output of the microwave transmitter, the sputtering gas G1, and the process The flow rate, type, introduction time and exhaust time of the gas G2, film formation and film processing time, the flow rate and temperature of the cooling water C, etc.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the control device 70 controls the film formation rate by controlling the application of electric power to the target 41 of the film formation section 40 and the supply amount of the sputtering gas G1 from the gas supply section 25. In addition, the control device 70 controls the film processing rate by controlling the output of the microwave and the supply amount of the process gas G2 from the gas supply unit 53.

With reference to FIG. 10 which is a virtual functional block diagram, the configuration of the control device 70 for executing the operation of each unit in the above-described manner will be described. That is, the control device 70 has a mechanism control unit 71, a power supply control unit 72, a gas control unit 73, a storage unit 74, a setting unit 75, and an input/output control unit 76.

The mechanism control unit 71 is a drive source, solenoid valve, switch, power supply for the exhaust unit 23, the gas supply unit 25, the gas supply unit 53, the adjustment unit 54, the motor 32, the cooler of the cooling unit 56, the load lock unit 60, etc. The processing unit that controls. The power supply control unit 72 is a processing unit that controls the power supply unit 6, the microwave transmitter of the plasma source 55, the power supply of the coil 55b, and the like.

For example, the power supply control unit 72 individually controls the power applied to the target 41A, the target 41B, and the target 41C. When it is desired to make the film formation rate uniform across the entire workpiece W, the power is sequentially increased so that the target material 41A<the target material 41B<the target material 41C in consideration of the speed difference between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side. That is, it is sufficient to determine the electric power in proportion to the speeds on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side.

However, proportional control is just one example, and it is only necessary to set it in such a way that the higher the speed, the higher the power, so that the processing rate becomes uniform. In addition, it is sufficient to increase the applied power to the target 41 for the part where the thickness of the film formed on the workpiece W is to be increased, and to reduce the applied power to the target 41 for the part where the film thickness is to be reduced.

The gas control unit 73 is a processing unit that controls the introduction amount of the process gas G2 by the adjustment unit 54. For example, the supply amount of the process gas G2 per unit time from each supply port 531 is individually controlled. When it is desired to make the film processing rate uniform across the entire workpiece W, the supply amount from each supply port 531 is sequentially increased from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side in consideration of the speed difference between the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side. Specifically, the supply amount is set as supply port 531A<supply port 531B<supply port 531C<supply port 531D, and supply port 531a<supply port 531b<supply port 531c<supply port 531d. That is, it is only necessary to determine the supply amount in proportion to the speeds on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side.

In addition, the supply amount of the process gas G2 supplied from each supply port 531 is adjusted according to the thickness of the film formed on the workpiece W. That is, for the part where the film thickness is to be increased, the supply amount of the process gas G2 is increased to increase the amount of film processing. Moreover, for the part where the film thickness is to be reduced, the supply amount of the process gas G2 is reduced to reduce the amount of film processing.

In addition, for example, when film processing is performed on a film formed so that the film thickness becomes thicker closer to the inner peripheral side, it can also be set so that the closer to the inner peripheral side increases the supply amount of the process gas G2. As a result, the relationship with the above-mentioned speed is recombined, and as a result, the supply amount from each supply port 531 may become uniform. That is, the adjustment unit 54 may also adjust the supply amount of the process gas G2 supplied from each supply port 531 based on the thickness of the film formed on the workpiece W and the time for the rotating body 31 to pass through the processing area. In addition, the gas control unit 73 also controls the introduction amount of the sputtering gas G1.

The storage unit 74 is a configuration unit that stores information necessary for the control of the present embodiment. The information stored in the memory 74 includes the exhaust gas volume of the exhaust gas part 23, the power applied to each target 41, the supply volume of the sputtering gas G1, the power applied to the coil 55b, the output of the microwave transmitter, each The supply amount of the process gas G2 at the supply port 531. The setting unit 75 is a processing unit that sets information input from the outside in the storage unit 74.

Furthermore, the power applied to the target 41A, the target 41B, and the target 41C may be associated with the supply amount of the process gas G2 from the supply port 531A to the supply port 531D, and the supply port 531a to the supply port 531d. That is, when the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotating body 31 is set to be constant, and the power applied to the target 41A, the target 41B, and the target 41C is set by the setting unit, it may be combined with the target 41A, 41B, and 41C. 41A, the target material 41B, and the power applied to the target material 41C proportionally set the supply amount from each supply port 531A to supply port 531D, and supply port 531a to supply port 531d. In addition, when the rotation speed (rpm) of the rotating body 31 is set to be constant, and the supply amount from each supply port 531A to supply port 531D, and supply port 531a to supply port 531d is set by the setting unit, it may be combined with The supply amount from each supply port 531A to supply port 531D, and supply port 531a to supply port 531d is set in proportion to the power applied to each target 41A, target 41B, and target 41C.

Such setting can be performed as follows, for example. First, the relationship between the film thickness and the supply amount of the process gas G2 corresponding to the film thickness, and the relationship between the applied power and the supply amount of the process gas G2 corresponding to the applied power are obtained in advance by experiments or the like. Then, at least one of these is represented and memorized in the memory 74. Then, the setting unit 75 determines the applied power or the supply amount with reference to the table based on the input film thickness, applied power, or supply amount.

(Operation processing) In the case of forming a film with uniform film thickness and uniform film quality over a large area, when adjusting the supply amount of the process gas G2, the following four conditions must be considered. [1] The thickness of the film formed by the film forming part during one rotation of the rotating body [2] Film thickness distribution of the formed film in the radial direction of the rotating body [3] The speed difference between the inner and outer circumferences of the rotating body [4] The width of the plasma generation area (the width of the processing area)

Here, regarding the condition of [2], if electric power is applied individually to each target 41A, target 41B, and target 41C of the film forming part 40 to form a uniform film thickness, it can be eliminated from the condition. In addition, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, by making the gas space R a rounded rectangular outer shape when viewed from the plane direction, the width of the processing area becomes the same from the innermost circumference to the outermost circumference of the film formation area F. Therefore, the same plasma density can be set within the range of the width, so the condition of [4] can also be removed from the condition.

Therefore, the supply amount of each supply port 531 can be determined according to the conditions of [1] and [3]. That is, as the condition of [1], either one of the film thickness of the innermost periphery or the outermost periphery of the film formation region F and the optimal supply amount suitable for the film thickness are determined by a prior experiment or the like in advance. Furthermore, the speed difference between the inner circumference and the outer circumference of [3] is related (proportional) to the radius of the inner circumference and the outer circumference. Therefore, it can be compared with the position (distance from the rotation center) in the radial direction of the plurality of supply ports 531. The film thickness and the optimal supply amount determine the respective supply amounts of the plurality of supply ports 531. Regarding the film thickness of the film formed during the rotation of the rotor 31 at the innermost circumference of the film formation area F, the film thickness of the film formed during the rotation of the rotor 31 at the outermost circumference of the film formation area F, The optimal supply amount suitable for the film thickness and the position in the radial direction of each supply port 531 are included in the information stored in the storage unit 74.

For example, with respect to the predetermined film thickness of the film formed by the film forming portion 40, the optimal supply amount of the innermost supply port 531 is set to a, the radius of the innermost periphery is set to Lin, and the outermost periphery is set to The radius of is set to Lou, and the optimal supply amount of the outermost supply port 531 is set to A. First, the case where the optimal supply amount a of the supply port 531 at the innermost circumference is known will be described. The supply amount calculation unit obtains the optimal supply amount a of the innermost circumference, the radius Lin of the circle passing through the innermost supply port 531, and the radius Lou of the circle passing the outermost supply port 531 from the memory unit 74, based on the following formula To find the best supply A in the outermost circumference. A=a×Lou/Lin

Similarly, the optimal supply amount of the other supply ports 531 can also be obtained based on the ratio of the radii. That is, when the optimal supply amount of the supply port 531 is set to Ax and the radius of the circle passing through the supply port 531 is set to Px, the optimal supply amount Ax can be obtained based on the following equation. Ax=a×Px/Lin

On the contrary, when the optimal supply amount A of the outermost supply port 531 is known, the maximum value of each supply port 531 can be obtained from the radius Px of the circle passing through the supply port 531 based on the following equation: The best supply Ax. Ax=A×Px/Lou

As described above, as long as [1] knows the film thickness of the film formed by the film forming section 40 while the rotating body rotates once, the supply amount from the plurality of supply ports 531 can be automatically determined. Therefore, compared with a case where a plurality of types of data are held as an assumed pattern of the supply amount from each supply port 531, the amount of data held by the memory section 74 can be reduced. For example, in the case of a film whose refractive index changes depending on the composition such as SiON, the supply amount of each supply port 531 is automatically determined based on the film thickness of the innermost or outermost periphery of the film formation area F. Therefore, it is only necessary to adjust N2 and With the mixing ratio of O2, a film with a desired refractive index can be obtained.

The input/output control unit 76 is an interface that controls signal conversion or input/output with each unit as a control object. Furthermore, an input device 77 and an output device 78 are connected to the control device 70. The input device 77 is used for the operator to operate the switch, touch screen, keyboard, mouse and other input devices of the plasma processing device 100 via the control device 70. For example, the selection of the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 to be used, the desired film thickness, the power applied to each target 41A to 41C, and the power from each supply port 531A to the supply port can be input through the input device. 531D, the supply amount of the process gas G2 from the supply port 531a to the supply port 531d, etc.

The output device 78 is an output device, such as a display, a lamp, and a meter, which sets information for confirming the state of the device in a state that is visible to the operator. For example, the output device 78 may display an input screen of information from the input device 77. In this case, a schematic diagram can also be used to display the target material 41A, the target material 41B, the target material 41C, the supply ports 531A to the supply ports 531D, and the supply ports 531a to the supply ports 531d, and the respective positions can be selected to input the values. . Furthermore, the target material 41A, the target material 41B, the target material 41C, each supply port 531A to supply port 531D, and supply port 531a to supply port 531d can also be displayed with a schematic diagram, and the respective set values can be displayed numerically.

[action] Hereinafter, the operation of this embodiment as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10 described above. In addition, although not shown in the figure, in the plasma processing apparatus 100, the tray 1 holding the workpiece W is carried in, transported, and transported using transport equipment such as a conveyor or a robot arm.

The plurality of trays 1 are sequentially transferred into the vacuum container 20 by the transfer equipment of the load lock unit 60. The rotating body 31 sequentially moves the empty holding part 33 to the carry-in position carried in from the load lock part 60. The holding portion 33 individually holds the trays 1 carried in by the conveying equipment. In this way, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the tray 1 holding the workpiece W as the film formation target is all held on the rotating body 31.

The process of forming a film with respect to the workpiece W introduced into the plasma processing apparatus 100 as described above is performed as follows. In addition, as described for the film formation section 40A only and the film processing section 50A only, the following operations are examples in which the film formation section 40 and the film processing section 50 are operated individually to perform film formation and film processing. However, it is also possible to operate the multi-component membrane section 40 and the membrane processing section 50 to increase the processing rate. In addition, an example of film formation and film processing using the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 is a process of forming a film of silicon oxynitride. The formation of the silicon oxynitride film is performed by repeating the process of impregnating oxygen ions and nitrogen ions each time silicon is attached to the workpiece W at an atomic level.

First, the vacuum chamber 21 is always exhausted and reduced by the exhaust unit 23. Then, after the vacuum chamber 21 reaches a predetermined pressure, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotating body 31 rotates. Thereby, the work W held by the holding section 33 moves along the conveyance path T and passes over the film forming section 40A, the film forming section 40B, the film forming section 40C, the film processing section 50A, and the film processing section 50B. After the rotating body 31 reaches a predetermined rotation speed, the gas supply unit 25 of the film forming unit 40 then supplies the sputtering gas G1 to the periphery of the target 41. At this time, the gas supply unit 53 of the film processing unit 50 also supplies the process gas G2 to the gas space R.

In the film forming unit 40, the power supply unit 6 applies power to the respective targets 41A, 41B, and 41C. As a result, the sputtering gas G1 becomes plasma. In the sputtering source 4, active species such as ions generated by the plasma collide with the target 41 to eject particles of the film-forming material. Therefore, on the surface of the workpiece W passing through the film forming section 40, the particles of the film forming material accumulate to form a film every time the foregoing passes. In the example, a silicon layer is formed.

The electric power applied by the power supply unit 6 to the respective targets 41A, 41B, and 41C is set in the memory unit 74 so as to increase sequentially from the inner peripheral side of the rotor 31 to the outer peripheral side. The power supply control unit 72 outputs an instruction in accordance with the power set in the storage unit 74 so that the power supply unit 6 controls the power applied to each target 41. Due to this control, the closer to the outer circumference from the inner circumference side, the greater the amount of film formation per unit time by sputtering, but the closer to the outer circumference from the inner circumference side, the faster the passing speed of the rotating body 31 is. As a result, the overall film thickness of the workpiece W becomes uniform.

In addition, even if the workpiece W passes through the film forming section 40 or the film processing section 50 that is not in operation, it is not subjected to film formation or film processing, and therefore is not heated. In the unheated area, the work W emits heat. In addition, the so-called non-operating film forming part 40 is, for example, a film forming part M4 and a film forming part M5. In addition, the so-called non-operating membrane processing section 50 is, for example, the membrane processing site M3.

On the other hand, the workpiece W on which the film has been formed passes through a position facing the opening 51 a of the delimiting portion 51 in the processing unit 5. As shown in FIG. 8(B), in the processing unit 5, oxygen and nitrogen as the process gas G2 are supplied into the gas space R from the gas supply part 53 through the supply port 531, and a magnetic field is formed by energizing the coil 55b In addition, microwaves from the waveguide 55a are introduced through the window 52, thereby generating plasma in the gas space R. The oxygen ions and nitrogen ions generated by the generated plasma collide with the surface of the workpiece W on which the film is formed, thereby penetrating the film material.

The flow rate per unit time of the process gas G2 introduced from the supply port 531 is set in the memory portion 74 so as to decrease toward the inner peripheral side of the rotating body 31 and increase toward the outer peripheral side. The gas control unit 73 outputs an instruction in accordance with the flow rate set in the storage unit 74 so that the adjustment unit 54 controls the flow rate of the process gas G2 flowing through each pipe 53a. Therefore, the amount of active species such as ions per unit volume generated in the gas space R is more on the outer peripheral side than on the inner peripheral side. Therefore, the amount of membrane treatment affected by the amount of active species increases from the inner peripheral side to the outer peripheral side.

However, the processing area where the film processing is performed is a rectangle with rounded corners that is similar in shape to the opening 51 a of the delimiting portion 51. Therefore, the width of the processing area, that is, the width in the rotation direction, is the same across the entire radius. That is, the processing area has a constant width in the radial direction. On the other hand, the closer to the outer peripheral side from the inner peripheral side, the faster the speed of the workpiece W passing through the processing area. Therefore, the closer to the outer peripheral side from the inner peripheral side, the shorter the time for the workpiece W to pass through the processing area. By making the supply amount of the process gas G2 more close to the outer peripheral side, the closer to the outer peripheral side, the greater the amount of film processing, which can compensate for the short elapsed time of the processing area. As a result, the film throughput of the entire workpiece W becomes uniform.

In addition, in the case of using two or more process gases G2 for film processing such as nitrogen oxidation, it is necessary to make the film formed by the film forming portion 40 completely a compound film while the rotating body 31 rotates once. It is necessary to make the composition of the film uniform over the entire film formation surface. This embodiment is suitable for plasma treatment of membrane treatment using two or more process gases G2. For example, it is desired to form a film in which the ratio of x to y of silicon oxynitride (SiOxNy) is set to 1:1. In this way, it is necessary to control both the amount of active species when the formed film becomes a compound film and the ratio of oxygen and nitrogen contained in the active species. In this embodiment, the supply locations of the process gas G2 can be set to multiple, and the supply amount of the process gas G2 in each supply location can be adjusted for each process gas G2, so it is easy to perform both the amount and the ratio. control.

During the process of forming a film as described above, the rotating body 31 continues to rotate and continuously transports the pallet 1 holding the workpiece W in a circular motion. As described above, the work W is looped to repeat the film formation and film processing, thereby forming a compound film. In this embodiment, a silicon oxynitride film is formed on the surface of the workpiece W as a compound film.

After the predetermined processing time for the silicon oxynitride film to have a desired film thickness, the operations of the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 are stopped. That is, the application of power to the target 41 by the power supply unit 6, the supply of the process gas G2 from the supply port 531, the energization of the coil 55b, and the introduction of microwaves from the waveguide 55a are stopped.

As described above, after the film forming process is completed, the pallet 1 on which the workpiece W is mounted is sequentially positioned on the load lock 60 by the rotation of the rotating body 31, and is carried out to the outside by the conveying equipment.

In addition, the flow rate of the process gas G2 of the supply port 531D and the supply port 531d located on the outermost periphery of the film formation area F may not be maximized and less than the supply port 531B, the supply port 531C, the supply port 531b, and the supply port 531c. That is, the flow rate is set so that the supply port 531A<the supply port 531D<the supply port 531B<the supply port 531C, and the supply port 531a<the supply port 531d<the supply port 531b<the supply port 531c.

At positions other than the film formation area F, the workpiece W does not pass, so there is no need to supply the process gas G2. However, as shown in FIG. 9, when the delimiting portion 51 is formed outside the film formation area F with a margin, if the process gas G2 is not supplied to the outside of the film formation area F at all, it will be near the inner peripheral end of the film formation area F Or near the outer peripheral end, the process gas G2 diffuses out of the film forming area F. As a result, near the inner peripheral end or near the outer peripheral end of the film formation region F, the processing rate decreases. Therefore, it is preferable to preliminarily supply the process gas G2 to the outside of the film formation area F. The process gas G2 at this time can be an amount that compensates for the decrease due to diffusion, and therefore, depending on the relationship with the size of the area that becomes the margin, it may be an amount that can prevent diffusion. However, there may be a need to increase the supply amount than the supply port 531C and the supply port 531c.

As described above, the supply port 531A, the supply port 531a, the supply port 531D, and the supply port 531d located outside the film formation area F can be excluded from the adjustment target of the process gas G2 performed by the adjustment unit 54 according to the elapsed time.

In addition, regarding the supply port 531D and supply port 531d located outside the film formation area F, the degree of participation in the film processing is low, and the flow rate of the process gas G2 does not need to be maximized. However, even a small amount, the process gas G2 can be supplied. Further make the degree of film treatment uniform. It is considered that this is the same for the supply port 531A and the supply port 531a on the inner peripheral side. That is, by providing the supply port 531 outside the film formation area F, effects such as uniformity of the degree of film processing can also be obtained.

[Effect] (1) The present embodiment includes: a vacuum container 20 capable of setting a vacuum inside; and a conveying section 30 having a rotating body 31 that is provided in the vacuum container 20 and is rotated by mounting the workpiece W, and is rotated by rotating the rotating body 31 The workpiece W is transported in a circular transfer path T; the delimiting portion 51 has a side wall portion 51c and an opening 51a, the side wall portion 51c delimits a part of the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced, and the opening 51a is connected to the inside of the vacuum vessel 20 The conveying path T is opposite to each other; the gas supply part 53 supplies the process gas G2 to the gas space R; and the plasma source 55 generates plasma in the gas space R into which the process gas G2 is introduced, and the plasma is used to pass The workpiece W on the transport path T is subjected to plasma processing, and the gas supply part 53 supplies the process gas G2 from the surface of the rotating body 31 through the processing area where the plasma treatment is performed at different time points, and has a regulating part 54. The adjustment unit 54 individually adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 per unit time of the plurality of supply locations according to the time passing through the processing area.

Therefore, the degree of plasma treatment performed on the workpiece W that is circulated and transported by the rotating body 31 can be adjusted according to the positions where the passing speed of the surface of the rotating body 31 is different. Therefore, the degree of processing performed on the workpiece W can be made uniform, or the processing degree of a desired position can be changed, and the desired plasma processing can be performed. Regarding the above, the larger the diameter of the rotating body 31 and the larger the width of the film-forming area F, that is, the larger the difference between the peripheral speeds of the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the film-forming area F, the more effective.

(2) The adjustment unit 54 adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 introduced from each supply location based on the position in the direction intersecting the transport path T. Therefore, the supply amount of the process gas G2 at a plurality of supply locations can be individually adjusted according to the positions where the passing speed of the surface of the rotating body 31 is different.

(3) The plurality of supply locations are arranged at opposing positions in the gas space R, and are arranged in the direction along the transport path T. Therefore, the process gas G2 can be distributed in the gas space R in a short time.

(4) The adjustment unit 54 adjusts the supply amount of the process gas G2 supplied from each supply location in accordance with the film thickness of the film formed on the workpiece W and the time for the surface of the rotating body 31 to pass through the plasma treatment area. Therefore, a film treatment suitable for the film thickness can be performed.

(5) This embodiment has a plurality of pallets 1 that are held by the rotating body 31 and holding the workpieces W. Of the surfaces of the pallet 1 facing the delimiting portion 51 and the side wall portion 51c of the delimiting portion 51, the pallets 1 are opposed to the rotating body 31. Between the surfaces of the workpiece W, there is a gap through which the workpiece W held by the pallet 1 can pass, and the side wall portion 51c has a concave portion 51b that is provided along the convex portion Cp of the workpiece W on the surface facing the demarcation portion 51.

Therefore, when the workpiece W passes between the facing surface of the delimiting portion 51 and the rotating body 31, the interval between the facing surface and the rotating body 31 can be reduced, and the pressure drop caused by the leakage of the process gas G2 can be prevented. In addition, by arranging a plurality of workpieces W to reduce the mutual interval, after one workpiece W passes, the next workpiece W arrives immediately, and the gap between the delimiting portion 51 and the rotating body 31 is continuously narrowed. , So the process gas G2 is more difficult to leak. In addition, contamination caused by the sputtering gas G1 flowing into the gas space R can be prevented, so that a decrease in the film processing rate can be prevented. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the process gas G2 flowing out of the gas space R from flowing into the film forming part 40 to cause contamination, thereby preventing the reduction of the film forming rate by the reaction of the target 41, the generation of arcs, and the generation of particles.

(6) The rotating body 31 holds the workpiece W on the installation surface side where the vacuum container 20 is installed, and the opening 51a of the delimiting portion 51 faces the workpiece W from the installation surface side. Therefore, since the processing object surface Sp of the workpiece W faces the installation surface side, it is possible to prevent dust, dirt, film-forming materials adhering to the device, etc., from falling due to gravity and adhering to the workpiece W. In addition, the installation surface mentioned here is a surface that exists in a direction compliant with gravity with respect to the vacuum container 20, such as a floor surface or a ground.

(7) The supply port 531 is provided in the film forming area F corresponding to the area where the film is formed in the film forming section 40 and along the conveying path T, and is also provided outside the film forming area F, and is provided in the film forming area F. The supply port 531 outside the film area F is excluded from the adjustment target of the supply amount of the process gas G2 by the adjustment unit 54.

As described above, even if it is outside the film formation area F, the process gas G2 is supplied, thereby preventing the flow rate of the process gas G2 at the end of the film formation area F from being insufficient. For example, even if the outermost supply port 531 or the innermost supply port 531 is outside the film formation area F, the process gas G2 is supplied, thereby achieving uniform film processing. However, regarding the outermost periphery of the film formation area F, even if it is not set to the maximum flow rate, the flow rate in the film formation area F will not be insufficient, so the flow rate can be saved. That is, the supply site of the process gas G2 outside the film formation area F functions as an auxiliary supply site or auxiliary supply port that compensates for the flow rate of the process gas G2 in the film formation area F.

[Modifications] The embodiment of the present invention also includes the following modification examples. (1) The supply port 531 of the process gas G2 may also be provided in the delimiting part 51. For example, the tip of each pipe 53 a in the gas supply part 53 may be extended to the supply port 531 formed in the demarcation part 51. The diameter of the tip of the pipe 53a may be reduced to have a nozzle shape. In this case, the piping 53a can be arranged not only in the film formation area F but also outside the film formation area F, so as to also serve as an auxiliary supply port and auxiliary supply nozzle for compensating for the flow rate of the process gas G2 in the film formation area F And function.

(2) The number of locations where the gas supply part 53 supplies the process gas G2 and the number of supply ports 531 may be multiple locations with different passing speeds on the surface of the rotating body, and are not limited to the numbers exemplified above. By arranging three or more in a row in the film formation area F, finer flow control corresponding to the processing position can be performed. In addition, the more the number of supply locations and the number of supply ports 531 is increased, the distribution of the gas flow rate is made closer to linear, and local processing deviations can be prevented. The supply ports 531 may be provided in an arbitrary row instead of being provided in the two opposing rows of the demarcation portion 51. In addition, the supply ports 531 may be arranged at positions shifted in the height direction instead of being arranged on a straight line.

(3) The configuration of the adjustment unit 54 is not limited to the above-mentioned example. It may be an embodiment in which a manual valve is installed in each pipe 53a and the adjustment is performed manually. As long as the supply amount of the process gas G2 can be adjusted, the pressure can be set to be constant and the valve can be adjusted by opening and closing the valve, and the pressure can also be raised and lowered. The adjustment part 54 can also be realized by the supply port 531. For example, the supply ports 531 of different diameters can also be provided according to the positions where the speed of the surface of the rotating body is different, so as to adjust the supply amount of the process gas G2. The supply port 531 may be replaced with a nozzle with a different diameter. In addition, the diameter of the supply port 531 may be changed by a shutter or the like.

(4) The speed is the distance moved per unit time. Therefore, the supply amount of the process gas G2 from each supply port can be set according to the relationship with the time required to pass the processing area in the radial direction.

(5) The shapes of the delimiting portion 51 and the window portion 52 are also not limited to the shapes exemplified in the above-mentioned embodiment. The horizontal profile can also be square, round, or oval. However, in the case of a shape in which the interval between the inner circumference side and the outer circumference side is equal, since the elapsed time of the workpiece W on the inner circumference side and the outer circumference side is different, it is easier to adjust the supply of the process gas G2 according to the difference in processing time. the amount.

(6) By holding the plurality of trays 1 on the rotating body 31, the facing surfaces 11 of the plurality of trays 1 can be formed to have portions that continuously become the same surface along the trajectory of the circumference. Here, the fact that the facing surfaces 11 of the plurality of trays 1 are the same surface means that the corresponding parts of the facing surfaces 11 of the respective trays 1 are substantially the same height. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the tray 1 and the rotating body 31 are formed in the following manner: when the facing portion X1 of the tray 1 is inserted into the opening 31a of the holding portion 33, the facing surface 11 of the tray 1 and the rotating body 31 are in contact with each other. The opposing surfaces of the fixed portion 51 become the same surface continuously along the trajectory of the circumference. In this case, a minute groove may be formed at the boundary between the opening 31a and the facing surface 11.

Thereby, as compared with the interval between the surface of the workpiece W and the delimiting portion 51 or the shield member 8, the interval between the surface of the tray 1 and the delimiting portion 51 or the shield member 8 can be prevented from being extremely enlarged, thereby The leakage of the reactive gas G is further suppressed. In addition, in the case of including processing parts using different reaction gases G, mutual contamination caused by the leakage of the reaction gases G can be further prevented.

Furthermore, the processing object surface Sp of the workpiece W and the facing surface 11 of the pallet 1 may be formed to have portions that continuously become the same surface along the trajectory of the circumference. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the tray 1 may be provided with an insertion portion 11b into which the workpiece W is inserted. The insertion portion 11b is a notch that fills a part or all of the workpiece W in the thickness direction. The depth of the insertion portion 11b is set so that the surface of the pallet 1 and the processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W become the same surface.

Thereby, it is possible to reduce the height difference between the processing target surface Sp of the workpiece W and the surface of the pallet 1, and prevent the gap between the surface of the pallet 1 other than the workpiece W and the mask member 8, and the delimiting portion 51 from expanding, thereby further suppressing the reaction gas G Of leaks.

In addition, the pallet 1 may not be used, and the workpiece W may be directly held by the rotating body 31 or the holding portion provided on the rotating body 31. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 13, the workpiece W is also inserted into the recess 31d formed in the lower surface 31c of the rotating body 31, so that the workpiece W and the rotating body 31 can also be formed to have a shape along the circumference. The trajectory continuously becomes part of the same surface.

(7) The shape of the tray 1 and the shape of the rotating body 31 are not limited to the above-mentioned shapes. For example, the shape of the pallet 1 may be a shape along the unevenness of the workpiece W. That is, in the above example, the pallet 1 has a simple convex portion 11a along the concave portion Rp, but when the workpiece W has irregularities, the facing surface 11 of the pallet 1 can be set to follow the irregular shape of the workpiece W , So that the workpiece W can be held stably.

(8) The tray 1 and the rotating body 31 may not be provided with unevenness along the shape of the workpiece W. In other words, as long as it is a structure capable of stably holding the workpiece W, the holding surface of the workpiece W of the pallet 1 and the rotating body 31 can also be made flat. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, the facing surface 11 of the pallet 1 may be made flat, and the workpiece W may be held on the facing surface 11.

(9) The pallet 1 may be provided with a holding portion supporting the edge of the workpiece W to hold the workpiece W. For example, as shown in FIG. 15(A) and FIG. 15(B), a plurality of openings 16 penetrating in the vertical direction are formed in the tray 1. FIG. 15(A) is an example of the case of the workpiece W having the convex portion Cp, and FIG. 15(B) is an example of the case of the flat-plate-shaped workpiece W. Here, the supporting portion X2 side of the opening 16 is slightly larger than the opposing portion X1 side. More specifically, the support portion X2 side of the opening 16 becomes an insertion portion 16a of a size that can put the work W into the pallet 1.

In addition, the facing portion X1 side of the opening 16 becomes a holding portion 16b that bulges inward and can hold the tray 1. The inner circumference of the holding portion 16b is approximately the same shape as the outer shape of the workpiece W, but is slightly smaller than the workpiece W, and therefore holds the outer circumference of the workpiece surface Sp of the workpiece W inserted from the insertion portion 16a. In addition, in this example, the self-weight of the pallet 1 is supported by the holding portion 16b, so there is no need to provide a complicated mechanism for holding the workpiece W. In addition, a configuration in which such a holding portion 16b is formed in an opening provided in the rotating body 31 and the workpiece W is held by the rotating body 31 may also be adopted.

(10) The number of pallets 1 simultaneously conveyed by the conveying unit, the number of holding portions 33 and the number of holding portions 16b that hold them, as long as they are at least one, and it is not limited to those illustrated in the above-mentioned embodiment. Quantity. That is, it may be an embodiment in which one workpiece W is transported in a loop, or may be an embodiment in which two or more workpieces W are transported in a loop. It may also be an embodiment in which the workpieces W are arranged in two or more rows in the radial direction and transported in a circular motion.

(11) In the above embodiment, the rotating body 31 is used as a rotating platform, but the rotating body 31 is not limited to the platform shape. It may also be a rotating body 31 that rotates while holding a tray or a workpiece on an arm extending radially from the center of rotation. The installation surface of the vacuum container 20 is not limited to the floor surface or the ground, and may be located on the upper side of the ceiling or the like. In addition, the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 may be located on the top plate side of the vacuum container 20, and the vertical relationship between the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 and the rotating body 31 may be reversed. In this case, when the rotation plane of the rotating body 31 extends in the horizontal direction, the surface of the rotating body 31 on which the holding portion 33 is arranged is a surface facing upward, that is, an upper surface. The opening 80 of the mask member 8 and the opening 51a of the delimiting portion 51 face downward.

In the above embodiment, it is described that the holding portion 33 is provided on the lower surface of the rotating body 31 arranged horizontally, the rotating body 31 is rotated in a horizontal plane, and the film portion 40 and the film are arranged below the rotating body 31. The case of the processing unit 50 is not limited to this. For example, the arrangement of the rotating body 31 is not limited to the horizontal, and may be arranged vertically, and may be arranged inclined with respect to the vertical or the horizontal. In addition, the holding portion 33 may be provided on both surfaces of the rotating body 31. That is, in the present invention, the direction of the rotation plane of the rotating body 31 can be any direction, and the position of the holding portion 33, the film forming portion 40, and the film processing portion 50 should be in the film forming portion 40, the film processing portion 50, and the held portion. The position where the workpiece W held by the portion 33 faces each other.

(12) The plasma source 55 is not limited to the above-mentioned device. It can be not only a device that uses ECR plasma, but also a device that uses other principles to generate plasma in the gas space R. For example, it may be a device that generates inductively coupled plasma (ICP: Inductively Coupled Plasma) in the gas space R. This type of device has an antenna outside the gas space R near the window 52. By applying power to the antenna, the process gas G2 in the gas space R is ionized to generate plasma. The workpiece W passing through the conveying path T is processed by the plasma.

(13) The type, shape, and material of the workpiece W subjected to plasma treatment are not limited to a specific type, shape, and material. For example, it is possible to use a workpiece W having recesses on the processing object surface Sp facing the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50. In addition, a workpiece W having irregularities on the surface Sp of the object to be processed may also be used. In this case, the side of the mask member 8 and the delimiting portion 51 facing the workpiece W may be shaped as a concave portion or an uneven portion along the workpiece W.

Furthermore, as described above, it is also possible to use the workpiece W whose object surface Sp is a flat surface. In addition, a workpiece containing conductive materials such as metal and carbon, a workpiece containing insulators such as glass or rubber, and a workpiece containing semiconductors such as silicon can also be used. In addition, the number of workpieces W subjected to plasma treatment is not limited to a specific number. The holding portion 33 may be a groove, a protrusion, a clamp, a holder, etc., for holding the tray 1, or may be constituted by a mechanical chuck, an adhesive chuck, or the like.

(14) Regarding the film forming material, various materials capable of forming a film by sputtering can be applied. For example, tantalum, titanium, aluminum, etc. can be used. As the material used to form the compound, not only nitrogen and oxygen but also various materials can be used.

(15) The number of targets 41 in the film forming section 40 is not limited to three. The target material 41 may be one, two, or four or more. By increasing the number of targets 41 to adjust the applied power, finer film thickness control can be achieved.

(16) The number of film forming sections 40 and film processing sections 50 is not limited to a specific number. Each of the film forming section 40 and the film processing section 50 may be set to one, may be set to two, or may be set to four or more. The number of film-forming parts can be increased to increase the film-forming rate. Corresponding to this, the number of membrane processing sections 50 is also increased, and the membrane processing rate can be increased. In the case where there are a plurality of membrane processing sections 50, the gas flow rate can be adjusted in the above manner by each adjusting section 54. Furthermore, a plurality of film processing parts 50 may be arranged in the radial direction.

(17) The mask member 8 in the film forming part 40 can also be understood as a demarcation part that delimits a part of the gas space into which the sputtering gas G1 is introduced, and has a transport connection with the inside of the vacuum vessel 20 Path T facing the opening. The gas space in this case is a space formed between the inside of the shield member 8 and the rotating body 31, and the workpiece W that is circulated and transported by the rotating body 31 passes through this space repeatedly. That is, the gas space includes not only the space inside the shield member 8 but also the space between the rotating body 31 facing the opening 80. Regarding the gas supply section 25 of the film forming section 40, it may be configured such that the sputtering gas G1 is supplied from a plurality of supply locations that have different time from the surface of the rotating body 31 through the processing area where the plasma treatment is performed, and has a regulating section. The adjustment unit individually adjusts the supply amount of the sputtering gas G1 per unit time at the plurality of supply locations based on the elapsed time.

(18) The present invention may have the film forming part 40 or not. That is, it is not limited to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that performs film formation. In addition, it is not limited to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that performs membrane processing, and can also be widely applied to the plasma processing apparatus 100 that uses active species generated by plasma to process objects to be processed. For example, the plasma processing apparatus 100 may be configured as follows: in addition to the above-described embodiment, or both or one of the film forming section and the film processing section is omitted, and plasma is generated in the gas space to perform Surface modification, cleaning, etc. processing units such as etching and ashing. In this case, for example, the processing unit can be set as a linear ion source. In addition, for example, an inert gas such as argon can be considered as the process gas G2.

(19) The shape of the vacuum container 20 is not limited to the cylindrical shape. It may also be a polygonal cylindrical shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped shape.

(20) As mentioned above, the embodiment of the present invention and the modification examples of each part have been described, but the above-mentioned embodiment or the modification examples of each part are presented as an example, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments described above can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope or spirit of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims.

1‧‧‧Tray 4‧‧‧Sputter source 5‧‧‧Processing unit 6‧‧‧Power Department 8‧‧‧Mask component 11‧‧‧Opposite 11a‧‧‧Protrusion 11b‧‧‧Embedded part 12‧‧‧Slope 13‧‧‧Inner peripheral surface 14‧‧‧Outer peripheral surface 15‧‧‧Extension 16‧‧‧Open 16a‧‧‧Insertion part 16b‧‧‧Retention Department 20‧‧‧Vacuum container 20a‧‧‧Bottom 20b‧‧‧Top plate 20c‧‧‧Inner peripheral surface 21‧‧‧Vacuum Chamber 21a‧‧‧Mounting hole 21b‧‧‧O-ring 22‧‧‧Exhaust port 23‧‧‧Exhaust 24‧‧‧Inlet 25‧‧‧Gas Supply Department 30‧‧‧Transportation Department 31‧‧‧Rotating body 31a‧‧‧Open 31c‧‧‧Lower surface 31d‧‧‧Notch 31e‧‧‧Placement Department 32‧‧‧Motor 33‧‧‧Retention Department 33a‧‧‧Open 33b‧‧‧Carrying part 40、40A～40C‧‧‧Film forming department 41、41A～41C‧‧‧Target 42‧‧‧Back plate 43‧‧‧electrode 50, 50A, 50B‧‧‧Membrane Processing Department 51‧‧‧Delimitation Department 51a‧‧‧Opening 51b‧‧‧Concave 51c‧‧‧Sidewall 52‧‧‧Window 52a‧‧‧Window hole 52b‧‧‧Window components 52c‧‧‧O-ring 53‧‧‧Gas Supply Department 53a‧‧‧Piping 54‧‧‧Adjustment Department 54a‧‧‧MFC 55‧‧‧Plasma source 55a‧‧‧waveguide 55b‧‧‧Coil 56‧‧‧Cooling Department 56a‧‧‧Piping 56b‧‧‧cavity 60‧‧‧Load lock 70‧‧‧Control device 71‧‧‧Organization Control Department 72‧‧‧Power Control Department 73‧‧‧Gas Control Department 74‧‧‧Memory Department 75‧‧‧Setting section 76‧‧‧Input and output control unit 77‧‧‧Input device 78‧‧‧Output device 80‧‧‧Open 81‧‧‧Concave 82‧‧‧Bottom face 82a‧‧‧Target hole 83‧‧‧Side 83a‧‧‧peripheral wall 83b‧‧‧Inner wall 83c, 83d‧‧‧partition wall 100‧‧‧Plasma processing device 531, 531A～531D, 531a～531d‧‧‧Supply port C‧‧‧Cooling water Cp‧‧‧Protrusion D1, D2‧‧‧Interval E‧‧‧Exhaust F‧‧‧Film forming area G‧‧‧Reactive gas G1‧‧‧Sputtering gas G2‧‧‧Processing gas M1, M3‧‧‧Membrane treatment part M2, M4, M5‧‧‧Film forming part R‧‧‧Gas space Rp‧‧‧Recess S‧‧‧Film Forming Room Sp‧‧‧Processing the object surface T‧‧‧Transportation path W‧‧‧Workpiece X1‧‧‧Opposite part X2‧‧‧Support

Fig. 1 is a perspective perspective view of a plasma processing apparatus according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective bottom view of the plasma processing apparatus of the embodiment. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in Fig. 2. 5(A) to 5(C) are a side view (A), a plan view (B), and a perspective view (C) of the workpiece. 6(A) to 6(C) are a side view (A), a plan view (B), and a perspective view (C) of the tray. Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing a mask member of a film forming section. 8(A) and 8(B) are enlarged cross-sectional views (A) showing the distance between the workpiece and the mask member, and enlarged cross-sectional views (B) showing the distance between the workpiece and the defined portion. Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the flow path of the process gas. Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device of the embodiment. Fig. 11 is a perspective view showing a modification of the tray. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a modification of the tray. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a modification of the tray. Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the tray and the rotating body. 15(A) and 15(B) are cross-sectional views showing modified examples of the tray. FIG. 15(A) is a case where the workpiece has a convex portion, and FIG. 15(B) is a case where the workpiece is a flat plate.

1‧‧‧Tray

4‧‧‧Sputter source

5‧‧‧Processing unit

6‧‧‧Power Department

8‧‧‧Mask component

15‧‧‧Extension

20‧‧‧Vacuum container

20a‧‧‧Bottom

20b‧‧‧Top plate

20c‧‧‧Inner peripheral surface

21‧‧‧Vacuum Chamber

21a‧‧‧Mounting hole

21b‧‧‧O-ring

22‧‧‧Exhaust port

23‧‧‧Exhaust

24‧‧‧Inlet

25‧‧‧Gas Supply Department

30‧‧‧Transportation Department

31‧‧‧Rotating body

32‧‧‧Motor

33‧‧‧Retention Department

33a‧‧‧Open

33b‧‧‧Carrying part

40‧‧‧Film Formation Department

41A‧‧‧Target

42‧‧‧Back plate

43‧‧‧electrode

51‧‧‧Delimitation Department

51a‧‧‧Opening

51b‧‧‧Concave

51c‧‧‧Sidewall

52‧‧‧Window

52a‧‧‧Window hole

52b‧‧‧Window components

52c‧‧‧O-ring

55‧‧‧Plasma source

55a‧‧‧waveguide

55b‧‧‧Coil

56‧‧‧Cooling Department

56a‧‧‧Piping

56b‧‧‧cavity

80‧‧‧Open

81‧‧‧Concave

82‧‧‧Bottom face

83‧‧‧Side

83a‧‧‧peripheral wall

83b‧‧‧Inner wall

531, 531A~531D‧‧‧Supply port

C‧‧‧Cooling water

E‧‧‧Exhaust

G‧‧‧Reactive gas

G1‧‧‧Sputtering gas

R‧‧‧Gas space

S‧‧‧Film Forming Room

W‧‧‧Workpiece

X1‧‧‧Opposite part

X2‧‧‧Support

Claims (9)

A plasma processing device includes: a vacuum container capable of setting the inside to a vacuum; a conveying part having a rotating body installed in the vacuum container and holding a workpiece to rotate, and rotates the rotating body to form a circle The transfer path loops to transport the workpiece; the delimiting portion has a side wall portion and an opening, the side wall portion delimits a part of the gas space into which the reaction gas is introduced, and the opening and the inside of the vacuum vessel are transported The paths face each other; a gas supply unit that supplies the reaction gas to the gas space; and a plasma source that generates plasma in the gas space into which the reaction gas is introduced, and the plasma is used to The workpiece in the conveying path is subjected to plasma processing, and the gas supply unit supplies the reaction gas from a plurality of supply locations that have different time from the surface of the rotating body through the processing area where the plasma processing is performed, and has An adjustment unit that individually adjusts the supply amount of the reaction gas per unit time of the plurality of supply locations based on the elapsed time, and the workpiece is undergoing the plasma treatment The surface of the object to be processed has a convex portion, and the convex portion refers to a curved portion of the surface of the object to be processed whose center of curvature is located on the opposite side of the surface of the object to be processed, or, on the surface of the object to be processed, a plurality of planes with different angles are formed In the case, it refers to the part that connects different planes to each other. Between the rotating bodies, there is a gap through which the workpiece held by the rotating body can pass, and the side wall portion has a concave portion along the convex portion of the workpiece, the concave portion imitating the shape of the convex portion . In the plasma processing apparatus described in claim 1, wherein the adjustment section adjusts the supply amount of the reaction gas introduced from each supply location in accordance with a position in a direction intersecting the transport path. The plasma processing apparatus described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of supply parts are arranged at positions facing each other across the gas space, and are arranged in a direction along the conveying path. The plasma processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment section adjusts the amount of the reaction gas supplied from each supply port in accordance with the film thickness of the film formed on the workpiece and the elapsed time. Supply amount. The plasma processing apparatus according to the first item of the scope of patent application, wherein a plurality of trays holding the workpiece are held by the rotating body, and one of the side walls of the delimiting portion is opposed to the rotating body There is a gap between the surface of the pallet and the pallet through which the workpiece held by the pallet can pass, and the pallet has a convex portion along the concave portion of the side wall portion. The plasma processing device according to the fifth item of the scope of patent application, wherein the surface of the rotating body facing the delimiting portion and the surface of the plurality of trays facing the delimiting portion have an edge Following the trajectory of the circle, they continuously become part of the same surface. The plasma processing apparatus according to the first item of the patent application, wherein the rotating body holds the workpiece on the installation surface side where the vacuum container is installed, and the opening of the delimiting portion is from the installation surface side Facing the workpiece. The plasma processing device according to any one of items 1 to 7 of the scope of patent application, wherein the plasma source is a device that generates electron cyclotron resonance plasma in the gas space. The plasma processing device according to any one of items 1 to 7 of the scope of patent application, wherein the plasma source is a device that generates inductively coupled plasma in the gas space.

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