Surface treatment device and surface treatment method

Abstract

A surface treatment apparatus (10) comprises: a chamber (20) (accommodating unit) for accommodating at least one workpiece (W); workpiece mounting parts (32a, 32b) (mounting means) for mounting the workpiece (W) so as to face outward and to be substantially orthogonal to the normal direction of external peripheral surfaces of rotary shafts (31a,31b) extending in a horizontal direction; motors (36a, 36b) (first rotating means) for causing the workpiece mounting parts (32a, 32b) to rotate about the rotary shafts (31a, 31b) in a state in which the workpiece mounting parts (32a, 32b) are accommodated in the chamber (20); a plasma treatment device (21) (surface treatment means) that extends parallel to the rotary shafts (31a, 31b) inside the chamber (20), the plasma treatment device (21) performing surface treatment by supplying a gas to a surface of the workpiece (W); and a pump unit (140) (evacuation means) provided in a different position than the position in which the plasma treatment device (21) is provided inside the chamber (20), the pump unit (140) performing evacuation of gas and adjustment of pressure inside the chamber (20).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a surface treatment apparatus and a surface treatment method for performing a surface treatment such as irradiating a workpiece with plasma. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known surface treatment devices that use plasma to clean or modify the surface of a workpiece to form a metal catalyst layer, functional groups, etc., and surface treatment devices that use a sputtering device to form a thin film on the surface of a workpiece.

[0003] For example, in a film formation apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of substrates are placed on a carriage and transported into the film formation apparatus, where the necessary surface treatment is performed. Also, as an example of surface treatment, a plasma treatment is known, as described in Patent Document 2. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-231464 [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2017 / 159838 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The film formation apparatus of Patent Document 1 has a structure suitable for performing surface treatment on a large amount of workpieces, but due to its large size, it is not suitable for small- to medium-scale production. Furthermore, when performing surface treatment on workpieces, it is desirable to be able to perform different types of surface treatment, such as sputtering and the plasma treatment described in Patent Document 2, in a single apparatus. Furthermore, Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe the inclusion of an exhaust means for discharging gases filling the chamber, but do not disclose the installation location of the exhaust means. If the exhaust means is not installed in an appropriate location, it is difficult to uniformly distribute the gas within the chamber, resulting in the problem of inconsistent film thickness on the surface of the workpiece.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a surface treatment device and a surface treatment method that are suitable for performing surface treatment on small to medium amounts of workpieces, and that are capable of forming a film with a uniform thickness on the surface of the workpiece. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the surface treatment device according to the present invention is ,water A rotating shaft extending in a horizontal direction is provided, At least one The material to be treated is placed so that the surface of the material to be treated faces outward, approximately perpendicular to the normal direction of the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft. Multiple A mounting means; a selection means for selecting one of the plurality of placement means to be accommodated in the accommodation unit; The apparatus is characterized by comprising: a first rotation means for rotating the placing means in a predetermined rotation pattern around the rotation axis while the placing means is accommodated in the accommodation unit; a surface treatment means extending inside the accommodation unit parallel to the rotation axis and performing at least one type of surface treatment by supplying gas to the surface of the material to be treated; and an exhaust means provided inside the accommodation unit at a position different from the position where the surface treatment means is provided and for adjusting the pressure inside the accommodation unit and exhausting gas inside the accommodation unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The surface treatment device according to the present invention is suitable for performing surface treatment on small to medium amounts of material to be treated, and has the effect of being able to form a film with a uniform thickness on the surface of the material to be treated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a surface treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of the treatment material mounting portion and the treatment material placing portion. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the material transport section. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the chamber of the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a first cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a plasma processing apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a second cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the plasma processing apparatus. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a sputtering apparatus. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side view showing an example of a pump unit. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an XZ cross-sectional view of FIG. 10, showing a state in which the pump unit is evacuating the interior of the chamber. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the surface treatment that the surface treatment apparatus of the first embodiment performs on the treatment target material. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a change in pressure inside a chamber when the surface treatment apparatus of the first embodiment performs surface treatment on a treatment target. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing performed when the surface processing apparatus of the first embodiment performs surface processing on a processing target material. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an XZ cross-sectional view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a plasma processing apparatus included in the surface processing apparatus of the second embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is an XZ cross-sectional view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a plasma processing apparatus included in a surface processing apparatus according to a modified example of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of a surface treatment device according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the following embodiments include those that are replaceable and easily conceivable by those skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0011] [First embodiment] This embodiment is an example of a surface treatment device 10 that irradiates a surface of a workpiece W (workpiece) molded from, for example, a resin material with plasma gas to generate, for example, functional groups on the surface of the workpiece W, and then forms a thin film by sputtering on the surface of the workpiece W, the adhesion of which has been improved by the generation of the functional groups. The workpiece W is a member molded from a resin material such as plastic resin.

[0012] [1. Overall configuration of surface treatment equipment] First, the schematic configuration of a surface treatment apparatus 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is an external view showing an example of the schematic configuration of a surface treatment apparatus according to a first embodiment.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 1, the surface treatment apparatus 10 includes a chamber 20, a treatment material mounting section 30, and a treatment material transport section 40. An exhaust device 50 is provided at the rear side of the chamber 20. Furthermore, the surface treatment apparatus 10 includes a cooling device 51, a control device 52, a power supply device 53, a gas supply device 54, and an operation panel 55, all of which are shown in Fig. 1.

[0014] The chamber 20 is a sealed reaction vessel in which surface treatment is performed on the treatment target material W accommodated therein. The chamber 20 is an example of a accommodation unit in the present disclosure.

[0015] The chamber 20 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape, with one wall surface being opened to form an opening 20f. Among the inner wall surfaces formed inside the chamber 20, a plasma processing device 21 is installed on the upper wall surface 20a. A sputtering device 22 is installed on the side wall surface 20b, and a sputtering device 23 is installed on the side wall surface 20c opposite the side wall surface 20b. The plasma processing device 21 and the sputtering devices 22 and 23 are examples of surface processing means in the present disclosure. Furthermore, a pump unit 140 (see FIG. 10) is installed on the bottom surface 20d of the chamber 20, which is opposite the upper wall surface 20a, for adjusting the pressure inside the chamber 20 and evacuating the reactive gas. The pump unit 140 will be described in detail later (see FIG. 10). The side wall surface 20e opposite the opening 20f is a closed surface. The opening 20f is an example of a storage port in the present disclosure. The shape of the chamber 20 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped, and may be, for example, a shape covered with a curved surface, as long as the chamber 20 itself forms a closed space.

[0016] The sputtering devices 22 and 23 perform surface treatment on the workpiece W housed in the chamber 20 by sputtering the workpiece W to form a thin film that will serve as a base for plating.

[0017] The plasma processing device 21 converts a reactive gas supplied from the outside into plasma using an HCD (Hollow Cathode Discharge). The plasma processing device 21 then generates a precursor by causing the plasmatized reactive gas (plasma gas) to react with a film-forming gas. The generated precursor is sprayed onto the surface of the workpiece W to perform surface treatment of the workpiece W. Specifically, functional groups are generated on the surface of the workpiece W by the surface treatment using the plasma processing device 21. This can improve the adhesion of a thin film that will serve as a base for plating when it is generated on the surface of the workpiece W in a subsequent process.

[0018] The sputtering devices 22 and 23 perform surface treatment on the surface of the workpiece W, for example, by forming a thin film such as a plating layer.

[0019] 1 shows an example in which different sputtering devices 22 and 23 are provided on the two side wall surfaces 20b and 20c, respectively, but the number of sputtering devices is not limited to two. Also, the type of surface treatment means is not limited to a plasma treatment device and a sputtering device.

[0020] The workpiece mounting portion 30 is a portion for mounting the workpiece placement portions 32a and 32b on which the workpiece W is placed. The detailed structures of the workpiece mounting portion 30 and the workpiece placement portions 32a and 32b will be described in detail later (see FIG. 2).

[0021] The treated material conveying section 40 accommodates the treated material W placed on the treated material mounting section 30 in the chamber 20 by conveying it in the positive direction of the X axis. The treated material conveying section 40 also conveys the treated material W placed on the treated material mounting section 30 in the negative direction of the X axis, thereby removing it from the chamber 20. The treated material conveying section 40 is an example of the conveying means in this disclosure. The detailed structure of the treated material conveying section 40 will be described in more detail below (see FIG. 3).

[0022] On the rear side (negative side of the Y axis) of the chamber 20, an exhaust device 50, a cooling device 51, a control device 52, a power supply device 53, and a gas supply device 54 are provided.

[0023] The exhaust device 50 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 20 to create a vacuum. The exhaust device 50 also equalizes the pressure inside the chamber 20 to atmospheric pressure by opening the interior of the chamber 20 to the atmosphere. Furthermore, the exhaust device 50 exhausts film-forming gases and reaction gases that have accumulated inside the chamber 20. The exhaust device 50 is configured, for example, by a rotary pump or a turbomolecular pump.

[0024] The cooling device 51 generates cooling water for cooling devices, power supplies, and the like.

[0025] The control device 52 controls the entire surface treatment device 10 .

[0026] The power supply device 53 accommodates power to be supplied to each part of the surface processing device 10 .

[0027] The gas supply device 54 supplies film-forming gases and reaction gases to the chamber 20 .

[0028] In addition, a control panel 55 is provided near the chamber 20. The control panel 55 receives operation instructions for the surface treatment device 10. In addition, the control panel 55 has a function of displaying the operating status of the surface treatment device 10.

[0029] [2. Structure for placing materials to be treated] Next, the structure for placing the material to be treated W will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is an external view showing an example of a portion for attaching a material to be treated and a portion for placing a material to be treated.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 2(a), the workpiece mounting portions 30 (30a, 30b) each include a rotation shaft 31a, 31b extending horizontally along the X-axis. The rotation shafts 31a, 31b are provided at their ends with workpiece placement portions 32a, 32b. At least one workpiece W is placed on the workpiece placement portions 32a, 32b with the surface of the workpiece W facing outward, perpendicular to the normal direction of the outer circumferential surfaces of the rotation shafts 31a, 31b. The workpiece placement portions 32a, 32b are an example of placement means in the present disclosure.

[0031] The workpiece mounting portion 30a and the workpiece mounting portion 30b are provided with pedestals 33a and 33b that support the rotation shafts 31a and 31b, respectively. The pedestals 33a and 33b are installed parallel to each other and support the rotation shafts 31a and 31b. Note that the pedestals 33a and 33b close the opening 20f of the chamber 20 when the workpiece W is placed in the chamber 20. Note that the pedestals 33a and 33b are an example of a sealing member in the present disclosure.

[0032] The workpiece placing sections 32a, 32b are formed in the shape of a regular hexagonal prism, and each side surface can accommodate three workpieces W. That is, each of the workpiece placing sections 32a, 32b can accommodate 18 workpieces W. However, the shape of the workpiece placing sections 32a, 32b and the number of workpieces W that can be placed thereon are not limited to this.

[0033] Below the pedestals 33a, 33b, a workpiece mounting rotation shaft 35 is installed along the Z axis. The workpiece mounting rotation shaft 35 is driven to rotate by a motor 34, causing the entire workpiece mounting section 30 to rotate around the Z axis. This allows either one of the workpiece placement sections 32a, 32b to be accommodated in the chamber 20. The motor 34 is an example of a selection means or second rotation means in the present disclosure.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 2(b) and 2(c), the rotary shaft 31a is rotated by the rotational driving force of the motor 36a. More specifically, the rotational driving force of the motor 36a is transmitted via a gear 37a to a gear 38a that supports the rotary shaft 31a, thereby rotating the rotary shaft 31a. The motor 36a is, for example, a step motor, and controls the rotation angle of the rotary shaft 31a in response to instructions from the control device 52. Similarly, the rotational driving force of the motor 36b rotates the rotary shaft 31b via gears 37b and 38b. The motors 36a and 36b are an example of a first rotation means in the present disclosure.

[0035] [3. Structure of the material transport section] The configuration of the treated material transport section 40 will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the treated material transport section.

[0036] As shown in Figure 3(a), the treated material transport section 40 includes a support table 38 and a groove 39. The support table 38 supports the treated material mounting section 30. The groove 39 is a gap through which the treated material mounting section rotation shaft 35 passes when the treated material mounting section 30 is transported along the X-axis.

[0037] 3(b) shows a state in which, when the workpiece mounting section 30 is in the state shown in FIG. 3(a), the workpiece transport section 40 transports the workpiece mounting section 30 in the positive direction of the X-axis, and the workpiece placement section 32a is housed in the chamber 20. At this time, the opening 20f of the chamber 20 is closed by the pedestal 33a.

[0038] 3(c) shows a state in which, when the workpiece mounting section 30 is in the state shown in FIG. 3(a), the workpiece mounting section rotation shaft 35 is rotated 180°, and then the workpiece transport section 40 transports the workpiece mounting section 30 in the positive direction of the X-axis, and the workpiece placement section 32b is accommodated in the chamber 20. At this time, the opening 20f of the chamber 20 is closed by the pedestal 33b.

[0039] 3(b), the surface treatment device 10 performs surface treatment on the workpiece W placed on the workpiece placement section 32a. At this time, the operator attaches the workpiece W to be surface-treated next to the workpiece placement section 32b.

[0040] 3(c), the surface treatment device 10 performs surface treatment on the workpiece W placed on the workpiece placement section 32b. At this time, the worker removes the workpiece W, whose surface treatment has been completed, from the workpiece placement section 32a.

[0041] [4. Internal structure of the chamber] The internal structure of the chamber 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the internal structure of the chamber of the first embodiment. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 4.

[0042] Plate-shaped shutters 26a, 26b, and 26c are installed inside the chamber 20. The shutters 26a, 26b, and 26c are driven by a motor (not shown) in response to a command from the control device 52, and when one of the plurality of surface treatment means performs surface treatment on the workpiece W, the shutters 26a, 26b, and 26c shield the surface treatment means other than the one surface treatment means. That is, the shutters 26a, 26b, and 26c are selectively movable along the X-axis in response to a command from the control device 52. The shutters 26a, 26b, and 26c are examples of shielding members in the present disclosure.

[0043] 4 shows a state in which the surface treatment device 10 is performing surface treatment on a workpiece W placed on the workpiece placement section 32a using the plasma treatment device 21. At this time, the shutter 26a covering the electrodes of the plasma treatment device 21 moves in the positive direction of the X-axis and is stored in the shutter storage section 25. Then, the shutter 26b covering the electrodes of the sputtering device 22 and the shutter 26c covering the electrodes of the sputtering device 23 both move in the negative direction of the X-axis and cover the electrodes of the sputtering devices 22 and 23.

[0044] 5 and 6, the shutter storage section 25 is formed in a shape that protrudes in the positive direction of the X axis from the chamber 20. In this embodiment, the shutter storage section 25 is formed on three surfaces of the chamber 20 (the left and right side surfaces and the top surface).

[0045] Although the shutters 26a, 26b, and 26c have been described as being plate-shaped, they may instead be made of a heat-resistant fibrous material. In this case, because the shutters 26a, 26b, and 26c are flexible, the shutter storage section 25 can be configured to store the shutters 26a, 26b, and 26c by rolling them up like a roll. This reduces the amount of protrusion of the shutter storage section 25 in the X-axis direction.

[0046] Note that plasma processing by the plasma processing device 21 is performed using an intermediate flow that is a mixture of viscous flow and molecular flow at approximately 10 Pa. Therefore, the film formation distribution on the workpiece W depends on the position of the exhaust port of the pump unit 140 (see FIG. 10). On the other hand, sputtering by the sputtering devices 22 and 23 is performed at a vacuum level in the molecular flow region of 1 Pa or less, so the film formation distribution is less affected by the position of the exhaust port. Therefore, to achieve a uniform film formation distribution on the workpiece W, it is desirable to install the plasma processing device 21 in a position opposite the exhaust port (bottom surface 20d) in the chamber 20, i.e., on the upper part (upper wall surface 20a) of the chamber 20. Note that regardless of where the sputtering devices 22 and 23 are installed on the inner wall surface of the chamber 20, the effect is not as great as that of the plasma processing device 21. Therefore, the sputtering devices 22 and 23 may be installed on the side wall surfaces 20b and 20c of the chamber 20, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0047] 5. Configuration of plasma processing device The configuration of the plasma processing apparatus 21 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a first cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the plasma processing apparatus. Figure 8 is a second cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of the plasma processing apparatus.

[0048] The plasma processing apparatus 21 has a gas supply pipe 66 that supplies a reactive gas such as argon used in generating a plasma gas, and a pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 that generate a plasma gas from the reactive gas supplied from the gas supply pipe 66 by applying a high-frequency voltage. Note that, as the reactive gas, for example, oxygen, argon, nitrogen, etc. are used alone or in a mixed state.

[0049] The gas supply pipe 66 penetrates a support plate 64 fixed to the upper wall surface 20a of the chamber 20 in the thickness direction and is attached to the support plate 64 by a gas supply pipe mounting member 58. A gas flow path 56 is formed inside the gas supply pipe 66 along the extending direction of the gas supply pipe 66, and a reaction gas is supplied from outside the chamber 20 to the inside of the chamber 20 through the gas flow path 56. A gas supply unit 78 that supplies a reaction gas to the gas supply pipe 66 is connected to the end of the gas supply pipe 66 outside the support plate 64 (outside the chamber 20), and a gas supply hole 57 that introduces the reaction gas that has flowed through the gas flow path 56 into the chamber 20 is formed at the other end of the gas supply pipe 66 (inside the chamber 20). The reaction gas is supplied to the gas supply unit 78 via a mass flow controller (MFC) 76a, which is a mass flow meter equipped with a flow rate control function.

[0050] The pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 are both formed in a flat plate shape and are formed by arranging metal plates such as aluminum or other conductive plates in parallel. The plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 are supported by a support plate 77. The support plate 77 is formed from an insulating material such as glass or ceramic. The support plate 77 is formed in a shape with a convex portion formed around the entire circumference near the outer periphery on the support plate 64 side. In other words, the support plate 77 is formed in a plate shape with a recessed portion 67 formed along the outer periphery of the support plate 77 on the inside side of the chamber 20. The pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 are an example of electrodes in the present disclosure.

[0051] Support plate 77 is supported by support member 59. Support member 59 has a cylindrical member and mounting members located on both ends of the cylindrical member, with the end on the Z-axis positive side attached to support plate 64 and the end on the Z-axis negative side attached to support plate 77.

[0052] Gas supply pipe 66, which penetrates support plate 64, passes through the inside of cylindrical support member 59, extends to the position of support plate 77, and penetrates support plate 77. Gas supply hole 57 formed in gas supply pipe 66 is disposed in the portion of support plate 77 where recess 67 is formed.

[0053] The pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 are arranged on the side of the support plate 77 where the recess 67 is formed, covering the recess 67. In this case, a spacer 63 is arranged near the outer periphery between the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62, and the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 are overlapped via the spacer 63. The pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the portion other than the spacer 63, forming a gap 61 between the plate-shaped conductors 60, 62. The distance between the gap 61 is preferably set appropriately depending on the reactive gas introduced into the plasma processing apparatus 21, the frequency of the supplied power, the size of the electrodes, etc., and is, for example, about 3 mm to 12 mm.

[0054] The pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 are stacked with the spacer 63 interposed between them and held by a holding member 79, which is a member for holding the plate-shaped conductors 60, 62. In other words, the holding member 79 is disposed on the side of the plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 opposite to the side where the support plate 77 is located, and is attached to the support plate 77 with the plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 sandwiched between the holding member 79 and the support plate 77.

[0055] The pair of plate-shaped conductor portions 60, 62 are arranged in this manner, covering the recess 67 in the support plate 77, and when held by the holding member 79, a space is formed between the recess 67 in the support plate 77 and the plate-shaped conductor portions 60, 62.

[0056] When the plate-shaped conductor 62 of the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 is arranged on the support plate 77 side and the plate-shaped conductor 60 is arranged on the holding member 79 side, this space is defined by the recess 67 of the support plate 77 and the plate-shaped conductor 62. The space thus formed is configured as a gas inlet 80 into which a reaction gas supplied by a gas supply pipe 66 is introduced. The gas supply hole 57 of the gas supply pipe 66 is located in the gas inlet 80 and opens toward the gas inlet 80.

[0057] Furthermore, a large number of through holes 69, 70 penetrating in the thickness direction are formed in each of the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62. That is, the plate-shaped conductor 62 located on the inflow side of the reaction gas supplied by the gas supply pipe 66 has a plurality of through holes 70 formed in a matrix at predetermined intervals when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped conductor 62, and the plate-shaped conductor 60 located on the outflow side of the reaction gas supplied by the gas supply pipe 66 has a plurality of through holes 69 formed in a matrix at predetermined intervals when viewed in the thickness direction of the plate-shaped conductor 60.

[0058] The through hole 69 of the plate-shaped conductor 60 and the through hole 70 of the plate-shaped conductor 62 are each cylindrical, and the two through holes 69, 70 are arranged coaxially. That is, the through hole 69 of the plate-shaped conductor 60 and the through hole 70 of the plate-shaped conductor 62 are arranged so that their centers are aligned. Of these, the through hole 69 of the plate-shaped conductor 60 has a smaller diameter than the through hole 70 of the plate-shaped conductor 62 on the inflow side of the reactive gas. In this way, the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 have multiple through holes 69, 70 formed therein, forming a hollow electrode structure, and the generated plasma gas flows at high density through these multiple through holes 69, 70.

[0059] A gap 61 is interposed between the parallel-plate type plate-like conductors 60 and 62, and the gap 61 functions as a capacitor having electrostatic capacitance. Conductive portions (not shown) made of conductive materials are formed on the support plate 77 and the plate-like conductors 60 and 62, and the support plate 77 and the plate-like conductor 62 are also grounded 75 by the conductive portions. One end of a radio frequency (RF) power supply 74 is grounded 75, and the other end of the radio frequency power supply 74 is electrically connected to the plate-like conductor 60 via a matching box (MB) 73, which adjusts the electrostatic capacitance and the like to achieve matching with the plasma. Therefore, when the radio frequency power supply 74 is operated, the potential of the plate-like conductor 60 fluctuates between positive and negative at a predetermined frequency, such as 13.56 MHz.

[0060] The generated plasma gas flows out from the through-hole 70. Then, on the negative side of the Z axis of the through-hole 70, the flowing-out plasma gas reacts with the film formation gas that is sprayed in the negative direction of the Z axis from a plurality of gas supply holes 92 formed in the gas supply pipe 91b that extends parallel to the plate-like conductors 60 and 62, i.e., along the X axis.

[0061] The film forming gas is introduced into the chamber 20 from a port 90 via a mass flow controller (MFC) 76b. The film forming gas is supplied by a gas supply pipe 91a extending along the Z axis and a gas supply pipe 91b extending along the X axis.

[0062] The film-forming gas used is a substance appropriate for the surface treatment performed by the surface treatment apparatus 10. For example, methane, acetylene, butadiene, titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP), hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS), tetramethylsilane (TMS), etc. The plasma gas and the film-forming gas react to generate a precursor, which then performs surface treatment such as film formation or cleaning on the workpiece W in the chamber 20.

[0063] 7, the range of the multiple gas supply holes 92 formed in the gas supply pipe 91b and the lift valve 153, which serves as a gas outlet when discharging gas inside the chamber to the outside of the chamber, are located at approximately the same position in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the gas supply length D, which is the length of the range of the multiple gas supply holes 92 formed in the gas supply pipe 91b, and the exhaust port length F, which is the length of the lift valve 153 in the X-axis direction, are made approximately equal. The operation of the lift valve 153 will be described in detail later (see FIGS. 10 and 11).

[0064] The workpiece mounting section 32a on which the workpiece W is placed is located within the range of the multiple gas supply holes 92. The attachment member length E, which is the length of the workpiece mounting section 32a in the X-axis direction, is set to 90% or less of the gas supply length D or the exhaust port length F. This reduces turbulence in the gas flow within the chamber.

[0065] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 7. As shown in Fig. 8, the length along the Y-axis of the electrode formed by the pair of plate-like conductors 60, 62, i.e., the electrode length G shown in Fig. 8, is approximately 10 to 50% of the projected length H, which is the length of the workpiece mounting portion 32a projected onto the electrode. Note that, because the projected length H varies depending on the rotation angle of the workpiece mounting portion 32a, the projected length H may be any of the maximum, minimum, or average value of the workpiece mounting portion 32a projected onto the electrode.

[0066] That is, since the workpiece W placed on the workpiece placement section 32a rotates around the rotation axis 31a (see FIG. 2) along the X-axis, the electrode length G can be made shorter than when forming a film on a non-rotating workpiece W. By shortening the electrode length G, the volume of the discharge space created by the electrode is reduced, shortening the time until the pressure in the discharge space becomes constant. This also shortens the time until the generated plasma stabilizes. Furthermore, even if the electrode length G is shortened, increasing the number of through holes 69, 70 formed in the electrode increases the amount of discharge power per unit area, so there is no change in the film formation speed if the amount of power applied to the electrode is the same. Therefore, a film can be formed on the surface of the workpiece W in a short time.

[0067] In the plasma processing device 21 included in the surface processing device 10, the precursor generated by reacting the plasmatized reactive gas with the film-forming gas is sprayed onto the surface of the workpiece W, and then discharged by the operation of the pump unit 140 (see FIG. 10) from the lift valve 153 installed at a position facing the electrode across the workpiece mounting section 32a. Therefore, the gas inflow direction and outflow direction coincide with each other, and by shortening the electrode length G in the rotation direction of the workpiece mounting section 32a, the gas flow rate on the surface of the workpiece W can be made approximately constant, so that a film is formed on the surface of the workpiece W with a uniform film thickness.

[0068] [6. Configuration of sputtering equipment] The configuration of sputtering apparatus 22 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the configuration of a sputtering apparatus. Since sputtering apparatuses 22 and 23 have the same configuration, only sputtering apparatus 22 will be described here.

[0069] The sputtering apparatus 22 includes a cooling water pipe 81 through which cooling water flows, a magnet 84 that generates a magnetic field, a target 87 that ionizes and collides with an inert gas (e.g., argon) supplied from the gas supply device 54 (see FIG. 1) and introduced from a gas inlet (not shown) within the magnetic field generated by the magnet 84 to eject atoms used in film formation, a cooling jacket 85 that cools the target 87, and a support plate 83 that supports the magnet 84, the target 87, and the cooling jacket 85. The cooling water pipe 81 penetrates the support plate 83 fixed to the side wall surface 20b of the chamber 20. The target 87 is, for example, a copper plate, and copper atoms ejected from the target 87 adhere to the surface of the workpiece W, forming a thin copper film on the surface of the workpiece W.

[0070] A cooling water passage 82 is formed inside the cooling water pipe 81 along the extension direction of the cooling water pipe 81. Although not shown in FIG. 9, the cooling water passage 82 includes a passage for supplying cooling water for cooling from the outside of the chamber 20 to the cooling jacket 85, and a passage for discharging the cooling water used for cooling from the cooling jacket 85 to the outside of the chamber 20. In this manner, the cooling water pipe 81 circulates cooling water between the outside of the chamber 20 and the cooling jacket 85 disposed inside the chamber 20. Note that the end of the cooling water pipe 81 outside the chamber 20 is connected to a cooling water inlet passage and an outlet passage (not shown in FIG. 8). Meanwhile, the other end of the cooling water pipe 81 (inside the chamber 20) is connected to the cooling jacket 85. A cooling water passage is formed inside the cooling jacket 85, and the cooling water flows through it. As a result, the cooling water circulates between the outside of the chamber 20 and the cooling jacket 85. Note that the cooling water is supplied from the cooling device 51 (see FIG. 1) described above.

[0071] The support plate 83 supports the magnet 84, the cooling jacket 85, and the target 87 in a stacked state. Specifically, the support plate 83, the magnet 84, the cooling jacket 85, and the target 87 are all formed in a plate-like shape, and the support plate 83 is larger in size in a plan view than the magnet 84, the cooling jacket 85, and the target 87. For this reason, the magnet 84, the cooling jacket 85, and the target 87 are stacked in this order from the support plate 83 side, and the outer periphery of the target 87 is supported by a holding member 88, whereby the magnet 84, the cooling jacket 85, and the target 87 are held by the support plate 83.

[0072] In this case, an insulating material 86 is disposed between the support plate 83 and the magnet 84, and the insulating material 86 is also disposed on the outer periphery of the magnet 84 in a plan view. In other words, the insulating material 86 is disposed between the support plate 83 and the magnet 84 and between the magnet 84 and the holding member 88. Therefore, the magnet 84 is held by the support plate 83 and the holding member 88 via the insulating material 86.

[0073] The sputtering device 22 performs so-called sputtering, which forms a thin film on the surface of the workpiece W. When the sputtering device 22 performs sputtering, the interior of the chamber 20 is depressurized by the exhaust device 50 (see FIG. 1), and then the gas used for sputtering is flowed into the chamber 20 from the gas supply device 54 (see FIG. 1). Then, the magnetic field generated by the magnet 84 of the sputtering device 22 ionizes the gas in the chamber 20, causing the ions to collide with the target 87. This ejects atoms of the target 87 from the surface of the target 87.

[0074] For example, if aluminum is used as the target 87, when ions of a gas ionized near the target 87 collide with the target 87, the target 87 ejects aluminum atoms. The aluminum atoms ejected from the target 87 move in the positive direction of the Y axis. Because the workpiece W is located opposite the surface of the target 87 in the chamber 20, the aluminum atoms ejected from the target 87 move toward the workpiece W, come into close contact with the workpiece W, and are deposited on the surface of the workpiece W. As a result, a thin film corresponding to the material that forms the target 87 is formed on the surface of the workpiece W.

[0075] [7. Pump unit configuration] The configuration of the pump unit 140 will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Figure 10 is a side view showing an example of the pump unit. Figure 11 is an XZ cross-sectional view of Figure 10, showing the state in which the pump unit is evacuating the inside of the chamber.

[0076] The pump unit 140 is attached to the bottom surface 20d of the chamber 20, i.e., at a position different from the positions where the plasma processing device 21 and the sputtering device 23 are installed. The pump unit 140 adjusts the pressure inside the chamber 20 and exhausts gases that fill the chamber 20 due to the operation of the plasma processing device 21 and the sputtering devices 22 and 23. The pump unit 140 is an example of an exhaust means in the present disclosure.

[0077] The pump unit 140 includes a flow rate adjustment valve 150 and a turbomolecular pump 170 shown in FIG.

[0078] 11 , the flow rate control valve 150 includes a flow path portion 151 through which the fluid flows, a lift valve 153 that opens and closes an opening 152 formed at one end of the flow path portion 151, and a servo actuator 160 that opens and closes the lift valve 153. The turbomolecular pump 170 is a pump that sucks in the fluid flowing through the flow path portion 151 of the flow rate control valve 150. The pump unit 140 reduces the pressure in the chamber 20 to a desired pressure by adjusting the flow rate of the fluid sucked in by the turbomolecular pump 170 using the flow rate control valve 150.

[0079] The pump unit 140 is installed at the bottom of the chamber 20 by attaching a pump flange 171 formed at the upper end of the turbomolecular pump 170 to a mounting flange 141 installed on the bottom surface 20d of the chamber 20. With the mounting flange 141 attached to the bottom of the chamber 20, the opening 152 of the flow path portion 151 opens into the chamber 20, and the flow path portion 151 communicates with the inside of the chamber 20.

[0080] The flow rate adjustment valve 150 has a lift valve 153 arranged in the chamber 20, and a servo actuator 160 which is a driving means for moving the lift valve 153 in the Z-axis direction within the chamber 20. The lift valve 153 adjusts the flow rate of the fluid sucked by the turbo molecular pump 170 by moving in the Z-axis direction within the chamber 20. The opening and closing operation of the lift valve 153 is guided by a guide engagement portion 166 attached to the lift valve 153 moving up and down along a valve guide 165. The servo actuator 160 is arranged on the surface of the mounting flange 141 on which the turbo molecular pump 170 is attached, and is supported by a driving means support portion 143.

[0081] The flow rate adjustment valve 150 also has a lift shaft 162 to which the lift valve 153 is connected via a connecting member 163, and a worm jack 161 that transmits power generated by the servo actuator 160 to the lift shaft 162 and moves the lift shaft 162 in the Z-axis direction. A vacuum gauge (not shown) is attached to the chamber 20, and the pressure inside the chamber 20 is measured by the vacuum gauge. The servo actuator 160 operates based on the measurement value of the vacuum gauge to move the lift valve 153 in the Z-axis direction and adjust the flow rate of the fluid sucked by the turbo molecular pump 170.

[0082] More specifically, the lift shaft 162, the connecting member 163, and the lift valve 153 move together along the Z-axis direction to change the distance d (see FIG. 11) between the lift shaft 162 and the opening 152, thereby opening and closing the opening 152. That is, the lift valve 153 moves in the negative direction of the Z-axis to cover the entire area of ​​the opening 152, thereby closing the opening 152. On the other hand, the lift valve 153 moves in the positive direction of the Z-axis to open the opening 152.

[0083] [8. Specific explanation of surface treatment] Specific examples of surface treatment performed by the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of surface treatment performed by the surface treatment device on a workpiece. Figure 13 is a diagram showing an example of pressure changes in a chamber when the surface treatment device performs surface treatment on a workpiece.

[0084] In this embodiment, the surface treatment device 10 forms, for example, a mirror 98, which is an example of an optical component, on one surface of the workpiece W. The mirror 98 has a substantially constant reflectance over the entire visible light range (400 to 800 nm), for example.

[0085] First, the surface treatment device 10 operates the sputtering device 22 to form an Al layer 98a, which is a thin film of aluminum (Al), on the surface of the workpiece W. At this time, aluminum is used as the target 87 of the sputtering device 22. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, the inside of the chamber 20 is heated to a pressure P0 (for example, 10 -2 From 10 -3 The pressure in the chamber 20 is reduced to a pressure of P0 (Pa), and then increased to a pressure P1 by introducing gas, and aluminum sputtering is performed in this state. The pressure P1 is, for example, 20 Pa. After sputtering is completed, the pressure inside the chamber 20 is reduced again to a pressure P0 at time t1. In FIG. 13, the vertical axis represents the pressure P, with the pressure decreasing downward.

[0086] During sputtering, the surface treatment device 10 rotates the rotary shaft 31a to form a uniform Al layer 98a on the surface of the workpiece W placed on the workpiece mounting section 32a. The rotation speed of the rotary shaft 31a is set depending on the type of workpiece W, the conditions for forming the Al layer 98a, etc.

[0087] Next, the surface treatment device 10 operates the plasma treatment device 21 to form an SiO2 layer 98b on the surface of the Al layer 89a of the workpiece W. At this time, the interior of the chamber 20 is depressurized to pressure P0 at time t1, and then pressurized to pressure P2 by introducing gas, thereby forming the SiO2 layer 98b (polymerized film). Note that pressure P2 is set to a pressure higher than pressure P1. Pressure P2 is, for example, 30 Pa. After the SiO2 layer 98b is formed, the interior of the chamber 20 is depressurized again to pressure P0 at time t2.

[0088] While the SiO2 layer 98b is being formed, the surface treatment device 10 rotates the rotary shaft 31a to form a uniform SiO2 layer 98b on the surface of the workpiece W placed on the workpiece mounting section 32a. The rotation speed of the rotary shaft 31a is set depending on the type of workpiece W and the conditions for forming the SiO2 layer 98b. To form the SiO2 layer 98b, a film forming gas, such as water vapor and a silane-based gas, is introduced into the chamber 20.

[0089] Next, the surface treatment device 10 operates the sputtering device 23 to deposit niobium oxide (NbO X ) thin film of NbO X At this time, niobium oxide is used for the target 87 of the sputtering device 23. The inside of the chamber 20 is depressurized to pressure P0 at time t2, and then pressurized to pressure P1 by introducing gas. X After the sputtering is completed, the pressure inside the chamber 20 is reduced again to the pressure P0 at time t3.

[0090] During sputtering, the surface treatment device 10 rotates the rotary shaft 31a to deposit a uniform NbO X The rotation speed of the rotating shaft 31a is determined depending on the type of material W to be treated and the NbO X It is set depending on the conditions for producing the layer 98c.

[0091] Before the start of the surface treatment of the material to be treated W and after the surface treatment is completed, the chamber 20 is opened and the pressure inside the chamber 20 is made equal to atmospheric pressure.

[0092] The Al layer 98a, SiO2 layer 98b, and Nb2O XThe order of the layers 98c is not limited to the above example. For example, after the SiO2 layer 98b is formed on the surface of the workpiece W, the Al layer 98a is formed on the surface of the SiO2 layer 98b, and the Nb2O X The Al layer 98a, the SiO2 layer 98b, and the Nb2O X After forming the layer 98c, NbO X On the layer 98c, a SiO2 layer 98b and a Nb2O X Layer 98c may be created.

[0093] [9. Processing flow of surface treatment equipment] The flow of processing performed by the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing performed when the surface treatment device performs surface treatment on a treatment target material.

[0094] First, the material to be treated W is attached to the material to be treated placement portion 32a (step S11).

[0095] The workpiece transport unit 40 accommodates the workpiece placement unit 32a in the chamber 20 (step S12). After step S12 is completed, the workpiece W to be surface-treated next may be attached to the workpiece placement unit 32b outside the chamber 20 while the surface treatment device 10 is performing the surface treatment.

[0096] By operating instructions from the operation panel 55, the shutter 26b covering the surface of the sputtering device 22 is stored in the shutter storage section 25, and the shutter 26c covering the surface of the sputtering device 23 and the shutter 26a covering the surface of the plasma processing device 21 are pulled out from the shutter storage section 25 to shield the electrodes of the surface processing means other than the sputtering device 22 (step S13).

[0097] The exhaust device 50 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 20 to a pressure P0 (step S14).

[0098] The gas supply device 54 supplies gas into the chamber 20 to pressurize it up to pressure P1 (step S15).

[0099] The material placement section 32a is rotated in response to an operation instruction from the operation panel 55. This causes the material W to rotate (step S16).

[0100] The sputtering device 22 forms an Al layer 89a on the surface of the workpiece W (step S17).

[0101] The rotation of the material placement section 32a is stopped by an operation instruction from the operation panel 55. This stops the material W to be treated (step S18).

[0102] The exhaust device 50 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 20 to a pressure P0 (step S19).

[0103] By operating the operation panel 55, the shutter 26a covering the surface of the plasma processing device 21 is stored in the shutter storage section 25, and the shutter 26b covering the surface of the sputtering device 22 and the shutter 26c covering the surface of the sputtering device 23 are pulled out from the shutter storage section 25 to shield the electrodes of the surface processing means other than the plasma processing device 21 (step S20).

[0104] The gas supply device 54 supplies gas into the chamber 20 to pressurize it up to pressure P2 (step S21).

[0105] The material placement section 32a is rotated in response to an operation instruction from the operation panel 55. This causes the material W to rotate (step S22).

[0106] The plasma processing apparatus 21 forms an SiO2 layer 98b on the surface of the Al layer 98a (step S23).

[0107] The rotation of the material placement section 32a is stopped by an operation instruction from the operation panel 55. This stops the material W to be treated (step S24).

[0108] The exhaust device 50 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 20 to a pressure P0 (step S25).

[0109] By operating instructions from the operation panel 55, the shutter 26c covering the surface of the sputtering device 23 is stored in the shutter storage section 25, and the shutter 26b covering the surface of the sputtering device 22 and the shutter 26a covering the surface of the plasma processing device 21 are pulled out from the shutter storage section 25 to shield the electrodes of the surface processing means other than the sputtering device 23 (step S26).

[0110] The gas supply device 54 supplies gas into the chamber to pressurize it up to pressure P1 (step S27).

[0111] The material placement section 32a is rotated in response to an operation instruction from the operation panel 55. This causes the material W to rotate (step S28).

[0112] The sputtering device 23 deposits NbO on the surface of the SiO layer 98b. X The layer 98c is generated (step S29).

[0113] The rotation of the material placement section 32a is stopped by an operation instruction from the operation panel 55. This stops the material W to be treated (step S30).

[0114] The exhaust device 50 reduces the pressure inside the chamber 20 to a pressure P0 (step S31).

[0115] In response to an operation instruction from the operation panel 55, the lift valve 153 of the flow rate adjusting valve 150 is opened, the air around the chamber 20 is taken into the chamber 20, and the inside of the chamber is opened to the atmosphere (step S32).

[0116] The treatment material conveying section 40 ejects the treatment material placing section 32a from the chamber 20 (step S33).

[0117] The material W to be treated that has undergone surface treatment is removed from the material placement section 32a (step S34).

[0118] Although not shown in the flowchart of Figure 14, the workpiece mounting portion rotation shaft 35 may then be rotated to point the workpiece placement portion 32b toward the chamber 20, and the above-mentioned processes may be repeated.

[0119] The above-described series of processes may be executed based on instructions from an operator, or may be executed automatically according to a sequence created in advance.

[0120] As described above, the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment includes the chamber 20 (storage unit) for storing at least one material to be treated W, the material to be treated placing sections 32a, 32b (storage means) each having a horizontally extending rotation shaft 31a and configured to place the material to be treated W such that the surface of the material to be treated W faces outward in a direction substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the outer circumferential surfaces of the rotation shafts 31a, 31b, and the material to be treated placing sections 32a, 32b are rotated around the rotation shafts 31a, 31b in a predetermined rotation pattern while being stored in the chamber 20. The apparatus includes motors 36a, 36b (first rotating means) for rotating the motors 36a, 36b, a plasma processing device 21 (surface processing means) extending parallel to the rotation axes 31a, 31b inside the chamber 20 and supplying gas to the surface of the workpiece W to perform at least one type of surface treatment, and a pump unit 140 (exhaust means) provided at a position inside the chamber 20 different from the position where the plasma processing device 21 is provided and for adjusting the pressure inside the chamber 20 and exhausting the gas inside the chamber 20. Therefore, a surface processing apparatus suitable for surface treatment of small to medium amounts of material can be provided. Furthermore, since the gas inflow direction and outflow direction are aligned, the gas flow rate on the surface of the workpiece W can be made approximately constant. This allows a film to be formed on the surface of the workpiece W with a uniform film thickness.

[0121] Furthermore, in the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment, the pump unit 140 (exhaust means) is horizontally installed at the bottom of the chamber 20 (storage unit), i.e., on the bottom surface 20d. Therefore, the inflow direction of the reactive gas sprayed onto the surface of the material to be treated W can be made to coincide with the discharge direction of the reactive gas. This makes it possible to maintain a substantially constant flow rate of the gas on the surface of the material to be treated W. Therefore, when the pump unit 140 evacuates the chamber 20, the surface of the material to be treated W is uniformly affected by the exhausted gas, and the uniformity of the film formed on the surface of the material to be treated W can be maintained.

[0122] Furthermore, in the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment, the workpiece placement sections 32a, 32b (placement means) are provided with seats 33a, 33b (sealing members) that seal the chamber 20 when the workpiece placement sections 32a, 32b are placed in the chamber 20. Therefore, the placement of the workpiece W inside the chamber 20 and the sealing of the chamber 20 can be performed consecutively in a series of operations.

[0123] Furthermore, the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a plurality of mounting means (workpiece mounting portions 32a, 32b) and further includes a workpiece mounting portion rotation shaft 35 (selection means) that selects one of the mounting means to be housed in the chamber 20 from the plurality of workpiece mounting portions 32a, 32b. Therefore, while the surface treatment of the workpiece W is being performed, the next workpiece W to be treated can be mounted on the workpiece mounting portion placed outside the chamber 20. This allows for efficient use of time.

[0124] Furthermore, in the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment, the workpiece mounting portion rotation shaft 35 (selection means) is equipped with a motor 34 (second rotation means) that rotates one of the plurality of workpiece mounting portions 32a, 32b to a position facing the opening 20f (accommodation opening) of the chamber 20. Therefore, the workpiece mounting portion 32a and the workpiece mounting portion 32b can be easily interchanged.

[0125] Moreover, the surface treatment apparatus 10 of this embodiment further includes a material transport section 40 (transport means) that transports the material W placed on the material placement sections 32a, 32b (placement means) along the axial direction of the rotation shaft 31a to store the material W in the chamber 20 (storage unit) or remove the material W from the chamber 20. Therefore, the material W can be stored in the chamber 20 and removed from the chamber 20 automatically.

[0126] Furthermore, in the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment, the surface treatment means is a plasma treatment device 21 that supplies a reactive gas to a pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 (electrodes) that are installed inside the chamber 20 (accommodation unit) and extend parallel to the rotation axis 31a of the workpiece mounting section 32a (mounting means) and to which high-frequency power is applied, thereby converting the reactive gas into plasma and reacting the plasmatized reactive gas with the film-forming gas to generate a precursor, which is sprayed onto the workpiece W, thereby performing surface treatment on the workpiece W. Therefore, for example, by generating functional groups on the surface of the workpiece W, it is possible to improve the adhesion of a thin film formed in a subsequent process.

[0127] In the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment, the plasma treatment device 21 is provided on the upper wall surface 20a (upper inner wall surface) of the workpiece placement section 32a (placement means). Therefore, the film formation gas flows uniformly from the upper wall surface 20a toward the bottom surface 20d where the exhaust port is provided, so that a film can be uniformly formed on the workpiece W.

[0128] Furthermore, in the surface treatment device 10 of this embodiment, the length (electrode length G) of the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 (electrodes) in the direction along the rotation direction of the workpiece mounting portions 32a, 32b (mounting means) is 10 to 50% of the projected length H of the workpiece mounting portions 32a, 32b projected in the direction of the plate-shaped conductors 60, 62. Therefore, the gas flow rate on the surface of the workpiece W can be made approximately constant, and a film can be formed on the surface of the workpiece W with a uniform film thickness.

[0129] Furthermore, in the surface treatment apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the surface treatment means is a sputtering device 22 that performs sputtering on the material to be treated W. Therefore, a desired thin film can be formed on the surface of the material to be treated W.

[0130] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The surface treatment device 10a of the second embodiment includes a plasma treatment device 21a instead of the plasma treatment device 21 included in the surface treatment device 10 described in the first embodiment. Since the other configurations of the surface treatment device 10a are the same as those of the surface treatment device 10, only the configuration of the plasma treatment device 21a will be described below.

[0131] [10. Configuration of Plasma Processing Apparatus] The configuration of the plasma processing apparatus 21a will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is an XZ cross-sectional view showing an example of a schematic configuration of the plasma processing apparatus provided in the surface processing apparatus of the second embodiment.

[0132] The plasma processing apparatus 21a performs different plasma processing on each of three workpieces W (Wa, Wb, Wc) placed on each side of a regular hexagonal prism that forms the workpiece placement portion 32a.

[0133] The plasma processing apparatus 21a includes multiple (three) gas supply pipes instead of the gas supply pipes 91a and 91b for supplying film forming gases described in Fig. 7. Specifically, the plasma processing apparatus 21a includes gas supply pipes 91c and 91d, gas supply pipes 91e and 91f, and gas supply pipes 91g and 91h shown in Fig. 15.

[0134] The gas supply pipes 91c and 91d are provided between the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60 and 62 and the material to be processed Wa. A film formation gas is supplied to the gas supply pipes 91c and 91d through a port 90a. The supply amount of the film formation gas is controlled by a mass flow controller 76c.

[0135] 8, the gas supply pipe 91c is introduced into the chamber 20 along the Z axis from a position on the Y-axis positive side with respect to the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62. The gas supply pipe 91c then turns 90 degrees toward the Y-axis negative side and extends toward the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62. Furthermore, the gas supply pipe 91c turns 90 degrees toward the X-axis positive side at approximately the center of the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 in the Y-axis direction and extends as gas supply pipe 91d in a state approximately parallel to the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62.

[0136] The gas supply pipes 91e and 91f are arranged between the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60 and 62 and the workpiece Wb in the same layout as the gas supply pipes 91c and 91d. A film formation gas is supplied to the gas supply pipes 91e and 91f via a port 90b. The amount of the film formation gas supplied is controlled by a mass flow controller 76d.

[0137] The gas supply pipes 91g and 91h are arranged in the same layout as the gas supply pipes 91c and 91d, and are provided between the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60 and 62 and the workpiece Wc. A film formation gas is supplied to the gas supply pipes 91g and 91h through a port 90c. The supply amount of the film formation gas is controlled by a mass flow controller 76e.

[0138] As explained in the first embodiment, the length along the Y axis of the electrode formed by the pair of plate-like conductors 60, 62 (electrode length G (see FIG. 8)) is approximately 10 to 50% of the projected length H (see FIG. 8), which is the length of the workpiece mounting portion 32a projected onto the electrode. Furthermore, it is not necessary to mount three workpieces W on each side of the workpiece mounting portion 32a. In response to an operation instruction from the operation panel 55 (see FIG. 1), the surface processing apparatus 10a does not supply film formation gas from the gas supply pipes corresponding to locations where no workpieces W are mounted.

[0139] The plasma processing apparatus 21a independently sets the amounts of film-forming gas supplied from the gas supply pipes 91c and 91d, the gas supply pipes 91e and 91f, and the gas supply pipes 91g and 91h. This allows films of different thicknesses to be formed on the surfaces of the workpieces Wa, Wb, and We. The plasma processing apparatus 21a then makes the thicknesses of the films uniform even if the thicknesses of the films formed on the workpieces Wa, Wb, and Wec are not uniform. The amount of film-forming gas supplied from each gas supply pipe is set in response to an instruction from the control panel 55 (see FIG. 1).

[0140] As described above, in the surface processing apparatus 10a of the second embodiment, the plasma processing apparatus 21a is equipped with multiple gas supply pipes for the film-forming gas, and the supply amount of the film-forming gas is set independently for each of the multiple workpieces Wa, Wb, and Wc placed along the extension direction of the rotation shaft 31a. Therefore, films with different film thicknesses can be formed on the workpieces Wa, Wb, and Wc placed on the workpiece placement section 32a. Furthermore, the film thicknesses formed on each of the workpieces Wa, Wb, and Wc can be made uniform.

[0141] In addition, in the sputtering devices 22 and 23, a set of a magnet 84, a target 87 and a cooling jacket 85 may be installed at positions corresponding to the workpieces Wa, Wb and Wc, respectively, so that sputtering can be performed independently for each of the workpieces Wa, Wb and Wc.

[0142] [Modification of the second embodiment] Next, a modified example of the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The surface treatment device 10b (not shown) of the modified second embodiment includes a plasma treatment device 21b instead of the plasma treatment device 21 included in the surface treatment device 10 described in the first embodiment. Since the other configurations of the surface treatment device 10b are the same as those of the surface treatment device 10, only the configuration of the plasma treatment device 21b will be described below.

[0143] [11. Configuration of Plasma Processing Apparatus] The configuration of the plasma processing apparatus 21b will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is an XZ cross-sectional view showing an example of a schematic configuration of a plasma processing apparatus provided in a surface processing apparatus according to a modified example of the second embodiment.

[0144] The plasma processing device 21b performs different plasma processing on each of three workpieces W (Wa, Wb, Wc) placed on each side of a regular hexagonal prism that forms the workpiece placement portion 32a.

[0145] The plasma processing apparatus 21b includes multiple (three) gas supply pipes instead of the gas supply pipes 91a and 91b for supplying film forming gases as described in Fig. 7. Specifically, the plasma processing apparatus 21a includes gas supply pipes 91c and 91d, gas supply pipes 91e and 91f, and gas supply pipes 91g and 91h shown in Fig. 16. Note that the cross-sectional view of each gas supply pipe is omitted from the configuration shown in Fig. 15.

[0146] Furthermore, the plasma processing apparatus 21b includes a plurality of electrodes (three pairs of electrodes) instead of the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60, 62 (electrodes) described in Fig. 7. Specifically, the plasma processing apparatus 21b includes a pair of plate-shaped conductors 60a, 62a, a pair of plate-shaped conductors 60b, 62b, and a pair of plate-shaped conductors 60c, 62c shown in Fig. 16.

[0147] The gas supply pipes 91c and 91d are provided between the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60a and 62a and the workpiece Wa. The gas supply pipes 91c and 91d are supplied with film formation gases via ports (not shown). The supply amount of the film formation gas is controlled by a mass flow controller (not shown).

[0148] A reactive gas is supplied to the pair of plate-like conductors 60a, 62a through a gas supply pipe 66a. The amount of the reactive gas supplied is controlled by a mass flow controller (not shown).

[0149] The gas supply pipes 91e and 91f are provided between the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60b and 62b and the workpiece Wb. The gas supply pipes 91e and 91f are supplied with film formation gas via ports (not shown). The supply amount of the film formation gas is controlled by a mass flow controller (not shown).

[0150] Furthermore, a reactive gas is supplied to the pair of plate-like conductors 60b, 62b through a gas supply pipe 66b. The supply amount of the reactive gas is controlled by a mass flow controller (not shown).

[0151] The gas supply pipes 91g and 91h are provided between the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60c and 62c and the workpiece Wc. The gas supply pipes 91g and 91h are supplied with a film formation gas through a port (not shown). The supply amount of the film formation gas is controlled by a mass flow controller (not shown).

[0152] The pair of plate-like conductors 60c, 62c are supplied with a reactive gas through a gas supply pipe 66c. The amount of the reactive gas supplied is controlled by a mass flow controller (not shown).

[0153] High frequency power is independently supplied to each of the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60 a, 62 a, the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60 b, 62 b, and the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60 c, 62 c. The high frequency power supplied to each of the plate-shaped conductors reacts with the reactive gas supplied to each of the plate-shaped conductors to generate plasma gases in different states, for example, plasma gases with different amounts of charged particles.

[0154] As explained in the first embodiment, the length along the Y axis of the electrodes formed by the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60a, 62a, the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60b, 62b, and the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60c, 62c (electrode length G (see FIG. 8)) is approximately 10 to 50% of the projected length H (see FIG. 8), which is the length of the workpiece mounting portion 32a projected onto the electrode. Furthermore, it is not necessary to mount three workpieces W on each side of the workpiece mounting portion 32a. In response to operation instructions from the operation panel 55 (see FIG. 1), the surface processing apparatus 10b does not supply film-forming gas and reaction gas from gas supply pipes corresponding to locations where no workpieces W are placed.

[0155] The plasma processing apparatus 21b independently sets the amounts of film-forming gas supplied from the gas supply pipes 91c and 91d, the gas supply pipes 91e and 91f, and the gas supply pipes 91g and 91h, and independently sets the high-frequency power supplied to the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60a and 62a, the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60b and 62b, and the pair of plate-shaped conductors 60c and 62c. This allows films of different thicknesses to be formed on the surfaces of the workpieces Wa, Wb, and We. Even if the thicknesses of the films formed on the surfaces of the workpieces Wa, Wb, and Wec are not uniform, the thicknesses of the films are made uniform. The high-frequency power supplied to each electrode is set according to operational instructions from the operation panel 55 (see FIG. 1).

[0156] As described above, in the surface treatment apparatus 10b of this embodiment, the plasma treatment apparatus 21b includes a plurality of electrodes corresponding to the plurality of workpieces Wa, Wb, and Wc placed along the extension direction of the rotation shaft 31a, and the high-frequency power supplied to the plurality of electrodes is independently set. Therefore, it is possible to form films with different thicknesses on the workpieces Wa, Wb, and Wc placed on the workpiece placement section 32a. Furthermore, it is possible to uniform the thickness of the film formed on each workpiece Wa, Wb, and Wc.

[0157] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. This novel embodiment can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0158] 10, 10a, 10b... surface treatment device, 20... chamber (storage unit), 20a... upper wall surface, 20b, 20c, 20e... side wall surface, 20d... bottom surface, 20f... opening (storage opening), 21, 21a, 21b... plasma treatment device (surface treatment means), 22, 23... sputtering device (surface treatment means), 25... shutter storage section, 26a, 26b, 26c... shutter (shielding member), 30, 30a, 30b... treatment object mounting section, 31a, 31b... Rotating shaft, 32a, 32b... material to be treated placing section (placing means), 33a, 33b... base (sealing member), 34... motor (second rotating means), 35... material to be treated mounting section rotating shaft (selecting means), 36a, 36b... motor (first rotating means), 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b... gear, 39... groove portion, 40... material to be treated conveying section (conveying means), 50... exhaust device, 51... cooling device, 52... control device, 53... power supply device, 54... gas supply device, 55... operation panel, 5 6...gas flow path, 57, 92...gas supply hole, 58...gas supply pipe mounting member, 59...support member, 60, 60a, 60b, 60c, 62, 62a, 62b, 62c...plate-shaped conductor portion (electrode), 61...gap portion, 63...spacer, 64, 77, 83...support plate, 66, 66a, 66b, 66c, 91a, 91b, 91c, 91d, 91e, 91f, 91g, 91h...gas supply pipe, 67...recess, 69, 70...through hole, 73...matching box (MB), 74... Radio frequency power supply (RF), 75... Ground, 76a, 76b, 76c, 76d, 76e... Mass flow controller (MFC), 79... Holding member, 78... Gas supply unit, 80... Gas inlet unit, 81... Cooling water pipe, 82... Cooling water channel, 84... Magnet, 85... Cooling jacket, 86... Insulating material, 87... Target, 88... Holding member, 90, 90a, 90b, 90c... Port, 98... Mirror, 98a... Al layer, 98b... SiO2 layer, 98c... Nb2O XLayer, 140... pump unit (exhaust means), 141... mounting flange, 143... drive means support portion, 150... flow rate adjustment valve, 151... flow path portion, 152... opening, 153... lift valve, 160... servo actuator, 161... worm jack, 162... lift shaft, 163... connecting member, 165... valve guide, 166... ​​guide engagement portion, 170... turbo molecular pump, 171... pump flange, D... gas supply portion length, E... mounting member length, F... exhaust port length, G... electrode length, H... projected length, P0, P1, P2... pressure, t0, t1, t2, t3... time, W, Wa, Wb, Wc... material to be treated

Claims

1. A plurality of mounting means each having a horizontally extending rotation axis, for mounting at least one workpiece so that the surface of the workpiece faces outward in a direction generally perpendicular to the normal to the outer circumferential surface of the rotation axis; a selection means for selecting one of the plurality of placement means to be accommodated in the accommodation unit; a first rotating means for rotating the placement means selected by the selecting means in a predetermined rotation pattern around the rotation axis while the placement means is accommodated in the accommodation unit; a surface treatment means provided inside the accommodation unit and extending parallel to the rotation axis, for supplying a gas to the surface of the material to be treated to perform at least one type of surface treatment; and an exhaust means provided inside the storage unit at a position different from the position where the surface treatment means is provided, for adjusting the pressure inside the storage unit and exhausting gas inside the storage unit. Surface treatment equipment.

2. The exhaust means is provided horizontally at the bottom of the storage unit. The surface treatment device according to claim 1 .

3. the mounting means includes a sealing member that seals the storage unit when the mounting means is housed in the storage unit; The surface treatment device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The selection means a second rotating means for rotating any one of the plurality of placing means to a position facing the storage opening of the storage unit; The surface treatment device according to claim 1 .

5. The apparatus further includes a conveying means for conveying the material placed on the placing means along the axial direction of the rotation shaft to store the material in the storage unit or to carry the material out of the storage unit. The surface treatment device according to claim 1 .

6. The surface treatment means comprises: a plasma processing apparatus that supplies a reactive gas to an electrode that is provided inside the accommodation unit and extends parallel to the rotation axis of the placement means and to which high-frequency power is applied, thereby converting the reactive gas into plasma, and then reacting the plasmatized reactive gas with a film-forming gas to generate a precursor, thereby spraying the precursor onto the material to be processed, thereby performing surface processing on the material to be processed; The surface treatment device according to claim 1 .

7. The plasma processing device is provided on an inner wall surface of an upper portion of the placement means. The surface treatment device according to claim 6 .

8. The plasma processing apparatus includes: A plurality of supply pipes for film-forming gases are provided, a supply amount of the film-forming gas is set independently for each of the plurality of workpieces placed along the extending direction of the rotation shaft; The surface treatment device according to claim 6 or 7.

9. The plasma processing apparatus includes: a plurality of electrodes respectively corresponding to the plurality of workpieces placed along the extending direction of the rotation shaft; The high frequency powers to be supplied to the plurality of electrodes are independently set. The surface treatment device according to claim 6 .

10. the length of the electrode in the direction along the rotation direction of the mounting means is 10 to 50% of the projected length of the mounting means projected in the direction of the electrode; The surface treatment device according to claim 6 .

11. The surface treatment means comprises: A sputtering device that performs sputtering on the workpiece, The surface treatment device according to claim 1 .

12. At least one workpiece is placed on each of a plurality of placement means each having a horizontally extending rotation axis, with the surface of the workpiece facing outward and approximately perpendicular to the normal direction of the outer circumferential surface of the rotation axis; a mounting means selected from the plurality of mounting means is rotated around the rotation axis in a predetermined rotation pattern while being accommodated in a storage unit, and at least one type of surface treatment is performed by supplying gas to the surface of the material to be treated from a surface treatment means provided inside the storage unit in a direction parallel to the rotation axis; an exhaust means provided inside the storage unit at a position different from the position where the surface treatment means is provided, for adjusting the pressure inside the storage unit and exhausting the gas inside the storage unit; Surface treatment method.

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