Sputtering film thickness control system and method and sputtering equipment
By using the sputtering film thickness control system in the sputtering film deposition process, the film thickness is detected in real time and the process parameters are adjusted, and the film thickness is inconsistent problem caused by the difference in process parameters in different batches is solved, and the film thickness consistency is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510319597.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-03
- Estimated Expiration
- 2045-03-18
AI Technical Summary
Since there may be differences in the actual sputtering process parameters of different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes at the same time node, the problem of inconsistent film thickness.
A sputtering film thickness control system is adopted, including a sputtering machine, a film thickness measuring assembly and a controller. The film thickness measurement component is used to detect the film thickness formed on the substrate to be sputtered in real time, and the actual film thickness information reaches the target film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering film deposition process.
The problem of inconsistent film thickness formed by different batches of sputtering film deposition processes is effectively solved, and the consistency of film thickness is improved.
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Figure CN120082860A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the technical field of sputtering thin film deposition, and more particularly, to a sputtering thin film thickness control system, method, and sputtering equipment. Background Art
[0002] In the semiconductor industry and materials science research, a thin film is usually formed on the surface of a substrate through a sputtering thin film deposition process. The end condition of the related sputtering thin film deposition process is that the execution duration of the sputtering thin film deposition process reaches a preset duration. Since the film deposition rate of the sputtering thin film deposition process is related to the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering thin film deposition process, the actual sputtering process parameters of different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes may vary at the same time node, that is, the film deposition rates of different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes may vary at the same time node. However, the related technology only controls the end of the sputtering thin film deposition process based on the execution duration of the sputtering thin film deposition process. Therefore, the related technology has the problem that the film thicknesses formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes are inconsistent due to the differences in the relationship between time and film deposition rate of different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, resulting in poor consistency of the film thickness formed by the sputtering thin film deposition process.
[0003] In response to the above problems, there is currently no effective technical solution. It should be noted that the above information disclosed in this part is only used to understand the background of the inventive concept, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a sputtering thin film thickness control system, method, and sputtering equipment, which can effectively solve the problem that the film thicknesses formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes are inconsistent due to the differences in the relationship between time and film deposition rate of different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes.
[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a sputtering thin film thickness control system, which includes: A sputtering machine, which includes a sputtering chamber, and a tray for placing the substrate to be sputtered is provided in the sputtering chamber; A film thickness measurement component, which is arranged in the sputtering chamber and is used to collect the actual film thickness information of the substrate to be sputtered; A controller, which is used to control the sputtering machine to perform a sputtering process on the substrate to be sputtered until the actual film thickness information reaches the target film thickness.
[0006] A sputtering thin film thickness control system provided by the present application can make the thickness of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes be the target thin film thickness by using a film thickness measurement component to detect in real time the thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate to be sputtered and taking the actual thin film thickness information reaching the target thin film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering thin film deposition process. That is, even if there are differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, the thicknesses of the thin films finally formed on the substrates to be sputtered in different batches can still be kept consistent. Therefore, the present application can effectively solve the problem that the thicknesses of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes are inconsistent due to the differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, thereby effectively improving the consistency of the thickness of the thin films formed by the sputtering thin film deposition process.
[0007] Optionally, the controller is further configured to, during the sputtering process of the substrate to be sputtered, periodically obtain an expected thin film thickness according to the sputtering duration information and a preset conversion relationship, and adjust the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine when the actual thin film thickness information is not equal to the expected thin film thickness.
[0008] This technical solution is equivalent to periodically analyzing whether there is an abnormality in the thin film deposition rate during the execution of the sputtering thin film deposition process, and adjusting the thin film deposition rate by adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine when there is an abnormality in the thin film deposition rate. Therefore, this technical solution can make the actual thin film deposition rate stable near the expected thin film deposition rate, so as to avoid the situation that the quality of the thin film formed on the substrate to be sputtered will decline due to too fast thin film deposition rate and the situation that the time required for the actual thin film thickness information to reach the target thin film thickness will be too long due to too low thin film deposition rate.
[0009] Optionally, the process of the controller adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine when the actual thin film thickness information is not equal to the expected thin film thickness includes: When the actual thin film thickness information is not equal to the expected thin film thickness, obtaining a process parameter adjustment amount according to the difference between the actual thin film thickness information and the expected thin film thickness; Adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine according to the process parameter adjustment amount.
[0010] Optionally, the process of the controller obtaining a process parameter adjustment amount according to the difference between the actual thin film thickness information and the expected thin film thickness includes: Obtaining a process parameter adjustment amount according to the change amount of the difference between the actual thin film thickness information and the expected thin film thickness within a preset time.
[0011] Since the technical solution obtains the process parameter adjustment amount according to the change in the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness over a period of time, that is, the technical solution is equivalent to determining the process parameter adjustment amount according to the change trend of the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness, the technical solution can effectively improve the accuracy of the obtained process parameter adjustment amount.
[0012] Optionally, the process parameter adjustment amount includes a substrate temperature adjustment amount, and the sputtering machine further includes a tray temperature adjustment component. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual substrate temperature is within a preset temperature range, the substrate temperature adjustment amount is a negative value, and when the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual substrate temperature is within the preset temperature range, the substrate temperature adjustment amount is a positive value. The process of the controller adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine according to the process parameter adjustment amount includes: The tray temperature adjustment component is controlled to adjust the temperature of the tray according to the substrate temperature adjustment amount, so as to adjust the actual substrate temperature.
[0013] Optionally, the film thickness measurement component includes multiple thickness measurement components, and the multiple thickness measurement components are used to measure the actual film thickness information of different areas on the substrate to be sputtered. The tray temperature control component includes multiple temperature control units, and at least one temperature control unit is provided in each area corresponding to each actual film thickness information. The controller is also used to analyze whether there is an abnormal thickness area on the substrate to be sputtered according to the average value of all actual film thickness information and the actual film thickness information. The abnormal thickness area is an area where the difference between the actual film thickness information corresponding to it and the average value of all actual film thickness information is greater than a preset difference. The controller is also used to control the temperature control unit in the abnormal thickness area to increase or decrease the temperature of the area where the abnormal thickness area is located according to the actual film thickness information corresponding to the abnormal thickness area and the average value of all actual film thickness information when there is an abnormal thickness area.
[0014] Since the technical solution can analyze whether there is an abnormal thickness area on the film to be sputtered by setting up multiple thickness measuring components, and adjust the film deposition rate in the abnormal thickness area by controlling the temperature adjustment unit in the abnormal thickness area to increase or decrease the temperature of the area where the abnormal thickness area is located, the technical solution is equivalent to partitioning the film deposition rate of the substrate to be sputtered to reduce the difference in actual film thickness information of different areas on the substrate to be sputtered, thereby effectively improving the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the substrate to be sputtered.
[0015] Optionally, the process parameter adjustment amount includes a sputtering power adjustment amount, and the sputtering machine further includes a power adjustment component. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual sputtering power is within the preset power range, the sputtering power adjustment amount is negative. When the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual sputtering power is within the preset power range, the sputtering power adjustment amount is positive. The process by which the controller adjusts the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine according to the process parameter adjustment amount includes: Controlling the power adjustment component to adjust the actual sputtering power according to the sputtering power adjustment amount.
[0016] Optionally, the process parameter adjustment amount includes a spacing adjustment amount, and the sputtering machine further includes a target position adjustment component. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual spacing between the target and the substrate to be sputtered is within the preset spacing range, the spacing adjustment amount is negative. When the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual spacing between the target and the substrate to be sputtered is within the preset spacing range, the spacing adjustment amount is positive. The process by which the controller adjusts the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine according to the process parameter adjustment amount includes: Controlling the target position adjustment component to move according to the spacing adjustment amount to adjust the actual spacing between the target and the substrate to be sputtered.
[0017] In a second aspect, the present application also provides a sputtered film thickness control method, which is applied to a sputtered film thickness control system provided in the first aspect above. The sputtered film thickness control method includes the following steps: S1. Controlling the sputtering machine to perform a sputtering process on the substrate to be sputtered until the actual film thickness information reaches the target film thickness.
[0018] The sputtered film thickness control method provided by the present application can make the film thickness formed by different batches of sputtered film deposition processes be the target film thickness by using the film thickness measurement component to detect in real time the film thickness formed on the substrate to be sputtered and taking the actual film thickness information reaching the target film thickness as the end condition of the sputtered film deposition process. That is, even if there are differences in the relationship between time and film deposition rate for different batches of sputtered film deposition processes, the thicknesses of the films finally formed on different batches of substrates to be sputtered can still be kept consistent. Therefore, the present application can effectively solve the problem that the film thicknesses formed by different batches of sputtered film deposition processes are inconsistent due to differences in the relationship between time and film deposition rate for different batches of sputtered film deposition processes, thereby effectively improving the consistency of the film thickness formed by the sputtered film deposition process.
[0019] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a sputtering device, which includes a sputtered film thickness control system provided in the first aspect above.
[0020] A sputtering device provided by the present application can make the thickness of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes be the target thin film thickness by using a film thickness measurement component to detect in real time the thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate to be sputtered and taking the actual thin film thickness information reaching the target thin film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering thin film deposition process. That is, even if there are differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, the thicknesses of the thin films finally formed on the substrates to be sputtered in different batches can still be kept consistent. Therefore, the present application can effectively solve the problem that the thicknesses of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes are inconsistent due to the differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, thereby effectively improving the consistency of the thickness of the thin films formed by the sputtering thin film deposition process.
[0021] As can be seen from the above, a sputtering thin film thickness control system, method and sputtering device provided by the present application can make the thickness of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes be the target thin film thickness by using a film thickness measurement component to detect in real time the thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate to be sputtered and taking the actual thin film thickness information reaching the target thin film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering thin film deposition process. That is, even if there are differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, the thicknesses of the thin films finally formed on the substrates to be sputtered in different batches can still be kept consistent. Therefore, the present application can effectively solve the problem that the thicknesses of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes are inconsistent due to the differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, thereby effectively improving the consistency of the thickness of the thin films formed by the sputtering thin film deposition process. Description of the Drawings
[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the control relationship of a sputtering thin film thickness control system provided by an embodiment of the present application.
[0023] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a sputtering thin film thickness control system provided by an embodiment of the present application.
[0024] Reference numerals: 1, sputtering machine; 2, film thickness measurement component; 3, controller; 4, sputtering chamber; 5, substrate to be sputtered; 6, tray; 7, tray temperature adjustment component; 8, target; 9, target position adjustment component; 10, power adjustment component. Detailed Embodiments
[0025] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations. Therefore, the detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the present application claimed, but only represents the selected embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative efforts belong to the scope of protection of the present application.
[0026] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings. Therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings. At the same time, in the description of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for differential description and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0027] In the first aspect, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 shown, the present application provides a sputtering film thickness control system, which includes: A sputtering machine 1, which includes a sputtering chamber 4, and a tray 6 for placing a substrate to be sputtered 5 is provided in the sputtering chamber 4; A film thickness measurement component 2, which is arranged in the sputtering chamber 4 and is used to collect the actual film thickness information of the substrate to be sputtered 5; A controller 3, which is used to control the sputtering machine 1 to perform a sputtering process on the substrate to be sputtered 5 until the actual film thickness information reaches the target film thickness.
[0028] Among them, the sputtering machine 1 in this embodiment is a device for performing a sputtering thin film deposition process. The sputtering machine 1 can be a magnetron sputtering machine or an ion beam sputtering machine. The sputtering machine 1 includes a sputtering chamber 4, which is a chamber for performing a sputtering thin film deposition process. A tray 6 for placing the substrate to be sputtered 5 is provided in the sputtering chamber 4. The substrate to be sputtered 5 is a substrate whose surface needs to form a thin film. The film thickness measurement component 2 in this embodiment can be a thickness gauge or a thickness sensor, etc., which are components capable of detecting the thickness of an object. It should be understood that in order to avoid the situation where the film thickness measurement component 2 interferes with the movement of the ions sputtered from the target 8, the film thickness measurement component 2 in this embodiment is arranged in the area outside the target 8 in the sputtering chamber 4 and is inclined towards the substrate to be sputtered 5. Since the position of the film thickness measurement component 2 in the sputtering chamber 4 does not change, and the position of the tray 6 in the sputtering chamber 4 does not change either, that is, the conversion relationship between the film thickness measurement component 2 and the tray 6 can be measured in advance. Therefore, this embodiment can convert the data measured by the film thickness measurement component 2 into data in the vertical direction by using the conversion relationship between the film thickness measurement component 2 and the tray 6. That is, this embodiment is equivalent to converting the inclined data into vertical data by using the conversion relationship between the film thickness measurement component 2 and the tray 6. Since the initial thickness of the substrate to be sputtered 5 can be obtained by pre-measurement, and the vertical data converted from the data measured by the film thickness measurement component 2 is the sum of the thickness of the substrate to be sputtered 5 and the thickness of the thin film deposited thereon, this embodiment can obtain the actual thin film thickness information by subtracting the initial thickness of the substrate to be sputtered 5 from the vertical data converted from the data measured by the film thickness measurement component 2. The actual thin film thickness information is the actual thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate to be sputtered 5.
[0029] The controller 3 in this embodiment is electrically connected to the sputtering machine 1 and the film thickness measurement component 2 respectively. The controller 3 in this embodiment can control the sputtering machine 1 to start or stop the sputtering process. The target film thickness in this embodiment is the thickness of the thin film that needs to be formed on the substrate to be sputtered 5, and the target film thickness is equivalent to the ideal thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate. Since this embodiment can use the film thickness measurement component 2 to detect the thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate to be sputtered 5 in real time, this embodiment can use the condition that the actual thin film thickness information reaches the target film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering thin film deposition process. And because this embodiment uses the condition that the actual thin film thickness information reaches the target film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering thin film deposition process, and after the sputtering thin film deposition process ends, the thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate to be sputtered 5 will not change significantly, so this embodiment can make the film thicknesses obtained by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes all be the target film thickness, that is, the film thicknesses formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes are consistent.
[0030] A sputtering film thickness control system provided by the present application can make the film thickness formed by sputtering film deposition processes of different batches be the target film thickness by using the film thickness measurement component 2 to detect in real time the film thickness formed on the substrate 5 to be sputtered and taking the actual film thickness information reaching the target film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering film deposition process. That is, even if there are differences in the relationship between time and film deposition rate for sputtering film deposition processes of different batches, the thicknesses of the films finally formed on the substrates 5 to be sputtered in different batches can still be kept consistent. Therefore, the present application can effectively solve the problem that the film thicknesses formed by sputtering film deposition processes of different batches are inconsistent due to the differences in the relationship between time and film deposition rate for sputtering film deposition processes of different batches, thereby effectively improving the consistency of the film thickness formed by the sputtering film deposition process.
[0031] In some preferred embodiments, the controller 3 is further configured to periodically obtain an expected film thickness according to the sputtering duration information and a preset conversion relationship during the sputtering process of the substrate 5 to be sputtered, and adjust the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1 when the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness. The sputtering duration information in this embodiment is the duration of the sputtering machine 1 executing the sputtering film deposition process, and this sputtering duration information can be output by the sputtering machine 1. It should be understood that at the end of the sputtering film deposition process, the sputtering duration information is cleared. The preset conversion relationship in this embodiment can be a pre-constructed mapping relationship between the sputtering duration and the film thickness. In this embodiment, the corresponding expected film thickness can be obtained from the preset conversion relationship according to the sputtering duration information by means of data extraction. The expected film thickness is the ideal value of the film thickness formed on the substrate 5 to be sputtered when the execution duration of the sputtering film deposition process is the sputtering duration information. If the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness, it means that there is an abnormality in the film deposition rate. Specifically, if the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness, it means that the film deposition rate is too fast. If the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness, it means that the film deposition rate is too slow. And too fast a film deposition rate will cause the quality of the film formed on the substrate 5 to be sputtered to decline, and too low a film deposition rate will cause the time required for the actual film thickness information to reach the target film thickness to be too long. Therefore, when the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness, this embodiment needs to adjust the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1. This embodiment is equivalent to periodically analyzing whether there is an abnormality in the film deposition rate during the execution of the sputtering film deposition process, and adjusting the film deposition rate by adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1 when there is an abnormality in the film deposition rate. Therefore, this embodiment can stabilize the actual film deposition rate near the expected film deposition rate (the ideal value of the film deposition rate) to avoid the situation that too fast a film deposition rate will cause the quality of the film formed on the substrate 5 to be sputtered to decline and too low a film deposition rate will cause the time required for the actual film thickness information to reach the target film thickness to be too long.
[0032] In some preferred embodiments, the process of the controller 3 adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1 when the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness includes: When the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness, obtain a process parameter adjustment amount according to the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness; Adjust the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1 according to the process parameter adjustment amount.
[0033] Since the film deposition rate is associated with the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1, that is, in this embodiment, the actual film deposition rate can be adjusted by adjusting the sputtering process parameters. Therefore, when the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness (equivalent to the actual film deposition rate being not equal to the expected film deposition rate), this embodiment needs to adjust the actual film deposition rate. Specifically, this embodiment can obtain the process parameter adjustment amount based on the existing sputtering process parameter adjustment method according to the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness, and adjust the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1 according to the process parameter adjustment amount, so that the actual film deposition rate is equal to the expected film deposition rate or the difference between the actual film deposition rate and the expected film deposition rate is less than a preset value.
[0034] In some preferred embodiments, the process of the controller 3 obtaining the process parameter adjustment amount according to the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness includes: Obtaining the process parameter adjustment amount according to the change amount of the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness within a preset time.
[0035] Since this embodiment obtains the process parameter adjustment amount according to the change amount of the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness within a period of time, that is, this embodiment is equivalent to determining the process parameter adjustment amount according to the change trend of the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness. Therefore, this embodiment can effectively improve the accuracy of the obtained process parameter adjustment amount.
[0036] In some preferred embodiments, the process parameter adjustment amount includes the substrate temperature adjustment amount. The sputtering machine 1 further includes a tray temperature adjustment component 7. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual substrate temperature is within the preset temperature range, the substrate temperature adjustment amount is negative. When the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual substrate temperature is within the preset temperature range, the substrate temperature adjustment amount is positive. The process of the controller 3 adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1 according to the process parameter adjustment amount includes: Controlling the tray temperature adjustment component 7 to adjust the temperature of the tray 6 according to the substrate temperature adjustment amount to adjust the actual substrate temperature.
[0037] The adjustment amount of process parameters in this embodiment includes the adjustment amount of substrate temperature, that is, the sputtering process parameters in this embodiment include substrate temperature. The tray temperature adjustment component 7 in this embodiment is preferably a semiconductor temperature adjustment component. The semiconductor temperature adjustment component has two working surfaces. Specifically, when the semiconductor temperature adjustment component works, one working surface generates heat and the other working surface generates cold. And under the action of the Peltier effect, in this embodiment, the direction of the current can be changed to make the working surface that originally generated cold generate heat and make the working surface that originally generated heat generate cold. The substrate temperature in this embodiment is the temperature of the substrate 5 to be sputtered. Since the substrate 5 to be sputtered in this embodiment is placed on the tray 6, that is, the substrate 5 to be sputtered can exchange heat with the tray 6, so in this embodiment, the substrate temperature can be adjusted by adjusting the temperature of the tray 6 by using the tray temperature adjustment component 7. And since the film deposition rate of the sputtering film deposition process is related to the substrate temperature, in this embodiment, the film deposition rate can be adjusted by controlling the tray temperature adjustment component 7 to raise or lower the temperature of the tray 6.
[0038] In some preferred embodiments, the film thickness measuring component 2 includes multiple thickness measuring components, and the multiple thickness measuring components are used to measure the actual film thickness information of different areas on the substrate 5 to be sputtered. The tray temperature control component 7 includes multiple temperature control units, and at least one temperature control unit is provided in each area corresponding to each actual film thickness information. The controller 3 is also used to analyze whether there is a thickness abnormality area on the substrate 5 to be sputtered based on the average value of all actual film thickness information and the actual film thickness information. The thickness abnormality area is an area where the difference between the actual film thickness information corresponding to it and the average value of all actual film thickness information is greater than a preset difference. The controller 3 is also used to control the temperature control unit in the thickness abnormality area to increase or decrease the temperature of the area where it is located based on the actual film thickness information corresponding to the thickness abnormality area and the average value of all actual film thickness information when there is a thickness abnormality area. If the difference between the actual film thickness information corresponding to a certain area and the average value of all actual film thickness information is greater than the preset difference, it means that the film formed in the area is too thick or too thin, and since the film deposition rate of the sputtering film deposition process is associated with the substrate temperature, the embodiment can adjust the film deposition rate in the thickness abnormal area by controlling the temperature adjustment unit in the thickness abnormal area to increase or decrease the temperature of the area where it is located, so as to reduce the difference in actual film thickness information of different areas on the substrate 5 to be sputtered. Since the embodiment can analyze whether there is a thickness abnormal area on the film to be sputtered by setting a plurality of thickness measurement components, and adjust the film deposition rate in the thickness abnormal area by controlling the temperature adjustment unit in the thickness abnormal area to increase or decrease the temperature of the area where it is located when there is a thickness abnormal area, the embodiment is equivalent to adjusting the film deposition rate of the substrate 5 to be sputtered by partition, so as to reduce the difference in actual film thickness information of different areas on the substrate 5 to be sputtered, thereby effectively improving the uniformity of the film thickness formed on the substrate 5 to be sputtered. Preferably, this embodiment can divide the substrate 5 to be sputtered into multiple regions by using grid lines. This embodiment can also divide the substrate 5 to be sputtered into multiple regions by constructing multiple circular rings with the center of the substrate 5 to be sputtered.
[0039] In some preferred embodiments, the process parameter adjustment amount includes a sputtering power adjustment amount, and the sputtering machine 1 further includes a power adjustment component 10. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual sputtering power is within the preset power range, the sputtering power adjustment amount is a negative value, and when the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual sputtering power is within the preset power range, the sputtering power adjustment amount is a positive value. The process of the controller 3 adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1 according to the process parameter adjustment amount includes: The power regulating component 10 is controlled to regulate the actual sputtering power according to the sputtering power regulation amount.
[0040] The adjustment amount of process parameters in this embodiment includes the adjustment amount of sputtering power, that is, the sputtering process parameters in this embodiment include sputtering power. Since the film deposition rate of the sputtering film deposition process is associated with the sputtering power, this embodiment can adjust the film deposition rate by controlling the tray temperature adjustment component 7 to increase or decrease the sputtering power.
[0041] In some preferred embodiments, the adjustment amount of process parameters includes the adjustment amount of spacing. The sputtering machine 1 further includes a target position adjustment component 9. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual spacing between the target 8 and the substrate 5 to be sputtered is within the preset spacing range, the adjustment amount of spacing is negative. When the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual spacing between the target 8 and the substrate 5 to be sputtered is within the preset spacing range, the adjustment amount of spacing is positive. The process by which the controller 3 adjusts the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine 1 according to the adjustment amount of process parameters includes: Controlling the movement of the target position adjustment component 9 according to the adjustment amount of spacing to adjust the actual spacing between the target 8 and the substrate 5 to be sputtered.
[0042] The adjustment amount of process parameters in this embodiment includes the adjustment amount of spacing, that is, the sputtering process parameters in this embodiment include the spacing between the target 8 and the substrate 5 to be sputtered. The target position adjustment component 9 in this embodiment can be an existing linear drive mechanism. The target position adjustment component 9 can reduce or increase the spacing between the target 8 and the substrate 5 to be sputtered by driving the target 8 to move linearly towards or away from the substrate 5 to be sputtered. Since the film deposition rate of the sputtering film deposition process is associated with the spacing between the target 8 and the substrate 5 to be sputtered, this embodiment can adjust the film deposition rate by controlling the target position adjustment component 9 to drive the target 8 to move away from or towards the substrate 5 to be sputtered.
[0043] It should be understood that when it is necessary to adjust the film deposition rate, this embodiment can select any one or more of the substrate temperature, sputtering power, and the spacing between the target 8 and the substrate 5 to be sputtered for adjustment.
[0044] As can be seen from the above, a sputtering thin film thickness control system provided by the present application can make the thickness of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes be the target thin film thickness by using the film thickness measurement component 2 to detect in real time the thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate 5 to be sputtered and taking the actual thin film thickness information reaching the target thin film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering thin film deposition process. That is, even if there are differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, the thicknesses of the thin films finally formed on the substrates 5 to be sputtered in different batches can still be kept consistent. Therefore, the present application can effectively solve the problem that the thicknesses of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes are inconsistent due to the differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, thereby effectively improving the consistency of the thickness of the thin films formed by the sputtering thin film deposition process.
[0045] In a second aspect, the present application also provides a sputtering thin film thickness control method. The sputtering thin film thickness control method is applied to a sputtering thin film thickness control system provided in the first aspect above. The sputtering thin film thickness control method includes the following steps: S1. Control the sputtering machine 1 to perform a sputtering process on the substrate 5 to be sputtered until the actual thin film thickness information reaches the target thin film thickness.
[0046] The present application provides a sputtering thin film thickness control method. The sputtering thin film thickness control method is applied to a sputtering thin film thickness control system provided in the first aspect above. The principle of the sputtering thin film thickness control method provided in this embodiment is the same as that of the sputtering thin film thickness control system provided in the first aspect above, and will not be elaborated in detail here.
[0047] In a third aspect, the present application also provides a sputtering device, which includes a sputtering thin film thickness control system provided in the first aspect above.
[0048] The present application provides a sputtering device, which includes a sputtering thin film thickness control system provided in the first aspect above. The principle of the sputtering device provided in this embodiment is the same as that of the sputtering thin film thickness control system provided in the first aspect above, and will not be elaborated in detail here.
[0049] As can be seen from the above, a sputtering thin film thickness control system, method and sputtering equipment provided by the present application can make the thickness of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes be the target thin film thickness by using the film thickness measurement component 2 to detect the thickness of the thin film formed on the substrate 5 to be sputtered in real time and taking the actual thin film thickness information reaching the target thin film thickness as the end condition of the sputtering thin film deposition process. That is, even if there are differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, the thicknesses of the thin films finally formed on the substrates 5 to be sputtered in different batches can still be kept consistent. Therefore, the present application can effectively solve the problem that the thicknesses of the thin films formed by different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes are inconsistent due to the differences in the relationship between time and thin film deposition rate for different batches of sputtering thin film deposition processes, thereby effectively improving the consistency of the thickness of the thin films formed by the sputtering thin film deposition process.
[0050] In the embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that in this text, relational terms such as first and second are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations.
[0051] The above are only the embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various changes and modifications. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. A sputtering film thickness control system, characterized in that: The sputtering film thickness control system comprises: A sputtering machine comprises a sputtering chamber, wherein a tray for placing a substrate to be sputtered is provided in the sputtering chamber; A film thickness measurement component, disposed in the sputtering chamber, for collecting actual film thickness information of the substrate to be sputtered; The controller is used to control the sputtering machine to perform a sputtering process on the substrate to be sputtered until the actual film thickness information reaches a target film thickness.
2. The sputtering film thickness control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The controller is also used to periodically obtain the expected film thickness based on the sputtering duration information and the preset conversion relationship during the sputtering process on the substrate to be sputtered, and adjust the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine when the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness.
3. The sputtering film thickness control system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The process of the controller adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine when the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness includes: When the actual film thickness information is not equal to the expected film thickness, obtaining a process parameter adjustment amount according to a difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness; The sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine are adjusted according to the process parameter adjustment amount.
4. The sputtering film thickness control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The process of the controller obtaining the process parameter adjustment amount according to the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness includes: The process parameter adjustment amount is obtained according to the change amount of the difference between the actual film thickness information and the expected film thickness within a preset time.
5. The sputtering film thickness control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The process parameter adjustment amount includes a substrate temperature adjustment amount, and the sputtering machine further includes a tray temperature adjustment component. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual substrate temperature is within a preset temperature range, the substrate temperature adjustment amount is a negative value, and when the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual substrate temperature is within the preset temperature range, the substrate temperature adjustment amount is a positive value. The process in which the controller adjusts the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine according to the process parameter adjustment amount includes: The tray temperature adjustment component is controlled to adjust the temperature of the tray according to the substrate temperature adjustment amount, so as to adjust the actual substrate temperature.
6. The sputtering film thickness control system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The film thickness measurement component includes multiple thickness measurement components, and the multiple thickness measurement components are used to measure the actual film thickness information of different areas on the substrate to be sputtered. The tray temperature control component includes multiple temperature control units, and at least one temperature control unit is provided in each area corresponding to the actual film thickness information. The controller is also used to analyze whether there is an abnormal thickness area on the substrate to be sputtered according to the average value of all the actual film thickness information and the actual film thickness information, and the abnormal thickness area is an area where the difference between the actual film thickness information corresponding to it and the average value of all the actual film thickness information is greater than a preset difference. The controller is also used to control the temperature control unit in the abnormal thickness area to increase or decrease the temperature of the area where it is located according to the actual film thickness information corresponding to the abnormal thickness area and the average value of all the actual film thickness information when the abnormal thickness area exists.
7. The sputtering film thickness control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The process parameter adjustment amount includes a sputtering power adjustment amount, and the sputtering machine further includes a power adjustment component. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual sputtering power is within a preset power range, the sputtering power adjustment amount is a negative value, and when the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual sputtering power is within the preset power range, the sputtering power adjustment amount is a positive value. The process of the controller adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine according to the process parameter adjustment amount includes: The power adjustment component is controlled according to the sputtering power adjustment amount to adjust the actual sputtering power.
8. The sputtering film thickness control system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The process parameter adjustment amount includes a spacing adjustment amount, and the sputtering machine further includes a target position adjustment component. When the actual film thickness information is greater than the expected film thickness and the actual spacing between the target and the substrate to be sputtered is within the preset spacing range, the spacing adjustment amount is a negative value, and when the actual film thickness information is less than the expected film thickness and the actual spacing between the target and the substrate to be sputtered is within the preset spacing range, the spacing adjustment amount is a positive value. The process of the controller adjusting the sputtering process parameters of the sputtering machine according to the process parameter adjustment amount includes: The target position adjustment component is controlled to move according to the distance adjustment amount to adjust the actual distance between the target and the substrate to be sputtered.
9. A method for controlling the thickness of a sputtered film, characterized in that: The sputtering film thickness control method is applied in the sputtering film thickness control system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and the sputtering film thickness control method comprises: S1. Control the sputtering machine to perform a sputtering process on the substrate to be sputtered until the actual film thickness information reaches the target film thickness.
10. A sputtering device, characterized in that: The sputtering device comprises a sputtering film thickness control system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.
Citation Information
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