Film deposition device

Abstract

To provide a film deposition device capable of depositing a film on plural film-deposited objects with uniform film thickness distribution at the same time.SOLUTION: A film deposition device 1 according to an embodiment has: a tray 41 having a workpiece contact face 41a and movable between a loading position for loading a workpiece W on a holder H and a separation position for separating it from the holder H; a rotation and revolution unit 42 having a holder contact face 421a, and revolving the workpiece W loaded on the holder H with a rotation shaft 420 as a center, and rotating the workpiece W with a support shaft 422 supporting the tray 41 as a center according to rotation of the rotation shaft 420; a pusher unit 43 for moving the tray 41 between the loading position and the separation position while making the holder contact face 421a into contact with and away from the holder H and moving it between the loading position for loading the holder H on a transportation body and the separation position for separating it from the transportation body; and a rotation unit for revolving and rotating plural trays 41 by rotating the rotation shaft 420.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Sputtering deposition devices are widely used as devices for depositing films on the surfaces of objects such as substrates. Sputtering is a technology that utilizes the phenomenon in which ions are generated by turning a gas introduced into a vacuum chamber into plasma, and the generated ions collide with the surface of a target material, which is a film-forming material, causing the film-forming material to fly out and adhere to the substrate.

[0003] In such a film forming apparatus, it is desirable to make the thickness of the film formed on the surface of the substrate uniform. In sputtering, for example, a plurality of targets are arranged to make the distribution of the film forming material falling on the substrate more uniform. In this case, in order to make the film thickness distribution more uniform, the power applied to each target is adjusted, or the distance or orientation between the target and the film forming object is adjusted, thereby making the film thickness uniform within the surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 01-212756 DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the above method requires many targets. Therefore, in the method of adjusting the applied power, the power control becomes complicated. In addition, even in the method of adjusting the distance between the target and the substrate, there is a limit to how close the target can be to the substrate because the target brought close to the substrate blocks the particles of the film-forming material that fly out from the other targets. In other words, even by adjusting the voltage applied to the target or the distance between the target and the substrate, it may be difficult to achieve a uniform film thickness.

[0006] In addition, the film thickness distribution can be improved by tilting the target with respect to the substrate in some cases. However, because it is necessary to arrange other components such as a mechanism for holding the target, a mechanism for cooling the target, and magnets used to improve the film formation efficiency, it may not be possible to select an optimal tilt angle, making it difficult to optimize the film thickness.

[0007] In order to deal with this, a substrate facing multiple targets is rotated so that the film-forming surface of the substrate faces different targets in sequence, thereby offsetting the variation in the film-forming rate of the multiple targets (for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 also describes a method of simultaneously forming films on multiple substrates while rotating (revolving) them around a rotation axis provided on the outside of each substrate. However, in this case, each point on the surface of each substrate always passes through the same orbit, and the distance from the target remains uneven, which leads to uneven deposition of the film-forming material, and causes variation in the film thickness distribution within each substrate. For this reason, it has been considered to rotate (spin) each substrate around a rotation axis provided on the inside of each substrate in addition to revolution, so that each point on the surface of each substrate does not pass through the same orbit during revolution.

[0008] Here, in order to perform film formation and film processing such as oxidizing or nitriding the formed film in one chamber, there is a film formation apparatus in which a plurality of film formation chambers for film formation and film processing chambers for film processing are arranged in the same chamber. In such a film formation apparatus, a substrate to be a film formation target is placed on a conveyor, and the substrate is moved to a position facing the film formation chamber, and then the substrate is separated from the conveyor by a pusher, and film formation is performed with the substrate close to the target, and the substrate is placed on the conveyor again and moved to the next film formation chamber or processing chamber. In such a film formation apparatus, film formation is performed with the substrate elevated by the pusher, but in order to address the above-mentioned issues, a mechanism for rotating and revolving a plurality of substrates is required in addition to a mechanism for raising and lowering the pusher.

[0009] The embodiments of the present invention have been proposed to solve the problems of the conventional technology as described above, and have an object to provide a film formation apparatus capable of simultaneously forming films with uniform film thickness distribution on multiple film formation targets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, a film formation apparatus according to an embodiment includes a film formation unit that forms a film on a workpiece by sputtering in a film formation chamber having a target, a transport body that transports a holder with the workpiece mounted thereon to a position facing the film formation chamber, a tray that has a work abutment surface that comes into contact with and separates from the workpiece and is movable between a mounting position where the workpiece is mounted on the holder and a separation position where the workpiece is separated from the holder, and a holder abutment surface that comes into contact with and separates from the holder, and revolves the workpiece mounted on the holder around a rotation axis, and moves a support axis that supports the tray around the rotation axis in accordance with the rotation of the rotation axis. The apparatus mainly includes a rotation / revolution unit which rotates the workpiece on its axis, a pusher unit which moves the holder abutment surface against and away from the holder to move the holder between a mounting position where the holder is mounted on the transport body and a separation position where the holder is separated from the transport body, and moves the tray between the mounting position and the separation position, and a rotation unit which brings the holder abutment surface into contact with the holder by the pusher unit, moves the tray to the separation position, and rotates the rotation shaft with the workpiece contained in the film formation chamber, thereby revolving the tray and rotating the tray on its axis. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a film formation apparatus capable of simultaneously forming films with uniform film thickness distribution on a plurality of film formation targets. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view illustrating an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1A is an exploded perspective view showing the jig, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the workpiece, and FIG. [Diagram 3] 1A is a plan view showing a holder and a workpiece, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 1A, and FIG. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, showing a film-forming unit and a workpiece rotating unit in a standby state. [Diagram 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, illustrating the film-forming unit and the workpiece rotating unit during film formation. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the internal configuration of a loading / unloading unit and a chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter, referred to as the present embodiment) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. [overview] As shown in Fig. 1, this embodiment is a film formation apparatus 1 that uses plasma to form a film on a film formation target surface of a workpiece W, which is an individual film formation target. The film formation apparatus 1 of this embodiment has a turntable 3 that holds a holder H (see Fig. 3(A)) on which a plurality of workpieces W are mounted, and rotates intermittently by 90° in a chamber 2 that can be evacuated. The film formation apparatus 1 performs various processes on the workpieces W at three of the four stopping positions at which the turntable 3 stops. A film formation section 100, a reversing section 200, and a loading / unloading section 300 are assigned to the three stopping positions.

[0014] The film forming unit 100 simultaneously forms films on a plurality of workpieces W by sputtering in a film forming chamber 110 having a target 10. That is, ions generated by turning a sputtering gas G into plasma are collided with the target 10 (see FIG. 4), and particles of the film forming material constituting the target 10 are attached to the film forming surfaces of the plurality of workpieces W. The film forming unit 100 of this embodiment is equipped with two targets 10A and 10B. When there is no need to distinguish between the two targets 10A and 10B, they are simply referred to as targets 10.

[0015] In order to form a film on both sides of the workpiece W, the reversing unit 200 uses an inversion mechanism in the reversing unit 200 to invert the workpiece W after a film has been formed on one side in the film-forming unit 100, so that a film can be formed on the other side in the film-forming unit 100. The loading / unloading unit 300 loads an unprocessed workpiece W from the outside into the chamber 2 via the load lock chamber 25 while maintaining the vacuum inside the chamber 2, and unloads a processed workpiece W from the chamber 2 to the outside.

[0016] [Subject to be coated] In this embodiment, a circular workpiece W is used as an example of a film-forming target. The workpiece W is a member in which a substrate S and a jig J, which will be described later, are integrated, and a plurality of workpieces W are mounted on a holder H and transported by a rotary table 3. The substrate S is circular, and is, for example, a quartz substrate used in a quartz device such as a quartz resonator or a quartz oscillator. The substrate S has an Au layer formed on both sides of the quartz substrate to serve as an electrode. In addition, a Cr layer is formed between the quartz substrate surface and the Au layer to serve as an adhesion layer for improving the adhesion of the Au layer to the quartz substrate surface. Therefore, two layers, a Cr layer to serve as an adhesion layer and an Au layer to serve as an electrode, are formed on both sides of the quartz substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a silicon (Si) wafer, a silicon carbide (SiC) wafer, a sapphire substrate, or a glass substrate.

[0017] The jig J is a member on which the substrate S is mounted. As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 2(A), the perspective view of FIG. 2(B), and the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2(C) (cross-sectional view along the arrow BB in FIG. 2(B)), the jig J of this embodiment has an upper jig Ju, a lower jig Jd, a spacer Js, and a pin Jp. The upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd are ring-shaped plates with an inner diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the substrate S and an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the substrate S. The spacer Js is a ring-shaped plate with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the substrate S and an outer diameter equal in size to the upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd. The upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js may be made of metal.

[0018] The spacer Js is sandwiched between the upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd, and the substrate S is sandwiched on the inner edge side of the spacer Js, so that the substrate S is attached to the jig J. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(C), the spacer Js is disposed outside the substrate S. Also, as shown in FIG. 2(C), a magnet Jm is embedded in the lower jig Jd outside the outer edge of the substrate S, and the upper jig Ju is attracted by magnetic force, so that the spacer Js and the substrate S are sandwiched between the upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd. This prevents the substrate S from coming off the jig J. Also, the upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js have a plurality of through holes formed at corresponding positions, and the pins Jp are inserted into the through holes to prevent misalignment. In the following description, the jig J with the substrate S attached thereto is simply called the workpiece W.

[0019] [Holder] 3A and 3B, the holder H of this embodiment is a member on which the workpiece W is mounted. The holder H is a circular plate having a diameter large enough to mount a plurality of workpieces W, and three workpieces W are mounted at equal intervals around the center. A circular hole Ha is formed at the mounting position of the workpiece W, and a thin support edge Hb that supports the outer edge of the lower surface of the workpiece W is formed on the inner edge of the hole Ha. In addition, as described later, the holder H has a fitting recess 424b that constitutes a fitting portion 424 that positions the rotation shaft 420 and the center of revolution of the tray 41.

[0020] [Chamber] The chamber 2 is a container capable of creating a vacuum inside. The chamber 2 in this embodiment is a rectangular box shape, with a bottom plate 21 on the installation side and a cover plate 22 on the opposite side (see Figures 4 and 5). The chamber 2 is provided on a box-shaped stand 24. The chamber 2 is provided with a chamber exhaust section 23. The chamber exhaust section 23 in this embodiment has a pipe connected to an opening formed in the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2. The chamber exhaust section 23 is configured to include a pneumatic circuit (not shown), and enables the inside of the chamber 2 to be evacuated by an exhaust process.

[0021] [Rotary table] As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3(C), FIG. 4, and FIG. 5, the turntable 3 is a carrier that carries the workpiece W mounted on the holder H in the chamber 2. The turntable 3 is a circular plate body, and rotates intermittently around the shaft 31 by the driving source 3a. The turntable 3 has a plurality of openings 32 that are through holes. The plurality of openings 32 are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction at positions that are equal intervals from the center of rotation of the turntable 3. In this embodiment, four openings 32 are provided at 90° intervals corresponding to the stop positions of the intermittent rotation. Three of these positions face the film forming unit 100, the reversing unit 200, and the loading / unloading unit 300. A support unit 33 that supports the holder H is placed on the upper edge of the opening 32. The support unit 33 is a ring-shaped member, and has a sealing member 33a such as an O-ring for sealing a load lock chamber 321 described later. When the workpiece W and tray 41 together with the holder H are positioned at a position corresponding to the film formation chamber 110 by intermittent rotation of the turntable 3, the mating recess 424b of the holder H comes to a position facing the mating protrusion 424a provided on the rotating body 421 side described later.

[0022] [Workpiece rotation part] 4 and 5, the workpiece rotating unit 4 rotates and revolves the workpiece W in the film formation chamber 110, thereby making the film thickness distribution of each substrate S uniform. The workpiece rotating unit 4 has a tray 41, a rotating / revolving unit 42, a pusher unit 43, and a rotating unit 44.

[0023] The tray 41 is a member having a workpiece abutment surface 41a that comes into contact with and separates from the workpiece W mounted on the holder H. A plurality of trays 41 are arranged to correspond to the positions of the plurality of workpieces W mounted on the holder H. Three trays 41 are provided in this embodiment to correspond to the three workpieces W. The workpiece abutment surfaces 41a are arranged at positions facing the workpieces W mounted on the holder H, respectively, and move in a direction to come into contact with and separate from the workpiece W. The tray 41 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 422 of a rotating body 421 described later, and is provided on the rotating body 421. The tray 41, whose workpiece abutment surface 41a comes into contact with the workpiece W, is provided to be movable between a mounting position (see FIG. 4) where the workpiece W is mounted on the holder H, and a separation position (see FIG. 5) where the workpiece W is separated from the holder H. The outer diameter of the workpiece abutment surface 41a is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the workpiece W that comes into contact with it. Furthermore, the outer diameter of the workpiece abutment surface 41a is smaller than the support edge Hb.

[0024] The rotation / revolution unit 42 revolves and rotates the workpiece W mounted on the tray 41. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the cross section of the rotation / revolution unit 42 is a vertical cross section passing through two support shafts 422 for easy understanding. The rotation / revolution unit 42 has a rotation shaft 420, a rotor 421, a support shaft 422, and a conversion mechanism 423. The rotation shaft 420 is a member that serves as the axis of revolution of the workpiece W. The revolution here means that the workpiece W moves around the rotation shaft 420 on a circumferential trajectory centered on the rotation shaft 420. The rotor 421 is a circular plate body that is provided rotatably around the rotation shaft 420. The diameter of the rotor 421 is smaller than the diameter of the opening 32 of the turntable 3. As a result, the rotor 421 can pass through the opening 32 of the turntable 3 and rise to the separation position. The upper surface of the rotating body 421, that is, the surface facing the holder H, is a holder abutment surface 421a that comes into contact with and separates from the holder H. The outer diameter of the rotating body 421 having the holder abutment surface 421a is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the surface of the holder H that comes into contact with it.

[0025] The holder abutment surface 421a and the holder H have a fitting portion 424 that positions the rotation shaft 420 and the center of revolution of the tray 41. The fitting portion 424 has a fitting protrusion 424a provided on the holder abutment surface 421a and a fitting recess 424b provided on the holder H, and the fitting protrusion 424a and the fitting recess 424b are fitted together, so that the holder H is positioned at the center of the rotation shaft 420 and is positioned in the rotation direction about the rotation shaft 420. Specifically, the fitting protrusion 424a provided on the holder abutment surface 421a has a protrusion at the center of the rotating body 421 and a protrusion at a position offset from the center, and the fitting recess 424b provided on the holder H has a recess at the center of the holder H and a recess at a position offset from the center. Then, the convex portion at the center of the rotating body 421 fits into the concave portion at the center of the holder H, and the convex portion at a position offset from the center of the rotating body 421 fits into the concave portion at a position offset from the center of the holder H. This positions the holder H with respect to the rotating shaft 420.

[0026] The support shaft 422 supports the tray 41. The support shaft 422 is a vertical member attached to the center of the lower surface of the tray 41, and serves as the center of rotation of the workpiece W supported by the tray 41. The rotation here means that the workpiece W rotates about its own center as an axis. Each support shaft 422 extends downward through the rotating body 421 via a bearing provided in the rotating body 421 so as to be rotatable relative to the rotating body 421.

[0027] The conversion mechanism 423 converts the rotation of the rotating shaft 420 into the rotation of the support shaft 422. The conversion mechanism 423 has a transmission unit that transmits the rotation of the rotating shaft 420, and a rotating member to which the rotation of the rotating shaft 420 is transmitted by the transmission unit and rotates the support shaft 422. The transmission unit in this embodiment is a fixed gear 423a, and the rotating member is a planetary gear 423b. The fixed gear 423a is provided concentrically with the rotating shaft 420, but is fixed to a support cylinder 433 that surrounds the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 420, and is a disk gear that does not rotate by the rotation of the rotating shaft 420. The planetary gear 423b is fixed to the lower end of each support shaft 422 and engages with a gear groove on the outer periphery of the fixed gear 423a. 5, when the support shaft 422 revolves together with the tray 41 in accordance with the rotation of the rotor 421, the planetary gear 423b rotates while rotating around the fixed gear 423a, so that the tray 41 also rotates around the support shaft 422 (see FIG. 3(A)). The term "revolution" here means that the tray 41, the support shaft 422, and the planetary gear 423b move around the rotation shaft 420 in a circular trajectory centered on the rotation shaft 420. The term "rotation" here means that the tray 41 and the planetary gear 423b rotate around the support shaft 422.

[0028] The pusher unit 43 is a mechanism for moving the rotating body 421 and the tray 41 toward and away from the holder H and the workpiece W. The pusher unit 43 moves the holder abutment surface 421a of the rotating body 421 toward and away from the holder H, moving the holder H between a mounting position (see FIG. 4) where the holder H is mounted on the turntable 3 and a separation position (see FIG. 5) where the holder H is separated from the turntable 3, and also moves the tray 41 between the mounting position and the separation position. The mounting position is a position where the holder H is supported by the support portion 33 of the turntable 3. When the holder H is at this mounting position, the rotation / revolution unit 42 is at a standby position (home position: between the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2 and the turntable 3) located below the turntable 3 so as not to impede the rotation of the turntable 3. The separation position is not only to separate the holder H from the support portion 33 of the turntable 3, but also to place the holder H and the workpiece W in a processing position in the film-forming chamber 110 (a position where the workpiece W and the holder H can be inserted from the opening 111 of the film-forming unit 100 to form a film on the workpiece W). The tray 41 also pushes up the workpiece W by penetrating the hole Ha of the holder H. That is, when the mating convex portion 424a and the mating concave portion 424b are mated, the tray 41 pushes up the workpiece W from the hole Ha of the holder H. That is, the tray 41 that has entered the hole Ha of the holder H continues to rise and pushes up the workpiece W by penetrating the hole Ha. While the workpiece W is being pushed up by the tray 41, the holder H rises and is positioned in the film-forming unit 100. The turntable 3 rotates intermittently with the holder H and the workpiece W mounted thereon, and when the turntable 3 positions the workpiece W together with the holder H at a position corresponding to the film-forming unit 100, that is, when the workpiece W and the holder H stop at a position corresponding to the film-forming unit 100, the fitting convex portion 424a of the holder abutment surface 421a of the rotor 421 and the fitting concave portion 424b of the holder H are positioned at a corresponding position. In this case, the hole Ha of the holder H and the tray 41 are positioned at a corresponding position.

[0029] The pusher unit 43 has a cylinder 431, a housing 432, and a support tube 433. The cylinder 431 is a drive source for raising and lowering the rotating body 421 and the tray 41, and is fixed to the bottom surface of the stand 24. The housing 432 is a tube supported by the drive shaft of the cylinder 431 and housing the rotation unit 44 described later.

[0030] The support cylinder 433 is a cylinder into which the rotating shaft 420 is rotatably inserted via a bearing. The lower end of the support cylinder 433 is fixed to the upper part of the accommodation body 432. The upper end of the support cylinder 433 passes through the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2 so as to be vertically slidable, and a fixed gear 423a is fixed thereto.

[0031] The rotation unit 44 is a mechanism for rotating the rotation shaft 420. The rotation unit 44 has a motor 44a, which is a drive source housed in a housing 432. The shaft of the motor 44a is connected to the lower end of the rotation shaft 420. This causes the rotation shaft 420 to rotate by the rotation of the motor 44a. When the pusher unit 43 brings the holder abutment surface 421a into contact with the holder H, positions the tray 41 at the separation position, and houses the workpiece W in the film formation chamber 110, the rotation unit 44 rotates the rotation shaft 420, so that the multiple trays 41 revolve and each tray 41 rotates on its axis.

[0032] [Film forming section] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the film forming section 100 includes a film forming chamber 110, a sputtering source 120, a power supply section 130, a sputtering gas introduction section 140, and an exhaust section 150.

[0033] (Film forming chamber) The film formation chamber 110 is a space where a film is formed by sputtering. As shown in FIG. 4, the film formation chamber 110 is composed of an opening 111, a spacer 112, and a cover 113. The opening 111 is a through hole provided in the cover plate 22 of the chamber 2. The spacer 112 is a rectangular cylindrical member provided on the outer side of the cover plate 22 of the chamber 2 so as to surround the opening 111. The spacer 112 constitutes a side wall of the film formation chamber 110. The cover 113 is a box-shaped body that seals the upper part of the spacer 112. The gap between the cover plate 22, the spacer 112, and the cover 113 is sealed by a sealing material such as an O-ring.

[0034] (Sputter Source) The sputtering source 120 is a supply source of a film forming material that is deposited by sputtering on the workpiece W to form a film. The sputtering source 120 includes a target 10, a backing plate 121, and an electrode 122.

[0035] 1, there are two targets 10. The two targets 10, i.e., targets 10A and 10B, are members formed of a film-forming material that is deposited on a workpiece W to form a film. The sputtering surfaces of targets 10A and 10B that are being scraped off by sputtering are disposed in a position facing the workpiece W and inclined with respect to the workpiece W.

[0036] Examples of the film-forming material include Cr and Au. However, various materials can be used as long as they can be used to form a film by sputtering. The target 10A and the target 10B may be made of the same material or different materials. For example, the targets 10A and 10B may be made of the same Cr target, or the targets 10A and 10B may be made of the same Au target. Furthermore, the target 10A may be made of Cr and the target 10B may be made of Au, so that the targets 10A and 10B are different targets.

[0037] The backing plate 121 is a holding member that holds the targets 10A, 10B individually. The electrode 122 is a conductive member for applying electric power to the targets 10A, 10B individually from outside the chamber 2. The sputtering source 120 is equipped with a magnet, a cooling mechanism, and the like, although not shown. In other words, the film forming unit 100 of this embodiment is configured as a magnetron sputtering device.

[0038] (Power supply part) The power supply unit 130 is a component that applies power to each of the targets 10A, 10B. By applying power to the targets 10 by the power supply unit 130, the sputtering gas G described below can be turned into plasma, and the film forming material can be deposited on the workpiece W. The power applied to each of the targets 10A, 10B can be changed individually. In this embodiment, the power supply unit 130 is, for example, an RF power supply that applies a high-frequency voltage. It is to be noted that it may also be a DC power supply.

[0039] (Sputtering gas inlet) In the plasma processing of this embodiment, a sputtering gas G is used. The sputtering gas G is a gas for depositing the material of the targets 10A, 10B on the surface of the substrate S by colliding ions generated by plasma generated by application of electric power with the targets 10A, 10B. For example, an inert gas such as argon gas can be used as the sputtering gas G.

[0040] The sputtering gas introduction unit 140 has a pipe for introducing the sputtering gas G. The sputtering gas introduction unit 140 includes a gas supply circuit (not shown), and enables the sputtering gas G to be introduced into the film formation chamber 110 from a supply source.

[0041] (Exhaust section) The exhaust unit 150 has a pipe connected to an opening formed in the spacer 112. The exhaust unit 150 includes an exhaust circuit (not shown) and enables the inside of the film formation chamber 110 to be evacuated by an exhaust process.

[0042] [Inverted part] The reversing unit 200 has a reversing mechanism (not shown) and reverses the workpieces W. The reversing mechanism of this embodiment individually grasps and lifts the three workpieces W at the separation position from the holder H by the pusher unit 43, rotates them by 180°, and then descends to place the workpieces W on the holder H.

[0043] [Loading / unloading section] The loading / unloading unit 300 is a device that loads and unloads the holder H on which the workpiece W is mounted to the chamber 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the loading / unloading unit 300 has a mounting table T and a transport unit 310. The mounting device loads the holder H on which the workpiece W before film formation is mounted from outside the film formation apparatus 1 by a mounting device. The transport unit 310 picks up the holder H on which the workpiece W before film formation is mounted, which is mounted on the mounting table T, and transports it to a load lock chamber 321 configured in the chamber 2. The mounting device transports the holder H on which the workpiece W is mounted from outside to the loading / unloading unit 300. The transport unit 310 also receives the holder H on which the workpiece W after film formation is mounted from the load lock chamber 321 and places it on the mounting table T. The mounting device transports the holder H on which the workpiece W after film formation is mounted, which is mounted on the mounting table T, to the outside of the film formation apparatus 1.

[0044] The transfer section 310 has an arm 311 and a blocking section 312. The arm 311 is a long member provided between the mounting table T and the chamber 2 and parallel to the plane of the turntable 3. The arm 311 is provided so as to be rotatable intermittently by 180° around an axis parallel to the shaft 31 of the turntable 3 and to be movable along this axis by a driving mechanism (not shown). The blocking sections 312 are provided on both ends of the arm 311 and are members for sealing the opening 2a provided in the chamber 2. The opening 2a is an opening provided in the cover plate 22 on the upper surface of the chamber 2 for connecting the inside of the chamber 2 to the outside, and is an end on the outside side of the load lock chamber 25. The blocking section 312 is provided with a sealing member 312a such as an O-ring.

[0045] The blocking portion 312 is provided with a holding portion 312b. The holding portion 312b is a member that holds the holder H. The holding portion 312b holds the holder H by a holding mechanism such as a vacuum chuck, an electrostatic chuck, or a mechanical chuck. The mounting table T is provided with a pusher P that moves the holder H, on which the workpiece W is mounted, between the mounting table T and the holding portion 312b by being moved by a drive mechanism (not shown).

[0046] The load lock unit 320 has a load lock chamber 321, a pusher 322, an exhaust line 323, and a vent line 324. The load lock chamber 321 is a space surrounded by the inner surface of an opening 2a, which is a through hole formed in the cover plate 22 of the chamber 2, and can house and seal the holder H held by the holding part 312b. An end of the opening 2a of the load lock chamber 321 on the outside side of the chamber 2 is sealed by a closing part 312.

[0047] The pusher 322 is a member that drives the support portion 33 by a driving mechanism 322a. The pusher 322 moves the support portion 33 between the opening 32 of the turntable 3 and the load lock chamber 321 in a direction to move the support portion 33 toward or away from an end portion of the load lock chamber 321 opposite to the outside side of the opening 2a. The pusher 322 is provided with a sealing member 322b such as an O-ring that seals the space between the support portion 33 and the pusher 322. The support portion 33 biased by the pusher 322 seals the end portion of the load lock chamber 321 opposite to the outside side of the opening 2a together with the pusher 322. In this manner, the load lock chamber 321 is formed by being sealed by the blocking portion 312, the support portion 33, and the pusher 322.

[0048] The exhaust line 323 is connected to a pneumatic circuit (not shown) and is a path for reducing the pressure in the sealed load lock chamber 321. The vent line 324 is connected to a valve (not shown) and is a path for breaking the vacuum in the load lock chamber 321.

[0049] The opening 2a is sealed by the closing part 312, and the holder H held by the holding part 312b is transferred to the support part 33 in the load lock chamber 321 which is evacuated via the exhaust line 323. The pusher 322 descends, and the holder H is discharged from the load lock chamber 321 and placed on the opening 32 of the turntable 3 together with the support part 33. The pusher 322 further descends and retreats from the turntable 3. The pusher 322 also pushes up the holder H on which the film-formed workpiece W is placed together with the support part 33 to seal the load lock chamber 25, and transfers the holder H to the holding part 312b of the closing part 312. The closing part 312 which has received the holder H rises to discharge the holder H after the load lock chamber 321 is opened to the atmosphere via the vent line 324.

[0050] [Control device] The control device 50, as shown in Fig. 1, is a device that controls each part of the film forming apparatus 1. The control device 50 can be configured, for example, by a dedicated electronic circuit or a computer that operates with a predetermined program. That is, the control of exhaust of the chamber 2, the control of introduction and exhaust of the sputtering gas G into the film forming chamber 110, the control of the power of the power supply unit 130, the control of the rotation of the turntable 3, the control of the reversing mechanism of the reversing unit 200, the control of the loading and unloading of the loading and unloading unit 300, the drive control of the pusher unit 43, the rotation control of the rotating unit 44, and the like are programmed and executed by a processing device such as a PLC or a CPU, and can be adapted to a wide variety of film forming process specifications.

[0051] Specific items that are controlled include the intermittent operation timing of the drive source 3a of the rotary table 3, the initial exhaust pressure of the film forming apparatus 1, the power applied to the target 10, the flow rate, type, introduction time and exhaust time of the sputtering gas G, and the time of the surface treatment and film forming process.

[0052] Particularly, in this embodiment, the control device 50 controls the power applied to the targets 10A, 10B and the amount of sputtering gas G supplied by the sputtering gas introduction part 140, thereby controlling the deposition rate. The control device 50 also controls the operation of the cylinder 431 of the pusher unit 43 to raise and lower the workpiece rotating part 4. The control device 50 also controls the motor 44a of the rotation unit 44 to rotate the rotation shaft 420, thereby revolving the multiple trays 41 and rotating each tray 41 on its axis.

[0053] Furthermore, input devices and output devices (not shown) are connected to the control device 50. The input devices are input means such as a switch, a touch panel, a keyboard, a mouse, etc., which allow an operator to operate the film forming apparatus 1 via the control device 50. The output devices are output means such as a display, a lamp, a meter, etc., which make information for checking the state of the apparatus visible to the operator.

[0054] [Film formation process] A process of forming a film on a workpiece W using the film forming apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment as described above will be described.

[0055] First, the holder H carrying three workpieces W is carried into the chamber 2 by the carry-in / out part 300 and placed on the opening 32 of the turntable 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the turntable 3 rotates intermittently to position the holder H directly below the opening 111 of the film formation chamber 110.

[0056] Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the cylinder 431 of the pusher unit 43 is actuated to raise the rotary shaft 420, thereby raising the rotation / revolution unit 42. After that, the tray 41 penetrates the hole Ha of the holder H, abuts against the workpiece W, and pushes the workpiece W up from the hole Ha of the holder H. Then, the fitting convex portion 424a and the fitting concave portion 424b fit together, and the pusher unit 43 continues to rise, and the holder H rises and moves away from the opening 32 and the support portion 33 of the rotary table 3, and the tray 41 and the workpiece W also rise. As a result, the holder abutment surface 421a abuts against the lower surface of the holder H and rises from the mounting position to the separation position. Also, the workpiece abutment surface 41a of the tray 41 abuts against the workpiece W and rises from the mounting position to the separation position.

[0057] In this state, the sputtering gas G is introduced into the film forming chamber 110 by the sputtering gas introduction unit 140, and exhausted by the exhaust unit 150, so that the pressure is controlled to a predetermined pressure optimal for the film forming process. Then, the motor 44a of the rotation unit 44 is operated to rotate the rotating shaft 420, and the holder H rotates together with the rotating body 421. The rotating body 421 rotates around its axis while the planetary gear 423b rotates around the periphery of the fixed gear 423a, so that the tray 41 rotates around its axis around the support shaft 422. As a result, the workpieces W on the three trays 41 revolve and rotate around their axes. The rotating body 421 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed (number of rotations per unit time) and for a predetermined rotation time. Since film formation is performed during rotation, the rotation time is approximately the same as the film formation time. The rotation speed and rotation time of the rotating body 421 are optimal rotation speed and rotation time previously obtained through experiments, etc.

[0058] Power is applied to each of the targets 10A, 10B by the power supply unit 130. Then, the sputtering gas G is turned into plasma, and the ions generated collide with the targets 10A, 10B. The film forming material constituting the targets 10A, 10B is knocked out of the targets 10A, 10B by the ions. Then, the film forming material is deposited on the film forming surface of the workpiece W, which revolves and rotates around the holder H and the tray 41.

[0059] After a predetermined time of film formation processing, the application of power to the target 10 is stopped. Then, the sputtering gas G is exhausted from the film formation chamber 110 by exhaust from the exhaust unit 150, and the pressure in the film formation chamber 110 is made equal to that of the chamber 2. Then, the motor 44a is stopped so that the orientation of the holder H (the position of the three workpieces W) is positioned in the initial state, and the rotating body 421 and the tray 41 are lowered by the cylinder 431 as shown in FIG. 4. As a result, the holder H is placed on the support part 33 of the turntable 3 and returns to the mounting position. Furthermore, the fitting convex part 424a of the holder abutment surface 421a is released from the fitting concave part 424b of the holder H, and the holder abutment surface 421a is released from the lower surface of the holder H. The workpiece abutment surface 41a of the tray 41 is released from the workpiece W, and the workpiece W is supported by the support edge Hb of the holder H. The rotation and revolution unit 42 moves to a standby position (home position) below the opening 32 of the rotary table 3, and the downward movement stops.

[0060] The turntable 3 is rotated intermittently to move the holder H to the inversion section 200 and invert it. The turntable 3 is rotated intermittently to move the holder H again to the film formation section 100, and a film is formed on the other film formation target surface of the workpiece W in the same manner as described above. The orientation of the holder H (the positions of the three workpieces W) is positioned in the initial state. Thereafter, the turntable 3 is rotated intermittently to move the holder H carrying the workpieces W on which the film has been formed to directly below the opening 2a, and the holder H is carried out of the chamber 2 by the carry-in / out section 300.

[0061] [effect] (1) The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment as described above has a film forming section 100 that forms a film on a workpiece W by sputtering in a film forming chamber 110 having a target 10, and a transport body that transports a holder H carrying the workpiece W to a position facing the film forming chamber 110.

[0062] This embodiment includes a tray 41 having a work abutment surface 41a that contacts and separates from the work W, and that is movable between a loading position where the work W is loaded onto the holder H and a separation position where the work W is separated from the holder H, and a rotation-revolution unit 42 having a holder abutment surface 421a that contacts and separates from the holder H, which revolves the work W loaded onto the holder H around a rotation shaft 420, and rotates the work W around a support shaft 422 that supports the tray 41 in accordance with the rotation of the rotation shaft 420.

[0063] Furthermore, this embodiment includes a pusher unit 43 that moves the holder abutment surface 421a toward and away from the holder H to move the holder H between a mounting position where the holder H is mounted on the transport body and a separation position where the holder H is separated from the transport body, and moves the tray 41 between the mounting position and the separation position, and a rotation unit 44 that brings the holder abutment surface 421a into contact with the holder H by the pusher unit 43, sets the tray 41 at the separation position, and rotates the rotation shaft 420 while the workpiece W is contained in the film formation chamber 110, thereby revolving the tray 41 and rotating the tray 41 on its axis.

[0064] As a result, the workpiece W rotates while revolving around the target 10 during film formation, and the position of the workpiece W relative to the target 10 changes due to the revolution and also due to the rotation, preventing uneven deposition of the film formation material and making it possible to achieve a uniform film thickness distribution within the workpiece W.

[0065] In addition, in this embodiment, the multiple workpieces W rotate while revolving around the target 10 during film formation, so that the positions of the multiple workpieces W relative to the target 10 change due to the revolution, and the position of each workpiece W relative to the target 10 also changes due to the rotation. This prevents uneven deposition of the film formation material and makes it possible to make the film thickness distribution uniform among the multiple workpieces W and within each individual workpiece W.

[0066] Moreover, only the holder H carrying the workpiece W is transported by the transport body, and the self-revolving unit 42, which has a large number of components and is heavy, does not need to be mounted on the transport body, and it need only be provided at a position corresponding to the film forming section 100. This reduces the weight on the transport body, and the load can be reduced.

[0067] Moreover, cleaning of the film material that adheres to the holder H due to film formation is only required, making maintenance easy. Since the tray 41 is smaller than the size of the workpiece W, the tray 41 is hidden by the workpiece W. This has the advantage that the film material is less likely to adhere to the workpiece contact surface 41a of the tray 41, and only the holder H needs to be cleaned. Furthermore, since only the workpiece W and the holder H are exposed to the atmosphere, the amount of moisture brought into the chamber 2 can be reduced.

[0068] (2) The rotation / revolution unit 42 has a conversion mechanism 423 that converts the rotation of the rotating shaft 420 into the rotation of the support shaft 422. Therefore, the workpiece W can be rotated and revolved by the rotation of the rotating shaft 420, and there is no need to provide a drive source that directly rotates the support shaft 422. In other words, since the rotating shaft 420 serves as the rotation drive source of the support shaft 422, the support shaft 422 can be rotated simply by rotating the rotating shaft 420. This allows the device to be simplified, and since a drive source such as a motor that rotates the support shaft 422 is not required, the weight of the conversion mechanism 423 itself can be reduced, and the load on the rotating shaft 420 that rotates the rotor 421 can be reduced.

[0069] (3) The holder abutment surface 421a and the holder H have an engagement portion 424 that positions the rotation shaft 420 and the center of revolution of the tray 41. Therefore, the holder abutment surface 421a is brought into contact with the holder H, and at the same time, the rotation shaft 420 can be positioned with respect to the rotation center of the holder H. The engagement portion 424 in this embodiment is also provided at a position shifted from the rotation center, so that it is possible to position the orientation of the holder abutment surface 421a and the holder H and prevent rotational misalignment.

[0070] (4) The conveying body has a turntable 3 that is provided so as to be capable of intermittent rotation when the holder H is in the mounting position and that stops when the holder H is moved to the separation position by the pusher unit 43. Since the turntable 3 only needs to convey the holder H, there is no need to increase the weight and strength of the turntable 3 or to enlarge the drive source 3a.

[0071] (5) The outer diameter of the holder abutment surface 421a is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the holder H, and the outer diameter of the workpiece abutment surface 41a is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the workpiece W. For this reason, the rotation-revolution unit 42 is covered by the holder H and the workpiece W, which makes it possible to suppress adhesion of the film-forming material to the rotation-revolution unit 42 and reduce the number of parts to be cleaned and the frequency of cleaning.

[0072] [Variations] This embodiment is not limited to the above-described aspects, and also includes the following modified examples. (1) The number of targets 10 in the film forming unit 100 is not limited to the number exemplified in the above embodiment. There may be one target 10 or three or more targets 10. By increasing the number of targets 10, the film forming rate can be improved.

[0073] The multiple targets 10 may be made of a common film forming material or different types of film forming materials. By using a common film forming material, the film forming rate can be improved. By using different types of film forming materials and depositing films simultaneously or sequentially, a film consisting of layers of multiple film forming materials can be formed.

[0074] (2) The number of film forming units 100 may be more than one. In other words, film forming units 100 may be provided at multiple stop positions of the transport body. By increasing the number of film forming units 100 using a common film forming material, the film forming rate can be improved. It is also possible to form a film consisting of layers of multiple film forming materials by using different types of film forming materials in the multiple film forming units 100 and forming films simultaneously or sequentially. The configuration for generating plasma in the film forming unit 100 is not limited to a specific type.

[0075] (3) In addition to the film forming unit 100, a processing unit may be provided at any of the stopping positions for performing plasma etching, ashing, other surface modification, cleaning, compound film formation, etc. The configuration for generating plasma in the processing unit is not limited to a specific type.

[0076] (4) The shape of the film-forming target is not limited to that shown in the above embodiment. Although the method is most suitable for a film-forming target having a flat surface, the film-forming material can be deposited evenly in the film-forming region even on a film-forming target surface that is not flat.

[0077] (5) The jig J has been described as a circular ring having a shape that allows the substrate S to be attached, but it is not limited to a circle, and may be a ring having a rectangular or polygonal shape. It may also be a plate having a shape that allows the substrate S to be placed. A recess in which the substrate S is accommodated may be formed at the placement position of the substrate S. The number of workpieces W (substrates S mounted on the jig J) that can be placed on the holder H is not limited to the above embodiment. The substrate S does not have to be attached or mounted on the jig J. In other words, the jig J does not have to be used. In this case, the workpiece W is only the substrate S, which is the film formation target, and the workpiece abutment surface 41a abuts against the back surface of the substrate S. The materials of the upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js can be appropriately selected. For example, some or all of the upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js can be made of a magnetic material. When some of these members are made of a magnetic material, a part of the area facing the area where the magnet Jm is provided can be made of a magnetic material, and the other areas can be made of a non-magnetic metal.

[0078] (6) The transport device is not limited to a disk-shaped rotating body such as the turntable 3. It may be a rotating body that rotates by holding supports and holders H on arms extending radially from the center of rotation. The number of holders H transported and simultaneously processed by the transport device and the number of supports that support them are singular in the above embodiment, but may be multiple.

[0079] (7) The film forming unit 100 may be located on the installation surface side, the opposite side, or the side of the chamber 2. The holder H may be inserted and removed from the film forming chamber 110 from the installation surface side, the opposite side, or the side.

[0080] (8) In the above embodiment, the direction according to gravity is downward, and the direction against gravity is upward. In this case, the raising and lowering is an up-down movement. However, the arrangement direction of the film forming apparatus 1 is not limited to this, and for example, the up-down relationship between the turntable 3 and the film forming chamber 110 may be reversed. Also, the turntable 3 may be arranged vertically or inclined, not limited to horizontally. The surface on which the film forming apparatus 1 is installed may be a floor, a ceiling, or a side wall.

[0081] (9) The film formation by the film formation unit 100 may be performed on only one side of the workpiece W. In other words, the reversal by the reversal unit 200 does not have to be performed, and the device may not have the reversal unit 200.

[0082] (10) The conversion mechanism 423 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a pair of rollers (e.g., fluororesin) whose contacting portions have flat surfaces may be used as the transmission section and the rotating member. Also, the fixed transmission section may be a flange, and the rotating member may be a pulley having a groove that contacts the outer periphery of the flange. Also, such a transmission section may include a timing belt that transmits rotation to the rotating member, and the rotation of the rotating shaft 420 and the support shaft 422 may be synchronized via the timing belt. The transmission section is not limited to being fixed, and may rotate together with the rotating shaft 420.

[0083] (11) In the above embodiment, the holder H is provided so that a plurality of workpieces W can be mounted thereon, and the rotating unit 44 rotates the rotating shaft 420 while storing the plurality of workpieces W in the film forming chamber 110, thereby revolving the plurality of trays 41 and rotating each of the trays 41 on its axis. That is, in the above embodiment, a film is formed while a plurality of workpieces W are mounted on the holder H and revolved about their axis, but a film may be formed while a single workpiece W is mounted on the holder H. Also, the holder H may be an apparatus capable of mounting only a single workpiece W and forming a film while revolving this workpiece W on its axis. Even in this case, the effect of uniform film thickness due to rotation and revolution can be obtained.

[0084] [Other embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist of the invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1 Film deposition equipment 2 Chamber 2a aperture 3 Rotating table 3a Driving source 4 Workpiece rotation section 10, 10A, 10B targets 21 Bottom plate 22 Lid plate 23 Chamber exhaust section 24 Mount 25 Load Lock Chamber 31 Shaft 32 Aperture 33 Support part 33a Sealing member 41 Tray 41a Work contact surface 42 Rotation and revolution unit 43 Pusher unit 44 Rotating Unit 44a Motor 50 Control device 100 Film forming section 110 Deposition chamber 111 Aperture 112 Spacer 113 Lid 120 Sputtering Source 121 Backing Plate 122 electrodes 130 Power supply section 140 Sputtering gas inlet 150 Exhaust section 200 Reversal section 300 Loading / unloading area 310 Conveyor 311 Arm 312 Occlusion 312a Sealing member 312b Holding part 320 Load lock section 321 Load Lock Chamber 322 Pusha 322a Sealing member 323 Exhaust Line 324 Vent Line 420 Rotational Axis 421 Rotating Body 421a Holder contact surface 422 Support shaft 423 Conversion Mechanism 423a fixed gear 423b Planetary Gear 424 Fitting part 424a Fitting protrusion 424b Fitting recess 431 Cylinder 432 Containment Unit 433 Support tube G Sputtering gas H Holder Ha hole Hb support edge J Jig Ju upper jig Jd Lower Jig Js Spacer Jp Pin Jm magnet S-substrate T mounting table W work

Claims

1. A chamber which is a container mounted on a stand and capable of creating a vacuum inside, A film deposition section is provided in the aforementioned chamber, which performs film deposition on a workpiece by sputtering in a film deposition chamber having a target, Within the chamber, a transport body transports the holder on which the workpiece is mounted to a position facing the film deposition chamber, A tray having a workpiece contact surface that moves toward and away from the workpiece, and movable between a mounting position in which the workpiece is mounted on the holder and a film deposition position in which the workpiece is separated from the holder and a film is deposited on the workpiece in the film deposition chamber, A rotational unit is provided at a position corresponding to the film-forming section, has a holder contact surface that moves toward and away from the holder, and revolves the workpiece mounted on the holder around a rotation axis, and rotates the workpiece on a support axis that supports the tray in accordance with the rotation of the rotation axis, A pusher unit having a drive source fixed to the bottom surface of the frame, moves the pivoting unit up and down to move the holder contact surface toward and away from the holder, thereby moving the holder between a mounting position where it is mounted on the transport body and a separation position where it is separated from the transport body, and moves the tray between the mounting position and the film deposition position, The pusher unit brings the holder contact surface into contact with the holder, moves the tray to the film deposition position, and with the workpiece housed in the film deposition chamber, the rotating unit rotates the rotating shaft to revolve the tray and rotate the tray on its own axis, A film deposition apparatus characterized by having the following features.

2. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the self-rotating and revolving unit has a conversion mechanism that converts the rotation of the rotating shaft into the rotation of the support shaft.

3. The aforementioned conversion mechanism is A transmission unit that transmits the rotation of the aforementioned rotating shaft, A rotating member that transmits the rotation of the rotating shaft via the transmission unit to rotate the support shaft, The film deposition apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by having the following features.

4. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the holder contact surface and the holder have a fitting portion that positions the rotation axis and the orbital center of the tray.

5. The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the transport body is provided so as to be intermittently rotatable when the holder is in the mounting position, and has a rotary table for stopping the holder at a position corresponding to the pusher unit which holds the holder in a detached position.

6. The holder is provided to be able to mount multiple workpieces, The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotating unit, with a plurality of workpieces housed in the film deposition chamber, rotates the rotating shaft to cause a plurality of trays to revolve around it and each of the trays to rotate on its own axis.

Images