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 rotation and revolution unit 42 revolving a tray 41 with a shaft part 420 as a center, and rotating the tray 41 with a support shaft 422 supporting the tray 41 as a center according to rotation of the rotation shaft 420; a pusher unit 43 separatably provided on the rotation and revolution unit 42, and moving the tray between a housing position for housing the tray 41 loading a workpiece W in a film deposition chamber 110 by energizing the rotation and revolution unit 42 in contact with it to separate the rotation and revolution unit 42 from the transportation body, and an isolation position for isolating the tray from the film deposition chamber 110 by being isolated from the rotation and revolution unit 42 to load the rotation and revolution unit 42 on the transportation body; and a rotation unit 44 for revolving and rotating the tray 41 by rotating the shaft part 420 under a condition that the tray 41 loading the workpiece W is housed in the film deposition chamber 110.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Sputtering deposition equipment is widely used to deposit films on the surface of substrates and other objects. Sputtering is a technology that generates ions by converting gas introduced into a vacuum chamber into plasma, and the generated ions collide with the surface of a target material, which is the material to be deposited, causing the material to fly out and adhere to the substrate.

[0003] In such a film formation apparatus, it is desirable to form a film with a uniform thickness on the surface of the substrate. In sputtering, for example, multiple targets are arranged to make the distribution of film formation material falling on the substrate more uniform. In this case, in order to further uniformize the film thickness distribution, methods have been tried to achieve a uniform film thickness across the surface by adjusting the power applied to each target, adjusting the distance or orientation between the target and the film formation target, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

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

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

[0006] In addition, although it may be possible to improve the film thickness distribution by tilting the target relative to the substrate, it is sometimes difficult to select an optimal tilt angle because of the need to arrange other components, such as a mechanism for holding the target, a mechanism for cooling the target, and magnets used to improve film formation efficiency, making it difficult to optimize the film thickness.

[0007] To address this issue, a method has been proposed in which a substrate facing multiple targets is rotated so that the substrate's film formation surface faces different targets in sequence, thereby offsetting the variation in film formation rates among the multiple targets (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 also describes simultaneous film formation while rotating (revolving) multiple substrates around a rotation axis provided on the outside of each substrate. However, in this case, each point on the surface of each substrate always follows the same orbit, and the distance from the target remains uneven, leading to uneven deposition of film material and resulting in variation in film thickness distribution within each substrate. For this reason, it has been considered to rotate 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 follow the same orbit during revolution.

[0008] Here, there are film formation apparatuses in which multiple film formation chambers for film formation and film processing chambers for film processing are arranged within the same chamber in order to perform film formation and film processing processes such as oxidizing or nitriding the formed film within a single chamber. In such film formation apparatuses, a substrate to be film-formed is placed on a transfer body, the substrate is moved to a position facing the film formation chamber, the substrate is separated from the transfer body by a pusher, film formation is performed with the substrate close to the target, and the substrate is then placed on the transfer body again and moved to the next film formation chamber or processing chamber. In such film formation apparatuses, film formation is performed while the substrate is elevated by the pusher, but to address the above-mentioned issues, a mechanism for rotating and revolving multiple 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 their purpose is to provide a film formation apparatus that can simultaneously form films with uniform film thickness distribution on multiple film formation targets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the film forming apparatus of the embodiment has a film forming section that forms a film by sputtering on workpieces placed on a tray in a film forming chamber having a target; a rotation-and-revolution unit that revolves the tray around a shaft and rotates the tray around a support shaft that supports the tray in accordance with the rotation of the shaft; a transport body that transports the tray with the workpiece loaded thereon together with the rotation-and-revolution unit to a position facing the film forming section; a pusher unit that is provided so as to be able to come into and out of contact with the rotation-and-revolution unit and applies force to it, thereby separating the rotation-and-revolution unit from the transport body and loading the tray with the workpiece into the film forming chamber; and a separation position that moves away from the rotation-and-revolution unit, thereby loading the rotation-and-revolution unit onto the transport body and separating it from the film forming chamber; and a rotation unit that rotates the shaft while the tray with the work loaded is loaded into the film forming chamber, thereby loading the tray with the workpiece loaded thereon and rotating it around its axis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the 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 explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a simplified plan view illustrating an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1A is an exploded perspective view showing the jig, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the workpiece, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. [Figure 3] 1A is a plan view showing the rotation-revolution unit, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along the CC arrow in FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is a plan view showing the rotary table and the rotation-revolution unit. [Figure 4] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow AA in FIG. 1, showing the film forming unit and the workpiece rotating unit in a standby state. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrow AA in FIG. 1, showing 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 INVENTION

[0013] An embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the present embodiment) will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Note that, for ease of understanding, the cross-sectional views of Figures 4 and 5 show only the rotation-revolution unit 42 as a vertical cross-section passing through the two support shafts 422, similar to Figure 3(B). [overview] As shown in Fig. 1, this embodiment is a film formation apparatus 1 that uses plasma to form a film on the 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 rotary table 3 that holds a rotation-revolution unit 42 (see Figs. 3(A) and (B)) that supports a tray 41 on which the workpiece W is placed, and that rotates intermittently by 90°, within a chamber 2 that can be evacuated. The film formation apparatus 1 performs various processes on the workpiece W at three of the four stopping positions at which the rotary table 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 plasmatizing a sputtering gas G 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 within 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 also be formed on the other side in the film forming unit 100. The loading / unloading unit 300 loads a rotation-and-revolution unit 42 supporting a tray 41 on which unprocessed workpieces W are placed from the outside into the chamber 2 via the load lock chamber 25 while maintaining the vacuum inside the chamber 2, and unloads the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 supporting the tray 41 on which processed workpieces W are placed out of the chamber 2.

[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 formed by integrating a substrate S and a jig J, which will be described later. Furthermore, multiple workpieces W are mounted on a tray 41 of the rotation / revolution unit 42 and transported by the rotary table 3. The substrate S is circular and is, for example, a quartz substrate used in quartz devices such as quartz resonators and quartz oscillators. The substrate S has an Au layer formed on both sides of the quartz substrate to serve as an electrode. A Cr layer is also formed between the quartz substrate surface and the Au layer to serve as an adhesion layer to improve adhesion of the Au layer to the quartz substrate surface. Therefore, two layers, a Cr layer acting as an adhesion layer and an Au layer acting as an electrode, are formed on both sides of the quartz substrate. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other examples include a silicon (Si) wafer, a silicon carbide (SiC) wafer, a sapphire substrate, and a glass substrate.

[0017] The jig J is a member to which the substrate S is attached. 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 taken along the arrow BB in FIG. 2(B)), the jig J of this embodiment includes 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 to those of 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 substrate S is attached to the jig J by sandwiching a spacer Js between the upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd and sandwiching the substrate S on the inner edge of the spacer Js. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(C), the spacer Js is positioned 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. The magnet Jm attracts the upper jig Ju with magnetic force, sandwiching the spacer Js and the substrate S between the upper jig Ju and the lower jig Jd. This prevents the substrate S from coming off the jig J. The upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js each have multiple through-holes formed at corresponding positions, and pins Jp are inserted into these through-holes to prevent misalignment. In the following description, the jig J with the substrate S attached will be simply referred to as the workpiece W.

[0019] [Chamber] The chamber 2 is a container whose interior can be evacuated. In this embodiment, the chamber 2 is a rectangular box-shaped container, 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 mounted on a box-shaped stand 24. The chamber 2 is provided with a chamber exhaust unit 23. In this embodiment, the chamber exhaust unit 23 has a pipe connected to an opening formed in the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2. The chamber exhaust unit 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.

[0020] [Rotary Table] As shown in FIGS. 1, 3C, 4, and 5, the turntable 3, together with a rotation-and-revolution unit 42 (described later), is a carrier that transports a tray 41 loaded with a workpiece W to a position facing the film-forming unit 100 within the chamber 2. The turntable 3 is a circular plate that rotates intermittently around a shaft 31 by a drive source 3a. The turntable 3 has multiple openings 32, which are through-holes. The multiple openings 32 are provided at equal intervals around the circumferential direction at positions that are equidistant from the center of rotation of the turntable 3. In this embodiment, four openings 32 are provided at 90° intervals corresponding to 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 rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is provided at the upper edge of the opening 32. In other words, the multiple rotation-and-revolution units 42 are mounted at equal intervals around the circumferential direction at positions that are equidistant from the center of rotation of the turntable 3. When the rotation-revolution unit 42 carrying the workpiece W on the tray 41 is positioned at a position corresponding to the film-forming chamber 110 by the intermittent rotation of the turntable 3, the shaft portion 420 of the rotating body 421 described later comes to a position facing the connection portion 44c of the rotation unit 44.

[0021] [Workpiece rotation part] 4 and 5, the workpiece rotation 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 rotation unit 4 includes a tray 41, a rotation / revolution unit 42, a pusher unit 43, and a rotation unit 44.

[0022] The tray 41 is a member on which the workpiece W is placed. The tray 41 is a circular plate, and its upper surface serves as a workpiece contact surface 41a on which the workpiece W is placed. The outer diameter of the workpiece contact surface 41a is larger than the outer diameter of the workpiece W. A recess for accommodating the workpiece W is formed at the position on the workpiece contact surface 41a where the workpiece W is placed. Multiple trays 41 are provided so that multiple workpieces W can be placed. In this embodiment, three trays 41 are provided.

[0023] The rotation-and-revolution unit 42 revolves the tray 41 around the shaft 420, and rotates the tray 41 around a support shaft 422 that supports the tray 41 in accordance with the rotation of the shaft 420. The rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is provided so that the tray 41 can be loaded and unloaded onto and from the turntable 3 in the chamber 2 with the workpiece W placed on it. The rotation-and-revolution unit 42 has the shaft 420, a rotor 421, a support shaft 422, and a conversion mechanism 423. The shaft 420 is a cylindrical member that serves as the axis of revolution of the workpiece W. "Revolution" here refers to the movement of the workpiece W around the shaft 420 in a circular trajectory centered on the shaft 420. A connection hole 420a is provided at the lower end of the shaft 420 to which a connection part 44c provided at the tip of a rotation shaft 44b (described later) is connected. Rotating body 421 is a circular plate provided coaxially with shaft portion 420 at the upper end of shaft portion 420 and rotatable together with shaft portion 420. The edge of the lower surface of rotating body 421 is supported by support portion 33 of turntable 3.

[0024] The support shaft 422 supports the trays 41. The support shaft 422 is a vertical member attached to the center of the underside of the tray 41, and serves as the center of rotation of the workpiece W supported on the tray 41. Rotation here means that the workpiece W rotates around its own center as an axis. Each support shaft 422 extends downward, rotatably penetrating the rotating body 421 via a bearing provided in the rotating body 421. The rotation-revolution unit 42 revolves the multiple trays 41 around the shaft portion 420, and rotates the trays 41 around the support shaft 422 that supports the trays 41 in accordance with the rotation of the shaft portion 420.

[0025] The conversion mechanism 423 converts the rotation of the shaft portion 420 into the rotation of the support shaft 422. The conversion mechanism 423 has a transmission unit that transmits the rotation of the shaft portion 420 and a rotating member that receives the rotation of the shaft portion 420 from the transmission unit and rotates the support shaft 422. In this embodiment, the transmission unit is a fixed gear 423a, and the rotating member is a planetary gear 423b. The fixed gear 423a is provided concentrically with the shaft portion 420, but is fixed to a support cylinder 433 that surrounds the outer periphery of the shaft portion 420, and is a disk gear that does not rotate with the rotation of the shaft portion 420. The planetary gear 423b is fixed to the lower end of each support shaft 422 and meshes 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 around the fixed gear 423a while rotating, and therefore the tray 41 also rotates around the support shaft 422 (see FIG. 3(A)). The term "revolution" here refers to the tray 41, support shaft 422, and planetary gear 423b moving around the shaft portion 420 in a circular locus with the shaft portion 420 as the center. The term "rotation" here refers to the tray 41 and planetary gear 423b rotating around the support shaft 422 as the center.

[0026] The pusher unit 43 is a mechanism for moving the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 toward and away from the film formation chamber 110. The pusher unit 43 is provided so as to be able to approach and separate from the rotation-and-revolution unit 42. The pusher unit 43 comes into contact with and applies force to the rotation-and-revolution unit 42, thereby separating the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 from the turntable 3 and moving the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 between a storage position where the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W is stored in the film formation chamber 110 and a separation position where the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is placed on the turntable 3 and separated from the film formation chamber 110 by moving away from the rotation-and-revolution unit 42. The storage position is also a processing position where the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W is located within the film formation chamber 110 and film formation processing can be performed on the workpiece W. The separation position is also a position where the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is separated from the film formation chamber 110. The pusher unit 43 descends from a remote position away from the rotation-revolution unit 42 to a standby position (home position: between the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2 and the turntable 3) where it does not interfere with the rotation of the turntable 3. The standby position is a position where a connecting plate 434, which will be described later, is close to or in contact with the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2. The turntable 3 rotates intermittently with the pusher unit 43 in the standby position, and stops at a position where the rotation-revolution unit 42 faces the storage position.

[0027] The pusher unit 43 has a cylinder 431, a housing 432, a support tube 433, and a connection plate 434. 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 that is supported by the drive shaft of the cylinder 431 and houses the rotation unit 44, which will be described later.

[0028] The support cylinder 433 is a cylinder into which the rotation shaft 44b is inserted. The lower end of the support cylinder 433 is fixed to the upper part of the container 432. The support cylinder 433 passes through the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2 so as to be slidable up and down. The connecting plate 434 is a plate fixed to the upper end of the support cylinder 433. The connecting plate 434 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the fixed gear 423a. The connecting plate 434 and the fixed gear 423a have a fitting portion 424. The fitting portion 424 has a fitting protrusion 424a provided on the connecting plate 434 and a fitting recess 424b provided on the fixed gear 423a, and the fixed gear 423a is fixed so as not to rotate by the fitting protrusion 424a and the fitting recess 424b fitting together.

[0029] The rotation unit 44 is a mechanism that rotates the shaft portion 420. The rotation unit 44 has a motor 44a, a rotating shaft 44b, and a connecting portion 44c. The motor 44a is a drive source housed in the housing 432. The shaft of the motor 44a is connected to the lower end of the rotating shaft 44b. As a result, rotation of the motor 44a rotates the rotating shaft 44b. The upper end of the rotating shaft 44b rotatably passes through a bearing installed in the connecting plate 434. The connecting portion 44c is a protrusion that protrudes from the side surface of the upper end of the rotating shaft 44b, and by fitting into the connecting hole 420a of the shaft portion 420, the rotation of the rotating shaft 44b can be transmitted to the shaft portion 420. The pusher unit 43 positions the rotation / revolution unit 42 in the storage position, and stores the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W in the film formation chamber 110. When the rotation unit 44 rotates the shaft portion 420, the multiple trays 41 revolve and each tray 41 rotates on its own axis.

[0030] [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.

[0031] (Film forming chamber) The film formation chamber 110 is a space where a film is formed by sputtering. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the film formation chamber 110 is composed of an opening 111, a spacer 112, and a lid 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 forms a side wall of the film formation chamber 110. The lid 113 is a box-shaped body that seals the top of the spacer 112. The spaces between the cover plate 22, the spacer 112, and the lid 113 are sealed with a sealing material such as an O-ring.

[0032] (Sputter source) The sputtering source 120 is a supply source of a film forming material that deposits the film forming material 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.

[0033] 1, the present embodiment has two targets 10. These 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, which are being scraped off by sputtering, are positioned opposite the workpiece W and inclined relative to the workpiece W.

[0034] Examples of the film-forming material include Cr and Au. However, various materials are applicable as long as they can be used to form a film by sputtering. Target 10A and target 10B may be made of the same material or different materials. For example, targets 10A and 10B may both be made of the same Cr target, or may both be made of the same Au target. Furthermore, targets 10A and 10B may be different targets, with target 10A being made of Cr and target 10B being made of Au.

[0035] The backing plate 121 is a holding member that holds the targets 10A and 10B individually. The electrode 122 is a conductive member for applying power individually to the targets 10A and 10B 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.

[0036] (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 this power supply unit 130, a sputtering gas G, which will be described later, can be converted into plasma, and a 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 should be noted that it may also be a DC power supply.

[0037] (Sputtering gas inlet) The plasma processing of this embodiment uses a sputtering gas G. The sputtering gas G is a gas that causes ions generated by plasma generated by application of electric power to collide with the targets 10A and 10B, thereby depositing the material of the targets 10A and 10B on the surfaces of the substrate S. For example, an inert gas such as argon gas can be used as the sputtering gas G.

[0038] 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.

[0039] (Exhaust section) The exhaust unit 150 has a pipe connected to an opening formed in the spacer 112. The exhaust unit 150 is configured to include an exhaust circuit (not shown), and enables the inside of the film formation chamber 110 to be evacuated by an exhaust process.

[0040] [Inverted part] The reversing section 200 has a reversing mechanism (not shown) that reverses the workpieces W. The reversing mechanism of this embodiment uses the pusher unit 43 to individually grasp and lift the three workpieces W that are in the separation position from the rotation-revolution unit 42, rotate them 180°, and then descend to place the workpieces W on the rotation-revolution unit 42.

[0041] [Loading and unloading section] The load-in / load-out section 300 is a device that loads and unloads the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W is mounted into and from the chamber 2. As shown in FIG. 6 , the load-in / load-out section 300 has a transfer section 310 and a mounting table T. The rotation-and-revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W before film formation is mounted is placed on the mounting table T by a mounting device from outside the film formation apparatus 1. The transfer section 310 picks up the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W before film formation is mounted, which is placed on the mounting table T, and loads it into the load-lock chamber 25 configured in the chamber 2. The mounting device is a device that transports the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W is mounted from outside to the load-in / load-out section 300. The transfer section 310 also receives the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 on which the workpiece W after film formation is mounted from the load-lock chamber 25 and places it on the mounting table T. The mounting device transports the rotation-revolution unit 42 on which the film-formed workpiece W placed on the mounting table T is mounted to the outside of the film forming apparatus 1.

[0042] The transfer unit 310 has an arm 311 and a closing unit 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 in 180° increments around an axis parallel to the shaft 31 of the turntable 3 and movable along this axis by a drive mechanism (not shown). The closing units 312 are provided on both ends of the arm 311 and are members that seal the opening 2a provided in the chamber 2. The opening 2a is an opening provided in the cover plate 22 on the top surface of the chamber 2 to connect the inside of the chamber 2 to the outside, and is at the end on the outside side of the load lock chamber 25. The closing unit 312 is provided with a sealing member 312a such as an O-ring.

[0043] A holding portion 312b is provided in the closing portion 312. The holding portion 312b is a member that holds the rotation-and-revolution unit 42. The holding portion 312b holds the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 by a holding mechanism such as a mechanical chuck. The mounting table T is provided with a pusher P that moves by a drive mechanism (not shown) to move the rotation-and-revolution unit 42, on which the workpiece W is mounted, between the mounting table T and the holding portion 312b.

[0044] The load lock section 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 that is 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 be sealed to accommodate the rotation-revolution unit 42 held by the holding section 312b. The end of the opening 2a of the load lock chamber 321 that is on the outside side of the chamber 2 is sealed by a closing section 312.

[0045] The pusher 322 is a member that drives the support part 33 by a driving mechanism 322a. The pusher 322 moves the support part 33 between the opening 32 of the turntable 3 and the load lock chamber 321 in a direction toward or away from the end of the opening 2a of the load lock chamber 321 opposite the outside. The pusher 322 is provided with a sealing member 322b such as an O-ring that seals the space between the pusher 322 and the support part 33. The support part 33, biased by the pusher 322, seals the end of the opening 2a of the load lock chamber 321 opposite the outside together with the pusher 322. In this way, the load lock chamber 321 is formed by being sealed by the closing part 312, the support part 33, and the pusher 322.

[0046] 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.

[0047] The opening 2a is sealed by the closing part 312, and the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 held by the holding part 312b is transferred to the support part 33 within the load lock chamber 321, which has been evacuated via the exhaust line 323. The pusher 322 descends, ejecting the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 from the load lock chamber 321 and placing it together with the support part 33 in the opening 32 of the turntable 3. The pusher 322 further descends and retreats from the turntable 3. The pusher 322 also pushes up the rotation-and-revolution unit 42, 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 rotation-and-revolution unit 42 to the holding part 312b of the closing part 312. After the load lock chamber 321 is opened to the atmosphere via the vent line 324, the closing part 312 that has received the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 rises and ejects the rotation-and-revolution unit 42.

[0048] [Control device] 1, the control device 50 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 on a predetermined program. That is, the control of exhaust from the chamber 2, the control of the introduction and exhaust of the sputtering gas G into the film forming chamber 110, the control 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 / unloading unit 300, the drive control of the pusher unit 43, the control of the rotation of the rotation unit 44, and the like are programmed and executed by a processing device such as a PLC or a CPU, and can accommodate a wide variety of film forming process specifications.

[0049] Specific items to be controlled include the timing of intermittent operation 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.

[0050] In particular, in this embodiment, the control device 50 controls the film formation rate by controlling the power applied to the targets 10A and 10B and the amount of sputtering gas G supplied by the sputtering gas introduction part 140. The control device 50 also controls the operation of the cylinder 431 of the pusher unit 43 to raise and lower the rotation and revolution unit 42. The control device 50 also controls the motor 44a of the rotation unit 44 to rotate the shaft part 420 connected to the rotation shaft 44b, thereby revolving the multiple trays 41 and rotating each tray 41 on its own axis.

[0051] Furthermore, input devices and output devices (not shown) are connected to the control device 50. The input devices are input means such as switches, touch panels, keyboards, and mice that allow an operator to operate the film forming apparatus 1 via the control device 50. The output devices are output means such as displays, lamps, and meters that make information for checking the status of the apparatus visible to the operator.

[0052] [Film formation process] A process of forming a film on a workpiece W using the film forming apparatus 1 according to this embodiment as described above will be described.

[0053] First, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 carrying the 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 rotation-and-revolution unit 42 directly below the opening 111 of the film formation chamber 110.

[0054] 5, the cylinder 431 of the pusher unit 43 is actuated to raise the connecting plate 434 and the rotating shaft 44b, thereby fitting the fitting convex portion 424a of the connecting plate 434 into the fitting concave portion 424b of the fixed gear 423a. As a result, the connecting portion 44c of the rotating shaft 44b fits into the connecting hole 420a of the shaft portion 420. Furthermore, as the connecting plate 434 and the rotating shaft 44b rise, the rotation-revolution unit 42 separates from the support portion 33 of the turntable 3 and rises from the separated position to the accommodated position. As a result, the workpiece W on the tray 41 is accommodated in the film formation chamber 110.

[0055] In this state, sputtering gas G is introduced into the film formation chamber 110 by the sputtering gas introduction unit 140, and exhausted by the exhaust unit 150, thereby controlling the pressure to a predetermined level optimal for the film formation process. Then, the motor 44a of the rotation unit 44 is activated to rotate the rotation shaft 44b, thereby rotating the rotor 421 together with the shaft 420. The rotor 421 rotates around its axis while the planetary gear 423b rotates around the periphery of the fixed gear 423a, causing the tray 41 to rotate around the support shaft 422. As a result, the workpieces W on the three trays 41 revolve and rotate around their axes. The rotor 421 rotates at a predetermined rotation speed (number of rotations per unit time) for a predetermined rotation time. Because film formation occurs during rotation, the rotation time is approximately the same as the film formation time. The rotation speed and rotation time of the rotor 421 are optimal rotation speeds and rotation times previously determined through experiments, etc.

[0056] Power is applied to each of the targets 10A and 10B by the power supply unit 130. Then, the sputtering gas G is converted into plasma, and the generated ions collide with the targets 10A and 10B. The film forming material that constitutes the targets 10A and 10B is knocked out of the targets 10A and 10B by the ions. The film forming material is then deposited on the film forming surface of the workpiece W, which is revolving and rotating around the tray 41.

[0057] After a predetermined period 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 rotation-and-revolution unit 42 (the position of the three workpieces W) is positioned in the initial state. As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting plate 434 and the rotating shaft 44b are lowered by the cylinder 431. The rotation-and-revolution unit 42 returns to the separated position and is supported by the support portion 33 of the turntable 3. Furthermore, the mating protrusion 424a of the connecting plate 434 disengages from the mating recess 424b of the fixed gear 423a, and the connecting portion 44c of the rotating shaft 44b disengages from the connecting hole 420a of the shaft portion 420. Additionally, the connecting plate 434 moves below the opening 2a of the turntable 3, descends to the standby position (home position), and stops.

[0058] By intermittently rotating the turntable 3, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is moved to the reversing section 200 and reversed. By intermittently rotating the turntable 3, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is again moved to the film-forming section 100, and a film is formed on the other film-forming target surface of the workpiece W in the same manner as above. The orientation of the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 (the positions of the three workpieces W) is positioned to the initial state. Thereafter, by intermittently rotating the turntable 3, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 carrying the film-formed workpiece W is moved to directly below the opening 2a, and is then carried out of the chamber 2 by the carry-in / carry-out section 300.

[0059] [effect] (1) The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment as described above includes a film forming section 100 that forms a film by sputtering on a workpiece W placed on a tray 41 in a film forming chamber 110 having a target 10, a rotation-revolution unit 42 that revolves the tray 41 around an axis 420 and rotates the tray 41 around a support axis 422 that supports the tray 41 in accordance with the rotation of the axis 420, and a transport body that, together with the rotation-revolution unit 42, transports the tray 41 carrying the workpiece W to a position opposite the film forming section 100.

[0060] Furthermore, it has a pusher unit 43 that is provided so as to be able to approach and separate from the rotation-revolution unit 42, and by coming into contact with and applying force to the rotation-revolution unit 42, separates the rotation-revolution unit 42 from the transport body and moves the tray 41 carrying the work W between a storage position where it is stored in the film formation chamber 110 and a separation position where it is moved away from the rotation-revolution unit 42 to mount the rotation-revolution unit 42 on the transport body and separate it from the film formation chamber 110; and a rotation unit 44 that rotates the shaft portion 420 while the tray 41 carrying the work W is stored in the film formation chamber 110, causing the tray 41 to revolve and rotate on its own axis.

[0061] Therefore, since the workpiece W rotates while revolving during film formation, 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, preventing uneven deposition of the film formation material and making it possible to make the film thickness distribution uniform among the multiple workpieces W and within each individual workpiece W.

[0062] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the multiple workpieces W rotate while revolving 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, preventing uneven deposition of the film formation material and making it possible to make the film thickness distribution uniform among the multiple workpieces W and within each individual workpiece W.

[0063] (2) The rotation / revolution unit 42 has a conversion mechanism 423 that converts the rotation of the shaft portion 420 into the rotation of the support shaft 422. Therefore, the workpiece W can be rotated and revolved by the rotation of the shaft portion 420, and there is no need to provide a drive source that directly rotates the support shaft 422. In other words, the shaft portion 420 serves as the rotation drive source for the support shaft 422, so the support shaft 422 can be rotated simply by rotating the shaft portion 420. This simplifies the device and does not require a drive source such as a motor to rotate the support shaft 422, so the weight of the conversion mechanism 423 itself can be reduced and the load on the shaft portion 420 that rotates the rotor 421 can be reduced.

[0064] (3) The carrier includes a turntable 3 that is rotatable intermittently with the rotation-and-revolution units 42 mounted thereon and stops when the rotation-and-revolution units 42 are positioned at equal intervals around the circumference of the turntable 3. Therefore, even with relatively heavy rotation-and-revolution units 42, balance is maintained, the orientation of the turntable 3 is stable, and rotation is stable. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rotation-and-revolution units 42 are separated from the pusher unit 43 and the rotation unit 44. In particular, because only the pusher unit 43 and the rotation unit 44 are installed on the film forming apparatus 1 side, the structure is not complicated. Furthermore, as can be seen from FIGS. 4 and 5 , only the support cylinder 433 and the rotation shaft 44b move up and down below the turntable 3. Therefore, there is no need to provide a space for the rotation-and-revolution units 42 in the space between the turntable 3 and the bottom plate 21 of the chamber 2, and the space itself can be reduced. This eliminates the need to increase the overall space within chamber 2, thereby reducing the impact when adjusting the pressure within chamber 2 (such as the time required to reduce the pressure to a predetermined level and maintaining the pressure at that level).

[0065] [Variations] This embodiment is not limited to the above-described aspects, and also includes the following modifications. (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.

[0066] The multiple targets 10 may be made of a common film formation material or different film formation materials. Using a common film formation material can improve the film formation rate. By using different types of film formation materials to form films simultaneously or sequentially, a film made up of multiple layers of film formation materials can also be formed.

[0067] (2) The number of film forming units 100 may be more than one. In other words, film forming units 100 may be provided at more than one stop position of the transport body. By increasing the number of film forming units 100 that use a common film forming material, the film forming rate can be improved. By using different types of film forming materials in multiple film forming units 100 and forming films simultaneously or sequentially, it is also possible to form a film consisting of layers of multiple film forming materials. The configuration for generating plasma in the film forming unit 100 is not limited to a specific type.

[0068] (3) In addition to the film forming unit 100, a processing unit may be provided at any of the stop positions to perform 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.

[0069] (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 flat surface, the film-forming material can be deposited evenly in the film-forming region even on an uneven surface.

[0070] (5) While the jig J has been described as a circular ring having a shape capable of mounting the substrate S, it is not limited to a circular shape and may be a rectangular or polygonal ring. It may also be a plate having a shape capable of mounting the substrate S. A recess for accommodating the substrate S may be formed at the mounting position of the substrate S. The number of workpieces W (substrates S mounted on the jig J) that can be mounted on the rotation-revolution unit 42 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The substrate S does not have to be attached or mounted on the jig J. In other words, the jig J does not need to be used. In this case, the workpiece W is only the substrate S, which is the film-forming target, and the workpiece contact surface 41a contacts the back surface of the substrate S. The materials of the upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js can be selected appropriately. For example, some or all of the upper jig Ju, the lower jig Jd, and the spacer Js can be made of magnetic material. When some of these components are made of magnetic material, a portion of the area facing the area where the magnet Jm is provided can be made of magnetic material, and the other portions can be made of non-magnetic metal.

[0071] (6) The transport device is not limited to the turntable 3. It may be a rotating body that rotates by holding support parts and revolution units 42 on arms that extend radially from the center of rotation. The number of revolution units 42 that carry the workpieces W that are transported by the transport device and processed simultaneously, and the number of support parts that support these units, are not limited to the above embodiments.

[0072] (7) The film forming section 100 may be located on the installation surface side, the opposite side, or the side of the chamber 2. The direction in which the rotation / revolution unit 42 is moved in and out of the film forming chamber 110 or the processing chamber may be from the installation surface side of the film forming chamber 110, the opposite side, or the side.

[0073] (8) In the above embodiment, the direction following gravity is defined as downward, and the direction resisting gravity is defined as upward. In this case, the lifting and lowering movement is vertical. However, the arrangement direction of the film forming apparatus 1 is not limited to this, and for example, the vertical relationship between the turntable 3 and the film forming chamber 110 may be reversed. Furthermore, the turntable 3 may be arranged vertically or at an angle, not limited to horizontally. The surface on which the film forming apparatus 1 is installed may be a floor, a ceiling, or a sidewall.

[0074] (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 may not be performed, or the device may not have the reversal unit 200.

[0075] (10) The conversion mechanism 423 is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, a pair of rollers (e.g., fluororesin) having flat surfaces at the contacting portions may be used as the transmission unit and the rotating member. Alternatively, the fixed transmission unit may be a flange, and the rotating member may be a pulley having a groove that contacts the outer periphery of the flange. Such a transmission unit may include a timing belt that transmits rotation to the rotating member, and the rotation of the shaft unit 420 and the support shaft 422 may be synchronized via the timing belt. The transmission unit is not limited to being fixed, and may rotate together with the shaft unit 420.

[0076] (11) In the above embodiment, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 is configured to be able to mount a plurality of workpieces W, and the rotation unit 44 rotates the shaft 420 while storing a plurality of workpieces W in the film formation chamber 110, thereby revolving the plurality of trays 41 and rotating each of the trays 41. In other words, in the above embodiment, a plurality of workpieces W are mounted on the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 and film formation is performed while the workpieces W are rotated and revolved, but a single workpiece W may be mounted on the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 and film formation may be performed. Also, the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 may be an apparatus capable of mounting only a single workpiece W and capable of film formation while the workpiece W is rotated and revolved. Even in this case, the effect of uniform film thickness due to rotation and revolution can be obtained.

[0077] (12) The mounting device may supply and discharge the workpieces W to the rotation-and-revolution units 42 placed on the mounting table T. For example, the mounting device may sequentially or simultaneously place the workpieces W on the trays 41 of the rotation-and-revolution units 42 on the mounting table T. Also, the mounting device may sequentially or simultaneously unload the workpieces W from the trays 41 of the rotation-and-revolution units 42 on the mounting table T. This makes it possible to reduce the number and movement distance of the rotation-and-revolution units 42, which are heavy and large in size. Note that the workpieces W are supplied to the mounting device after the substrate S is set on a jig J by a separate unit (not shown). A stocker that can accommodate multiple workpieces W may be provided. The separate unit (place) for setting the workpieces W may be substituted with the stocker.

[0078] Furthermore, the substrates S may be placed sequentially or simultaneously on the lower jigs Jd and spacers Js remaining on the tray 41 of the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 on the mounting table T, and the upper jigs Ju may be placed sequentially or simultaneously on the substrates S. Furthermore, the upper jigs Ju may be removed sequentially or simultaneously from the tray 41 of the rotation-and-revolution unit 42 on the mounting table T, and the substrates S may be removed sequentially or simultaneously from the lower jigs Jd and spacers Js. A plurality of stockers for jigs J and substrates S may be provided.

[0079] [Other embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the components can be modified and embodied in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 Film deposition equipment 2 chambers 2a aperture 3 Rotating table 3a Drive source 4 Workpiece rotation section 10, 10A, 10B targets 21 Bottom plate 22 Lid plate 23 Chamber exhaust section 24 Mounting stand 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 44b Rotation axis 44c Connection 50 Control device 100 Film forming section 110 Deposition chamber 111 Aperture 112 Spacer 113 Lid 120 Sputter Source 121 Backing Plate 122 electrodes 130 Power supply section 140 Sputtering gas inlet 150 Exhaust section 200 Reversal section 300 Loading and unloading section 310 Conveyor 311 Arm 312 Occlusion 312a Sealing member 312b Holding part 320 Load Lock 321 Load Lock Chamber 322 Pusher 322a Sealing member 323 Exhaust Line 324 Vent Line 420 Shaft 420a Connection hole 421 Rotating Body 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 434 Connection Plate G Sputtering gas J jig Ju upper jig Jd Lower Jig Js Spacer Jp Pin Jm magnet S board T mounting table double work

Claims

1. In a film deposition chamber equipped with a target, there is a film deposition section that performs film deposition by sputtering on a workpiece mounted on a tray, A rotational unit that revolves the tray around a shaft and rotates the tray on its own axis around a support shaft that supports the tray, in accordance with the rotation of the shaft, Along with the aforementioned rotational unit, a transporter is provided for transporting the tray on which the workpiece is mounted to a position opposite the film deposition section, A pusher unit is provided so as to be able to move toward and away from the aforementioned rotational unit, and moves between a storage position in which the rotational unit is separated from the transport body and the tray on which the workpiece is mounted is housed in the film deposition chamber by biasing it toward the rotational unit, and a separation position in which the rotational unit is moved toward the transport body and separated from the film deposition chamber by moving toward the rotational unit, With the tray on which the workpiece is mounted housed in the film deposition chamber, a rotating unit is provided that rotates the shaft portion to cause the tray to revolve and rotate on its own axis, It has, The aforementioned self-rotating unit has a conversion mechanism that converts the rotation of the shaft into the rotation of the support shaft. The aforementioned conversion mechanism is The transmission unit is a fixed gear that does not rotate due to the rotation of the shaft, A rotating member which is a planetary gear that meshes with the fixed gear and transmits the rotation of the shaft portion to rotate on its own axis while rotating around the fixed gear, thereby rotating the support shaft, It has, The pusher unit has a connecting plate that can move toward and away from the fixed gear, The film-forming apparatus is characterized in that the connecting plate and the fixing gear have a mating portion that fixes the fixing gear so that it does not rotate.

2. The aforementioned rotation unit is provided to be capable of mounting multiple trays, The film deposition apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotating unit, with the plurality of trays housed in the film deposition chamber, rotates the shaft portion to cause the plurality of trays to revolve around the surface and also causes each of the trays to rotate on its own axis.

3. The film-forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the rotational unit is provided so that the workpiece placed on the tray can be loaded into and unloaded from the transport body.

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