Plasma auxiliary cleaning structure of PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating equipment and cleaning method of plasma auxiliary cleaning structure

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of PVD coating, in particular to a plasma auxiliary cleaning structure of PVD coating equipment and a cleaning method thereof.The plasma auxiliary cleaning structure comprises a vacuum chamber, a rotating frame, a metal target and a magnet are arranged in the vacuum chamber, a plurality of machining parts can be hung on the rotating frame, and the rotating frame is electrically connected with a bias power supply; in the cleaning process, the bias power supply can apply negative voltage to the machining part through the rotating stand, the metal target is arranged on the periphery of the rotating stand, the metal target is connected with a magnetic control power supply, after voltage is applied to the metal target, gas in the vacuum cavity is ionized to generate plasma, and a magnet is arranged at the end, away from the rotating stand, of the metal target. The magnet is used for restraining plasma in the vacuum chamber, a metal cylinder is arranged on the inner side of the rotating frame, the axis of the metal cylinder coincides with the rotating and rolling axis of the rotating frame, an electric field structure is formed between the machining part and the metal cylinder, and the plasma in the vacuum chamber can be further ionized under the action of an electric field so that the plasma discharge density can be enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of PVD coating, in particular to a plasma-assisted cleaning structure of PVD coating equipment and a cleaning method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is widely used in semiconductor manufacturing and other metal coating fields, such as glass coating, mobile phone back panel coating, etc. PVD mainly uses Ar plasma to sputter metal targets such as copper targets, titanium targets, chromium targets, etc. The metal atoms sputtered by Ar plasma diffuse to the surface of the object to achieve metal atom deposition on the surface of the object, and finally complete the thin film preparation on the surface of the object.

[0003] In order to achieve better bonding strength, the surface of the coated object needs to be cleaned. For example, before entering the vacuum chamber of the PVD equipment, the coated object will be soaked with acid or other solvents, and ultrasonic cleaning will be used to remove oil, oxides, etc. on the surface of the object. However, there will be solvent residue on the surface of the object after acid washing or solvent treatment. In order to further remove the solvent residue, further cleaning is generally performed, and this cleaning is plasma cleaning in the PVD vacuum chamber, such as ion source cleaning.

[0004] Conventional PVD equipment such as the attached Figure 1 As shown, the vacuum chamber 1 mainly contains a magnetron sputtering source and a coating processing component. The magnetron sputtering source includes a metal target 2, and in addition to the metal target, a dielectric target can also be used; a magnet 3, which is used to confine the plasma, and the magnet is generally water-cooled. The metal target ionizes the gas in the vacuum chamber 1 through the voltage applied by the magnetron power supply 6 to generate plasma. At the same time, the metal ions, atoms, etc. generated by the sputtering of the target material 2 by the plasma are deposited on the surface of the processing component 5. In order to better obtain the uniformity of deposition, the coated component is generally mounted on a turntable 4, and the turntable 4 rotates counterclockwise or clockwise. Generally, a certain bias power supply 7 is applied to the turntable, and the bias power supply can pull the sputtered ions to the processed component 5, so that the thin film deposited on the surface of the processed component 5 has better bonding strength.

[0005] However, current cleaning methods have limited effects and cannot directly generate high-density plasma on the surface of the object, resulting in long cleaning times, or poor cleaning effects that affect subsequent coating performance, such as poor bonding strength. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art solutions, the present invention provides a plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device and a cleaning method thereof, which can effectively solve the technical problem of poor cleaning effect.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problem is:

[0008] A plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device comprises a vacuum chamber, wherein a rotating frame, a metal target and a magnet are arranged in the vacuum chamber, the rotating frame can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise in the vacuum chamber, a plurality of processing parts can be mounted on the rotating frame, the rotating frame is electrically connected to a bias power supply, during the cleaning process, the bias power supply can apply a negative voltage to the processing parts through the rotating frame, the metal target is arranged at the periphery of the rotating frame, the metal target is connected to a magnetron power supply, after voltage is applied to the metal target, the gas in the vacuum chamber is ionized to generate plasma, a magnet is arranged at one end of the metal target away from the rotating frame, the magnet is used to confine the plasma in the vacuum chamber, a metal cylinder is arranged on the inner side of the rotating frame, and the axis of the metal cylinder coincides with the axis of rotation of the rotating frame.

[0009] Furthermore, the metal cylinder is tile-shaped, and there are more than two metal cylinders, each of which is connected to a rotating component separately, and each rotating component can separately control the corresponding metal cylinder to reciprocate, and the rotation axes of the metal cylinders coincide.

[0010] Furthermore, the rotating assembly includes a metal disc, a metal pin, a roller and a driving motor. The metal cylinder is arranged above the metal disc through the metal pin. The metal disc is connected to the driving motor through the roller. The driving motor drives the metal disc to rotate the corresponding metal cylinder.

[0011] Furthermore, more than two metal discs are arranged in parallel up and down, and the rotation axes are located on the same axis. A through groove is provided on the metal disc on the upper layer, and the metal pin on the lower metal disc passes through the through groove on the upper metal disc and is connected to the corresponding metal cylinder. A first transmission gear is provided at the end of the roller away from the driving motor, and a second transmission gear is provided on the metal disc, and the first transmission gear is meshed with the corresponding second transmission gear.

[0012] Furthermore, there are more than two metal targets and magnets, and the more than two metal targets are electrically connected to the magnetron power supply.

[0013] Furthermore, the metal cylinder is connected to a discharge power source, and the discharge power source can apply voltage to the metal cylinder.

[0014] Furthermore, the electrical signal of the discharge power supply is a medium frequency or a radio frequency.

[0015] A plasma-assisted cleaning method for PVD coating equipment is used for a plasma-assisted cleaning structure of PVD coating equipment. The cleaning steps are as follows: firstly, a processing component is mounted on a rotating frame to form a flat plate-like structure between a metal cylinder and the processing component, a door of a vacuum chamber is closed and a cleaning gas is filled into the vacuum chamber for subsequent formation of gas discharge, radio frequency or intermediate frequency power is applied to the metal cylinder to form a stable plasma discharge between the metal cylinder and the processing component, a negative bias is applied to the processing component, and ions in the plasma between the metal cylinder and the processing component bombard the surface of the processing component, thereby achieving cleaning and coating of the component surface.

[0016] Furthermore, the metal cylinder is unfolded before cleaning, the metal cylinder is rotated to form a cylindrical shape, and the metal cylinder is folded and overlapped after cleaning.

[0017] Furthermore, during the cleaning process, the metal cylinder reciprocates around the axis of the rotating frame.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: an electric field structure is formed between the processed component and the metal round tube, and the plasma in the vacuum chamber can be further ionized under the action of the electric field to enhance the plasma discharge density, and on the other hand, the ions in the plasma are accelerated to bombard the component surface under the action of the electric field to enhance the cleaning effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the background technology;

[0020] Numbers in the figure: 1-vacuum chamber, 2-metal target, 3-magnet, 4-rotating frame, 5-processing part, 6-magnetron power supply, 7-bias power supply.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a flat plate discharge structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the positions of the metal cylinder and the rotating frame in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a metal cylinder and a rotating assembly in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 It is a front view of the metal cylinder and the rotating assembly in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the rotation of the metal cylinder in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Numbers in the figure: 1-vacuum chamber, 2-metal target, 3-magnet, 4-rotating frame, 5-processing part, 6-magnetron power supply, 7-bias power supply, 8-discharge power supply, 9-metal disc, 10-metal pin, 11-roller, 12-drive motor, 13-through slot, 14-first transmission gear, 15-second transmission gear, 16-metal cylinder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0029] Embodiment 1, as Figure 2-4 As shown:

[0030] A plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device comprises a vacuum chamber 1, wherein a rotating frame 4, a metal target 2 and a magnet 3 are arranged in the vacuum chamber 1, wherein the rotating frame 4 can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise in the vacuum chamber 1, wherein a plurality of processing components 5 can be mounted on the rotating frame 4, wherein the rotating frame 4 is electrically connected to a bias power supply 7, wherein during the cleaning process, the bias power supply 7 can apply a negative voltage to the processing components 5 through the rotating frame 4, wherein the metal target 2 is arranged on the periphery of the rotating frame 4, wherein the metal target 2 is connected to a magnetron power supply 6, wherein the metal target 2 is electrically connected to the vacuum chamber 1 after the voltage is applied thereto. 1 is ionized to generate plasma, the metal target 2 and the magnet 3 are both electrically connected to the magnetron power supply 6, the magnet 3 is arranged at one end of the metal target 2 away from the rotating frame 4, the magnet 3 is used to confine the plasma in the vacuum chamber 1, the inner side of the rotating frame 4 is provided with a metal cylinder 16, the metal cylinder 16 is a complete cylindrical structure, the axis of the metal cylinder 16 coincides with the center of the rotating roller shaft 11 of the rotating frame 4, the metal cylinder 16 is connected to the discharge power supply 8, and the discharge power supply 8 can apply voltage to the metal cylinder 16.

[0031] A plasma-assisted cleaning method for PVD coating equipment, the cleaning steps are as follows: first, the processing component 5 is mounted on the rotating frame 4, so that a flat plate discharge structure is formed between the metal cylinder 16 and the processing component 5, such as Figure 3 As shown, the door of the vacuum chamber 1 is closed and a cleaning gas is filled into the vacuum chamber 1 for subsequent formation of gas discharge, and radio frequency or intermediate frequency power is applied to the metal cylinder 16, so that a stable plasma discharge is formed between the metal cylinder 16 and the processing component 5, and a negative bias is applied to the processing component 5, so that ions in the plasma between the metal cylinder 16 and the processing component 5 bombard the surface of the processing component 5, thereby achieving cleaning and coating of the component surface.

[0032] An electric field structure is formed between the processing component 5 and the metal cylinder. Under the action of the electric field, the plasma in the vacuum chamber 1 can be further ionized to enhance the plasma discharge density. On the other hand, the ions in the plasma are accelerated to bombard the surface of the component under the action of the electric field to enhance the cleaning effect. A corresponding discharge power supply 8 can be applied to the metal cylinder 16 to further ionize the gas and enhance the plasma discharge and cleaning effect. The discharge power supply 8 is a medium frequency or a radio frequency, but is not limited to a medium frequency or a radio frequency. Other different frequencies can be used according to the actual cleaning situation. This technology is a conventional technical means in this field and will not be repeated here.

[0033] Embodiment 2, as Figure 5-7 As shown:

[0034] The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that two metal cylinders 16 are provided, each metal cylinder 16 is in the shape of a tile, and the two metal cylinders 16 are connected to a rotating assembly separately connected, and each rotating assembly can separately control the corresponding metal cylinder 16 to reciprocate, and the axes of the two metal cylinders 16 coincide when rotating, and the rotating assembly includes a metal disc 9, a metal pin 10, a roller 11 and a driving motor 12, and the metal cylinder 16 is arranged above the metal disc 9 through the metal pin 10, and the metal disc 9 is connected to the driving motor 12 through the roller 11, and the driving motor 12 drives the metal disc 9 to rotate the corresponding metal cylinder 16, and the two metal discs 9 are arranged in parallel up and down. The two metal discs 9 are arranged in a row and their axes coincide with each other, and are arranged in the coating equipment through the same rotating shaft. A through groove 13 is arranged on the metal disc 9 on the upper layer, and the metal pin 10 on the lower metal disc 9 passes through the through groove 13 on the upper metal disc 9 and is connected with the corresponding metal cylinder 16. A first transmission gear 14 is arranged at the end of the roller 11 away from the driving motor 12, and a second transmission gear 15 is arranged on the metal disc 9. The first transmission gear 14 is meshed with the corresponding second transmission gear 15. The two driving motors 12 rotate in opposite directions when working. During the cleaning process, the driving motor 12 drives the metal cylinder 16 to continuously reciprocate, and the second transmission gear 15 on the upper metal disc 9 is a semicircular rack.

[0035] The rotation method of the metal cylinder 16 is not limited to one method. The rotation method is a conventional technical means in this field. Those skilled in the art can use other rotation methods according to the actual situation of the coating equipment.

[0036] The cleaning steps of this embodiment are as follows: the metal cylinder 16 is unfolded before cleaning, and the metal cylinder 16 rotates to form a cylindrical shape. After the metal cylinder 16 is unfolded, the processing component 5 is mounted on the rotating frame 4, so that a flat plate-like structure is formed between the metal cylinder 16 and the processing component 5, the cavity door of the vacuum chamber 1 is closed and the cleaning gas is filled into the vacuum chamber 1 for the subsequent formation of gas discharge, and radio frequency or intermediate frequency power is applied to the metal cylinder 16 so that a stable plasma discharge is formed between the metal cylinder 16 and the processing component 5. A negative bias is applied to the processing component 5 so that ions in the plasma between the metal cylinder 16 and the processing component 5 bombard the surface of the processing component 5, thereby achieving cleaning and coating of the component surface. During the cleaning process, the metal cylinder 16 reciprocates around the axis of the rotating frame 4, and after the cleaning is completed, the metal cylinder 16 is folded and overlapped.

[0037] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

Claims

1. A plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device, comprising a vacuum chamber, a rotating frame, a metal target and a magnet are arranged in the vacuum chamber, the rotating frame can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise in the vacuum chamber, and a plurality of processing parts can be mounted on the rotating frame, characterized in that: The turntable is electrically connected to a bias power supply, and during the cleaning process, the bias power supply can apply a negative voltage to the processing part through the turntable. A metal target is arranged on the periphery of the turntable, and the metal target is connected to a magnetron power supply. After the voltage is applied to the metal target, the gas in the vacuum chamber is ionized to generate plasma. A magnet is arranged at one end of the metal target away from the turntable, and the magnet is used to confine the plasma in the vacuum chamber. A metal cylinder is arranged on the inner side of the turntable, and the axis of the metal cylinder coincides with the rotation axis of the turntable.

2. The plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal cylinder is in a tile shape, and more than two metal cylinders are provided. The more than two metal cylinders are connected to a rotating component separately, and each rotating component can separately control the corresponding metal cylinder to reciprocate, and the rotating axes of the metal cylinders coincide.

3. The plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rotating assembly includes a metal disc, a metal pin, a roller and a driving motor. The metal cylinder is arranged above the metal disc through the metal pin. The metal disc is connected to the driving motor through the roller. The driving motor drives the metal disc to rotate the corresponding metal cylinder.

4. The plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device according to claim 3, characterized in that: More than two metal discs are arranged in parallel up and down, and the rotation axes are located on the same axis. A through groove is provided on the metal disc on the upper layer. The metal pin on the lower metal disc passes through the through groove on the upper metal disc and is connected to the corresponding metal cylinder. A first transmission gear is provided at the end of the roller away from the driving motor, and a second transmission gear is provided on the metal disc. The first transmission gear is meshed with the corresponding second transmission gear.

5. The plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are more than two metal targets and magnets, and the more than two metal targets are electrically connected to the magnetron power supply.

6. The plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The metal cylinder is connected to a discharge power source, and the discharge power source can apply voltage to the metal cylinder.

7. The plasma-assisted cleaning structure of a PVD coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electrical signal of the discharge power supply is a medium frequency or a radio frequency.

8. A plasma-assisted cleaning method for PVD coating equipment, used for a plasma-assisted cleaning structure for PVD coating equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The cleaning steps are as follows: first mount the processing component on the rotating frame to form a flat-plate structure between the metal cylinder and the processing component, close the door of the vacuum chamber and fill the vacuum chamber with cleaning gas for the subsequent formation of gas discharge, apply radio frequency or intermediate frequency power to the metal cylinder to form a stable plasma discharge between the metal cylinder and the processing component, apply a negative bias to the processing component, so that the ions in the plasma between the metal cylinder and the processing component bombard the surface of the processing component, thereby achieving surface cleaning and coating of the component.

9. The plasma-assisted cleaning method for PVD coating equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that: The metal cylinder is unfolded before cleaning, and the metal cylinder is rotated to form a cylindrical shape. After cleaning, the metal cylinder is folded and overlapped.

10. The plasma-assisted cleaning method for PVD coating equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that: During the cleaning process, the metal cylinder reciprocates around the axis of the rotating frame.

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