Apparatus and method for preparing low-defect-density thin film material through mass-energy asynchronous deposition

Abstract

The application provides a device and method for preparing low-defect-density thin film material through energy-asynchronous deposition, which comprises a rack, a workpiece rack, a separation baffle, a deposition ion source and a cleaning ion source. The workpiece rack is rotatably installed on the rack, and a substrate is fixed on the workpiece rack. The separation baffle is fixedly installed on the rack and is perpendicular to the workpiece rack, and has a gap with the workpiece rack. The separation baffle divides the plane where the workpiece rack is located into a deposition area and a cleaning area. The deposition ion source is used for sputtering deposition ions to the deposition area. The cleaning ion source is used for sputtering cleaning ions to the cleaning area, and the emission direction of the cleaning ions has an angle with the plane where the workpiece rack is located. The plane where the workpiece rack is located is divided into the deposition area and the cleaning area through the separation baffle, and the deposition and cleaning processes are asynchronous, so that the single-step particle deposition rate is reduced from the nm / s order of magnitude in the traditional preparation process to the A / s order of magnitude. The particle pollution attached to the substrate surface during the film coating process is quickly covered by the deposition ions, and the particle pollution attached to the substrate during the film coating is cleaned in time, so that the formation of the nodule defect can be inhibited, and the thin film quality is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of film coating technology, and in particular to a device and method for preparing a low-defect-density thin film material by mass-energy asynchronous deposition. Background Art

[0002] Optical vacuum evaporation equipment is often used in industrial production to coat a wide range of products, including magnetic materials, medical device components, circuit boards, electronic components, semiconductor materials, optical devices, optoelectronic products, mobile phone accessories, accessories, or their raw materials. Electron beam evaporation can significantly increase the deposition rate of thin films. However, due to the low energy of the material vapor molecules and the low mobility of gas-phase molecules reaching the substrate surface, the resulting optical films generally have low adhesion to the substrate, resulting in poor stability and reliability. Ion beam-assisted deposition (IBED) uses ions with a certain amount of kinetic energy to collide and evaporate atoms or molecules during the thin film deposition process. Through momentum exchange, the deposited atoms or molecules gain greater migration momentum on the film surface. This method can effectively improve the problem of loose film structure caused by thermal evaporation deposition and enhance the controllability of the film.

[0003] In the existing technology, ion beam assisted deposition generally involves depositing ions and auxiliary particles arriving at the substrate surface at the same time. For high-power laser thin films, the film deposition rate is on the order of nm / s. During the coating process, particulate contamination attached to the substrate surface will be quickly covered by the deposited ions and will be difficult to be sputtered out under the action of the auxiliary ion beam, resulting in nodule defects in the film and damage to the thin film components. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention proposes a device and method for preparing low-defect density thin film materials by mass-energy asynchronous deposition, so as to solve the technical problem proposed in the above background technology that particulate contamination attached to the surface of the substrate during the coating process will be quickly covered by the deposited ions and will be difficult to be sputtered out under the action of the auxiliary ion beam, resulting in the formation of nodule defects in the thin film and causing damage to the thin film components.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is achieved as follows:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a low defect density thin film material preparation device using mass-energy asynchronous deposition, comprising a frame, a workpiece rack, a separation baffle, a deposition ion source, and a cleaning ion source, wherein:

[0007] The workpiece rack is rotatably mounted on the machine frame, and a substrate is fixed on the workpiece rack;

[0008] The partition baffle is fixedly mounted on the frame and is arranged perpendicular to the workpiece rack. There is a gap between the partition baffle and the workpiece rack. The partition baffle divides the plane where the workpiece rack is located into a deposition area and a cleaning area.

[0009] The deposition ion source is located on one side of the separation baffle and is used for sputtering deposition ions toward the deposition area;

[0010] The cleaning ion source is located on the other side of the partition baffle and is used for sputtering cleaning ions toward the cleaning area. The emission direction of the cleaning ions forms an angle with respect to the plane where the workpiece holder is located.

[0011] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the angle between the emission direction of the cleaning ions and the plane where the workpiece holder is located can be adjusted.

[0012] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the angle between the emission direction of the cleaning ions and the plane where the workpiece holder is located is 10-80 degrees.

[0013] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the voltage of the cleaning ion source is 500-1200V, and the power is 500-2000W.

[0014] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the rotation speed of the workpiece holder is 10-100 r / min.

[0015] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the deposition area performs single-step near-atomic layer deposition.

[0016] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, a first target material and a second target material are further included, wherein the first target material and the second target material are arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the cleaning area, and the first target material and the second target material are sputtered out and attached to the substrate to grow into a film.

[0017] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the first target material and the second target material are made of different materials.

[0018] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing a thin film material with low defect density by mass-energy asynchronous deposition, using the apparatus for preparing a thin film material with low defect density by mass-energy asynchronous deposition described in the first aspect, comprising:

[0019] sputtering cleaning ions toward the cleaning area through a cleaning ion source;

[0020] sputtering ions into the deposition area through a deposition ion source to form a film on the substrate;

[0021] By driving the workpiece rack to rotate around the frame, impurity particles attached to the substrate during deposition in the deposition area will be sputtered and cleaned by cleaning ions when the substrate rotates to the cleaning area.

[0022] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the sputtering of cleaning ions to the cleaning area by a cleaning ion source includes: adjusting an angle between an emission direction of the cleaning ions and a plane where the workpiece holder is located.

[0023] The low defect density thin film material preparation device of the present invention by mass-energy asynchronous deposition has the following advantages over the prior art:

[0024] (1) The plane where the workpiece holder is located is divided into a deposition area and a cleaning area by the partition baffle, and the deposition and cleaning processes are performed asynchronously, so that the single-step particle deposition rate is reduced from the nm / s level in the traditional preparation process to the A / s level, thereby preventing the particle contamination attached to the substrate surface during the coating process from being quickly covered by the deposited ions. The particle contamination attached during the particle deposition stage will be cleaned by reverse sputtering during the ion sputtering cleaning stage. The particle contamination attached to the substrate during the coating process can be cleaned in time, which can inhibit the formation of nodule defects and improve the quality of the film; by making the emission direction of the cleaning ions have an angle with respect to the plane where the workpiece holder is located, the cleaning ions are incident on the substrate at an angle, which can more effectively clean the impurity particles;

[0025] (2) The angle between the emission direction of the cleaning ions and the plane of the workpiece holder can be adjusted, and the inclination angle relative to the substrate can be adjusted as needed to achieve the best cleaning effect. The sputtering area can also be adjusted to suit the cleaning and deposition of thin films of different sizes.

[0026] (3) The voltage of the cleaning ion source can be adjusted within the range of 500-1200V, and the power can be adjusted within the range of 500-2000W, which can flexibly change the ion beam intensity, can clean impurities with different adhesion strengths, and at the same time make the film compact to meet different film coating requirements;

[0027] (4) The rotation speed of the workpiece holder can be adjusted within the range of 10-100 r / min. The slower the rotation speed of the workpiece holder, the faster the deposition speed and the higher the coating rate. However, the cleaning effect of impurities will be reduced. A balance point is found between the cleaning effect and the deposition speed to meet different thin film deposition requirements. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0029] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a device for preparing a low defect density thin film material by mass-energy asynchronous deposition in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a front view of a device for preparing a thin film material with low defect density by mass-energy asynchronous deposition (without the frame) in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the working principle of the apparatus for preparing a low defect density thin film material by mass-energy asynchronous deposition in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the relative positions of the cleaning ion source and the workpiece holder in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the process of preparing a low defect density thin film material by mass-energy asynchronous deposition in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals: 1-frame, 2-workpiece holder, 3-partition baffle, 4-deposition ion source, 5-cleaning ion source, 6-substrate, 7-deposition baffle, 8-impurity particles;

[0035] 100-deposition area, 200-cleaning area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will be combined with the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described 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 making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] Reference Figure 1-4 As shown, the first embodiment of the present invention provides a low defect density thin film material preparation device by mass-energy asynchronous deposition, including a frame 1, a workpiece frame 2, a partition baffle 3, a deposition ion source 4 and a cleaning ion source 5, wherein:

[0038] The workpiece rack 2 is rotatably mounted on the machine frame 1 , and a substrate 6 is fixed on the workpiece rack 2 ;

[0039] The partition baffle 3 is fixedly mounted on the frame 1 and is arranged perpendicular to the workpiece rack 2. There is a gap between the partition baffle 3 and the workpiece rack 2. The partition baffle 3 divides the plane where the workpiece rack 2 is located into a deposition area 100 and a cleaning area 200. The gap between the partition baffle 3 and the workpiece rack 2 is very small, almost fitting the workpiece rack 2, but does not affect the rotation of the workpiece rack 2. The partition baffle 3 does not rotate with the workpiece rack 2, thereby dividing the plane where the workpiece rack 2 is located into the deposition area 100 and the cleaning area 200, so that the substrate 6 is alternately deposited and cleaned.

[0040] The deposition ion source 4 is located on one side of the separation baffle 3 and is used to sputter deposition ions to the deposition area 100; the deposition ions are reflected by the deposition baffle 7 and reach the deposition area 100. The deposition baffle 7 and the deposition ion source 4 are located on the same side.

[0041] The cleaning ion source 5 is located on the other side of the partition baffle 3 and is used for sputtering cleaning ions toward the cleaning area 200 . The emission direction of the cleaning ions has an angle with respect to the plane where the workpiece holder 2 is located.

[0042] The low defect density thin film material preparation device of the mass-energy asynchronous deposition proposed in the embodiment of the present invention divides the plane where the workpiece holder 2 is located into a deposition area 100 and a cleaning area 200 by the separating baffle 3. The deposition and cleaning processes are performed asynchronously, so that the single-step particle deposition rate is reduced from the nm / s level in the traditional preparation process to the A / s level (1A=0.1nm, A is the unit of length, angstrom), thereby preventing the particle contamination attached to the surface of the substrate 6 during the coating process from being quickly covered by the deposited ions. The particle contamination attached during the particle deposition stage will be cleaned by reverse sputtering during the ion sputtering cleaning stage. The particle contamination attached to the substrate 6 during the coating is cleaned in time, which can suppress the formation of nodule defects and improve the quality of the film. By having an angle between the emission direction of the cleaning ions and the plane where the workpiece holder 2 is located, the cleaning ions are obliquely incident on the substrate 6, which can more effectively clean the impurity particles 8.

[0043] In some embodiments, during the traditional coating process, the cleaning ion source 5 is fixed in direction and placed perpendicular to the substrate 6, and the cleaning effect on the impurity particles 8 attached to the surface of the substrate 6 is poor. To solve the above problem, in this embodiment, the emission direction of the cleaning ions can be adjusted relative to the plane where the workpiece holder 2 is located. The inclination angle relative to the substrate 6 can be adjusted as needed to achieve the optimal cleaning effect, and the sputtering area range can be adjusted to suit the cleaning and deposition of films of different sizes.

[0044] In some embodiments, the angle of the emission direction of the cleaning ions relative to the plane of the workpiece holder 2 is 10-80 degrees. At an angle of 10-80 degrees, the cleaning effect is better when the cleaning ion source 5 is placed perpendicular to the substrate 6. Therefore, it is preferred to set the angle of the emission direction of the cleaning ions relative to the plane of the workpiece holder 2 to 10-80 degrees.

[0045] In some embodiments, the voltage of the cleaning ion source 5 is 500-1200 V, and the power is 500-2000 W. Since the voltage of the cleaning ion source 5 can be adjusted within the range of 500-1200 V, and the power can be adjusted within the range of 500-2000 W, the ion beam intensity can be flexibly changed, and impurities with different adhesion strengths can be cleaned while making the film dense, thereby meeting different film coating requirements.

[0046] In some embodiments, the rotation speed of the workpiece holder 2 is 10-100 rpm. The rotation speed of the workpiece holder 2 can be adjusted within the range of 10-100 rpm. The faster the rotation speed of the workpiece holder 2, the slower the deposition speed and the higher the coating rate, but the cleaning effect of impurities is reduced. A balance is found between the cleaning effect and the deposition speed to meet different thin film deposition requirements.

[0047] In some embodiments, the deposition area 100 performs single-step near-atomic layer deposition, which can achieve precise control of the thin film deposition rate, reduce the use of light-controlled or crystal-controlled components, and improve product quality.

[0048] In some embodiments, the apparatus for preparing a low-defect-density thin film material using asynchronous mass-energy deposition further includes a first target and a second target, which are disposed oppositely on either side of the cleaning zone 200. The first target and the second target are sputtered and attached to the substrate 6 to form a film. The deposition process is performed by sputtering the first target and the second target to form a film attached to the substrate 6. Simultaneously, a cleaning ion source 5 located on one side of the cleaning zone 200 sputters and cleans the thin film on the substrate 6. The asynchronous alternation of film deposition and film cleaning avoids, to a certain extent, the problem of impurity particles 8 remaining in the film and causing defects due to impurity particles 8 being covered by newly attached deposition ions before being cleaned by the cleaning ion source 5. This can significantly reduce defects in the film, thereby reducing nodule defects in the film after film formation, improving film quality, and making the film more suitable for high-power lasers.

[0049] In some embodiments, the first target and the second target may be made of different materials to meet different film requirements, such as two of Ta, Ti, or Si targets.

[0050] Based on the same concept, the second embodiment of the present invention, combined with Figure 5 As shown, a method for preparing a thin film material with low defect density by mass-energy asynchronous deposition is proposed, using the apparatus for preparing a thin film material with low defect density by mass-energy asynchronous deposition as described in the first aspect, comprising:

[0051] Step S1: sputtering cleaning ions into the cleaning area 200 through the cleaning ion source 5;

[0052] Step S2: sputtering ions into the deposition area 100 through the deposition ion source 4 to form a film on the substrate 6;

[0053] Step S3: by driving the workpiece holder 2 to rotate around the frame 1 , impurity particles attached to the substrate 6 during deposition in the deposition area 100 will be sputtered and cleaned by cleaning ions when the substrate 6 rotates to the cleaning area 200 .

[0054] In some embodiments, sputtering cleaning ions into the cleaning area 200 via the cleaning ion source 5 includes adjusting the angle of the cleaning ion emission direction relative to the plane of the workpiece holder 2. The tilt angle relative to the substrate 6 can be adjusted as needed to achieve optimal cleaning results. The sputtering area can also be adjusted to accommodate cleaning and deposition of thin films of varying sizes.

[0055] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for preparing low defect density thin film materials by mass-energy asynchronous deposition, characterized in that: It includes a frame, a workpiece holder, a separation baffle, a deposition ion source and a cleaning ion source, wherein: The workpiece rack is rotatably mounted on the machine frame, and a substrate is fixed on the workpiece rack; The partition baffle is fixedly mounted on the frame and is arranged perpendicular to the workpiece rack. There is a gap between the partition baffle and the workpiece rack. The partition baffle divides the plane where the workpiece rack is located into a deposition area and a cleaning area. The deposition ion source is located on one side of the separation baffle and is used for sputtering deposition ions toward the deposition area; The cleaning ion source is located on the other side of the partition baffle and is used for sputtering cleaning ions toward the cleaning area. The emission direction of the cleaning ions forms an angle with respect to the plane where the workpiece holder is located.

2. The low defect density thin film material preparation device by mass-energy asynchronous deposition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the emission direction of the cleaning ions and the plane where the workpiece holder is located can be adjusted.

3. The low defect density thin film material preparation device by mass-energy asynchronous deposition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the emission direction of the cleaning ions and the plane where the workpiece holder is located is 10-80 degrees.

4. The low defect density thin film material preparation device by mass-energy asynchronous deposition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The voltage of the cleaning ion source is 500-1200V, and the power is 500-2000W.

5. The low defect density thin film material preparation device by mass-energy asynchronous deposition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation speed of the workpiece rack is 10-100 r / min.

6. The low defect density thin film material preparation device by mass-energy asynchronous deposition according to claim 1, characterized in that: The deposition zone performs single-step near-atomic layer deposition.

7. The low defect density thin film material preparation device by mass-energy asynchronous deposition according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first target material and a second target material. The first target material and the second target material are arranged opposite to each other on both sides of the cleaning area. The first target material and the second target material are sputtered out and attached to the substrate to grow into a film.

8. The low defect density thin film material preparation device using mass-energy asynchronous deposition as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that: The first target and the second target are made of different materials.

9. A method for preparing a low-defect-density thin film material by mass-energy asynchronous deposition, using the apparatus for preparing a low-defect-density thin film material by mass-energy asynchronous deposition according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: sputtering cleaning ions toward the cleaning area through a cleaning ion source; sputtering ions into the deposition area through a deposition ion source to form a film on the substrate; By driving the workpiece rack to rotate around the frame, impurity particles attached to the substrate during deposition in the deposition area will be sputtered and cleaned by cleaning ions when the substrate rotates to the cleaning area.

10. The method for preparing a low defect density thin film material by mass-energy asynchronous deposition according to claim 9, wherein: The sputtering of cleaning ions toward the cleaning area by a cleaning ion source includes adjusting an angle between an emission direction of the cleaning ions and a plane where the workpiece holder is located.

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