TWI756807B - thin film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application discloses a low-refractive-index thin-film forming apparatus, comprising: a vacuum film-forming chamber for accommodating a substrate; an introduction mechanism for introducing gas into the vacuum film-forming chamber; a battery for forming plasma in the vacuum film-forming chamber Plasma source; the above-mentioned plasma source can use the above-mentioned gas to form a film by plasma chemical vapor deposition on the above-mentioned substrate. The thin film forming apparatus disclosed in this application can manufacture a large-area, practical, and low-refractive-index thin film at low cost.

Description

thin film forming apparatus

This case is about the field of optical film formation, especially about a film formation device.

CCD and CMOS, which are image sensing devices, are prone to flare and ghosting because the reflection of light on their surface is stronger than that of silver-salt photographic film. Furthermore, in flat panel displays such as LCDs, there are problems such as reflection of external light due to light reflection on the display surface. Therefore, it is necessary to implement anti-glare treatment.

However, with the increase of display density, diffuse reflection is easily formed on the anti-glare treated surface, which hinders the improvement of image resolution. In order to reduce reflection on the substrate surface of various optical products, it is necessary to effectively form a low-refractive-index surface layer. However, in the prior art, it is difficult to manufacture a low-refractive-index thin film with a large area that is practical and low-cost.

In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide a thin film forming apparatus capable of manufacturing a large-area practical and low-cost thin film with a low refractive index.

In order to achieve the above purpose, this case provides the following technical solutions: A thin film forming device, comprising: A vacuum film-forming chamber for accommodating substrates; An introduction mechanism for introducing gas into the above-mentioned vacuum film-forming chamber; A plasma source for forming plasma in the above-mentioned vacuum film-forming chamber; the above-mentioned plasma source can form a low-refractive-index thin film by plasma chemical vapor deposition using the above-mentioned gas on the above-mentioned substrate.

As a preferred embodiment, the plasma source includes: a casing installed in the vacuum film forming chamber, and an antenna located in the casing; the antenna is disposed outside the vacuum film forming chamber via a dielectric part; the antenna has a Connection part to which high frequency power is applied.

As a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned antenna has two spiral coils connected in parallel.

As a preferred embodiment, the power of the above-mentioned plasma source is adjustable.

As a preferred embodiment, the introduction mechanism includes: a first introduction part for introducing CVD raw material gas into the vacuum film formation chamber, and a second introduction part for introducing oxygen and/or argon gas into the vacuum film formation chamber Second introduction.

As a preferred embodiment, the above _- mentioned CVD raw materials include at least one of TEOS, _HMDS4 , HMDSO, _SiH4 , SiH2, Si( _{OC2H5 )} , and SiHCl3.

As a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned introduction mechanism is set so that the parameters of the imported gas are adjustable; the above-mentioned parameters of the imported gas include: gas type and gas flow rate.

As a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned thin film forming apparatus includes: a conveying mechanism for conveying a substrate; a loading chamber for exhausting a vacuum environment; an unloading chamber for unloading the film-formed substrate; the above-mentioned vacuum film-forming The chamber is located between the loading chamber and the unloading chamber; the conveying mechanism transports the substrate through the loading chamber, the vacuum film forming chamber, and the unloading chamber in sequence.

As a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned conveying mechanism includes conveying rollers or conveyor belts.

As a preferred embodiment, the refractive index of the above-mentioned low refractive index film is 1.5 or less.

Beneficial effects:

In this case, a thin film forming apparatus is provided with a plasma source for forming plasma and an introduction mechanism capable of introducing gas. Argon gas, oxygen gas and CVD raw materials are introduced through the introduction mechanism so that the substrate is located in a gas phase environment, and in the plasma source The chemical vapor deposition film is formed under the action of plasma, so that a practical dielectric film can be formed in a large area.

With reference to the following description and accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the invention are disclosed in detail, indicating the manner in which the principles of the invention may be employed. It should be understood that embodiments of the present invention are not thereby limited in scope.

Features described and/or illustrated for one embodiment may be used in the same or similar manner in one or more other embodiments, in combination with, or in place of, features of other embodiments.

It should be emphasized that the term "comprising/comprising" as used herein refers to the presence of a feature, integer, step or element, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps or elements.

detailed description

In order to enable those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains to better understand the technical solutions in this case, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this case will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of this case. Obviously, The described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, but not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this case, all other embodiments obtained by persons with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains without creative activities shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is considered to be "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for the purpose of illustration only and do not represent the only embodiment.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terms used herein in the description of the present invention are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

See Figures 1 through 3. The embodiment of the present application provides a low-refractive-index thin-film forming apparatus using plasma CVD to form a film. Specifically, the thin film forming apparatus includes a vacuum film forming chamber 300 , an introduction mechanism, and a plasma source 10 . Among them, the above-mentioned vacuum film forming chamber 300 is used for accommodating the substrate 40 . The introduction mechanism is used to introduce gas into the vacuum deposition chamber 300 . The above-described plasma source 10 is used to form plasma in the above-described vacuum film-forming chamber 300 . The above-mentioned plasma source 10 can form a low-refractive-index thin film on the above-mentioned substrate 40 by using the above-mentioned gas to perform plasma chemical vapor deposition.

The thin-film forming apparatus in this embodiment can form a low-refractive-index thin film, wherein the low-refractive-index thin film has a refractive index of 1.5 or less. In this embodiment, the refractive index may be the refractive index of the outer surface of the thin film. Of course, in some embodiments, the refractive index can also be the average refractive index of the thin film.

In this embodiment, a thin film forming apparatus is provided with a plasma source for forming plasma and an introduction mechanism capable of introducing gas. Argon gas, oxygen gas and CVD raw materials are introduced through the introduction mechanism so that the substrate 40 is located in a gas phase environment, and the substrate 40 is in a gas phase environment. The chemical vapor deposition film is formed under the action of the plasma of the plasma source 10, so that a practical dielectric film can be formed in a large area.

In the embodiment of the present application, the plasma source 10 includes: a casing 1 installed outside the vacuum film formation chamber 300 , and an antenna 2 located in the casing; the antenna 2 is disposed on the vacuum film formation through the dielectric part 5 Outside the chamber 300 ; the plasma source 10 is connected to the vacuum deposition chamber 300 outside the vacuum deposition chamber 300 ; the antenna has a connection portion 3 to which high-frequency power is applied. Among them, the above-mentioned antenna 2 has two spiral coils 2a and 2b connected in parallel.

As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3. Specifically, the casing 1 can be fixed to the casing 1 so as to block the opening formed in the wall 20 of the vacuum deposition chamber 300 from the outside. Specifically, the case 1 may be an integrally formed quartz glass case 1 . The dielectric part 5 can be fixed on the front surface of the casing 1 (the front and rear direction is the front close to the vacuum film formation chamber 300 and the rear is far from the vacuum film formation chamber 300 ), so that the casing 1 and the intermediate The area surrounded by the electric substance part 5 forms the antenna storage chamber 4 in which the antenna is accommodated. Specifically, the dielectric part 5 can be formed of, for example, plate-shaped quartz with a predetermined thickness, and can be fixed on the surface of the casing 1 facing the vacuum film formation chamber 300 . In one embodiment, the dielectric part 5 for a rectangular plate.

In this embodiment, the antenna is located in the casing 1 , specifically, is accommodated in the antenna storage room 4 . The antenna housing chamber 4 is separated from the inside of the vacuum deposition chamber 300 . That is, the antenna housing chamber 4 and the vacuum film formation The chamber 300 forms an independent space in a state of being partitioned by the dielectric portion 5 . In addition, the antenna housing chamber 4 and the outside of the vacuum deposition chamber 300 form an independent space in a state of being partitioned by the casing 1 . The antenna storage chamber 4 can be communicated with a vacuum pump (not shown) through a pipeline, and the interior of the antenna storage chamber 4 can be evacuated by the vacuum pump, so that the antenna storage chamber 4 can be in a vacuum state and the antenna is in a vacuum environment.

The above-described antenna 2 has a separate connection portion 3 to which high-frequency power is applied. The antenna 2 can receive the power supply from the AC power source 7 through the connection part 3 to generate an induced electric field in the vacuum chamber 30 to generate plasma. In one embodiment, each antenna 2 may be connected to an AC power source 7 via a matching device 6 that accommodates a matching circuit. A variable capacitor may be provided in the matching device 6 , and the variable capacitor can change the power supplied from the AC power source 7 to the antenna 2 . By providing the matcher 6, the corresponding film forming conditions can be set according to the parameters of the desired target thin film, so as to achieve the purpose of forming a practical dielectric film in a large area.

When the power supply 7 is turned on, the antenna 2 can perform ICP discharge to generate plasma and generate an induced electric field. In order to facilitate the connection of the power supply 7 , the antenna 2 has a connection portion 3 , and the antenna 2 can be connected to a high-frequency power supply 7 through the connection portion 3 . In this embodiment, the above-mentioned antenna 2 has two spiral coils 2a and 2b connected in parallel. The longitudinal direction of the above-mentioned antenna 2 is the arrangement direction of the two above-mentioned spiral coils 2a and 2b. As shown in FIG. 1, when facing FIG. 1, the two scroll coils 2a, 2b are arranged along the left and right (of course, in actual use, the two scroll coils 2a, 2b can also be arranged up and down in the horizontal direction), thus, A single antenna 2 can form a larger film-forming area.

Wherein, each of the above-mentioned spiral coils 2a or 2b in the above-mentioned antenna 2 is formed by winding one turn. In the two scroll coils 2a, 2b, one terminal side is grounded, respectively, and the other terminal side of the two scroll coils 2a, 2b can be connected to the above-mentioned matching device 6 and connected in parallel with respect to the high-frequency power supply 7, so as to be respectively connected. Apply high frequency power.

Of course, the two spiral coils 2a, 2b are not limited to be arranged left and right, but can also be arranged up and down, obliquely, etc. The length direction of the antenna 2 can be the length direction reflected intuitively. In addition, the antenna 2 is not limited to the formation of two spiral coils 2a and 2b arranged in a certain direction, and can also be formed by overlapping two spiral coils, such as a large spiral coil with a small spiral coil approximately concentrically inside it. coils, etc.

In this embodiment, the introduction mechanism includes: a first introduction part for introducing the CVD raw material gas into the vacuum film formation chamber 300 , and a first introduction part for introducing oxygen gas and/or argon gas into the vacuum film formation chamber 300 The second lead-in. Wherein, the CVD raw material may include at least one _of TEOS, _HMDS4 , HMDSO, _SiH4 , SiH2, Si( _{OC2H5 )} , and SiHCl3. Specifically, the CVD raw material gas may be hexamethyldisiloxane gas.

The above-mentioned introduction mechanism is set so that the parameters of the introduced gas are adjustable. The above-mentioned imported gas parameters include: gas type and gas flow rate. The introduction mechanism is communicated with the vacuum film forming chamber 300 through pipes 60 and 70, and flow valves may be provided on the pipes 60 and 70 to control the flow rate of the introduced gas.

Specifically, the first introduction part and the second introduction part may each include a gas source container, and the gas source container contains a certain pressure of CVD raw material gas or a certain pressure of oxygen and/or argon gas. The gas source container is communicated with the vacuum film forming chamber 300 through the pipeline 60 or the pipeline 70 . Control of gas supply is achieved by controlling flow valves on conduits 60,70.

In this embodiment, in order to achieve low-cost and high-yield film formation, the above-mentioned low-refractive index thin film forming apparatus includes: a conveying mechanism 80 for conveying the substrate 40; a loading chamber 200 for exhausting to form a vacuum environment; The unloading chamber 400 for unloading the substrate 40 after film formation.

The vacuum film forming chamber 300 is located between the loading chamber 200 and the unloading chamber 400 . The conveying mechanism 80 conveys the substrate 40 through the loading chamber 200 , the vacuum deposition chamber 300 , and the unloading chamber 400 in this order. In this way, a pipeline operation can be realized, the substrates 40 are continuously added in the loading chamber 200 , and the coated substrates 40 are collected in the unloading chamber 400 , so as to achieve the purpose of uninterrupted film formation.

Wherein, the loading chamber 200 , the vacuum film forming chamber 300 and the unloading chamber 400 may be arranged in sequence along a horizontal direction, and the three may be located on the same support base. When the reader faces FIG. 1 , the loading chamber 200 , the vacuum film forming chamber 300 and the unloading chamber 400 are sequentially arranged from left to right. The above-mentioned conveyance mechanism includes conveyance rollers or conveyor belts.

A substrate placement area 100 may be provided upstream of the loading chamber, where a substrate 40 may be placed, and the substrate 40 may be fed into the loading chamber 200 . The loading of the substrates 40 is realized in the loading chamber 200 , and specifically, the substrates 40 are loaded on the carrier 50 . The loading chamber 200 is evacuated to a vacuum, and then sent into the vacuum deposition chamber 300 via a conveyor belt or a conveying roller for CVD film formation. Then, it is sent to the unloading chamber 400 through the conveyor belt or the conveying roller for unloading, and the coating is completed.

When HMDSO (hexamethyldisiloxane) is used, the thin film forming apparatus provided by the embodiment shown in Figure 1 to Figure 3 is used to form a film according to the film forming conditions shown in Table 1 below, and the corresponding evaluation results can refer to the following Table 1 (film formation conditions and evaluation results), Table 2 (refractive index test results of thin films), and FIGS. 4 and 5 .

Table 1 Film forming conditions and evaluation results Substrate conveying speed [mm/s] Pressure [Pa] RS power [kW] HMDSO [sccm] Ar [sccm] O ₂ [sccm] thickness [nm] T ₅₅₀ [%] R ₅₅₀ [%] 13.3 20 5 30 200 200 324 92.8 6.5

Table 2 Refractive index test results of thin films internal average value external Refractive index@550nm 1.50 1.42 1.35

It can be seen from Table 1 that the light transmittance of the film formed in the example of this case is 92.8% and the reflectance is 6.5% at a wavelength of 550 nm, and the function as an anti-reflection film is obtained. Moreover, it can be seen from FIG. 6 that the anti-reflection film can pass the cross-section test, and its strength is sufficient for practical use.

Referring to Table 2, it can be seen that the thin film formed in this example can form a SiOx film with an average refractive index of 1.42, and the refractive index of the outer surface is 1.35. The overall refractive index of this film is below 1.5.

It can be seen from Figure 4 and Figure 5 that the overall reflectivity of the film is lower than that of the original glass substrate, and its transmittance is higher than that of the original glass substrate at most wavelengths.

According to the above evaluation results, it can be seen that the thin film forming apparatus provided in this embodiment can manufacture a large-area practical and low-cost thin film with a low refractive index.

Any numerical value recited herein includes all values of the lower value and the upper value in one unit increments from the lower value to the upper value, where there is an interval of at least two units between any lower value and any higher value, i.e. Can. For example, if it is stated that the number of a part or the value of a process variable (eg temperature, pressure, time, etc.) is from 1 to 90, preferably from 20 to 80, more preferably from 30 to 70, the purpose is to illustrate this The specification also explicitly lists values such as 15 to 85, 22 to 68, 43 to 51, 30 to 32, and the like. For values less than 1, one unit is appropriately considered to be 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1. These are merely examples of what is intended to be express, and all possible combinations of numerical values recited between the lowest value and the highest value are considered to be expressly set forth in this specification in a similar fashion.

Unless otherwise stated, all ranges include the endpoints and all digits between the endpoints. "About" or "approximately" used with a range applies to both endpoints of the range. Thus, "about 20 to about 30" is intended to cover "about 20 to about 30," including at least the indicated endpoint.

The term "consisting essentially of" describing a combination shall include the identified element, ingredient, component or step as well as other elements, components, components or steps that do not materially affect the essential novel characteristics of the combination. Use of the terms "comprising" or "comprising" to describe combinations of elements, ingredients, components or steps herein also contemplates embodiments consisting essentially of those elements, ingredients, components or steps. By using the term "may" herein, it is intended to indicate that "may" includes any described attributes that are optional.

A plurality of elements, components, components or steps can be provided by a single integrated element, component, component or step. Alternatively, a single integrated element, component, component or step may be divided into separate multiple elements, components, components or steps. The disclosure of "a" or "an" to describe an element, ingredient, part or step is not intended to exclude other elements, ingredients, parts or steps.

It should be understood that the above description is for purposes of illustration and not limitation. From reading the foregoing description, many embodiments and many applications beyond the examples provided will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The scope of the present teachings should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which these claims are entitled. The disclosures of all articles and references, including patent applications and publications, are incorporated herein by reference for the purpose of being comprehensive. The omission of any aspect of the subject matter disclosed herein from the preceding claims is not intended to disclaim such subject matter, nor should it be considered that the inventors did not consider such subject matter to be part of the disclosed subject matter.

1: Shell 2: Antenna 2a: scroll coil 2b: Spiral coil 3: Connection part 3 4: Antenna storage room 5: Dielectric part 6: Matcher 7: AC power supply 10: Plasma source 20: Wall 30: Vacuum tank 40: Substrate 50: Bearing seat 60: Pipes 70: Pipes 80: Handling mechanism 100: Substrate placement area 200: Loading Room 300: Vacuum film forming chamber 400: Unloading Room

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only These are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without creative activities.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a thin film forming apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present case; FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a vacuum film forming chamber of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a plasma source of FIG. _{2 ;} Comparison of the reflectivity curves of the film and the glass substrate; FIG. 5 is a comparison diagram of the light transmittance curves of the SiO ₂ film obtained in FIG. 1 and the glass substrate; FIG. 6 is a cross-section test result of the SiO ₂ film obtained in FIG. 1 .

10: Plasma source

100: Substrate placement area

200: Loading Room

300: Vacuum film forming chamber

400: Unloading Room

Claims (10)

A thin film forming apparatus, comprising: a vacuum film forming chamber for accommodating a substrate; an introduction mechanism for introducing gas into the vacuum film forming chamber, wherein the introduction mechanism communicates with the vacuum film forming chamber; and A plasma source for forming plasma in the above-mentioned vacuum film-forming chamber, wherein the above-mentioned plasma source is connected to the above-mentioned vacuum film-forming chamber outside the above-mentioned vacuum film-forming chamber, wherein the above-mentioned plasma source can utilize the above-mentioned on the above-mentioned substrate. A low-refractive index film is formed by plasma chemical vapor deposition of gas, wherein the above-mentioned plasma source comprises: a casing installed in the above-mentioned vacuum film-forming chamber and an antenna located in an antenna receiving chamber of the above-mentioned casing, and wherein the above-mentioned antenna receiving chamber It is a space independent of the above-mentioned vacuum film-forming chamber. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is disposed outside the vacuum film forming chamber via a dielectric portion, and the antenna housing for accommodating the antenna is formed in a region surrounded by the housing and the dielectric portion. a chamber; and the above-mentioned antenna has a connection portion to which high-frequency power is applied. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: the above-mentioned antenna has two spiral coils connected in parallel. The thin film forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein: the power of the above-mentioned plasma source is adjustable. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the introduction means includes: a first introduction part for introducing a CVD raw material gas into the vacuum film formation chamber, and a first introduction part for introducing oxygen and/or oxygen into the vacuum film formation chamber The second introduction part of argon. The thin film forming apparatus of claim ₅ , wherein: the CVD raw material includes at least one _of TEOS, _HMDS4 , HMDSO, _SiH4 , SiH2, Si(OC2H5 ₎ and SiHCl3. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the introduction mechanism is configured to adjust the parameters of the introduced gas; the parameters of the introduced gas include the gas type and the gas flow rate. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the thin film forming apparatus includes: a conveying mechanism for conveying a substrate; a loading chamber for exhausting a vacuum environment; and an unloading chamber for unloading the film-formed substrate wherein the vacuum deposition chamber is located between the loading chamber and the unloading chamber, and wherein the conveying mechanism transports the substrate through the loading chamber, the vacuum deposition chamber and the unloading chamber in sequence. The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the conveying mechanism includes a conveying roller or a conveying belt. The thin film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: the refractive index of the low refractive index thin film is 1.5 or less.

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