Evaporation device

Abstract

To provide a vapor deposition device capable of improving a vapor deposition speed while increasing the number of substrates mounted to a substrate holder, achieving higher productivity, and achieving film deposition treatment at a high film deposition speed while securing uniformity of film thickness.SOLUTION: A vapor deposition device 1 has: a vacuum chamber 2, inside of which can be reduced to predetermined pressure; one circular substrate holder 7 rotatably provided in the vacuum chamber 2; plural substrates 6 held on a lower face of the substrate holder 7; and plural vacuum vapor deposition sources emitting vapor of a vapor deposition material. The substrate holder 7 holds the plural substrates 6 so that film formation faces of the substrates 6 are faced to a direction for emitting the vapor of the vapor deposition material of the vacuum vapor deposition source. The substrate holder 7 is constituted to hold the substrates 6 so that a distance and an angle from the vacuum vapor deposition sources of the plural substrates 6 become optimum for each of the vacuum vapor deposition sources.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus that vapor-deposits a vapor deposition material from a vapor deposition source onto a substrate disposed on a substrate holder.

Background Art

[0002] A vapor deposition apparatus is known that forms a film by vapor-depositing a vapor deposition material on a substrate, and a planetary rotor mechanism has been proposed as a method for depositing a functional multilayer film on a three-dimensional substrate. In such a vapor deposition apparatus, it has been required to increase the number of substrates loaded per lot.

[0003] As such a vapor deposition apparatus, a substrate holder (planetary rotor) that rotates around its revolution orbit while revolving in a vacuum chamber and rotates by a rotating means such as a planetary gear or a transmission belt is provided, and a plurality of substrates are installed on the substrate holder. While the substrate holder is rotating and revolving, a vapor deposition material heated and vaporized by a vacuum vapor deposition source is deposited on the substrate to form a film has been proposed. (For example, see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Disclosure of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In such a conventional vapor deposition apparatus, in order to increase the operating efficiency and improve the productivity, there has been a desire to increase the number of substrates mounted per lot. In order to meet this demand, measures such as increasing the size of the substrate holder on which the substrate is installed and increasing the number of substrate holders can be considered. However, increasing the size of the substrate holder or increasing the number of substrate holders has caused the following technical problems. If the size of the substrate holder is increased, the distance between the substrate holder and the evaporation source must be increased to ensure the uniformity of the film thickness. As a result, the deposition rate decreases, and the chamber must be made taller and larger. If the size of the substrate holder is increased, the weight of the substrate holder increases, so the bearings of the rotating part of the substrate holder and the driving part are severely worn and prone to failure. If the number of substrate holders is increased, the rotation mechanism of the substrate holders becomes more complex and prone to failure. If the size of the substrate holder is increased and the weight increases, there is a risk that the wear powder generated in the driving part of the substrate holder will mix into the film. If the size of the substrate holder is increased, the raw material atoms will be obliquely incident at a large angle, making it easier to form shaded parts in film formation. As a result, the film thickness will not be uniform and an island structure will be formed. When adjacent islands merge, tensile stress is generated, making it difficult to form a film with compressive stress.

[0006] The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is to obtain a vapor deposition apparatus capable of increasing the deposition rate while increasing the number of substrates loaded on the substrate holder and achieving higher productivity. Another object of the present invention is to obtain a vapor deposition apparatus capable of achieving a film formation process with a high film formation rate while ensuring the uniformity of the film thickness.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above object, the vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention includes a vacuum chamber whose interior can be depressurized to a predetermined pressure, a single circular substrate holder rotatably provided in the vacuum chamber, a plurality of substrates held on the lower surface of the substrate holder, and a plurality of vacuum vapor deposition sources for ejecting vapor of a vapor deposition material. The substrate holder is configured to hold the plurality of substrates such that the film formation surface of the substrate faces in the direction in which the vapor of the vapor deposition material from the vacuum vapor deposition source is ejected. The substrate holder holds the substrates such that the distance and angle of the plurality of substrates from the vacuum vapor deposition source are optimized for each of the vacuum vapor deposition sources.

[0008] Another feature of the present invention is that the vapor deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber whose interior can be depressurized to a predetermined pressure, a single circular substrate holder rotatably provided in the vacuum chamber via a holder support portion and rotationally driven by a drive motor in a film formation process, a plurality of substrates held on the lower surface of the substrate holder, and a plurality of vacuum vapor deposition sources for ejecting vapor of a vapor deposition material. The lower surface of the substrate holder facing each of the vacuum vapor deposition sources is concave, and the plurality of substrates are arranged and installed on the lower surface. The substrate holder is provided with a plurality of independent substrate placement portions such that each of the plurality of substrates is individually placed thereon. In consideration of the flight distribution of the vapor of the vapor deposition material, the substrates are held on the substrate placement portions such that the distance and angle of the plurality of substrates from the vacuum vapor deposition source are optimized for each of the vacuum vapor deposition sources.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, by shortening the distance between the substrate holder and the evaporation source, it is possible to increase the deposition rate while increasing the number of substrates mounted on the substrate holder, thereby achieving higher productivity. Furthermore, according to the present invention, it is possible to achieve a film formation process with a high film formation rate while ensuring the uniformity of the film thickness.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention will be described in association with the drawings.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the internal configuration of a vapor deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a top view of the vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a front view of the vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II' of the vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 3.

[0013] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the vapor deposition apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has, for example, an exhaust pipe and a vacuum pump (not shown) connected to a vacuum chamber 2 which is a film formation chamber, and the inside thereof can be depressurized to a predetermined pressure. The back pressure in the vacuum chamber 2 during film formation by vacuum evaporation is, for example, about 10-2 to 10-5 Pa.

[0014] Below the inside of the vacuum chamber 2, a first vacuum evaporation source 4 and a second vacuum evaporation source 5 are arranged as a film formation material supply unit 3. A first evaporation material is accommodated inside the first vacuum evaporation source 4, and a second evaporation material is accommodated inside the second vacuum evaporation source 5. Note that various materials are used as the evaporation material. Each of the vacuum evaporation sources 4 and 5 is provided with heating means such as resistance heating, electron beam heating, laser beam heating, and electron guns (not shown), and when the evaporation material is heated and vaporized in the vacuum evaporation source, the vapor of the evaporation material is ejected. In this embodiment, two vacuum evaporation sources are provided as a plurality of evaporation sources. However, as will be described later, the number of vacuum evaporation sources is not limited, and various modes such as providing three vacuum evaporation sources are possible (see FIG. 9).

[0015] Next, inside the vacuum chamber 2, a substrate holder 7 for holding a substrate 6 as a film formation target which is an optical substrate so that the film formation surface faces the film formation material supply unit 3 side is provided in the direction in which the vapor of the evaporation materials of the first vacuum evaporation source 4 and the second vacuum evaporation source 5 is ejected (the dotted arrow in FIG. 1). In FIG. 1, the direction in which the vapor of the evaporation materials of the first vacuum evaporation source 4 and the second vacuum evaporation source 5 is ejected is indicated by a dotted arrow. Also, in FIG. 1, only a part of the substrate 6 is schematically shown (for details, see FIGS. 4 and 6).

[0016] The substrate holder 7 is rotatably supported by a holder support portion 8 from above in the vacuum chamber 2, and is rotationally driven in the direction of arrow A by a drive motor 9 provided at the upper part of the vacuum chamber 2 during the film formation process. That is, the holder support portion 8 is attached to the lower portion 10a of the rotating shaft 10 that protrudes upward from the drive motor 9 provided above the vacuum chamber 2 and extends downward into the vacuum chamber 2. A substrate holder 7 for holding the substrate 6 such that the film formation surface faces the side of the film formation material supply portion 3 is provided on the lower surface 8a of the holder support portion 8. Note that the configuration of the holder support portion 8 is not limited to this embodiment, and any shape may be used as long as it rotatably supports the substrate holder 7 described in detail below.

[0017] Next, the substrate holder 7 attached to the lower surface 8a of the holder support portion 8 will be described. The feature of the present invention is that the substrate holder 7 holds a plurality of substrates 6 such that the film formation surface of the substrate 6 faces in the direction in which the vapor of the deposition materials of the plurality of vacuum evaporation sources 4 and 5 is ejected. Also, the substrate holder 7 holds the substrates 6 such that the distance and angle of the plurality of substrates 6 from the vacuum evaporation sources 4 and 5 are optimized for each of the vacuum evaporation sources 4 and 5 in consideration of the flight distribution of the vapor of the deposition material. Therefore, in this embodiment, as will be described later, the substrate holder 7 is formed in a circular shape on a plane and provided. The lower surfaces 7a on both sides of the center point 7x of the circle, that is, the lower surfaces 7a facing the first vacuum evaporation source 4 and the second vacuum deposition source 5 respectively, are formed in a concave shape in cross-section, and a plurality of substrates 6 are arranged and installed on the lower surface 7a. As a result, the cross-sectional shape of the substrate holder 7 forms a gentle M shape as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6.

[0018] That is, in the case of the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 1, the lower surface 7a1 facing the first vacuum evaporation source 4 on the left side of the center point 7x of the circle of the substrate holder 7 is formed in a concave shape, and the lower surface 7a2 facing the second vacuum deposition source 5 on the right side of the center point 7x of the circle of the substrate holder 7 is formed in a concave shape. Naturally, since the substrate holder 7 is rotated together with the holder support portion 8 during film formation, the same cross-sectional shape is obtained over the entire circumference of the substrate holder 7. That is, any cross-sectional shape passing through the center point 7x of the substrate holder 7 has the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6.

[0019] And in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the first vacuum evaporation source 4 is provided directly below the concave lower surface 7a1 of the substrate holder 7, that is, on the dotted line extending downward from the center point 7a3 of the concave lower surface 7a1. Similarly, the second vacuum evaporation source 5 is provided directly below the concave lower surface 7a2 of the substrate holder 7, that is, on the dotted line extending downward from the center point 7a4 of the concave lower surface 7a2. Note that in this embodiment, the substrate holder 7 is formed and provided in a ring donut shape obtained by removing the middle of a so-called circle in a round shape (torus). With such a configuration, the substrate 6 held by the substrate holder 7 continuously receives the vaporized deposition material from a plurality (two in this case) of vacuum evaporation sources 4 and 5. Therefore, the distance between the substrate holder 7 and the film-forming material supply unit 3 can be shortened. As a result, while increasing the number of substrates loaded on the substrate holder 7, the deposition rate can be increased, and higher productivity can be achieved.

[0020] Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7, the substrate holder 7 will be described in detail. FIG. 5 is a top view of the substrate holder 7 shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the substrate holder 7 taken along line III-III' shown in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a bottom view of the substrate holder 7 shown in FIG. 4. First, as shown in FIG. 1, the substrate holder 7 is attached to the lower surface 8a of the holder support portion 8. And as shown in FIG. 5, when viewed from above, the substrate holder 7 has a ring donut shape with a circular center removed in a round shape (torus) centered on the center point 7x, and has an outer circular portion 7c and an inner circular portion 7d.

[0021] In this embodiment, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, as the cross-section of the substrate holder 7, the lower surface 7a1 facing the first vacuum evaporation source 4 side on the left side of the circular center point 7x of the substrate holder 7 and the lower surface 7a2 facing the second vacuum evaporation source 5 side on the right side of the center point 7x are each formed in a concave shape. And, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the lower surfaces 7a1 and 7a2 of the substrate holder 7 are each concave in an arc shape, and in order to form the lower surfaces 7a1 and 7a2, a plurality of independent substrate placement portions 7e for placing each of the plurality of substrates 6 are provided. That is, as shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, in this embodiment, the substrate holder 7 is provided with a plurality of independent substrate placement portions 7e so that each of the plurality of substrates 6 is individually placed, and the height and the inclination of the lower surface of each substrate placement portion 7e are different. Thereby, the lower surfaces 7a1 and 7a2 are formed in a concave shape that each draws an arc in consideration of the flight distribution of the vaporized vapor deposition material, so that the distances and angles from the vacuum vapor deposition sources 4 and 5 of the plurality of substrates 6 become optimal. In this way, by providing a plurality of independent substrate placement portions 7e, the position and angle of the substrate 6 can be individually set. In this embodiment, a plurality of independent substrate placement portions 7e are provided so that each of the plurality of substrates 6 is individually placed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of ring-shaped substrate placement portions may be provided, and the substrates 6 may be arranged in a row on the ring-shaped substrate placement portions. In this case, the substrates 6 in the row all have the same position and angle. Alternatively, all of the plurality of substrate placement portions 7e may be connected to form a single curved surface, and the substrates 6 may be arranged side by side on the curved surface.

[0022] As shown in the enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, the lower surface 7a of the substrate holder 7 is formed in a concave shape. This is to make each of the plurality of substrates 6 have an optimal position and angle with respect to the vacuum evaporation source. For this purpose, each substrate placement portion 7e is formed with a different height and inclination of the lower surface. In this embodiment, on the premise of adjusting to the optimal position and angle described above, as shown in FIG. 6, directly below the concave lower surface 7a1 of the substrate holder 7, that is, on the dotted line extending downward from the center point 7a3 of the concave lower surface 7a1, the first vacuum evaporation source 4 is provided. Similarly, directly below the concave lower surface 7a2 of the substrate holder 7, that is, on the dotted line extending downward from the center point 7a4 of the concave lower surface 7a2, the second vacuum evaporation source 5 is provided. And, as an example where the plurality of substrates 6 described above are each in an optimal position and angle with respect to the vacuum evaporation source, in this embodiment, in the cross-section shown in FIG. 6, the distances and angles from each of the first vacuum evaporation source 4 and the second vacuum evaporation source 5 to each substrate 6 are made the same, and each substrate placement portion 7e is formed with different heights and slopes of its lower surface.

[0023] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing how a plurality of substrates 6 are arranged so as to be in an optimal position and angle with respect to the first vacuum evaporation source 4. In this embodiment, the substrate 6 is composed of a projection lens 6. For each projection lens 6, in order for a predetermined thin film with a uniform film thickness to be formed on its surface, it is necessary to take an optimal distance and angle from the first vacuum evaporation source 4 according to the position where it is arranged. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, each substrate placement portion 7e is designed with different heights and slopes of its lower surface so that the distances and angles from each projection lens 6 placed on its lower surface to the first vacuum evaporation source 4 are optimal. Note that the heights and slopes of the lower surfaces of the respective substrate placement portions 7e are also designed to be different depending on parameters such as the rotation speed of the substrate holder 7.

[0024] As described above, according to the present embodiment, the substrate holder 7 is formed and provided in a circular shape on a plane, and the lower surfaces 7a on both sides of the center point 7x of the circle, that is, the lower surfaces 7a1 and 7a2 facing the first vacuum evaporation source 4 and the second vacuum deposition source 5 respectively, are made concave to form a gentle M shape, and a plurality of substrates 6 are arranged and installed on the lower surfaces 7a1 and 7a2. The plurality of substrates are arranged at optimal positions and angles with respect to the vacuum evaporation sources 4 and 5 respectively, so that the distance between the substrate holder 7 and the vacuum evaporation sources 4 and 5 can be remarkably shortened. As a result, the following effects can be obtained. While increasing the number of substrates loaded on the substrate holder, the deposition rate can be increased, and higher productivity can be achieved. While ensuring the uniformity of the film thickness, a film formation process with a high film formation rate can be achieved. The wear powder generated in the drive part of the substrate holder can be significantly reduced, and the stability of the drive part can be maintained. The height of the vacuum chamber can be designed to be low. Since the distances and angles of each substrate 6 from the vacuum evaporation sources 4 and 5 are optimized, a film with excellent compressive stress can be formed.

[0025] Although the present embodiment has been described, the descriptions and drawings forming a part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting. Various embodiments and the like not described herein are included. For example, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 9(a), a configuration in which two vacuum deposition sources are provided has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As shown in FIG. 9(b), three vacuum deposition sources may be provided, or as shown in FIG. 9(c), four vacuum deposition sources may be provided. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of a plurality of vacuum evaporation sources when the substrate holder 7 is viewed from below including the vacuum deposition source. FIG. 9(a) shows a configuration in which two vacuum evaporation sources are provided, FIG. 9(b) shows a configuration in which three vacuum evaporation sources are provided, and FIG. 9(c) shows a configuration in which four vacuum evaporation sources are provided. Thus, increasing the number of vacuum evaporation sources will increase the cost accordingly, but it will enable a higher evaporation rate and improve productivity.

[0026] Also, in this embodiment, the substrate holder 7 had an M-shaped cross-sectional shape as shown in Fig. 10(a), but it is not limited to this, and it may be configured to have an M-shaped cross-sectional shape as shown in Fig. 10(b). That is, in the above-described embodiment, the substrate holder 7 had a ring donut shape with a circular center removed to form a ring (torus), and its cross-sectional shape was as shown in Fig. 10(a). However, it is not necessary to remove the circular center, and it may be configured to have a circular M-shaped cross-sectional shape as shown in Fig. 10(b). In the case of the substrate holder 7 shown in Fig. 10(b), it is a circular shape without removing the circular center. In this embodiment, a plurality of independent substrate placement portions 7e were provided so that each of the plurality of substrates 6 could be placed individually. However, it is not limited to this, and a plurality of ring-shaped substrate placement portions may be provided, and the substrates 6 may be arranged in a row on the ring-shaped substrate placement portions. In this case, the substrates 6 in that row will all have the same position and angle. Also, all of the plurality of substrate placement portions 7e may be connected to form a single curved surface, and the substrates 6 may be arranged side by side on that curved surface. Further, for example, an ion source for irradiating ions such as oxygen ions onto the film-forming target substrate may be provided in the vacuum chamber 2 to perform ion beam-assisted vacuum evaporation.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0027] 1... Evaporation apparatus, 2... Vacuum chamber, 4... First vacuum evaporation source, 5... Second vacuum evaporation source, 6... Substrate, 7... Substrate holder, 8... Holder support portion, 9... Drive motor, 10... Rotation shaft

Claims

1. A vacuum chamber whose interior can be depressurized to a predetermined pressure, One circular substrate holder rotatably provided in the vacuum chamber, A plurality of substrates held on the lower surface of the substrate holder, Three or more vacuum evaporation sources for ejecting vapor of the evaporation material, and having, The substrate holder holds the plurality of substrates such that the film formation surface of the substrate faces in the direction in which the vapor of the evaporation material of the vacuum evaporation source is ejected. The substrate holder holds the substrates such that the distance and angle from the vacuum evaporation source of the plurality of substrates are optimal for each of the vacuum evaporation sources. The substrate holder is provided with a plurality of independent substrate placement portions so that each of the plurality of substrates is individually placed thereon. The substrate placement portion is formed with different heights and slopes of the lower surface in consideration of the flight distribution of the vapor of the evaporation material so that the distance and angle from each of the vacuum evaporation sources to each substrate are the same in cross section. A vapor deposition apparatus.

2. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower surface of the substrate holder facing each of the vacuum evaporation sources is concave, and the plurality of substrates are arranged and installed on the lower surface.

3. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holder is rotationally driven by a drive motor in a film formation process.

4. The vapor deposition apparatus has a holder support portion for holding the substrate holder, and the holder support portion is attached to the lower portion of a rotating shaft extending downward in the vacuum chamber from a drive motor provided to protrude above the vacuum chamber. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate holder for holding the substrate is provided on the lower surface of the holder support portion such that the film formation surface of the substrate faces the vacuum evaporation source side.

5. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cross section of the substrate holder has a gentle M shape in which the lower surfaces facing the respective vacuum evaporation sources are concave.

6. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three or more vacuum evaporation sources are composed of three vacuum evaporation sources.

7. The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three or more vacuum evaporation sources are composed of four vacuum evaporation sources.

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