WO2020170577A1

WO2020170577A1 - Sputtering film forming apparatus, sputtering film forming method therefor, and compound thin film

Info

Publication number: WO2020170577A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/048970
Authority: WO
Inventors: 亦周長江; 陽介稲瀬; 卓哉菅原
Original assignee: 株式会社シンクロン
Priority date: 2019-02-21
Filing date: 2019-12-13
Publication date: 2020-08-27
Also published as: TW202031918A; CN111593309A

Abstract

The present application discloses a sputtering film forming apparatus comprising: a vacuum container having an exhaust mechanism; a substrate holding means capable of holding a plurality of substrates; and a sputtering area and a reaction area located inside the vacuum container and spatially separated from each other, wherein in the sputtering area, a sputtered substance is formed on the substrate by a sputtering target material, and in the reaction area, two or more kinds of reaction gases are introduced to generate plasma and a compound thin film including at least four elements is formed using interaction of ions in the plasma with the sputtered substance. The sputtering film forming apparatus is for facilitating the formation of a thin film of a desired material, no limitation is placed by the compound materials when forming a compound thin film including four or more elements, and at the same time, the film formation efficiency is high and the apparatus has very good utility value.

Description

Sputtering film forming apparatus and its sputtering film forming method, compound thin film

The present invention relates to a sputtering film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate by sputtering, a sputtering film forming method therefor, and a compound thin film.

Magnetron sputter is a type of physical vapor deposition (Physical Vapor Deposition, PVD). The general sputtering method can be applied to the production of multiple kinds of materials such as metals, semiconductors, and insulators, and the equipment is simplified and easy to control, the deposition film area is large, and the adhesion is strong. Have advantages. In magnetron sputtering, a magnetic field is introduced to the cathode surface of the target, and the plasma density is increased by increasing the sputtering rate by restraining the charged particles from the magnetic field. Therefore, the speed is high, the temperature is low, and the damage is low. Has the advantage.

Currently, it is common to obtain thin films such as aluminum oxide films and silicon oxide films by sputtering using magnetron sputtering technology. However, current thin films require higher film forming quality and thus require lower film stress, but existing thin films such as aluminum oxide films and silicon oxide films cannot meet such requirements.

Research on thin films by sputtering has found that the hardness of thin films is always low when reducing thin film stress. However, the thin film must maintain a certain hardness so as to maintain the state of the thin film. As a result, due to the reduction in thin film stress, the thin film quality is likely to deteriorate, and the number of defective products is increasing. Therefore, the development of optical thin films is severely limited.

In addition, when sputtering a thin film material of multiple elements (for example, 4 or more elements), it is usually obtained by directly sputtering using a compound target material, but the film formation efficiency decreases while sputtering. The freedom of choice is also very limited due to the limitation of the types of compounds possible. As such, the development of optical thin films is similarly constrained.
In particular, when the four or more compounds are insulating materials such as ceramic materials, the target (cathode), plasma, and sputtered components/vacuum cavities make it difficult to form circuits. Therefore, it is necessary to add a very strong capacitor to the circuit and form a high-frequency power source to equalize the target material in the insulation circuit as one capacitor. However, in that case, the sputtering rate is very small and the film formation rate is also very slow.

In view of the above-mentioned at least one problem, in order to solve the problem, the present application aims to provide the following sputtering film forming apparatus, its sputtering film forming method, and compound thin film.

In the sputtering film forming apparatus according to the present invention, a vacuum container having an exhaust mechanism, a substrate holding means capable of holding a plurality of substrates, and a sputtering area and a reaction area located inside the vacuum container are provided. In the sputtering area, a sputtering target material is used to form a sputter material on a substrate, and in the reaction area, active species of a reactive gas in plasma interact with the sputter material to form a compound thin film. Sputtering film forming device.

As a preferred embodiment, the sputtering area and the reaction area are spatially separated from each other, in the sputtering area, a sputtering target material, to form a sputtered material on the substrate, in the reaction area, Two or more kinds of reaction gases are introduced to generate plasma in the reaction area, and in the reaction area, the reactive species in the plasma react with the sputter material by the active species and contain at least four kinds of elements. A compound thin film is formed.

In the sputtering film forming apparatus according to the present invention, a vacuum container having an exhaust mechanism, a substrate holding means capable of holding a plurality of substrates, a sputtering area and a reaction area located inside the vacuum container and spatially separated from each other. An area, and in the sputtering area, a sputtering material containing at least two kinds of elements is formed on the substrate by the sputtering target material, and in the reaction area, a reaction gas is introduced to generate plasma in the reaction area. Then, in the reaction area, a sputtering film forming apparatus that forms a compound thin film by interacting with the sputtering substance by the active species of the reactive gas in the plasma.

As a preferred embodiment, the substrate holding means is cylindrical, and the substrate holding means holds the plurality of substrates on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate holding means by rotating the substrate by the driving means, thereby A reciprocating movement is made between the sputtering area and the reaction area.

In a preferred embodiment, the sputtered material formed by sputtering in the sputtering area is processed by the plasma generated in the reaction area to form a thin film, and the vacuum container is provided with a partition wall. The partition wall separates the sputtering area and the reaction area from each other.

As a preferred embodiment, an exhaust mechanism is provided in a portion of the vacuum container near the reaction area.

As a preferred embodiment, one or more reaction areas are provided inside the vacuum vessel, and two or more reaction gases are simultaneously introduced in one or more reaction areas, or , At least two reaction gases are introduced alternately.

As a preferred embodiment, the reaction area is provided with a plasma source for forming plasma, and the plasma source includes at least one of an ICP source, an ECR source, and an ion source.

As a preferred embodiment, the sputtering area and the reaction area are spatially separated from each other along the movement direction of the substrate holding means, and the sputtering area and the reaction area are electromagnetically coupled in a vacuum container. Or there is electrical coupling.

As a preferred embodiment, in the sputtering area, a sputtering target material is used to form a sputtering material containing at least two kinds of metal elements on a substrate.

As a preferred embodiment, at least two sputtering areas spatially separated from each other are provided in the vacuum container along the movement direction of the substrate holding means, and sputtering is performed in at least two of the sputtering areas. The target materials are different, and a sputter material containing at least two metal elements is formed on the substrate.

In a preferred embodiment, the target material sputtered in the sputtering area contains a metal element and/or a compound containing a metal element.

In a preferred embodiment, the target material includes at least one material of Si, Al, Ta, C, Cr, Mg, Ca, Y, SiOx, AlOx, TiOx, CrOx and TaOx.

As a preferred embodiment, in the sputtering area and the reaction area, at least one thin film of SiAlON, Mg-SiAlON, Ca-SiAlON, Y-SiAlON, and TiAlON is formed on the substrate.

In a preferred embodiment, the vacuum container is provided with two sputtering areas spatially separated from each other, and the two sputtering areas include a first sputtering area for sputtering a Si target material and an Al sputtering area. A second sputtering area for sputtering a target material, wherein N ₂ and O ₂ are introduced in the reaction area to form a SiAlON thin film on the substrate.

As a preferred embodiment, sputtering parameters can be adjusted in the first sputtering area and the second sputtering area, and the sputtering parameters include at least one of sputtering power, sputtering voltage, and sputtering current.

As a preferred embodiment, the sputter film forming apparatus includes a first air supply unit that introduces an inert gas into the sputtering area.

As a preferred embodiment, the first air supply unit is arranged so that a gas transfer parameter of the inert gas can be adjusted, and the gas transfer parameter is at least one of a flow rate, an atmospheric pressure, and a flow rate. Including.

As a preferred embodiment, the first air supply unit can introduce argon into the sputtering area, and the flow rate of argon introduced by the first air supply unit is 200 sccm or more.

As a preferred embodiment, the plasma generation parameter of the plasma source is adjustable, and the plasma generation parameter includes at least one of power supply power, power supply voltage, and antenna current.

As a preferred embodiment, the sputtering film forming apparatus is configured to introduce into the reaction area any one of an inert gas, a reactive gas, and a mixed gas of an inert gas and a reactive gas. An air part, and the second air sending part is arranged to be able to adjust the gas transfer parameter of the gas to be transferred, and the gas transfer parameter includes at least one of a flow rate, an atmospheric pressure and a flow rate. ..

A sputter film forming method according to the present invention is a sputter film forming method using the sputter film forming apparatus according to any one of the above aspects, wherein a plurality of substrates are introduced into a film forming region, and in the film forming region, The sputtered plasma that is sputtered and discharged releases the sputtered particles from the target material, reaches the surface of the substrate and stacks it to form a sputtered material, which is then moved into the reaction area. In the reaction area, the ions in the plasma interact with the sputter material to form a compound thin film containing at least four elements.

The compound thin film according to the present invention is manufactured by the sputtering film forming method or the sputtering film forming apparatus as described above.

In a preferred embodiment, the compound thin film includes at least one thin film selected from SiAlON, Mg-SiAlON, Ca-SiAlON, Y-SiAlON, and TiAlON.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows.
In the sputtering film forming apparatus provided by the present application, the reaction area and the sputtering area are individually controlled to facilitate the formation of a thin film of a desired material. Further, when forming a compound thin film containing four or more kinds of elements, it is not limited by the compound material, and at the same time, the film forming efficiency is high and it has very good application value.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a sputtering film forming apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sputter film forming apparatus provided by another embodiment of the present application. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the specific configuration in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of FIG.

The examples are merely some examples of the present invention, not all examples. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, a person skilled in the art will make all other embodiments obtained, which are within the protection scope of the present invention, on the assumption that no creative effort is made by those skilled in the art.

It should be pointed out that if an element is described as "provided" on another element, that element may be located directly on another element, and that there are additional intervening elements. May be. When one element is considered to be "connected" to another element, that element may be directly connected to another element, or there may be intervening elements present at the same time. The terms “vertical”, “horizontal”, “left”, “right” and similar expressions used in the present text are merely for the purpose of explanation, and show only one embodiment. is not.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of the present invention. In the present text, the terms used in the specification of the present invention are only for describing specific embodiments, and are not for limiting the present invention. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related items.

This embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the embodiment of the present application, a vacuum container 11 having an exhaust mechanism, a substrate holding means capable of holding a plurality of substrates S, and a sputtering area (20 and 20) located inside the vacuum container 11 and spatially separated from each other. And/or 40) and a reaction area 60, and in the sputtering area (20 and/or 40), a sputtering target material forms a sputter material on the substrate S, and in the reaction area 60, a reaction gas is introduced. Then, a plasma is generated in the reaction area 60, and in the reaction area 60, a sputtering film forming apparatus is formed which interacts with the sputtering material by the active species of the reactive gas in the plasma to form a compound thin film. ..

The embodiment of the present application further provides a film forming method which can be applied to the film forming apparatus described in the above embodiment or examples, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, a plurality of substrates are introduced into the film formation region, and in the film formation region, the sputtered particles are released from the target material by the sputter plasma discharged by sputtering, and the sputtered particles are discharged from the target material. The surface is reached and stacked to form the sputtered material.

Among them, deposition of sputter particles and plasma treatment based on sputter plasma are performed in the film formation area to form a sputter substance on the surface of the substrate. Then, the substrate is moved into the reaction area and interacts with the sputtered material by the reactive species of the reactive gas in the plasma (other than sputtering the plasma plant) to form a compound thin film containing at least four elements. To form. The reaction area is arranged so as to be spatially separated from the film formation area.

In the embodiments of the present application, the sputtering film forming apparatus may be provided with a cathode electrode, a sputtering power supply, a plasma generating means, and the like. Among them, the reaction area 60 is formed in the vacuum container 1 and is arranged so as to be spatially separated from the

sputtering areas

20 and 40. Since the reaction area 60 and the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 are independent of each other, they are individually controllable areas, and it is easy to form a thin film of a desired material. Then, when forming a compound thin film containing four or more elements, it is not limited by the compound material, and at the same time, the film forming efficiency is high, and it has a very good application value.

Further, since the reaction area 60 and the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 are spatially separated from each other, the deposition of the sputter material on the substrate S is affected by the pre-reaction or chemical reaction of the reaction gas and the sputter material, and It is possible to efficiently prevent the formation quality from deteriorating, and at the same time, it contributes to the formation of a compound thin film containing multiple elements, particularly four or more elements.

In the present embodiment, the sputtering area 20 and the sputtering 40 are spatially separated and independent of each other. Therefore, the areas that can be controlled individually are configured. In one possible mechanism, it is then possible to avoid reacting and interfering with each other between the various sputter elements before they are sputtered onto the substrate S. For example, silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al) may be used as the target material at the same time, but if both are located in the

same sputtering area

20 or 40 at the same time, silicon and aluminum are unpredictable or excessive chemicals. Reaction to generate a silicon-aluminum compound (for example, aluminum disilicate) that is sputtered into a thin film to form impurities, which may affect film formation quality. The thin film cannot be obtained.

Generally, the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 and the reaction area 60 are distributed upstream and downstream in the moving direction of the substrate holding means 13. Considering that the movement of the substrate holding means 13 is usually a circulation or a reciprocating motion, the specific distribution sequence in the upstream and downstream of the

sputtering areas

20, 40 and the reaction area 60 is not particularly limited in this embodiment. ..
In the present embodiment, when the substrate S passes through the sputtering area once, the sputter material (film) is covered by one layer, and the plasma treatment is performed in the reaction area 60 to form one intermediate thin film. (The composition of the material of the intermediate thin film is the same as the composition of the material of the final thin film, but the thickness is smaller than that of the final thin film). A plurality of intermediate thin films are accumulated on the substrate S until the compound thin film having a target thickness is constantly circulated and passed through the reaction zone 40 and the reaction area 60.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the

cathode electrodes

21a and 21b (or 41a and 41b) are for mounting the target material 29. The sputtering power supply 23 (or 43) is for sputtering and discharging in the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 of the surface on which the sputtering is performed facing the target material 29. The plasma generating means is for generating plasma other than sputter plasma in the reaction area 60. The sputter plasma is formed by sputtering and discharging in the

sputtering areas

20 and 40.

In the present embodiment, in the film forming apparatus 1, the target material 29 is mounted on the

cathode electrodes

21a and 21b (or 41a and 41b) to turn on the sputtering power supply 23 (or 43), and at the same time, to activate the plasma generating means. A plurality of substrates S may be held on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate holding means 13, and the substrate holding means 13 may be rotated. As a result, the sputtered particles released from the target material 29 reach the substrate S that has already moved to the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 and are deposited. At the same time, the ions in the sputter plasma are caused to collide with the plasma of the substrate S or the deposit particle of the sputter particles to form a sputter substance. Then, reprocessing is performed in which ions in plasmas other than the sputter plasma collide with or oxidize the plasma of the sputter material on the substrate S that has already moved to the reaction area 60, and interacts with the sputter material to cause the sputter material to interact. After converting the substance into an intermediate thin film, a plurality of layers of the intermediate thin film are laminated to form a thin film.

In the embodiment of the present application, the film forming apparatus 1 may further include a driving unit. The drive means can rotate the substrate holding means 13. The driving means rotates the substrate holding means 13 so that the substrate S reciprocates between a predetermined position in the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 and a predetermined position in the reaction area 60. The

sputtering areas

20 and 40 are areas where sputtered particles released from the target material 29 using sputter plasma reach, and the reaction area 60 is an area exposed to plasma other than sputter plasma.
The "movement" used in the description of the invention includes linear movement as well as curved movement (for example, circumferential movement). Therefore, "moving the substrate S from the

sputtering areas

20, 40 to the reaction area 60" includes not only the form of revolving around a certain central axis but also the form of reciprocating movement along an orbit connecting two certain straight lines.

The “rotation” described in the above embodiment includes not only rotation but also revolution. Therefore, when simply describing "rotating about a central axis", it includes a revolving shape as well as a revolving shape about a certain central axis.

The “sputtering material” described in the above embodiment refers to a single sputter layer (film) that is formed on the substrate formed by passing through the

sputtering areas

20 and 40. The "thin film" refers to a final thin film formed by depositing an intermediate thin film a plurality of times. Therefore, the "sputter material" is a term used to avoid confusion with the "thin film", and is sufficiently thinner than the final "thin film".

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vacuum container 11 is a main body having a cavity, and the main body having the cavity has a vertical direction (FIG. 4) which is a direction along the center line of the cylindrical cavity. The vertical direction on the paper of FIG. 4 and the same applies to the following. Using a side wall extending in the plane direction (direction perpendicular to the vertical direction), the vertical and horizontal directions in FIG. 3 and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. The following is the same).

In the present embodiment, the cross section of the main body having the cavity in the plane direction is formed in a rectangular shape, but it may be another shape (for example, a circular shape). The present invention is not particularly limited. The vacuum container 11 may be made of, for example, a metal such as stainless steel.

In this embodiment, a hole for penetrating the shaft 15 (see FIG. 3) may be formed above the vacuum container 11. Since the vacuum container 11 is electrically grounded, it may be grounded as a ground potential. Among them, the driving unit can rotate the substrate by interlocking the substrate holding unit by driving the shaft so that the substrate holding unit can rotate about the shaft. The substrate is switched and moved between the sputtering area and the reaction area. Specifically, the driving means may be the motor 17.

In the present embodiment, the shaft 15 is formed of a substantially tubular member, and can rotate with respect to the vacuum container 11 via an insulating member (not shown) provided in a hole portion formed above the vacuum container 11. Is supported as. Since the shaft 15 is supported by the vacuum container 11 by an insulating member made of an insulating material, a resin, or the like, the shaft 15 can rotate with respect to the vacuum container 11 while being electrically insulated from the vacuum container 11.

In the present embodiment, a first gear (not shown) is fixed to the upper end side of the shaft 15 located outside the vacuum container 11, and the first gear is the second gear on the output side of the motor 17. Of the gear (not shown). Therefore, when driven by the motor 17, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the first gear via the second gear to rotate the shaft 15.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a cylindrical rotating body (rotating drum) is attached to the lower end of the shaft 15 located inside the vacuum container 11, and the cylindrical rotating body is a substrate. The holding means 13 was constructed.

In the present embodiment, the rotary drum is arranged in the vacuum container 11 such that the axis Z extending in the drum body direction is oriented in the vertical direction (Y direction) of the vacuum container 11. In the present embodiment, the rotary drum is formed in a cylindrical shape, but the shape is not limited to the shape, and may be a polygonal columnar shape or a conical shape having a polygonal cross section. The rotating drum is rotated by the drive of the shaft 15 by the motor 17, and is rotated about the axis Z.

The substrate holding means 13 is attached to the outside (outer cylinder) of the rotating drum. The substrate holding means 13 has a cylindrical shape. The substrate holding means can hold a plurality of substrates on its outer peripheral surface. Specifically, a plurality of substrate holding portions (for example, concave portions, not shown) are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate holding means 13, and a plurality of film formation targets are formed using the substrate holding portions. It is possible to support the substrate S to be formed from the back surface (that is, the surface opposite to the film formation surface).

Among them, as the substrate S, in addition to a plastic substrate (organic glass substrate) and an inorganic substrate (inorganic glass substrate), a metal substrate such as stainless steel may be used. In the case of an inorganic glass substrate, examples of the substrate S include soda-lime glass (6H to 7H) and borosilicate glass (6H to 7H).

The substrate holding means is rotated by the driving means to reciprocate the substrate S between the sputtering area and the reaction area, and further, a thin film having a target thickness is formed on the substrate S. Among them, the axis of the substrate holding means 13 (not shown) coincides with the axis Z of the rotary drum. Therefore, by rotating the rotary drum about the axis Z, the substrate holding means 13 is synchronized with the rotation of the rotary drum and integrated with the rotary drum to rotate about the axis Z of the drum.

In the present embodiment, the vacuum container 11 is provided with an exhaust mechanism. The exhaust mechanism can sufficiently discharge the internal gas of the vacuum container 11 to create a vacuum environment. Since the exhaust mechanism is close to the reaction area 60, the gas leaked from the reaction area 60 (via the gap between the partition wall 16 and the substrate holding means 13) can be quickly discharged to the sputtering area. It is possible to prevent the interference with the sputtering film formation in the sputtering area.

Specifically, the exhaust mechanism may include the vacuum pump 10. Of these, the exhaust pipe 15 a is connected to the vacuum container 11. The vacuum pump 10 for exhausting the inside of the vacuum container 11 is connected to the pipe 15a, and the degree of vacuum in the vacuum container 11 can be adjusted by the vacuum pump 10 and a controller (not shown). The vacuum pump 10 may be configured by, for example, a rotary pump or a turbo molecular pump (TMP: turbo molecular pump).

A sputtering source (sputtering

target materials

21a, 21b, 41a, 41b) and a plasma source 80 (one specific example of the plasma generating means) are provided around the substrate holding means 13 arranged in the vacuum chamber 11. It is arranged. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, two pairs of sputtering sources and one plasma source 80 are provided. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, two pairs of

sputtering sources

21a, 21b, 41a, 41b and two plasma sources 80 (PS: plasma) are arranged. Among them, the sputtering target materials arranged in the same film formation region may be different. Since multiple sputtering sources and plasma sources are provided, it is possible to freely adjust and combine them, and obtain a thin film that has the required mechanical properties such as optical properties, stress, hardness, and surface roughness. You can

In the embodiment of the present application, at least two

sputter sources

21a, 21b, 41a, 41b may be provided. Based on this, at least two

sputtering areas

21a, 21b, 41a, 41b, which will be described later, may be provided. In the embodiment of the present application, sputtering

areas

20 and 40 are formed in front of the

respective sputtering sources

21a, 21b, 41a and 41b. Similarly, a reaction area 60 is formed in front of the plasma source 80.

In the embodiment of the present application, the sputtering area 20 (or 40) includes the (partial) inner wall surface 18 of the vacuum container 11, the partition wall 12 (or 14 ), the outer peripheral surface of the substrate holding means 13 (substrate holding means), and each of them. It is formed by an area surrounded by the front surface of the sputter source. As a result, the sputtering means 20 and 40 are spatially and pressureally separated from each other inside the vacuum container 11 by the spacing means (partition walls 12 and 14 ), and each independent space is secured.

Then, when forming a compound thin film composed of multi-elements (four or more kinds of elements), the sputtering area 20 (or 40) and the reaction area 60 which are spatially separated from each other make it possible to remove the components not yet formed as compounds. Elemental materials can be sputtered and reacted. The sputtering area 20 (or 40) and the reaction area 60, which are spatially separated from each other, can control the film forming parameters (for example, the content between the film forming elements) individually, so that the substrate can be formed as desired. A necessary compound thin film can be formed on S, and at the same time, any problem that the degree of freedom in adjusting the film forming components is low can be overcome.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is assumed that two different kinds of metal materials are sputtered, and that two pairs of magnetron sputtering electrodes (21a, 21b and 41a, 41b) are provided. ing. Among them, the

magnetron sputter electrodes

21a and 21b can sputter

Si target materials

29a and 29b, and the

magnetron sputter electrodes

41a and 41b can sputter

Al target materials

49a and 49b.

In the present embodiment, the reaction area 60, like the

sputtering areas

20 and 40, the inner wall surface 18 of the vacuum container 11, the partition wall 16 protruding from the inner wall surface 18 to the substrate holding means 13, the outer peripheral surface of the substrate holding means 13, And it is formed by the area surrounded by the front surface of the plasma source 80. As a result, the reaction area 60 is also separated from the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 spatially and pressureally inside the vacuum container 11, and each independent space is secured. In this embodiment, each of the

areas

20, 40 and 60 is configured to be able to individually control the processing.

In the present embodiment, when the introduced reaction processing gas contains a reaction gas (for example, oxygen gas or nitrogen gas), an activating substance of the reaction gas exists in the plasma, and the activating substance is present in the reaction area. You will be guided to 60. After that, the substrate holding means 13 is rotated to introduce the substrate S into the reaction area 60, and then the sputtering material (for example, a metal atom or incompleteness of the metal atom) formed on the surface of the substrate S in the

sputtering areas

20 and 40. The oxide) is subjected to plasma exposure treatment (oxidation treatment) to convert the sputtered substance into a complete oxide of metal atoms to form a compound thin film.

In the embodiment of the present application, in the reaction area 60, the reactive species in the plasma interact with the sputtering material to form a compound thin film containing at least four elements. In the present embodiment, the reaction area 60 and the sputtering area 20 (or 40) interact with each other to form a compound thin film containing at least four kinds of elements on the substrate S. The reaction area 60 and the sputtering area 20 (or 40) are spatially separated from each other. A spacing area may be provided between the reaction area 60 and the sputtering area 20 (or 40). Partition walls may be provided on both sides of the spacing area to secure a space for the reaction area and a space for the sputtering area.

In the reaction area 60, two or more kinds of reaction gases are introduced to generate plasma in the reaction area 60. The reactive gas can react with the sputter material (metal atoms or incomplete oxides of the metal) to form a target compound and ultimately a thin film having a target thickness. Specifically, the reaction gas can oxidize the sputtered substance to obtain the compound constituent material of the thin film. For example, the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 form a sputter material containing Si atoms and Al atoms on the substrate S, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one or a plurality of reaction areas 60 are provided in the vacuum container 11. The one or more reaction areas 60 are arranged so that two or more reaction gases are simultaneously introduced, or at least two reaction gases are alternately introduced (for example, nitrogen gas and oxygen). The gas is introduced alternately). When a plurality of reaction areas 60 exist in the vacuum container 11, the plurality of reaction areas 60 may be spatially separated from each other. Since the reaction areas 60 that are spatially separated may be independent from each other, it becomes possible to control the film formation parameters, facilitate formation of a compound thin film containing four or more elements, and form the film. The degree of freedom of adjustment in the process is high, and it becomes easy to obtain an optical thin film having desired performance.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, one reaction gas may be introduced into one reaction area 60, or two or more reaction gases may be introduced simultaneously. Of course, an inert gas may be introduced into the reaction area 60. The present application is not limited thereby. As shown in FIG. 2, there are two reaction areas 60 in the moving direction of the substrate holding means 13, and one reaction gas is introduced into each reaction area 60. Of these, 0 ₂ is introduced into one reaction area 60, and N ₂ is introduced into the other reaction area 60.

In the present embodiment, when the sputtering film forming apparatus has a plurality of reaction areas 60, the input parameters of the reaction gas can be flexibly and freely adjusted, whereby the components of the thin film can be adjusted. it can. Therefore, a thin film having necessary mechanical properties such as optical properties, stress, hardness, and surface roughness can be obtained.

Specifically, the reaction area 60 is provided with a plasma source 80 for forming plasma. The plasma source 80 includes at least one of an ICP source (Inductive Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer), an ECR source (Electron Cyclotron Resonance), and an ion source. The plasma sources 80 in different reaction areas 60 may be different.

The plasma generation parameter of the plasma source 80 can be adjusted to facilitate formation of a multi-element compound thin film having a desired component. The plasma generation parameter may include at least one of power supply power, power supply voltage, and antenna current. Of course, a desired multi-element compound thin film (compound thin film containing four or more elements) can be obtained by controlling the plasma processing time.

In the present embodiment, the sputtering film forming apparatus is provided with two or more plasma sources 80 (acting with the reaction area 60). When there are a plurality of reaction areas 60, a plurality of individually controlled plasma sources 80 are mounted to adjust the structure of the thin film. Therefore, it contributes to obtain a thin film having necessary mechanical properties such as optical properties, stress, hardness, and surface roughness.

The structure of the plasma source 80 is not particularly limited in the present application. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the plasma source 80 includes a case 81 fixed so as to block an opening formed in the wall surface of the vacuum container 11 from the outside, and a dielectric fixed on the front surface of the case 81. The plate 83 may be provided. Then, by fixing the dielectric plate 83 to the case 81, the antenna housing chamber 82 is formed in the area surrounded by the case 81 and the dielectric plate 83.

In the present embodiment, the antenna storage chamber 82 is separated from the inside of the vacuum container 11. That is, the antenna housing chamber 82 and the inside of the vacuum container 11 are separated by the dielectric plate 83 to form an independent space. Further, the antenna housing chamber 82 and the outside of the vacuum container 11 are separated by a case 81, and an independent space is formed. The antenna storage chamber 82 communicates with the vacuum pump 10 via the pipe 15a, and by extracting a vacuum with the vacuum pump 10, the inside of the antenna storage chamber 82 is evacuated and the inside of the antenna storage chamber 82 is in a vacuum state. Can be

In this embodiment,

antennas

85a and 85b are provided in the antenna storage chamber 82. The

antennas

85a and 85b are connected to an AC power supply 89 via a matching device 87 that houses a matching circuit. The

antennas

85a and 85b receive power supply from the AC power supply 89, generate an induction electric field inside the vacuum container 11 (in particular, the area 60), and generate plasma in the area 60. In this example, an AC voltage is applied from the AC power source 89 to the

antennas

85 a and 85 b to generate plasma of reaction processing gas in the area 60. A variable capacitor is provided in the matching device 87, and the variable capacitor can change the power supplied from the AC power source 89 to the

antennas

85a and 85b.

The sputter film forming apparatus includes a second gas supply unit that introduces any one of an inert gas, a reactive gas, and a mixed gas of an inert gas and a reactive gas into the reaction area. As the reaction gas, an oxidizing gas such as oxygen or ozone, a nitriding gas such as nitrogen, a carbonizing gas such as methane, or a fluorinated gas such as CF4 may be used.

In order to further improve the flexibility of adjusting the film-forming components, the second gas supply unit is arranged so that the gas transmission parameters of the gas to be transmitted can be adjusted. The gas transfer parameter includes at least one of a flow rate, an atmospheric pressure, and a flow rate. Of course, the gas transmission time may be controlled to obtain a desired multi-element compound thin film (compound thin film containing four or more elements).

In a specific example, in front of the plasma source 80 (reaction area 60), a reaction processing gas supply means (second air supply section) is connected. In the present embodiment, the reaction processing gas supply means (second air supply unit) is a gas cylinder 68 that stores the reaction processing gas, and a mass that adjusts the flow rate of the reaction processing gas supplied from the gas cylinder 68. And a flow rate controller 67. The reaction processing gas is introduced into the area 60 through the pipe. The mass flow rate controller 67 is a device for adjusting the flow rate of the reaction processing gas. The reaction processing gas from the gas cylinder 68 is introduced into the area 60 after its flow rate is adjusted by the mass flow rate controller 67.

Further, the gas supply means for the reaction area 60 is not limited to the above structure (that is, a structure including one gas cylinder and one mass flow controller), but a structure including a plurality of gas cylinders and a mass flow controller (for example, an inert gas). And two reaction gas storages, and two mass flow controllers for adjusting the flow rate of each gas supplied from each gas cylinder).

In the embodiment of the present application, the sputtered material formed by the sputtering area 20 (and/or 40) is treated by the plasma generated in the reaction area to form a compound thin film. The vacuum container 11 is provided with a partition wall 12 (and/or 14). The partition 12 (and/or 14) separates the sputtering area 20 (and/or 40) from the reaction area 60. In the sputtering area 20 (and/or 40), the

sputtering target material

29a, 29b (and/or 49a, 49b) forms a sputter material containing at least two elements on the substrate S.

Further, in the sputtering area 20 (and/or 40), a

sputtering target material

29a, 29b (and/or 49a, 49b) forms a sputter material containing at least two kinds of conductive elements on the substrate S. Correspondingly, the

target material

29a, 29b (and/or 49a, 49b) is preferably a conductive material or a material containing a conductive element. Then, it becomes easy to form a conductive circuit during sputtering, it becomes easy to form sputtering at a relatively fast rate with respect to the target material, and the film formation rate can be increased.

The sputtering area 20 (and/or 40) and the reaction area 60 are spatially separated from each other along the moving direction of the substrate holding means 13. The partition 12 (and/or 14) is provided around the

sputtering area

20, 40 so as to surround the

sputtering area

20, 40, thereby forming a sealed space in the

sputtering area

20, 40, and at the same time, the partition 12 ( And/or 14) is also located between the substrate holding means 13 and the inner wall of the vacuum chamber 11.

As shown in FIG. 3, the partition wall 12 (and/or 14) is separated from one end (or one side) of the inner wall of the vacuum container 11 and is close to the substrate S in the substrate holding means 13, but is constant between the partition wall 12 and the substrate S. Is provided to avoid interference with the reciprocating motion of the substrate S following the substrate holding means 13 and formation of a thin film. Therefore, the sealed spaces in the

sputtering areas

20 and 40 are relatively sealed, and may be spatially and pressure separated from other areas. Among them, the sputtering area and the reaction area have an electromagnetic coupling or an electrical coupling in the vacuum chamber, so that the sputtering gas is oxidized by the reaction gas to form a target thin film.

In the embodiment of the present application, in the sputtering area 20 (and/or 40), at least two kinds of metal elements or conductive elements are provided on the substrate S by the

sputtering target materials

29a and 29b (and/or 49a and 49b). Forming a sputtered material including. The at least two kinds of metal elements or conductive elements may include silicon and aluminum elements. By sputtering the target material containing a metal element or a conductive element, the film formation rate is greatly improved, and at the same time, it is easy to react with the reaction gas to form a multi-element compound thin film. Has become.

In the present embodiment, at least two sputtering areas spatially separated from each other are provided in the vacuum container 11 along the movement direction of the substrate holding means 13. Since the materials of the target materials sputtered in the at least two sputtering areas are different, a sputtered material containing at least two kinds of metal elements is formed on the substrate.

In each sputtering area 20 (or 40), one metal or metal compound target material or conductive target material can be sputtered. Partitions 12 (or 14) are provided on both sides of the sputtering area to form independent spaces. Since each sputtering area 20 (or 40) has an independent area, it is easy to control the sputtering parameters of the target material, and the amount or state of the sputtered material sputtered on the target material can be individually controlled. Thus, a desired thin film can be obtained.

In order to increase the film formation rate, sputtering may be performed in the metal mode or the conductive mode in the sputtering area. In order to increase the film formation rate, the target material to be sputtered in the sputtering area 20 (or 40) may be a conductive target material. In a specific example, the target material sputtered in the sputtering area 20 (or 40) contains a metal element and/or a compound containing a metal element. Specifically, the target material includes at least one material of Si, Al, Ta, C, Cr, Mg, Ca, Y, SiOx, AlOx, TiOx, CrOx, and TaOx.

In the embodiments of the present application, in the measurement by experiment, the thin film contains at least four kinds of elements such as silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N) at the same time. Has not only a preferable structural hardness but also a smaller thin film stress, and a plurality of spatially separated sputtering areas and reaction areas realize a sputter deposition using a SiAlON material, and a deposition rate. Is ensured, and the application value and future are expected to be very high.

Table 1 SiAlON thin film evaluation results

From the “SiAlON thin film evaluation result” in Table 1, the thin film having the SiAlON material has good roughness, smaller thin film stress, and more suitable micro Vickers hardness, excellent optical performance, and favorable film formation. It is clear that it also has a rate.

Of course, the above result may be verified by a comparative test. See Table 2.
Table 2 Comparative test results

In Table 2, TG is a target material (target), n@550 is a refractive index, and k@550 and k@400 are extinction coefficients.

From the comparison of SiON and SiAlON thin film in Table 2, it was found that the stress of SiAlON thin film is lower than that of SiON thin film, and at the same time, the film forming rate is faster, so that it has more suitable optical performance.

Specifically, in the sputtering area 20 (or 40) and the reaction area 60, at least one thin film of SiAlON, Mg-SiAlON, Ca-SiAlON, Y-SiAlON, and TiAlON is formed on the substrate. ..

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in order to facilitate the formation of a SiAlON thin film, the vacuum chamber 11 is provided with two spatially separated

sputtering areas

20 and 40. The two

sputtering areas

20 and 40 include a first sputtering area 20 for sputtering a Si target material and a second sputtering area 40 for sputtering an Al target material. In the reaction area 60, N ₂ and O ₂ are introduced to form a SiAlON thin film on the substrate S.

In the present embodiment, as shown in Table 3, the SiAlON thin film may be understood as a thin film containing SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , Al ₄ O ₆ , and AI ₄ N ₄ compounds. Among them, SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , Al ₄ O ₆ , and AI ₄ N4 _are dispersedly distributed or mixedly distributed in the thin film. In the SiAlON thin film, the phenomenon that only one compound of SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , Al ₄ O ₆ , and AI ₄ N ₄ exists over the single layer does not occur.

The thin film material containing the above compound simultaneously contains four kinds of elements such as silicon (Si), aluminum (Al), oxygen (O), and nitrogen (N), and has excellent thin film performance. The SiAlON thin film has desired optical performance and thin film performance because the content requirements of SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , Al ₄ O ₆ , and AI ₄ N ₄ are strict. Since the sputtering area (sputtering source) and the reaction area (plasma source) that are spatially separated are provided, the contents of SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , Al ₄ O ₆ , and AI ₄ N ₄ can be freely set. It is possible to adjust and obtain SiO ₂ , Si ₃ N ₄ , Al ₄ O ₆ , and AI ₄ N ₄ having a desired component content to obtain a compound thin film having a desired performance.

Table 3

From Table 3 above, the SiAlON thin film has a preferable hardness and a higher refractive index as compared with the SiON and AlON thin films, can provide excellent thin film performance, and the film forming rate is remarkably improved. You can find out what you have done.

From Table 3, a SiAlON thin film was formed on the substrate in the sputtering area and the reaction area. The ratio of each component in the SiAlON thin film is 6% to 22% for SiO ₂ , 33% to 60% for Si ₃ N ₄ , 7% to 20% for Al ₄ O ₆ , and 4% to 29% for Al ₄ N _4. %.

In the sputtering area and the reaction area, a SiAlON thin film is formed on the substrate. The composition of the SiAlON thin film satisfied the relationship that the proportional range of (SiO ₂ +Si ₃ N ₄ ):(Al ₄ O ₆ +Al ₄ N ₄ ) was 1.23 to 3.55.

Among them, the first sputtering area and the second sputtering area are arranged so that the sputtering parameters can be adjusted. The sputtering parameters include at least one of sputtering power, sputtering voltage, and sputtering current. The sputtering parameters in the first sputtering area and the second sputtering area may be realized by controlling the respective sputtering sources.

Specifically, the structure of each sputter source is not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, as a general-purpose one, each sputter source has a double cathode type sputter source having two

magnetron sputter electrodes

21a and 21b (or 41a and 41b) (one of the above-mentioned specific cathode electrodes). Example)). At the time of film formation (which will be described later), the

target materials

29a and 29b (and/or 49a and 49b) are freely attached to the surfaces of the

electrodes

21a and 21b (or 41a and 41b) on one end side, respectively. The other end of each

electrode

21a, 21b (or 41a, 41b) is connected to an AC power supply 23 (or 43) as a power supply means via a transformer 24 (or 44) as a power control means for adjusting power. ) And is configured to apply an AC voltage having a frequency of, for example, about 1 kHz to 100 kHz to each of the

electrodes

21a, 21b (or 41a, 41b).

In the present embodiment, the sputtering film forming apparatus includes a first air supply unit that introduces an inert gas into the sputtering area 20 (or 40). The inert gas is preferably argon gas. As shown in Table 2, as a result of research, it was found that the thin film stress can be efficiently reduced by increasing the flow rate of the argon gas. Specifically, the flow rate of the gas introduced into the first air supply unit is 200 sccm or more. By increasing the flow rate of the inert gas and forming a larger film forming pressure (sputtering pressure) in the sputtering area, the film forming rate can be increased, and the compound thin film containing four or more elements can be formed on the substrate S. The film forming rate to be formed can be remarkably improved.

It becomes possible to freely adjust and combine, and it is possible to obtain a thin film having mechanical properties such as optical properties, stress, hardness, surface roughness. The first gas supply unit is arranged so that a gas transfer parameter of the inert gas can be adjusted, and the gas transfer parameter includes at least one of a flow rate, an atmospheric pressure, and a flow rate.

A gas supply means for sputtering is connected in front of each sputtering source (sputtering areas 20, 40). In the present embodiment, the gas supply means for sputtering is a gas cylinder 26 (or 46) for storing the sputtering gas, and a mass flow controller 25 for adjusting the flow rate of the sputtering gas supplied from the gas cylinder 26 (or 46). (Or 45). The sputtering gas is introduced into each area 20 (or 40) through the pipe. The mass flow controller 25 (or 45) is a device for adjusting the flow rate of the sputtering gas. The sputtering gas from the gas cylinder 26 (or 46) is introduced into the area 20 (or 40) after its flow rate is adjusted by the mass flow controller 25 (or 45). Mass flow controller 25 (or 45) provides control of the flow rate for the inert gas, which can control the target thin film composition or performance obtained and the formation rate.

In the embodiment of the present application, the control of the sputtering parameter, the gas transmission parameter, and the plasma generation parameter in the sputtering area may be realized by the controller. The controller may be implemented in any suitable manner. Specifically, for example, as the controller, for example, a microprocessor or a processor, and a computer-readable storage of a computer-readable program code (eg, software or firmware) that may be executed by the microprocessor or the processor. The form of a medium, a logic gate, a switch, a programmable logic controller (Programmable Logic Controller, PLC), and a plug-in type micro controller unit (Microcontroller Unit, MCU) may be used. Examples of the above modules include, but are not limited to, ARC 625D, Atmel AT91SAM, Microchip PIC18F26K20, and Silicone Labs C8051F320. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in addition to the functions of the controller being implemented simply by means of a computer readable program code, method steps are logically programmed to provide logic gates as control means, Forms such as switches, application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic controllers, and embedded microcontroller units make it possible to achieve similar functions.

Multiple elements, components, components or steps may be provided by a single integrated device, component, component or step. It should be noted that a single integrated device, component, member or step may optionally be divided into a plurality of spaced apart devices, components, members or steps. The word "one" or "one" of the disclosure to describe an element, component, member or step is not meant to exclude other elements, components, members or steps.

It should be understood that the above description is for the purpose of explaining the accompanying drawings, not for limitation. After browsing the above description, various embodiments and various applications other than the provided examples may be appropriately used for those skilled in the art.

With reference to the above description and drawings, the specific embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed in detail, and it has been shown that the principles of the present invention are used. Within the spirit and scope of the claims, the embodiments of the present invention include many changes, modifications and equivalents.

Features described and/or shown in one embodiment may be used in one or more other embodiments in a similar or similar manner and may combine features in other embodiments. it can.

"Include/include" is used herein to indicate the presence of a feature, step or element, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other feature, step or element. ..

Claims

A vacuum container having an exhaust mechanism,
Substrate holding means capable of holding a plurality of substrates,
A sputtering area and a reaction area located inside the vacuum container,
In the sputtering area, a sputtering target material is used to form a sputtering material on the substrate,
In the reaction area, a sputtering film forming apparatus that forms a compound thin film by interacting with the sputtering material by an active species of a reactive gas in plasma.
The sputtering area and the reaction area are spatially separated from each other,
In the reaction area, two or more kinds of reaction gases are introduced to generate plasma in the reaction area,
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the reaction area, active species of a reactive gas in plasma react with the sputtering material to form a compound thin film containing at least four elements.
A vacuum container having an exhaust mechanism,
Substrate holding means capable of holding a plurality of substrates,
A sputtering area and a reaction area located inside the vacuum container and spatially separated from each other;
In the sputtering area, a sputtering target material is used to form a sputtering material containing at least two kinds of elements on a substrate,
In the reaction area, a reaction gas is introduced to generate plasma in the reaction area,
In the reaction area, a sputtering film forming apparatus that forms a compound thin film by interacting with the sputtering material by an active species of a reactive gas in plasma.
The substrate holding means is formed in a cylindrical shape,
The substrate holding means reciprocates the substrate between the sputtering area and the reaction area by rotating the driving means while holding a plurality of the substrates on the outer peripheral surface of the substrate holding means. 4. The sputtering film forming apparatus according to any one of 1 to 3.
The sputtered material formed by sputtering in the sputtering area is treated with the plasma generated in the reaction area,
A thin film is formed,
The vacuum container is provided with a partition,
4. The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering area and the reaction area are separated from each other by the partition wall.
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an exhaust mechanism is provided in a portion of the vacuum container near the reaction area.
Inside the vacuum vessel, one or more reaction areas are provided,
The sputtering according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein two or more reaction gases are simultaneously introduced into at least one of the reaction areas, or at least two reaction gases are alternately introduced. Deposition apparatus.
The reaction area is provided with a plasma source for forming plasma,
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plasma source includes at least one of an ICP source, an ECR source, and an ion source.
The sputtering area and the reaction area are spatially separated from each other along the movement direction of the substrate holding means,
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sputtering area and the reaction area have electromagnetic coupling or electrical coupling in a vacuum container.
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the sputtering area, a sputtering material containing at least two kinds of metal elements is formed on the substrate by the sputtering target material.
In the vacuum container, at least two sputtering areas spatially separated from each other are provided along the moving direction of the substrate holding means,
The sputtering according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the materials of the target materials sputtered in at least two of the sputtering areas are different from each other, and a sputtering material containing at least two kinds of metal elements is formed on the substrate. Deposition apparatus.
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the target material sputtered in the sputtering area contains a metal element and/or a compound containing a metal element.
13. The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the target material includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of Si, Al, Ta, C, Cr, Mg, Ca, Y, SiOx, AlOx, TiOx, CrOx, and TaOx.
The thin film of at least one of SiAlON, Mg-SiAlON, Ca-SiAlON, Y-SiAlON, and TiAlON is formed on the substrate in the sputtering area and the reaction area. The sputter film forming apparatus described.
The vacuum container is provided with the two sputtering areas spatially separated from each other,
The two sputtering areas include a first sputtering area for sputtering a Si target material and a second sputtering area for sputtering an Al target material,
4. The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein N 2 and O 2 are introduced into the reaction area to form a SiAlON thin film on the substrate.
In the first sputtering area and the second sputtering area, sputtering parameters are adjustable,
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the sputtering parameter includes at least one of sputtering power, sputtering voltage, and sputtering current.
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a first air supply unit for introducing an inert gas into the sputtering area.
18. The sputter deposition method according to claim 17, wherein the first air supply unit can adjust a gas transfer parameter of the inert gas, and the gas transfer parameter includes at least one of a flow rate, an atmospheric pressure, and a flow rate. apparatus.
The first air supply unit introduces argon into the sputtering area,
18. The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the flow rate of argon introduced by the first air supply unit is 200 sccm or more.
The plasma generation parameter of the plasma source is adjustable,
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plasma generation parameter includes at least one of power supply power, power supply voltage, and antenna current.
A second gas supply unit for introducing one of an inert gas, a reactive gas, and a mixed gas of an inert gas and a reaction gas into the reaction area,
The second air supply unit may adjust gas transfer parameters of the transferred gas,
The sputtering film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gas transmission parameter includes at least one of a flow rate, an atmospheric pressure, and a flow rate.
A sputter film forming method using the sputter film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 21,
A plurality of substrates are introduced into the film formation region, and in the film formation region, sputtered particles are released from the target material by the sputter plasma discharged by sputtering, and the sputtered particles reach the surface of the substrate and are stacked. Form a sputtered material,
A sputtering film forming method, comprising: moving the substrate into a reaction area, and in the reaction area, ions in plasma interact with the sputtering material to form a compound thin film containing at least four elements. ..
A compound thin film produced by the sputtering film forming apparatus according to claim 1.
A compound thin film produced by the sputtering film forming method according to claim 22.
24. The compound thin film according to claim 22 or 23, comprising at least one thin film selected from SiAlON, Mg-SiAlON, Ca-SiAlON, Y-SiAlON, and TiAlON.