TWI750034B - Sputtering equipment and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

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

Description

Sputtering equipment and its operation method

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

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

The existing sputtering procedure is to put a single substrate 10 into a sputtering chamber (not shown), the target (not shown) is located above the main surface 12, and the main surface 12 and the side surfaces 14 are close to the main surface 12 Sputtering on the upper half of the plating layer 20 is performed on the upper half of the plating layer 20. Then, the substrate 10 is turned over, and then the other main surface 12 and the parts of the side surfaces 14 close to the main surface 12 are sputtered to form the lower half of the plating layer 20. , And as shown in FIG. 1A, the plating layer 20 covers the entire substrate 10. Subsequently, the parts that do not actually need to be plated are etched to form a circuit connected between the upper and lower pads 16.

However, such a way that only a single substrate 10 can be sputtered at a time is quite time-consuming. In addition, since the required circuit position is only between the upper and lower pads 16, the in-plane area of the liquid crystal panel does not need to be plated, which results in material waste. In addition, the sputtering of the target material toward the main surface 12 may cause defects in the plating layer near the pad 16 and near the side surface 14 (the area surrounded by the dashed line in FIG. 1A ). FIG. 1B is an image of a partial area of the substrate 10 of FIG. 1A observed with a microscope. Please refer to FIG. 1B, the plating layer 20 has obvious defects 25 beside the pad 16 and near the side surface 14.

The invention provides a sputtering equipment and an operation method thereof, which can sputter multiple substrates at the same time, can reduce material waste, and can reduce the probability of defects in the plating layer.

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

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

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned substrate accommodating grooves are formed on one of the second side walls, the substrate accommodating grooves are a plurality of grooves, at least one target group is a target group, and the grooves Towards the target group.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned carrier box further includes two positioning seats, which are movably arranged between the two first side walls along an extension direction of the substrate containing grooves to adjust the gap between the two positioning seats. distance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned targets include at least one first target and at least one second target. The step of sputtering at least one side surface of each substrate further includes moving the carrier box to the corresponding At the position of at least one first target material, at least one first target material is sputtered to at least one side surface of each substrate, and at least one first plating layer is formed on the at least one side surface; and the carrier box is moved to correspond to the at least one side surface At the position of the two target materials, at least one second target material is sputtered onto the at least one first plating layer to form at least one second plating layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, after sputtering at least one second target material to at least one side surface of each substrate, the method further includes moving the carrier box to a position corresponding to the at least one first target material to sputter at least A first target material is placed on at least one second plating layer to form at least one third plating layer.

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

In an embodiment of the present invention, the aforementioned substrate accommodating grooves are formed on one of the second side walls, the substrate accommodating grooves are multiple slots, and the substrates pass through the substrate accommodating grooves of the second side wall. At least one target group is a target group, and the side surfaces of the substrate containing grooves passing through the second side wall face the target group.

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

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned carrier box further includes two positioning seats, which are movably arranged between the two first side walls along an extension direction of the substrate containing grooves to adjust the gap between the two positioning seats. The distance, before the step of putting the substrates into the carrier box of the sputtering equipment, further includes: adjusting the distance between the two positioning seats to correspond to the length of the substrates.

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

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

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

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

Based on the above, compared with the conventional sputtering equipment, the target material sputters a larger area of the main surface of the substrate, and can only sputter one piece at a time. If you want to sputter multiple substrates, you need to repeat the process many times, which is quite costly. Time. Later, the plating layer on the main surface needs to be removed, which causes waste. Furthermore, the conventional sputtering design of the target material toward the main surface will cause defects in the plating layer near the pad and near the side surface. The sputtering equipment and operation method of the present invention sputter the side surfaces between the two pads in the substrate. The carrier box in the sputtering equipment of the present invention can allow multiple sides of the substrates to extend from the carrier box and face the target group. Therefore, the target group can sputter the sides of the substrates at the same time, which saves man-hours and materials. In addition, the sputtering design of the target facing the side can effectively reduce the probability of defects in the coating. In addition, in the sputtering equipment and operating method of the present invention, the targets of the target group are arranged staggered on both sides of the axis, and the sides of the substrate can be sputtered slightly staggered to improve the uniformity of the coating.

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

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

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

As shown in FIG. 3, the first targets 123 and the second targets 124 are alternately arranged on both sides of an axis A, and the side surface 14 of the substrate 10 can be sputtered slightly staggered to improve the uniformity of the coating. . For example, the lowest target 122 (first target 123) in FIG. 3 is located to the right of axis A, and the second target 122 (first target 123) counted from below is located to the left of axis A. , The third target 122 (second target 124) counted from below is located at a position to the right of axis A, and the uppermost target 122 (second target 124) is located at a position to the left of axis A. Of course, the number and positions of the targets 122 are not limited by this.

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

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

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

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a carrier box of the sputtering equipment of Fig. 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the second side wall of the carrier box of FIG. 5 being moved up and the substrate is set in the carrier box. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the substrate set in the carrier box of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is another schematic side view of a plurality of substrates arranged in the carrier box of FIG. 5. It should be noted that, in FIGS. 5 to 7, only one substrate 10 is drawn with a dashed line as an example, and the number of substrates 10 is not limited by this.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 9 at the same time. Then, proceed to step 220 to place the carrier box 130 together with the substrates 10 carried in the cavity 110 of the sputtering apparatus 100, where the sputtering apparatus 100 includes the cavity 110. At least one target group 120 inside, each target group 120 includes a plurality of targets, the targets in each group are alternately arranged on both sides of the axis A (FIG. 3), and each substrate 10 is exposed at least on the carrier box 130 One side surface 14 faces at least one target group 120.

Furthermore, the operator may optionally include adjusting the angle of the targets 122 so that the rotation angle of the rotating seats 125 is between 0-40 degrees, preferably between 10-35 degrees.

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

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

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

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the substrate after being sputtered by the first target material of the sputtering equipment of FIG. 2. Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 11 at the same time. First, move the carrier box 130 to a position corresponding to the first target 123 to sputter the first target 123 to the side surface 14 of each substrate 10, and form a first surface on the side surface 14. Plating layer 21 (enlarged area in FIG. 11).

Specifically, the carrier box 130 can first be moved below the first target 123 on the leftmost side of FIG. Sputtering. It is worth mentioning that the leftmost first target 123 will be located at the upper right of the side surface 14 of the substrate 10, and the side surface 14 and the right main surface 12 of the substrate 10 are preferably sputtered.

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

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

Then, the carrier box 130 can be moved to the bottom of the rightmost target (the second target 124) in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 12, the second target 124 will be located at the upper left of the side 14 of the substrate 10 Preferably, the side surface 14 of the substrate 10 and the main surface 12 on the left side are sputtered, and a relatively uniform second plating layer 22 is formed on the first plating layer 21.

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

Of course, the number of sputtering, the number and type of the target material 122 are not limited by this. The operator can adjust according to needs.

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

Similarly, the carrier box 130a of this embodiment can make the side 140 of the substrate 10 face the target 122 (FIG. 2). In this embodiment, the operator can avoid splashing on the two main surfaces 12 of the substrate 10. A film is applied to the plated area, and the target 122 can sputter the side surface 140 of the substrate 10 and the areas close to the side surface of the two main surfaces 12, and the film can be torn apart after the sputtering is completed.

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

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

To sum up, compared with the conventional sputtering equipment, the target material sputters a larger area of the main surface of the substrate, and can only sputter one piece at a time. If you want to sputter multiple substrates, you need to repeat the process multiple times. Quite time-consuming. Later, the plating layer on the main surface needs to be removed, which causes waste. Furthermore, the conventional sputtering design of the target material toward the main surface will cause defects in the plating layer near the pad and near the side surface. The sputtering equipment and operation method of the present invention sputter the side surfaces between the two pads in the substrate. The carrier box in the sputtering equipment of the present invention can allow multiple sides of the substrates to extend from the carrier box and face the target group. Therefore, the target group can sputter the sides of the substrates at the same time, which saves man-hours and materials. In addition, the sputtering design of the target facing the side can effectively reduce the probability of defects in the coating. In addition, in the sputtering equipment and operating method of the present invention, the targets of the target group are arranged staggered on both sides of the axis, and the sides of the substrate can be sputtered slightly staggered to improve the uniformity of the coating.

θ: rotation angle A: axis D1: Extension direction D2: Moving direction 10: substrate 12: Main surface 14: side 16: contact pad 20, 20a: Plating 21: The first coating 22: The second coating 23: The third coating 25: Defects 100: Sputtering equipment 105: preload cavity 110: Cavity 120: Target group 122: target 123: The first target 124: Second target 125: Rotating seat 130, 130a, 130b: carrier box 131: Substrate accommodating groove 132: The first side wall 133: Groove 134: First opening 135: second opening 137: second side wall 138: Slot 140: positioning seat 142: Convex Column 144: Groove 150: support column 200: How to operate sputtering equipment 210~230: Step

FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of a substrate sputtered in a conventional manner. FIG. 1B is an image of a partial area of the substrate of FIG. 1A observed with a microscope. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sputtering equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the sputtering equipment of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a rotating seat of the sputtering equipment of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a carrier box of the sputtering equipment of Fig. 2. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the second side wall of the carrier box of FIG. 5 being moved up and the substrate is set in the carrier box. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the substrate set in the carrier box of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is another schematic side view of a plurality of substrates arranged in the carrier box of FIG. 5. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a method of operating a sputtering equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an image of a partial area of the plating layer and the substrate sputtered by the sputtering equipment of the present invention, which is observed under a microscope. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the substrate after being sputtered by the first target material of the sputtering equipment of FIG. 2. FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of the substrate of FIG. 11 after being sputtered by the second target of the sputtering equipment of FIG. 2. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the substrate of FIG. 12 after being sputtered by the first target material of the sputtering equipment of FIG. 2. Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of a carrier cassette according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram of a carrier cassette according to another embodiment of the present invention.

D1: Extension direction

D2: Moving direction

10: substrate

14: side

100: Sputtering equipment

105: preload cavity

110: Cavity

120: Target group

122: target

123: The first target

124: Second target

125: Rotating seat

130: Carrier box

Claims (22)

A sputtering equipment is suitable for sputtering a plurality of substrates, wherein each of the substrates includes two opposite main surfaces and multiple side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces, and the sputtering equipment includes: A cavity At least one target group is disposed in the cavity, each target group includes a plurality of targets, and the targets in each group are alternately arranged on both sides of an axis; and A carrying box is movably arranged to enter and exit the cavity, and includes a plurality of substrate accommodating grooves, the substrates are suitable for being placed in the substrate accommodating grooves of the carrying box, and each of the substrates is suitable for protruding from the substrate accommodating grooves. Carrying the box, so that at least one of the side surfaces is located outside the carrying box, and the at least one side protruding from the carrying box faces the at least one target group. The sputtering equipment according to claim 1, wherein the carrier box includes two opposite first side walls and two opposite second side walls, the two second side walls are connected to the two first side walls, and the substrate accommodating grooves are A plurality of slits on at least one of the two second side walls, the slits face the at least one target group, and the substrates pass through the slits. The sputtering equipment according to claim 2, wherein the substrate accommodating grooves are formed on one of the second side walls, the substrate accommodating grooves are a plurality of slots, and the at least one target group is a target Group, the slots face the target group. The sputtering equipment according to claim 2, wherein the carrier box further includes two positioning seats, which are movably arranged between the two first side walls along an extension direction of the substrate accommodating grooves to adjust the two The distance between the positioning seats. The sputtering equipment according to claim 4, wherein the two positioning seats include a plurality of protrusions facing the two first side walls, the two first side walls include a plurality of grooves extending along the extension direction, and the protrusions The pillars are respectively movably arranged in the grooves. The sputtering equipment according to claim 2, further comprising a support column, the two first side walls of the carrier box include two first openings corresponding to each other, and the support column detachably penetrates the two first openings. Open holes. The sputtering equipment according to claim 6, wherein the two first side walls of the carrier box further include two second openings corresponding to each other, the two first openings and the at least one substrate containing groove The distance between the second sidewalls is different from the distance between the two second openings and the second sidewall having the at least one substrate containing groove, and the supporting column can optionally pass through the two first openings or It is the two second openings. The sputtering equipment according to claim 1, wherein a moving direction of the carrier box is parallel to an extending direction of the substrate containing grooves. The sputtering equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of rotating seats, which are rotatably arranged in the cavity, and the targets are arranged on the rotating seats, and the rotating angles of the rotating seats are between 0 Between -40 degrees. The sputtering equipment according to claim 9, wherein the rotating seats are inclined toward the axis, and the rotating angles of the rotating seats are between 10-35 degrees. An operating method of sputtering equipment includes: Put a plurality of substrates into a plurality of substrate accommodating slots of a carrier box of a sputtering equipment, wherein each of the substrates includes two opposite main surfaces and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the two main surfaces, and each of the substrates protrudes from the carrier Box, so that at least one of the sides is located outside the carrying box; Put the carrier box together with the supported substrates into a cavity of the sputtering equipment, wherein the sputtering equipment includes at least one target group arranged in the cavity, and each target group includes a plurality of targets Materials, the targets in each group are alternately arranged on both sides of an axis, and the at least one side surface of each substrate exposed on the carrier box faces the at least one target group; and The at least one target group sputters the at least one side surface of each substrate. The method of operating a sputtering equipment according to claim 11, wherein the two main surfaces of each of the substrates respectively have two pads, the two pads are close to one of the side surfaces, and the side surface and the two pads are exposed outside the A carrier box, and the side faces the target group. After the step of sputtering the side surfaces of each substrate by the target group, a plating layer is formed on the side and the two main surfaces near the side, and the The plating layer covers the two pads. The method of operating a sputtering equipment according to claim 11, wherein the targets include at least one first target and at least one second target, and in the step of sputtering the at least one side surface of each substrate, Also includes: Move the carrier box to a position corresponding to the at least one first target material to sputter the at least one first target material to the at least one side surface of each substrate, and at least one first plating layer is formed on the at least one side surface ;as well as Move the carrier box to a position corresponding to the at least one second target material to sputter the at least one second target material onto the at least one first plating layer to form at least one second plating layer. The operating method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 13, wherein after the at least one second target material is sputtered to the at least one side surface of each of the substrates, the method further includes: Moving the carrier box to a position corresponding to the at least one first target material to sputter the at least one first target material onto the at least one second plating layer to form at least one third plating layer. The method of operating a sputtering equipment according to claim 11, wherein the carrier box includes two opposite first side walls and two opposite second side walls, the two second side walls are connected to the two first side walls, and the substrates contain The slot is a plurality of slots on at least one of the two second side walls, the slots face the at least one target group, and the substrates pass through the slots. The method for operating a sputtering equipment according to claim 15, wherein the substrate accommodating grooves are formed on one of the second side walls, the substrate accommodating grooves are a plurality of slots, and the substrates pass through the The substrate accommodating grooves of the second side wall, the at least one target group is a target group, and the side surfaces of the substrate accommodating grooves passing through the second side wall face the target group. The method for operating a sputtering equipment according to claim 15, wherein the sputtering equipment further includes a support column, and the two first side walls of the carrier box include two first openings corresponding to each other and two A second opening, the distance between the two first openings and the second side wall having the at least one substrate accommodating groove is different from the two second openings and the second having the at least one substrate accommodating groove The distance between the side walls, before the step of putting the substrates into the carrier box of the sputtering equipment, further includes: according to the width of the at least one substrate, the supporting column is detachably inserted through the two first substrates. The opening or the two second openings. The method for operating a sputtering equipment according to claim 15, wherein the carrier box further includes two positioning seats, which are movably arranged between the two first side walls along an extension direction of the substrate containing grooves to Adjusting the distance between the two positioning seats, before the step of putting the substrates into the carrier box of the sputtering equipment, further includes: adjusting the distance between the two positioning seats to correspond to the length of the substrates. The method of operating a sputtering equipment according to claim 18, wherein the two positioning seats include a plurality of protrusions facing the two first side walls, and the two first side walls include a plurality of grooves extending along the extension direction, The protruding pillars are respectively movably arranged in the grooves. The operating method of the sputtering equipment according to claim 11, wherein a moving direction of the carrier box is parallel to an extending direction of the substrate containing grooves. The method of operating a sputtering equipment according to claim 11, wherein before the step of sputtering the at least one side surface of each substrate, the method further includes: Adjust the angles of the targets, wherein the sputtering equipment further includes a plurality of rotating seats rotatably disposed in the cavity, and the targets are arranged on the rotating seats, the rotation angle of the rotating seats is between Between 0-40 degrees. The method for operating the sputtering equipment according to claim 21, wherein the rotating seats are inclined toward the axis, and the rotating angles of the rotating seats are between 10-35 degrees.

Images