Deposition chamber for realizing target material vapor deposition under vacuum environment

CN224858428UActive Publication Date: 2026-10-16SHENZHEN KUOWEI ATOMIC TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202522513790.X
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-11-26
Publication Date
2026-10-16
Estimated Expiration
2035-11-26

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

[0003]现有沉积腔室在衬底更换与安装便捷性上存在显著短板:其一,部分腔室更换衬底时需破坏腔室真空环境 —— 需打开腔室壳体取出旧衬底、装入新衬底,后续重新抽真空需耗费数小时,严重拖慢生产效率,且开盖过程易引入外界杂质,污染腔室内部环境,进而影响薄膜纯度;其二,即便部分腔室设计为 “无真空破坏”结构,但其衬底操作组件配合存在缺陷:机械手多存在自由度不足的问题,无法在三维空间内完成衬底的精细姿态调整,导致衬底难以精准对接安装位;驱动结构常采用传统机械推杆,缺乏无接触传动能力,易因密封件磨损引发真空泄漏,且无法协同实现长距离伸缩与旋转动作,衬底抓取、对准、释放的自动化程度低,操作中易出现位置偏移,影响后续沉积精度;其三,多数衬底安装结构仅设置单一样品位,单次仅能承载一片衬底,需频繁停机更换,进一步制约生产连续性,难以适配规模化生产需求

Benefits of technology

[0015] The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition in a vacuum environment of this invention has at least the following beneficial effects: Through the coplanar coordinated operation of a fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator and a magnetic drive rod, relying on magnetic coupling contactless transmission technology, substrate gripping, alignment, installation, and replacement can be completed without opening the chamber shell. This avoids the time-consuming re-vacuuming caused by the disruption of the vacuum environment in traditional structures, significantly improving production continuity, and also prevents the entry of external impurities, effectively ensuring the purity of the thin film deposition. Simultaneously, the fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator can achieve complex path transport and precise attitude adjustment in three-dimensional space, while the magnetic drive rod has both linear extension and rotation functions. Combined with the extension mechanism, the vertical height of the substrate mounting structure can be adjusted. This, along with the two vapor deposition chambers located at the connection points between the optical lens, the quadrupole, and the chamber, further enhances the deposition process. The source (supporting resistance heating or electron beam bombardment to adapt to various target materials) ensures precise deposition of gaseous particles from the target material onto the substrate, significantly improving deposition accuracy and film uniformity. The substrate mounting structure features multiple vertically arranged sample stages, capable of carrying multiple substrates at a time to reduce downtime for replacement, adapting to the needs of large-scale production. The integrated cooling chamber precisely controls the substrate temperature, preventing substrate deformation or film performance degradation due to high temperatures. Multiple observation windows on the chamber shell allow for real-time monitoring of the cluster beam deposition process from different angles, facilitating timely adjustment of process parameters to improve process controllability. Furthermore, the retractable structure enables the substrate mounting structure to flexibly switch to the beam path of the lead-out optical lens or quadrupole, further adapting to the needs of cluster beam deposition with different quality specifications and expanding the equipment's application range.

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Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of deposition chambers for realizing target material gas phase deposition under vacuum environment, including chamber shell, substrate mounting structure being set in the chamber shell, molecular pump for the vacuum extraction inside the chamber shell and evaporation source being set in the chamber shell lateral wall, the quantity of the evaporation source is two, two the evaporation source respectively correspond the drawing optical lens and the four-stage rod with the communication of the chamber shell is set, the substrate mounting structure is installed on a group of telescopic mechanism to adjust vertical height;It also includes full degree of freedom manipulator and magnetic force driving rod, the full degree of freedom manipulator with the magnetic force driving rod are used to cooperate and install substrate in the substrate mounting structure and carry out position adjustment;The utility model is with mechanical hand and magnetic force driving rod fidelity vacuum efficiency, multiple sample stage, cooling cavity, window performance, adapt to multiple target material and scene, guarantee deposition precision.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of cluster generation technology, and in particular to a deposition chamber for achieving target vapor deposition in a vacuum environment. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of thin film fabrication equipment technology, the deposition chamber is the core equipment for achieving target vapor deposition, and it is widely used in the fabrication process of functional thin films such as semiconductor devices and optical components. Its core working logic is as follows: a high vacuum environment is maintained in the chamber, and the target material is heated by an evaporation source and converted into a gaseous atomic or ion flow. This gas flow is deposited on the substrate surface, ultimately forming a thin film that meets the process requirements.

[0003] Existing deposition chambers have significant shortcomings in terms of the ease of substrate replacement and installation: First, some chambers require breaking the vacuum environment when replacing substrates—the chamber shell needs to be opened to remove the old substrate and install the new one, and subsequent re-vacuuming takes several hours, severely slowing down production efficiency. Moreover, the opening process can easily introduce external impurities, contaminating the internal environment of the chamber and affecting the purity of the film. Second, even if some chambers are designed with a "vacuum-free" structure, their substrate handling components have defects: the robotic arms often have insufficient degrees of freedom and cannot complete the fine posture adjustment of the substrate in three-dimensional space, making it difficult for the substrate to be accurately aligned with the mounting position; the drive structure often uses traditional mechanical push rods, which lack contactless transmission capability, are prone to vacuum leakage due to wear of seals, and cannot coordinate long-distance extension and rotation movements. The automation level of substrate gripping, alignment, and release is low, and positional deviations are prone to occur during operation, affecting the subsequent deposition accuracy. Third, most substrate mounting structures only have a single sample position, which can only hold one substrate at a time, requiring frequent shutdowns for replacement, further restricting production continuity and making it difficult to adapt to the needs of large-scale production. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the shortcomings of the existing technology, the technical problem to be solved by this utility model is to provide a deposition chamber for target vapor deposition in a vacuum environment, so as to improve the convenience of substrate replacement and installation, avoid damage to the vacuum environment during the replacement process, and at the same time ensure substrate positioning accuracy and deposition stability.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a deposition chamber for target vapor deposition in a vacuum environment, connecting an extraction optical lens and a quadrupole. The chamber includes a chamber shell, a substrate mounting structure disposed within the chamber shell, a molecular pump for evacuating the interior of the chamber shell, and two evaporation sources disposed on the side wall of the chamber shell. The two evaporation sources are respectively positioned at the points where the extraction optical lens and the quadrupole connect to the chamber shell. The substrate mounting structure is mounted on a set of telescopic mechanisms to adjust its vertical height. The invention also includes a fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator and a magnetic drive rod, which cooperate to mount the substrate in the substrate mounting structure and adjust its position.

[0006] Furthermore, the telescopic mechanism includes an adjustment seat installed above the deposition chamber and a telescopic rod disposed within the adjustment seat, the lower end of the telescopic rod extending into the chamber housing and connected to the substrate mounting structure.

[0007] Furthermore, the substrate mounting structure includes a sample holder and a sample stage disposed on the sample holder. The sample holder is connected to the lower end of the telescopic rod, and the sample stage is disposed on the side of the sample holder facing the chamber housing and communicating with the lead-out optical lens and the quadrupole to receive cluster particles.

[0008] Furthermore, the sample stage has several arranged on the same side of the sample holder.

[0009] Furthermore, the substrate mounting structure also includes a cooling cavity connected to the sample holder.

[0010] Furthermore, the magnetic drive rod is horizontally inserted through the side wall of the chamber housing, with one end extending into the chamber housing and the other end extending outward. The magnetic drive rod is capable of rotating relative to the chamber housing and moving horizontally along its own axis.

[0011] Furthermore, the axes of the fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator and the magnetic drive rod are located on the same horizontal plane to cooperate with each other to adjust the position of the substrate.

[0012] Furthermore, the evaporation source heats the target material emitted from the extraction optical lens or the quadrupole to above the boiling point or sublimation temperature by resistance heating or electron beam bombardment, so as to generate atomic or molecular vapor.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes an observation window disposed on the chamber housing.

[0014] Furthermore, the number of observation windows is configured to be multiple, for observing the deposition process of cluster beams drawn out by quadrupoles or lead-out optical lenses from different angles and positions.

[0015] The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition in a vacuum environment of this invention has at least the following beneficial effects: Through the coplanar coordinated operation of a fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator and a magnetic drive rod, relying on magnetic coupling contactless transmission technology, substrate gripping, alignment, installation, and replacement can be completed without opening the chamber shell. This avoids the time-consuming re-vacuuming caused by the disruption of the vacuum environment in traditional structures, significantly improving production continuity, and also prevents the entry of external impurities, effectively ensuring the purity of the thin film deposition. Simultaneously, the fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator can achieve complex path transport and precise attitude adjustment in three-dimensional space, while the magnetic drive rod has both linear extension and rotation functions. Combined with the extension mechanism, the vertical height of the substrate mounting structure can be adjusted. This, along with the two vapor deposition chambers located at the connection points between the optical lens, the quadrupole, and the chamber, further enhances the deposition process. The source (supporting resistance heating or electron beam bombardment to adapt to various target materials) ensures precise deposition of gaseous particles from the target material onto the substrate, significantly improving deposition accuracy and film uniformity. The substrate mounting structure features multiple vertically arranged sample stages, capable of carrying multiple substrates at a time to reduce downtime for replacement, adapting to the needs of large-scale production. The integrated cooling chamber precisely controls the substrate temperature, preventing substrate deformation or film performance degradation due to high temperatures. Multiple observation windows on the chamber shell allow for real-time monitoring of the cluster beam deposition process from different angles, facilitating timely adjustment of process parameters to improve process controllability. Furthermore, the retractable structure enables the substrate mounting structure to flexibly switch to the beam path of the lead-out optical lens or quadrupole, further adapting to the needs of cluster beam deposition with different quality specifications and expanding the equipment's application range. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a deposition chamber for achieving target vapor deposition under vacuum conditions according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 A schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum conditions according to this invention. Figure 1 ; Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum conditions according to this invention. Figure 2 ; Figure 4 A schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum conditions according to this invention. Figure 3 .

[0017] The meanings of the labels in the attached diagram are as follows: 1. Chamber shell, 11. Connecting part, 2. Substrate mounting structure, 21. Sample holder, 22. Sample stage, 23. Slot, 24. Receiving platform, 3. Molecular pump, 4. Evaporation source, 5. Fully free manipulator, 6. Magnetic drive rod, 61. Short tube, 7. Telescopic mechanism, 71. Adjustment seat, 72. Telescopic rod, 8. Observation window. Detailed Implementation

[0018] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with specific embodiments and corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0019] The following disclosure provides various embodiments or examples of different features for implementing this utility model. Specific examples of components and arrangements will be described below to simplify the utility model. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the utility model. For example, in the following description, forming a first component above or on a second component may include embodiments where the first and second components are in direct contact, or embodiments where other components may be formed between the first and second components such that the first and second components are not in direct contact. Additionally, reference numerals and / or characters may be repeated in various instances of the utility model. Such repetition is for simplification and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations.

[0020] Furthermore, spatial relation terms such as "below," "under," "below," "above," and "above" may be used herein to readily describe the relationship between one element or component and another element (or component) or component (or component) as shown in the figure. In addition to the orientations shown in the figure, spatial relation terms will encompass various different orientations of the device in use or operation. The device may be positioned in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations) and will be interpreted accordingly through the spatial relation descriptors used herein.

[0021] Furthermore, the technical parts described in this utility model and the appended claims are mainly the improved technical parts of this utility model, and do not limit the object protected by this utility model to only having these technical parts. Other known necessary components (structures and / or methods) and / or non-essential components of the protected object, other than the technical parts described in this utility model and the appended claims, are not included in this utility model and the appended claims because they do not fall within the scope of improvement of this utility model. However, this does not mean that the object protected by this utility model does not possess these known components.

[0022] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Reference Figures 1 to 4 The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment of this utility model includes a chamber shell 1, a substrate mounting structure 2 disposed in the chamber shell 1, a molecular pump 3 for evacuating the interior of the chamber shell 1, and an evaporation source 4 disposed on the side wall of the chamber shell 1. It also includes a fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator 5 and a magnetic drive rod 6. The fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator 5 and the magnetic drive rod 6 are used to cooperate to mount the substrate in the substrate mounting structure 2 and adjust its position.

[0024] One side of the chamber housing 1 is connected to an outgoing optical lens and a quadrupole. The outgoing optical lens and the quadrupole are arranged vertically, and the connection points 11 between the outgoing optical lens, the quadrupole, and the chamber housing 1 are located on the same vertical axis. The outgoing optical lens and the quadrupole can sputter the target material into the chamber housing 1 to form cluster particles, which are then deposited on the substrate. There are two evaporation sources 4, each corresponding to a connection point 11 between the outgoing optical lens and the quadrupole. Specifically, the two evaporation sources 4 are located on one side of the chamber housing 1 and extend into it. The two evaporation sources 4 correspond to two connection points 11, meaning the central axis of the connection point 11 between the outgoing optical lens and the chamber housing 1 intersects with the central axis of the corresponding evaporation source 4, and the central axis of the connection point 11 between the quadrupole and the chamber housing 1 intersects with the central axis of the corresponding evaporation source 4. The evaporation source 4 heats the target material to above its boiling point or sublimation temperature through resistance heating or electron beam bombardment, thereby generating a high-purity gaseous atomic or ion stream, and depositing the resulting cluster particles onto the substrate. The molecular pump 3 is provided at the bottom of the chamber shell 1 to evacuate the interior of the chamber shell 1.

[0025] A telescopic mechanism 7 is provided on the outer shell of the chamber. The telescopic mechanism 7 includes an adjustment seat 71 installed above the deposition chamber and a telescopic rod 72 disposed within the adjustment seat 71. The lower end of the telescopic rod 72 extends into the chamber shell 1 and is connected to the substrate mounting structure 2. The telescopic rod 72 can be a hydraulic rod or other existing devices that can achieve a telescopic effect. The substrate mounting structure 2 is disposed at the lower end of the telescopic rod 72 and can change its vertical height as the telescopic rod 72 extends or retracts.

[0026] The substrate mounting structure 2 includes a sample holder 21, sample stages 22 disposed on the sample holder 21, and receiving platforms 24 disposed on the sample holder 21. The sample holder 21 is connected to the lower end of the telescopic rod 72. Several sample stages 22 are arranged on the same side of the sample holder 21, specifically on the side of the sample holder 21 facing the communication port 11. The receiving platform 24 is disposed on the sample holder 21 at the same side as the sample stages 22, and is located below the sample stages 22. In this embodiment, both the sample stages 22 and the receiving platform 24 have slots 23 for mounting the substrate. During deposition, the telescopic rod 72 is adjusted to change the height of the substrate mounting structure 22, so that the substrate on the receiving platform 24 is positioned to receive the target material. The target material ejected from the communication port 11, after being processed by the evaporation source 4, can be deposited on the substrate. Furthermore, a cooling cavity (not shown in the figure) is provided on the sample holder 21 at the position corresponding to the receiving stage 24 to cool the substrate on the receiving stage 24.

[0027] The magnetic drive rod 6 is horizontally inserted through the side wall of the chamber housing 1, specifically above the two evaporation sources 4. A horizontal short tube 61 is installed on the side wall of the chamber housing 1, with one end connected to the outside and the other end connected to the inside of the chamber housing 1. The short tube 61 is used to insert the magnetic drive rod 6, which slides within the short tube 61 and is slidably and sealingly connected to the opening between the short tube 61 and the outside, thus ensuring that the movement of the magnetic drive rod 6 does not disrupt the vacuum environment inside the chamber housing 1.

[0028] The fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator 5, used to grasp the substrate, is inserted through the side wall of the chamber housing 1, and the axes of the fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator 5 and the magnetic drive rod 6 are located on the same horizontal plane to cooperate in adjusting the position of the substrate. Specifically, after the substrate deposition on the receiving stage 24 is completed, the magnetic drive rod 6 and the fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator 5 cooperate to remove the substrate, and remove an undeposited substrate from the sample stage 22 and place it into the receiving stage 24 for a new round of deposition.

[0029] The chamber housing 1 is also provided with a plurality of observation windows 8. The number of observation windows 8 is configured to be multiple, for observing the deposition process of the cluster beam drawn out by the quadrupole or the lead-out optical lens from different angles and positions.

[0030] Compared with existing technologies, the deposition chamber for target vapor deposition in a vacuum environment of this invention utilizes a fully free-degree-of-freedom robotic arm and a magnetic drive rod in a coplanar coordinated manner. Relying on magnetic coupling non-contact transmission technology, it can complete substrate gripping, alignment, installation, and replacement without opening the chamber shell. This avoids the time-consuming re-vacuuming required by traditional structures due to disruption of the vacuum environment, significantly improving production continuity. It also prevents external impurities from entering, effectively ensuring the purity of the deposited film. Simultaneously, the fully free-degree-of-freedom robotic arm can achieve complex path transport and precise posture adjustment in three-dimensional space, while the magnetic drive rod has both linear extension and rotation functions. Combined with the extension mechanism, it can adjust the vertical height of the substrate mounting structure. This, along with two evaporation sources respectively corresponding to the lead-out optical lenses, the quadrupole, and the connection point between the quadrupole and the chamber, further enhances the deposition process. (Supports resistance heating or electron beam bombardment to adapt to various target materials), ensuring precise deposition of gaseous particles from the target material onto the substrate, significantly improving deposition accuracy and film uniformity; the substrate mounting structure has multiple vertically arranged sample stages, which can carry multiple substrates at a time to reduce downtime for replacement, adapting to the needs of large-scale production, and the integrated cooling chamber can precisely control the substrate temperature, avoiding substrate deformation or film performance degradation caused by high temperature; multiple observation windows on the chamber shell can monitor the cluster beam deposition process in real time from different angles, facilitating timely adjustment of process parameters to improve process controllability, and the retractable structure can drive the substrate mounting structure to flexibly switch to the beam path of the lead-out optical lens or quadrupole, further adapting to the cluster beam deposition needs of different quality specifications and expanding the application range of the equipment.

[0031] The above embodiments only illustrate preferred implementations of this utility model, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this utility model, and these all fall within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum conditions, connected to an optical lens and a quadrupole, characterized in that: The device includes a chamber housing, a substrate mounting structure disposed within the chamber housing, a molecular pump for evacuating the interior of the chamber housing, and an evaporation source disposed on the side wall of the chamber housing. The number of evaporation sources is at least one, and at least one of the evaporation sources is disposed at a position corresponding to the target material injection point. The substrate mounting structure is mounted on a set of telescopic mechanisms to adjust the distance by which the substrate mounting structure extends into the chamber housing. The device also includes a fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator and a magnetic drive rod, which cooperate to mount the substrate in the substrate mounting structure and adjust its position.

2. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The telescopic mechanism includes an adjustment seat installed above the deposition chamber and a telescopic rod disposed within the adjustment seat. The lower end of the telescopic rod extends into the chamber housing and is connected to the substrate mounting structure.

3. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 2, characterized in that: The substrate mounting structure includes a sample holder and a sample stage disposed on the sample holder. The sample holder is connected to the lower end of the telescopic rod, and the sample stage is disposed on the side of the sample holder facing the chamber housing and communicating with the lead-out optical lens and the quadrupole to receive cluster particles.

4. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The sample stage has several units arranged on the same side of the sample holder.

5. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The substrate mounting structure also includes a cooling cavity connected to the sample holder.

6. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The magnetic drive rod is horizontally inserted through the side wall of the chamber housing. One end of the magnetic drive rod extends into the interior of the chamber housing, and the other end extends outward. The magnetic drive rod can rotate relative to the chamber housing and can move horizontally along its own axis.

7. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The axes of the fully free-degree-of-freedom manipulator and the magnetic drive rod are located on the same horizontal plane to cooperate in adjusting the position of the substrate.

8. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The number of evaporation sources is two, and the two evaporation sources are respectively set at the connection between the lead-out optical lens and the quadrupole and the chamber shell. The evaporation sources heat the target material emitted from the lead-out optical lens or the quadrupole to above the boiling point or sublimation temperature by resistance heating or electron beam bombardment, so as to generate atomic or molecular vapor.

9. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes an observation window disposed on the chamber housing.

10. The deposition chamber for target vapor deposition under vacuum environment as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The number of observation windows is configured to be multiple, for observing the deposition process of cluster beams drawn out by quadrupoles or lead-out optical lenses from different angles and positions.