System and method for manufacturing multi-layer thick dielectric films

Abstract

A linear processing system comprising: an input load lock; a first multi-pass processing chamber coupled to the input load lock, the first multi-pass processing chamber having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; a single pass chamber coupled to the first multi-pass processing chamber, the single pass chamber having a multiple magnetron arrangement, the single pass chamber configured to accommodate multiple carriers arranged in series and configured for single pass processing; a second multi-pass processing chamber coupled to the single pass processing chamber, the second multi-pass processing chamber having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; and an output load lock chamber coupled to the second multi-pass processing chamber.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 310,548, filed February 15, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a system for forming a thin layer on a substrate using a vacuum chamber.

[0003] Conventional systems for forming thin films on substrates employ a common batch processing architecture in which multiple substrates are placed in a vacuum chamber and the same thin film is deposited on all substrates simultaneously. However, as the requirements for the properties of the deposited films become increasingly stringent, those skilled in the art have turned to architectures in which a single substrate is processed in one vacuum chamber, thereby providing greater control over the formation of the film. Of course, processing substrates one at a time slows down the pace of the manufacturing line, which increases costs.

[0004] Applicant has previously disclosed various systems for processing substrates, including systems for forming thin layers individually on substrates using various unique architectures. One example is the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,001, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The disclosed system employs a "double-decker" in-line architecture, where a single substrate is processed at each station in a static mode (i.e., the substrate is stationary while the film is deposited). At the end of each processing period, all substrates are moved to the next station such that the substrates are moved "back-to-back" on individual carriers until each substrate has been processed by each of the vacuum chambers in the system. This system has enjoyed commercial success for many years and is sold under the trade name 200LEAN®.

[0005] Another architecture disclosed by the applicant is described in U.S. Patent No. 9,914,994, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The disclosed architecture allows for the combination of both static and pass-by processes. The static process is similar to the process disclosed in the above-referenced '001 patent, while in the pass-by process, the substrate is moved in front of the source during the deposition process so that a thin film is formed on the substrate from the leading edge to the trailing edge.

[0006] As technology advances and the requirements for the various deposition layers change, sometimes the desired processing parameters are not well suited for use with existing architectures. For example, when processing substrates in rapid succession, it is desirable for all stations to have the same processing time, or takt time, so that each chamber can start and finish processing at the same time and the substrate can move to the next station and start processing again. However, sometimes multiple layers of different materials, different thicknesses, etc. are required to be deposited on the substrate. For example, to create a durable and scratch-resistant optical film, multiple thin layers, e.g., less than 250 nm, and at least one thick layer, e.g., greater than 500 nm, are required. Multiple thin layers are used to modify optical properties, e.g., to reduce reflectivity, or to modify mechanical properties, e.g., Young's modulus. Such requirements may complicate the takt time or require an increase in the number of processing chambers, which increases manufacturing costs and results in a large amount of WIP (work in progress) inside the system.

[0007] Traditional drum coaters are inexpensive and can deposit multiple layers, but they have some limitations. Because traditional drum coaters swing an arc across the deposition source, substrate size is limited by uniformity issues. Traditional drum coaters also cannot simultaneously deposit multiple layers with different properties. For example, a SiON film with a refractive index of 1.65 cannot be deposited with a drum coater while also depositing a SiON film with a refractive index of 1.90. There is too much fluid communication between sources, in addition to poorly controlled mixing of reactive gases. Furthermore, because drum coaters evacuate the processing chamber between batches, water vapor entrapment can introduce particles and process variability. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following summary of the invention is included to provide a basic understanding of some aspects and features of the invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention and is not intended to particularly identify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented below.

[0009] The disclosed embodiments provide a system architecture that reduces the WIP tied up in the system during production while allowing for the deposition of multiple thin layers with different properties and thicknesses. The disclosed embodiments provide a linear processing system where a substrate enters on one side, traverses the system forming various layers, and exits on the other side. The system includes multiple vacuum chambers, some of which are configured for "one-way" pass-by processing while others are configured for "two-way" pass-by processing.

[0010] In a related aspect, the disclosed embodiments provide a vacuum processing chamber partitioned or sectioned into operational units. Some of the operational units are configured for "one-way" pass-by processing, while others are configured for "two-way" pass-by processing. Each section typically includes individually accessible transport controls necessary to enable different processing modes and to move carriers between sections for each subsequent processing step. Single-pass sections typically require independent speed control even within one section to optimally position carriers "head-to-toe" together as they arrive in sequence from the previous processing section.

[0011] The transport control system simultaneously employs at least three different operating speeds: at least one transport speed for transporting carriers through the load locks to the in-line systems / chambers as well as between the in-line processing sections, at least one first processing speed adjusted for "one-way" pass-by processing, and at least one second processing speed configured for "reciprocating" pass-by processing. Typically, the second processing speed required for the reciprocating pass-by processing section is much faster than the first processing speed required for the one-pass section.

[0012] One embodiment of the disclosed linear processing system comprises: an input load lock chamber; a first multi-pass processing chamber or section coupled to the input load lock section, the first multi-pass processing chamber or section having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; a single pass chamber or section coupled to the first multi-pass processing chamber or section, the first multi-pass processing chamber or section having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; a single pass chamber or section coupled to the first multi-pass processing chamber or section, the single pass chamber or section having one or more magnetron arrangements arranged along a direction of carrier movement, the single pass chamber or section configured to accommodate multiple carriers arranged in series and configured for single pass processing; a second multi-pass processing chamber or section coupled to the single pass processing chamber, the second multi-pass processing chamber or section having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; and an output load lock chamber coupled to the second multi-pass processing chamber or section.

[0013] Also disclosed is a sputtering chamber comprising: a vacuum chamber having an inlet side slit and an outlet side slit for transporting a substrate carrier; at least one magnetron arrangement provided in the vacuum chamber, the magnetron arrangement comprising two magnetrons arranged in series in the direction of movement of the substrate carrier; a gas injector arranged between the two magnetrons for injecting a reactive gas; and no gate valves are provided in the inlet side slit and the outlet side slit.

[0014] Further provided is a sputtering system comprising: at least one multi-pass chamber configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier; at least one single-pass chamber configured to accommodate a plurality of substrate carriers and coupled to the multi-pass chamber; and a transport mechanism for transporting the plurality of substrate carriers together in the single-pass chamber at a first transport speed and for transporting the single carrier in a reciprocating motion in the multi-pass chamber at a second speed faster than the first speed.

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain and illustrate the principles of the invention. The drawings are intended to illustrate major features of exemplary embodiments in a schematic manner. The drawings are not intended to depict every feature of an actual embodiment or the relative dimensions of the depicted elements, and are not drawn to scale. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a system according to a disclosed embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic overall cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A illustrates a modified embodiment that uses an optional buffer chamber or section. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B illustrates an embodiment constructed in modular sections. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A illustrates an embodiment having a single multi-pass chamber or section. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B illustrates an embodiment having multiple multi-pass chambers or sections. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the sputtering system of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Different embodiments may be used to process different substrates or to achieve different advantages, such as throughput, film uniformity, target utilization, etc. Depending on the results to be achieved, different features disclosed herein may be used partially or to the fullest extent, alone or in combination with other features, while balancing the advantages with requirements and constraints. Thus, certain features and advantages are emphasized with reference to different embodiments, but are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, and the features may be incorporated in other embodiments or in other combinations.

[0018] Applicant has previously disclosed a linear system architecture in which the chambers and sections of the system are arranged in a linear fashion such that a substrate carrier moves directly from one chamber or section to the next. See U.S. Pat. No. 9,502,276, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The '276 patent disclosure provides details on various aspects of arranging the chambers in a linear fashion, the use of carriers to transport substrates, and the loading and unloading of substrates from the system. Accordingly, such descriptions will not be repeated herein, and the reader is referred to the '276 patent disclosure for such details.

[0019] The following disclosure includes embodiments of a unique system architecture that combines two types of processing operations in a single in-line system. Disclosed features include improved control of reactant gases between processing chambers or sections, the ability to form layers of different types and thicknesses, reduced system WIP, smaller system footprint, etc. In the disclosed example, magnetrons are used in pairs, with multiple pairs used for thick individual layers, while a single pair is used for thin layers. To deposit thin layers, the substrate makes multiple round trip passes through a single source pair. Each pass can deposit a different layer, e.g., pass 1 can deposit a film with a refractive index of 1.6, pass 2 can deposit a film with a refractive index of 1.9, etc. Conversely, each pass can deposit the same type of film, with the thickness increasing with each pass. To deposit thick layers, multiple source pairs can be used. The substrate moves past these sources in a forward motion at a slower speed, with the substrate or carrier positioned end-to-end. In the disclosed embodiment, in the "in-line forward" one-pass deposition chamber or section, carriers are placed end to end, while in each of the "shuttle" chambers, there is only one carrier. This arrangement significantly reduces WIP without limiting system throughput.

[0020] This architecture provides the greatest advantage of a batch system, multiple passes through one or more sources, and the greatest advantage of an in-line system with load locks, good uniformity and high productivity. This is achieved by performing different types of processing in a single in-line processing flow. The disclosed in-line processing flows can be assembled by a single unit chamber or by interconnecting sections. Thus, in this sense, the entire line can be conceptualized as a system made up of multiple chambers, or a single processing chamber made up of different sections, each of which can be assembled separately and then connected with other sections to form a complete chamber. Thus, in this specification, references to chambers and sections can be interchanged.

[0021] FIG. 1 is an overall schematic of a system according to a disclosed embodiment, with details regarding loading and unloading of substrates from the system omitted for clarity. Also, while loading 100 and unloading 140 are shown on opposite sides of the system, various mechanisms can be employed to transfer substrate carriers from the unloading side to the loading side, as described in the '276 patent. This allows both loading and unloading to be performed from the same side of the system, while the carrier still traverses the entire system in a linear fashion. Loading and unloading are performed in an air environment, while the carrier traverses the entire system in a vacuum environment by first entering the input load lock chamber 105 and exiting the system via the output load lock chamber 135. As shown, the system may optionally include an input buffer chamber 110 and an output buffer chamber 130 to help match takt times in the system and to allow multiple passes on the round trip. The "heart" of the system comprises connected in-line vacuum chambers, made up of multi-pass and single-pass processing sections. Multi-pass means that a carrier processed in such a section is moved back and forth multiple times to successively form multiple layers (i.e., one layer in each pass). Single-pass means that a carrier processed in such a section traverses the processing section only once in a forward motion. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a carrier is first processed in multi-pass section 115, then in single-pass section 120, then in multi-pass section 125, and then exits the system through output buffer 130 and output load lock 135. The in-line processing chambers of the system may include several multi-pass sections and one or more single-pass sections.

[0022] Substrates are transported throughout the system on carriers, such as carrier 102 shown in the bubble of Figure 1. Carrier 102 may be configured to carry one or more substrates. Figure 1 shows, by way of example only, three substrates 107. In this example, the carrier has a body 106 on which the substrates 107 rest sandwiched between two rails 104, which ride on magnetic wheels (and therefore not visible in Figure 1) located inside the vacuum chamber.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross section along line AA in FIG. 1, with dashed arrows indicating the general direction of travel of the carrier during processing. The input load lock 205 is isolated from the atmospheric environment via gate valve 203 and from the buffer region / chamber 210 via gate valve 208. When the carrier 202 enters the load lock 205, gate valve 203 is open and gate valve 208 is closed. Once the carrier 202 is inside the load lock, gate valve 203 is closed and the load lock is pumped down to a vacuum. Gate valve 208 is then opened to allow the carrier 202 to move into the buffer region / chamber 210. To release the carrier 202 through load lock 235, the opposite process is performed at the opposite end.

[0024] Notably, in Figure 2, buffer regions 210 and 230 are shown as part of multipass chambers 215 and 225, respectively. Conversely, in Figure 2A, optional buffer chambers 210 and 230 are employed that allow the multipass chambers to be constructed smaller. Either embodiment may be used with equal efficiency for the processes described below. Thus, in the context of this disclosure, references to buffer chambers or buffer regions may be interchangeable.

[0025] The fabrication of multiple layers on a substrate proceeds as follows: each of the multi-pass chambers 215 and 225 includes a magnetron pair 250 that sputters the material to be deposited on the substrate. In this embodiment, each magnetron of the magnetron pair 250 sputters the same material as the other magnetron of the same pair, but the pair in chamber 215 may sputter a different material than the pair in chamber 225. In each of the multi-pass chambers 215 and 225, the carrier makes multiple passes under the magnetron pair 250 by moving back and forth multiple times, i.e., at least two forward and one return passes. Each pass, whether forward or return, is considered as one pass, and for each pass, the controller 280 may change the parameters of the sputtering process, such as magnetron power, reactive gas flow, substrate bias, transport speed, etc., so that the resulting film may have different properties, such as different thicknesses, different refractive indices, etc.

[0026] Each of the multipass chambers 215 and 225 can be said to be configured for multipass deposition processing in that the travel length of the carrier within the chamber (indicated by the letter L in the dashed callout in FIG. 2) is sufficiently long to allow the carrier to position the substrate completely ahead of and out of the deposition cone 253 formed by the leading magnetron 252 and completely before and out of the deposition cone 256 of the trailing magnetron 254, as shown diagrammatically in the dashed callouts in FIG. 2. In this manner, starting from one side of the chamber, the carrier can be positioned within the chamber with the substrate outside of a deposition zone defined by two adjacent deposition cones, travel toward the other side of the chamber such that the substrate traverses the entire deposition zone, and then completely exit the deposition zone but remain within the chamber. In the context of this disclosure, the term "deposition cone" is used to conceptually refer to the active deposition area of ​​a magnetron, and not necessarily to the shape of that active deposition area.

[0027] Alternatively, as shown diagrammatically in FIG. 2A, the chamber can be configured for multi-pass processing by providing a buffer chamber, e.g., buffer chamber 210 or 230, on one side of the deposition zone, whose travel length is extended to allow the substrate to be positioned outside the deposition zone, while on the other side, whose role is to position the substrate outside the deposition zone.

[0028] The single pass chamber 220 includes multiple magnetron pairs 250. As an example, FIG. 2 shows two pairs. As indicated by the dashed arrow, the carrier traverses the chamber 220 in only one pass in one direction, commonly referred to as the process or outbound direction. Also, the multi-pass chambers are configured to accommodate a single carrier moving individually in each chamber, while the single pass chambers 220 are configured to accommodate multiple carriers arranged one behind the other and moving together like train cars. These different operations can be controlled by the controller 280, for example, by energizing the magnet wheels 209. Furthermore, as indicated by the dashed callout, the single pass chambers are configured such that there is not enough space in the chamber to accommodate the carriers outside the deposition cone. Thus, the carriers entering the single pass chamber must move continuously at a set constant speed until they exit the single pass chamber, otherwise the uniformity of the layer formed will be unacceptable.

[0029] Accordingly, a linear processing system is disclosed that comprises: an input load lock; a first multi-pass processing chamber coupled to the input load lock chamber, the first multi-pass processing chamber having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; a single pass chamber coupled to the first multi-pass processing chamber, the first multi-pass processing chamber having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; a single pass chamber coupled to the first multi-pass processing chamber, the single pass chamber having a multiple magnetron arrangement arranged along a carrier movement direction, the single pass chamber configured to accommodate multiple carriers arranged in series and configured for single pass processing; a second multi-pass processing chamber coupled to the single pass processing chamber, the second multi-pass processing chamber having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; and an output load lock chamber coupled to the second multi-pass processing chamber.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2, the loading load lock chamber 205 is isolated using gate valves 203 and 208. Similarly, the unloading load lock chamber 235 is isolated using gate valves 204 and 207. However, a feature of this embodiment is that no gate valves are provided between any of the processing chambers or sections. Rather, an opening slit 214 is provided between the hardware components of the in-line processing system (i.e., between each of the two processing or buffer chambers or sections) to allow free flow therethrough. Thus, the slit 214 allows free movement of the carrier between the processing and buffer chambers or sections without waiting for the gate valves to open or close. As shown in FIG. 2A, the buffer region also includes an opening slit. This advantageous feature is made possible, at least in part, by the unique arrangement of the magnetron pair 250.

[0031] FIG. 2B shows another embodiment where a single vacuum chamber is composed of multiple modular sections, where each section can be a buffer section or a processing section. As shown in FIG. 2B, the entire system is composed of multiple sections 280, where all sections 280 can have the same size in terms of width, height, and length. All sections 280 are connected together to form one vacuum enclosure, which can be called a processing system or processing chamber. The first section 280 is made into a load lock chamber by having a gate valve 203 attached to the inlet and a gate valve 208 attached to the outlet side. The same is done to form the unloading load lock 235. The remaining sections are connected together without gate valves, thus forming one vacuum chamber with a common vacuum environment between the sections 280. Each of the load lock chambers requires its own vacuum pump (see FIG. 1) that can be operated individually, but since there is no isolation between the sections, the main processing chamber can use one or more vacuum pumps to evacuate all the sections.

[0032] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, the modular sections can accommodate magnetron pairs. For example, one section 280 can include a magnetron pair 250 to form a multipass chamber 215. To allow for multipass installations, two modular sections 280 without magnetrons are attached to the section 215, thereby forming two buffer sections, one upstream and one downstream multipass section 215. Conversely, if the section 280 functions as a single-pass section, no buffer station is required. Thus, for example, two modular sections 280 each including a magnetron pair can be connected together to form a larger single-pass section.

[0033] Thus, a linear processing chamber is disclosed comprising: a plurality of sections mounted together in a straight line, the plurality of sections including at least: a first gate valve mounted at an inlet of the first section of the chamber and a second gate valve mounted at an outlet of the first section; a third gate valve mounted at an inlet of the last section and a fourth gate valve mounted at an outlet of the last section; a second section mounted to the first section forming a first buffer station; a third section mounted to the second section comprising a first magnetron pair and forming a multi-pass section; a fourth section mounted to the third section forming a second buffer station; a fifth section comprising a magnetron pair and forming a single-pass section.

[0034] As shown by the dashed lines and dashed callouts, each magnetron arrangement 250 comprises a magnetron pair, e.g., 252 and 254, arranged in series in the process direction such that a moving carrier moves past the first and second magnetrons. Each magnetron includes a target 248 composed of the material to be sputtered onto the substrate to form the desired layer. Sputtering of the target is performed by maintaining a plasma around the magnetron. Reactive gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, etc., are injected through an injector 260 strategically placed between the two magnetrons, which injects the reactive gas between the magnetron pair. This unique arrangement provides the following advantages: As the gas is injected between the two magnetrons in the pair, it is "pumped" by the deposition film, i.e., by the flow of material being sputtered at the deposition cone. This pumping action consumes the reactants in the gas, thereby efficiently using the supplied gas and reducing the spillage of reactants through the slits that could reach other layers. Conversely, reactants that may arrive from the other magnetron pair are likewise "pumped" at the outer edge of the deposition cone. Such process "pumping" greatly reduces the influence of deposition in one section on deposition in the other section. The exchange of reactive gas between the active processing regions of the connected sections is further reduced by active vacuum pumping in the buffer regions surrounding the active regions of each section, so that changes in reactive gas flow and the properties of the corresponding film deposited in one section due to changes in reactive gas flow in the connected sections can generally be reduced to negligible levels. Thus, in this arrangement, no valve gates are required between the processing chambers, allowing fluids to flow freely between the processing chambers.

[0035] Thus, a sputtering chamber is disclosed comprising: a vacuum chamber having an inlet side slit and an outlet side slit for transporting a substrate carrier; at least one magnetron arrangement provided in the vacuum chamber, the magnetron arrangement comprising two magnetrons arranged in series in the direction of movement of the substrate carrier; a gas injector arranged between the two magnetrons for injecting a reactive gas; no gate valves are provided in the inlet side slit and the outlet side slit.

[0036] Also disclosed is an active sputtering module comprising: an inlet side slit and an outlet side slit that allow transport of a substrate carrier while partially restricting gas flow into and out of a buffer region sandwiching the module; at least one magnetron arrangement provided between the transport slits, the magnetron arrangement comprising two magnetrons arranged in series in the direction of movement of the substrate carrier; a gas injector arranged between the two magnetrons for injecting reactive gas; and no gate valves are provided in the inlet side slit and the outlet side slit.

[0037] Another feature of the disclosed embodiment is that the system employs at least three different operating speeds: a transport speed, a first processing speed, and a second processing speed, where the first processing speed is adjusted for a "unidirectional" single pass processing, while the second processing speed is configured for a "round trip" multi-pass processing. Typically, the second processing speed is faster than the first processing speed. That is, the second speed is configured such that a carrier in a multi-pass chamber moving at the second processing speed can perform at least two outward passes and one return pass while a carrier in a single pass chamber moving at the first processing speed performs one (outward) pass. A pass is considered to be the movement of the carrier through the deposition cone, starting from a position where the substrate placed on the carrier is outside the deposition cone, until the entire substrate passes through the deposition cone and completely exits the deposition cone. For the purpose of defining a pass, the deposition cone refers to the deposition of material sputtered from two magnetrons in a pair. Also, in the disclosed embodiment, the transport mechanism, e.g., a magnetic wheel energized by the controller, is configured to move the carriers individually in the multi-pass chamber, while moving the carriers together in the single-pass chamber. Moreover, the transport mechanism may be employed to transport and place the carriers between sections and in and out of the system. In other words, the second transport speed is applied individually to each carrier moving in the multi-pass chamber, while the first speed is applied uniformly to all carriers placed in the single-pass chamber. Notably, in the multi-pass chamber, each pass may employ a different process recipe, which may include different process speeds in addition to different gas flow rates and different sputtering powers. In any case, the second transport speed is configured such that the time to complete one pass in the multi-pass chamber is shorter than the time to complete one pass in the single-pass chamber, i.e., the second speed is variable between passes but always faster than the first speed.

[0038] Thus, there is provided a sputtering system comprising: at least one multi-pass chamber configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier; at least one single-pass chamber configured to accommodate a plurality of substrate carriers and coupled to the multi-pass chamber; and a transport mechanism for transporting the plurality of substrate carriers together in the single-pass chamber at a first transport speed and for transporting the single carrier in a reciprocating motion in the multi-pass chamber at a second speed faster than the first speed.

[0039] In another aspect, a linear sputtering system is provided that includes: an input load lock chamber and an output load lock chamber; an in-line processing chamber that allows a carrier to pass from the input load lock chamber to the output load lock chamber during processing, the in-line processing chamber having multiple sections including at least one single pass processing section disposed between the input load lock chamber and the output load lock chamber and at least one multi-pass processing section disposed between the input load lock chamber and the single pass processing section or between the single pass processing section and the output load lock chamber; a plurality of substrate carriers; and a substrate carrier is transported through different sections and chambers that are individually controlled. a transport system for transporting the substrate through the input load lock chamber, at least one single pass processing section, at least one multi-pass processing section, and the output load lock chamber at a plurality of speeds according to a range of speeds; the at least one multi-pass processing section comprises a sputtering magnetron arrangement and is configured to include front and rear buffer areas for accommodating a single substrate carrier to perform multi-pass processing, the at least one single pass section comprises one or more magnetron arrangements arranged along a direction of carrier movement, the single pass section is configured to include buffer areas for accommodating carriers entering and exiting the single pass processing section and multiple carriers arranged in series, configured for single passes of continuous processing.

[0040] In Figures 2 and 2A, the different zones in the system are identified as A, B, C, D, and E. The transport mechanism transports the substrate carriers between these zones in the following manner: A carrier inside the input load lock 205 is transported to zone A at a transport speed, which is faster than the first and second processing speeds. During the outward processing operation from A to B and the return processing operation from B to A, the carrier is moved at a second processing speed, which may be different for each pass depending on the processing recipe for the particular pass. When processing in the first multipass chamber is completed and there is a gap between the leading edge of the carrier in zone B and the trailing edge of the last carrier in zone C, the carrier may be transported from zone B to zone C at the transport speed to be positioned behind the last carrier in zone C. Within zone C, all carriers are moved together at the first transport speed, which is the slowest speed adopted by the transport mechanism. As the trailing edge of the carrier in Zone C exits the last deposition cone of the single pass active deposition chamber 220, the carrier enters Zone D. The carrier then performs multiple passes in a back and forth direction at a second process speed, which may be different for each pass depending on the recipe. Upon completion of the multiple passes, the carrier is moved from Zone E to the output load lock 235 at the transport speed. Thus, in this disclosed embodiment, the first process speed is fixed while the second process speed is variable and recipe dependent.

[0041] In the disclosed embodiment, the following example multi-layer manufacturing process is possible: In the first multi-pass chamber 215, multiple thin layers are formed on the substrate. Each pass forms a single thin layer, for example, less than 250 nm thick. The recipe in each pass can be modified, for example, by changing the flow rate of reactive gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, etc., to change the refractive index of each layer. In one example, the recipe is programmed such that the resulting layer has a refractive index-matched adhesive layer structure that provides both optical properties matched to the substrate and a low-stress adhesive structure that improves adhesion between the substrate and the subsequent single-pass thick layer.

[0042] In the single pass chamber, thick layers can be formed by slow movement of a carrier moving under the multiple magnetron pairs. If the target of all magnetron pairs in the single pass chamber is the same, one thick layer, for example, thicker than 500 nm, can be formed. For example, a hard protective layer can be formed on the adhesion layer. Furthermore, in the second multi-pass chamber 225, a thin layer can be formed on the hard protective layer. In one example, a recipe is programmed to alternate layers with high nitrogen flow rate and high oxygen flow rate (nitrogen provides a higher refractive index) such that the resulting layers are interlaced layers with high and low refractive index. Using this example, a scratch-resistant anti-reflective coating can be formed on the hard protective layer by multiple passes in the multi-pass section. Other layers can be formed to further control the overall optical and mechanical properties of the coating. The resulting layer has a hardness of more than 8 GPa and a transmittance of more than 94%.

[0043] A variety of coatings can be formed using targets composed of, for example, silicon, aluminum, mixtures of silicon and aluminum, etc., in combination with injection of reactive gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, etc. Thus, layers formed can include SiOx, SiNx, SiOxNy, AlOx, AlNx, AlOxNy, SiAlOx, SiAlNx, SiAlOxNy, etc. Although the use of oxygen and nitrogen is disclosed for purposes of illustration, it should be understood that any oxynitride film can be used.

[0044] Notably, if multiple thin layers are required only below the thick layer, the multi-pass processing chamber 225 may be omitted. Conversely, if multiple thin layers are required only above the thick layer, the multi-pass processing chamber 215 may be omitted. In this sense, therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the system may have one single-pass processing chamber and at least one multi-pass processing chamber. Conversely, as illustrated in FIG. 3B, the system may have multiple multi-pass processing chambers upstream or downstream of a single-pass chamber. Highly complex layer stacks with a mix of multiple thick and thin layers may require multiple sections configured for single-pass processing and one or more multi-pass sections.

[0045] Although the disclosed embodiments are described in specific terms, other embodiments are possible that incorporate the principles of the invention. Moreover, operations may be specified in a particular order. However, this order is merely one example of how the operations may be provided. Operations may be rearranged, modified, or removed in any particular implementation while remaining consistent with aspects of the invention.

[0046] All directional references (e.g., top, bottom, up, down, left, right, left to right, up, down, above, below, etc.) are used merely to identify and aid the reader in understanding the embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to create any limitations on the position, orientation, or use of the present invention, unless specifically defined in the claims. Joint references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, etc.) should be interpreted broadly and may include intermediate members in the connection between elements, and relative movement between elements. Thus, joint references do not necessarily imply that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relationship to each other.

[0047] In some cases, components are described with reference to "ends" that have particular characteristics and / or are connected to other components. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to components that terminate immediately beyond a connection point with another component. Thus, the term "end" should be interpreted broadly to include adjacent, rearward, forward, or other nearby areas relative to the end of a particular element, link, component, member, etc. All matters contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings are intended to be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0048] It must be noted that as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0049] As will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading this disclosure, each of the individual embodiments described and illustrated herein has individual components and features that may be readily separated from or combined with the features of any of the other several embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. 1. A sputtering system comprising: an input load lock chamber and an output load lock chamber; an in-line processing chamber that allows a carrier to pass from the input load lock chamber to the output load lock chamber during continuous processing, the in-line processing chamber comprising at least one single pass processing section disposed between the input load lock chamber and the output load lock chamber, and at least one multi-pass processing section disposed between the input load lock chamber and the output load lock chamber; A plurality of substrate carriers; a transport system that transports the substrate carrier through the input load lock chamber, the at least one single pass processing section, the at least one multi-pass processing section, and the output load lock chamber at multiple speeds that are individually controlled for different sections and chambers; the at least one multi-pass processing section comprises a sputtering magnetron arrangement and is configured to include front and rear buffer areas to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; the at least one single pass chamber comprises one or more magnetron arrangements arranged along a carrier movement direction; The sputtering system, wherein the single pass chamber is configured to accommodate carriers entering and exiting the single pass processing section and includes a buffer region to accommodate multiple carriers arranged in series for single passes of continuous processing.

2. 2. The system of claim 1, The system, wherein the sputtering magnetron arrangement comprises a magnetron pair forming adjacent sputtering cones, and the one or more sputtering magnetron arrangements comprise at least one magnetron pair.

3. 3. The system of claim 2, The system wherein each of the magnetron pairs comprises a gas injector disposed between the magnetrons of the pair.

4. 2. The system of claim 1, one multi-pass processing section is disposed between the input load lock and the single pass processing section, and a second multi-pass processing section is disposed between the single pass processing section and the output load lock.

5. 5. The system of claim 4, A system in which an open slit without a gate valve is provided between each of the multi-pass processing section and the single-pass processing section.

6. 2. The system of claim 1, The transport system transports the plurality of substrate carriers together at a first transport speed within the single pass section, and transports the single carrier in a reciprocating motion at a second speed faster than the first speed within the multi-pass section.

7. 7. The system of claim 6, The second speed is configured such that a single carrier in the multi-pass section, moving at the second processing speed, can perform at least two outbound passes and one return pass while a carrier in the single-pass section, moving at the first processing speed, performs one pass.

8. 2. The system of claim 1, The system further comprises at least one buffer section coupled to the multi-pass chamber.

9. 1. A linear processing system comprising: an input load lock; a first multi-pass processing chamber coupled to the input load lock, the first multi-pass processing chamber having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; a single pass chamber coupled to the first multi-pass processing chamber and having a sputtering magnetron arrangement arranged along a carrier movement direction, the single pass chamber configured to accommodate a plurality of carriers arranged in series and configured for single pass processing; a second multi-pass processing chamber coupled to the single pass processing chamber, the second multi-pass processing chamber having a sputtering magnetron arrangement and configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier for performing multi-pass processing; A linear processing system comprising an output load lock chamber coupled to the second multi-pass processing chamber.

10. 10. The system of claim 9, each of the magnetron arrangements comprises a magnetron pair; The system wherein each magnetron pair is arranged in series in the process direction such that a moving carrier moves past a first magnetron of the magnetron pair before moving past a second magnetron.

11. 10. The system of claim 9, The sputtering magnetron arrangement of the single pass chamber comprises a plurality of magnetron pairs arranged in series in a processing direction such that a moving carrier moves past a respective first magnetron of the magnetron pair and then past a second magnetron of the magnetron pair.

12. 11. The system of claim 10, The system wherein the first magnetron and the second magnetron of the magnetron pair are equipped with targets constructed of the same material.

13. 12. The system of claim 11, The system wherein the first magnetron and the second magnetron of the magnetron pair are equipped with targets constructed of the same material.

14. 10. The system of claim 9, The system further comprises a transport mechanism for moving carriers in the first and second multi-pass chambers independently of one another while moving carriers in the single-pass chamber together.

15. 10. The system of claim 9, The system, wherein the single pass chamber is configured such that a carrier disposed within the single pass chamber cannot reside outside of a deposition cone of a magnetron within the single pass chamber.

16. 16. The system of claim 15, Each of the first and second multipass chambers is configured such that a carrier disposed within the multipass chamber can be positioned outside of a deposition cone of a magnetron within the multipass chamber.

17. 1. A sputtering system comprising: at least one multi-pass chamber configured to accommodate a single substrate carrier; at least one single-pass chamber coupled to the multi-pass chamber; a transport mechanism that transports the plurality of substrate carriers together within the single pass chamber at a first transport speed, and transports the single carrier in a reciprocating motion within the multi-pass chamber at a second speed faster than the first speed.

18. 20. The system of claim 17, The second speed is configured such that a single carrier in the multi-pass chamber, moving at the second processing speed, can perform at least two outbound passes and one return pass while a carrier in the single-pass chamber, moving at the first processing speed, performs one pass.

19. 1. A sputtering chamber comprising: A vacuum chamber having an inlet slit and an outlet slit that allow the substrate carrier to be transported; at least one magnetron arrangement provided in the vacuum chamber, the magnetron arrangement comprising two magnetrons arranged in series in a direction of movement of the substrate carrier; a gas injector positioned between the two magnetrons for injecting a reactive gas; A sputtering chamber, wherein no gate valve is provided in the inlet slit and the outlet slit.

20. 10. The chamber of claim 1, The chamber, wherein each of the two magnetrons includes a target constructed of the same material as the target of the other magnetron.

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