Substrate rotation device, processing system, and processing method

Abstract

This substrate rotation device comprises: a main rotation mechanism; a sub-rotation mechanism; and a guide structure. The main rotation mechanism rotates about a first rotating shaft. The main rotation mechanism comprises a sub-rotation mechanism. The sub-rotation mechanism revolves around the first rotating shaft accompanied by the rotation of the main rotation mechanism, and the sub-rotation mechanism spins about a second rotating shaft. The second rotating shaft is displaced in a circumferential direction with respect to a third rotating shaft provided, in the main rotation mechanism, between the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft. The guide structure has a contact surface extending in the circumferential direction with respect to the first rotating shaft. The guide structure controls the displacement of the second rotating shaft in the circumferential direction with respect to the third rotating shaft and causes the sub-rotation mechanism to revolve in a track along the contact surface when the contact surface and the sub-rotation mechanism contact each other.

Description

Substrate rotation device, processing system, and processing method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a substrate rotation device, a processing system, and a processing method.

[0002] A thin film deposition apparatus is already known that includes a lens holder that rotatably holds multiple lenses in order to form thin films of uniform thickness on multiple lenses (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this thin film deposition apparatus, when the lens holder rotates, the lenses rotate on the lens holder via a planetary gear mechanism. As a result, the lenses rotate on their own axes while revolving in accordance with the rotation of the lens holder.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-192835

[0004] In film deposition systems used in the optical and semiconductor fields, it is generally desirable to be able to form uniform thin films on substrates. If a thin film with uniform thickness can be formed on a large substrate, it is possible to reduce film deposition costs and improve product productivity.

[0005] However, the spatial distribution of film material emitted as scattered particles from a film material source such as a deposition source on a substrate is non-uniform, and the non-uniformity becomes worse the larger the area of ​​the substrate to be formed.

[0006] For this reason, a conventional method is to use a film thickness adjustment plate to even out the uneven thickness of a thin film formed on a substrate, thereby achieving a uniform film thickness. However, this method requires that the film thickness adjustment plate be attached to the substrate with high precision, and furthermore, that the film thickness adjustment plate be remade to match the spatial distribution of the scattered particles.

[0007] As in Patent Document 1, a technique of revolving and rotating a substrate, such as a lens, on which a film is to be formed during film formation can also be used to suppress the effects of non-uniform spatial distribution of scattered particles and form a roughly uniform thin film on the substrate. However, even with this technique, there is still room for improvement in the uniformity of the thin film. Furthermore, adopting a complex mechanical structure to improve the uniformity of the thin film can increase the weight of the device and potentially reduce its durability.

[0008] Therefore, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, it is preferable to provide a novel technique relating to a substrate rotation device suitable for uniformly processing a substrate, for example, forming a film of uniform thickness on the substrate.

[0009] According to some embodiments, a substrate rotation device is provided, the substrate rotation device comprising: a primary rotation mechanism, a secondary rotation mechanism, and a guide structure, wherein the primary rotation mechanism rotates about a first rotation axis.

[0010] The main rotation mechanism includes a sub-rotation mechanism. The sub-rotation mechanism revolves around a first rotation axis and rotates around a second rotation axis in conjunction with the rotation of the main rotation mechanism. The sub-rotation mechanism has a support structure that supports a substrate to be processed. The support structure rotates around the second rotation axis. The second rotation axis is displaced around a third rotation axis provided between the first and second rotation axes in the main rotation mechanism in a circumferential direction relative to the third rotation axis.

[0011] The guide structure is provided around the first rotation shaft and controls the revolution of the auxiliary rotation mechanism. The guide structure has a contact surface extending in a circumferential direction relative to the first rotation shaft. The guide structure controls the displacement of the second rotation shaft in the circumferential direction relative to the third rotation shaft, and when the contact surface contacts the auxiliary rotation mechanism, the guide structure causes the auxiliary rotation mechanism to revolve in a trajectory along the contact surface.

[0012] In the conventional method of using a planetary gear mechanism to revolve and rotate a support structure for a substrate to be processed, the revolution orbit is a perfect circular orbit, and the present inventors have realized that this circular orbit is an obstacle to applying uniform processing to the substrate with high precision.

[0013] According to the substrate rotating device of some embodiments described above, the orbital path of the support structure can be controlled by the guide structure, so the orbital path of the support structure is not limited to a perfect circle corresponding to the shape of the gear, as in the case of a planetary gear mechanism. In other words, according to the substrate rotating device of some embodiments, the orbital path other than a perfect circle can be realized by making the guide structure have a shape other than a perfect circle.

[0014] As described above, some embodiments provide a substrate rotation device that can achieve uniform processing of a substrate. The design flexibility of the support structure and the rotational motion of the substrate can be increased. This design flexibility allows the position of each point on the substrate to be processed to be displaced relative to the spatial distribution so as to cancel out non-uniformity in the spatial distribution of processing. Therefore, some embodiments provide a substrate rotation device that can achieve uniform processing of a substrate.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the design freedom allows the position of each point within the substrate on which a film is to be formed to be displaced relative to the spatial distribution of the film material so as to compensate for the non-uniformity of the spatial distribution of the film material. Therefore, according to some embodiments, it is possible to provide a substrate rotation device that can form a uniform thin film on the substrate with high precision.

[0016] In some embodiments of the substrate rotation device, the third rotation axis is located between the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis, so that the rotation diameter between the second rotation axis and the third rotation axis is smaller than the rotation diameter between the second rotation axis and the first rotation axis.

[0017] In this case, when the second rotation shaft is displaced in the circumferential direction relative to the third rotation shaft, the radial length between the auxiliary rotation mechanism and the first rotation shaft changes, i.e., the auxiliary rotation mechanism can revolve along the contact surface in an orbit other than a perfect circle.

[0018] The radial displacement of the secondary rotation mechanism relative to the first rotation axis due to the circumferential displacement relative to the third rotation axis can be realized with a relatively simple rotation structure. Therefore, according to some embodiments, a substrate rotation device that is good for uniformly processing a substrate can be realized with a simple and lightweight configuration. The simple configuration can contribute to the durability of the substrate rotation device. The lightweight configuration can enable high-speed rotation with low energy of the primary rotation mechanism.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the contact surface may be an inner circumferential surface of the guide structure facing the first rotation axis, and the inner circumferential surface may restrict radial outward displacement of the auxiliary rotation mechanism relative to the first rotation axis.

[0020] A centrifugal force acts on the auxiliary rotation mechanism in the radially outward direction in the rotation system of the main rotation mechanism. That is, the auxiliary rotation mechanism tends to displace radially outward. If the displacement due to centrifugal force is restricted by contact between the auxiliary rotation mechanism and the inner peripheral surface of the guide structure, the auxiliary rotation mechanism can be revolved stably in an orbit along the inner peripheral surface of the guide structure, and the orbital motion of the support structure can be controlled with high precision.

[0021] According to some embodiments, the primary rotation mechanism may include a rotating plate that rotates about a first rotation axis, the rotating plate may have a slit that extends in a circumferential direction relative to the third rotation axis, and the secondary rotation mechanism may have a second rotation axis that passes through the slit.

[0022] The auxiliary rotation mechanism may include a rotating base having a support structure at a first end of the second rotation shaft. The auxiliary rotation mechanism may include a wheel that runs on a contact surface of the guide structure at a second end of the second rotation shaft opposite the first end. While the wheel runs on the contact surface due to the revolution, the wheel and the rotating base connected via the second rotation shaft may rotate on their own axes.

[0023] According to such a substrate rotating device, the revolution and rotation along the guide structure of the auxiliary rotation mechanism can be realized with a relatively simple mechanical structure.

[0024] According to some embodiments, the secondary rotation mechanism may be coupled to the primary rotation mechanism via a spring that biases the secondary rotation mechanism in a direction to maintain contact with the contact surface, allowing the secondary rotation mechanism to revolve stably and accurately along the contact surface of the guide structure.

[0025] According to some embodiments, the substrate rotation device may be configured such that the secondary rotation mechanism revolves around the first rotation axis in an elliptical orbit, and the contact surfaces of the guide structures may be arranged in an elliptical shape in a circumferential direction relative to the first rotation axis.

[0026] According to some embodiments, the contact surfaces of the guide structure may be arranged in a ring shape that is not point-symmetric in the circumferential direction about the first rotation axis. The secondary rotation mechanism may revolve around the first rotation axis in a non-point-symmetric orbit. Such a revolving orbit is advantageous for uniform substrate processing. In particular, such a revolving orbit is advantageous for forming a uniform film thickness, because the spatial distribution of film material often exhibits a point-symmetric distribution.

[0027] According to some embodiments, the guide structure may include a slide mechanism for moving at least a portion of the contact surface in a radial direction relative to the first rotation axis. With a substrate rotation device including the slide mechanism, a user can adjust the revolution orbit through the slide mechanism, thereby achieving more accurate and uniform processing of the substrate.

[0028] According to some embodiments, a processing system may be provided that includes a processing device configured to process a surface of a substrate that rotates and revolves together with the secondary rotation mechanism by operation of the substrate rotation device.

[0029] According to some embodiments, the processing apparatus may be configured to process a surface of a substrate by forming a film on the surface of the substrate.

[0030] According to some embodiments, the processing device may be configured to process the surface of the substrate by scraping the surface of the substrate.

[0031] According to some embodiments, the processing apparatus may be configured to process the surface of the substrate by deposition, milling, or etching.

[0032] According to some embodiments, the processing device may be configured to process the surface of the substrate by spraying a substance onto the surface of the substrate. According to some embodiments, the substance may be a film-forming substance.

[0033] According to some embodiments, a processing method may be provided that includes operating the above-mentioned substrate rotation device and processing a surface of a substrate that rotates and revolves together with the secondary rotation mechanism by the operation of the substrate rotation device.

[0034] 6A and 6B are diagrams illustrating circumferential displacement of a turntable along a slit provided in a main rotating plate in some embodiments. FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating revolution and rotation in some embodiments. FIGS. 8A and 8B are graphs illustrating experimental results related to film thickness. FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating the circumferential outline of a guide rail in some embodiments. FIGS. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the configuration of a guide rail equipped with a slide mechanism in some embodiments. FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams conceptually illustrating the configuration of a processing system in some embodiments.

[0035] 1...Dielectric film deposition apparatus, 10...Deposition source, 15...Container, 100...Substrate rotation device, 110...Motor, 130...Guide device, 131...Base plate, 133...Ball bearing, 135...Shaft, 137...Guide member, 137A...Guide rail, 137B...Inner peripheral surface, 137C...Bottom plate, 137D...Hole, 139A...Guide rail, 141...First slide mechanism, 142...Second slide mechanism, 150...Main rotation device, 151...Main rotation plate, 155...Shaft, 159... Slit, 170...auxiliary rotation device, 171...rotation table, 171A...recess, 171B...hollow portion, 175...shaft, 179...wheel, 179A...wheel body, 179B...O-ring, 180...rotation mechanism, 181...link, 183...joint, 185...spring, 190...substrate rotation device, 200...substrate, 300, 400...processing system, 301, 401...processing device, R1...first rotation axis, R2...second rotation axis, R3...third rotation axis, RS...light receiving sensor.

[0036] Several embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0037] The substrate rotation device 100 of some embodiments is a substrate rotation device 100 for film formation used for dielectric film deposition or crystal growth. The substrate rotation device 100 receives power from a motor 110 and revolves and rotates the substrate 200, which is a processing target and is a target for film formation, in order to support the formation of a uniform thin film on the substrate 200.

[0038] Examples of the substrate 200 include optical substrates as well as substrates used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. Thin films are formed on optical substrates, for example, to impart predetermined optical properties to the optical substrate. Examples of the optical substrate include flat substrates as well as substrates having convex or concave surfaces.

[0039] 1, the substrate rotating device 100 is disposed in a container 15 of a dielectric film deposition device 1 having a plurality of deposition sources 10. In the substrate rotating device 100, the film-forming target surface of the substrate 200 faces the deposition sources 10.

[0040] The substrate rotating device 100 receives power from a motor 110 and revolves and rotates the substrate 200 within the container 15. The container 15 is maintained in a vacuum state. In this state, the film material is vaporized from the deposition source 10, and the vaporized film material is scattered as scattered particles within the container 15. The dashed lines in Figure 1 conceptually show the spread of the scattered particles, and the arrows conceptually show the scattering direction.

[0041] The scattered particles adhere to the substrate 200, thereby forming a thin film on the substrate 200. The evaporation sources 10 operate in sequence to deposit different types of thin films on the substrate 200. When operating, each evaporation source 10 vaporizes and scatters a corresponding film material so that a corresponding type of thin film is formed on the substrate 200.

[0042] The spatial distribution of the film material scattered from each vapor deposition source 10 onto the substrate 200 exhibits a geometric shape that is roughly point symmetric. The amount of scattered film material increases toward the center, and decreases toward the distance from the center.

[0043] Therefore, the thickness λ of the thin film formed on the substrate 200 is usually expressed by the function λ=T(r)=T0+k1·r+k2·r ２ +k3・r ３+..., that is, a distribution that follows a one-variable polynomial having the distance r from the center as a variable. When thin film formation is performed while the substrate 200 is stationary and not rotating, the coefficients k1, k2, k3,... follow the scattering distribution of the film material.

[0044] In some embodiments, the substrate rotating device 100 revolves and rotates the substrate 200, thereby displacing each point on the substrate 200 with respect to the scattering distribution of the film material. As a result, the coefficients k1, k2, k3, ... approach zero, and a uniform thin film is formed over a wide area of ​​the substrate 200, which exhibits a uniform distribution T(r) of film thickness λ that is independent of the distance r and has only the constant term T0.

[0045] The substrate rotating device 100 realizes a non-point-symmetric revolution orbit that is not a perfect circle, such as an ellipse, thereby achieving more uniform thin film formation than conventional methods. For this revolution orbit, the substrate rotating device 100 is configured as shown in FIG.

[0046] The substrate rotating device 100 shown in FIG. 2 includes a guide device 130 , a main rotating device 150 mounted on the guide device 130 , and a plurality of sub-rotating devices 170 mounted on the main rotating device 150 .

[0047] The dashed lines in Fig. 2 show, in a transparent manner, a portion of the area located on the back side of the surface of the substrate rotating device 100. The arrows in Fig. 2 indicate that the main rotating device 150 rotates around a first rotation axis R1, that the rotating table 171 of the auxiliary rotating device 170 rotates around a second rotation axis R2, and that the rotating table 171 is displaceable in the circumferential direction around a third rotation axis R3.

[0048] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the guide device 130 includes a base plate 131, a shaft 135 rotatably held on the base plate 131 via a ball bearing 133, and a guide member 137.

[0049] The guide member 137 includes a guide rail 137A and a bottom plate 137C having a peripheral edge with the same shape as the outline of the guide rail 137A. As shown in Fig. 4, the guide rail 137A protrudes from the peripheral edge of the bottom plate 137C.

[0050] The bottom plate 137C has a hole 137D for passing the shaft 135. The guide member 137 is fixed to the base plate 131 by, for example, screws, with the shaft 135 passing through the hole 137D.

[0051] The guide rail 137A is arranged in a non-point-symmetric ring shape around the shaft 135, with the guide member 137 fixed to the base plate 131. According to the example shown in Figure 3, the guide rail 137A has an elliptical contour in the circumferential direction.

[0052] The main rotating device 150 is rotatably held relative to the guide device 130. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the main rotating device 150 includes a main rotating plate 151 and a shaft 155. The shaft 155 extends from the center of the main rotating plate 151 toward the guide device 130 in a direction normal to the main rotating plate 151. The shaft 155 is connected to the main rotating plate 151 and is further connected to a first end of the shaft 135 of the guide device 130.

[0053] A second end of the shaft 135 protrudes from the rear surface of the guide device 130. The motor 110 is connected to the second end of the shaft 135. As a result, the main rotating device 150 is disposed on the guide device 130 so that the main rotating plate 151 receives power from the motor 110 and rotates around the shaft 155. The shaft 155 corresponds to the first rotation axis R1.

[0054] 2, the main rotating plate 151 has slits 159 extending in the circumferential direction about the third rotation axis R3 at 90-degree intervals. The number of the auxiliary rotating devices 170 is the same as the number of the slits 159. Each of the auxiliary rotating devices 170 passes through a corresponding slit 159.

[0055] As shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5, each of the auxiliary rotation devices 170 includes a rotating table 171, a shaft 175, wheels 179, and a rotation mechanism 180. The rotation mechanism 180 is disposed at a position corresponding to the dashed line in Figure 4. That is, the rotation mechanism 180 is provided on the back surface of the main rotation plate 151. Details of the rotation mechanism 180 are omitted in Figure 4.

[0056] The shaft 175 is provided to pass through the slit 159 and the rotation mechanism 180. The rotation mechanism 180 supports the shaft 175 so that the shaft 175 is rotatable around its axis. The shaft 175 corresponds to the second rotation axis R2.

[0057] In addition, the rotation mechanism 180 supports the shaft 175 so that the shaft 175 is rotatable along the slit 159, and in particular so that the shaft 175 is displaceable in the circumferential direction about the third rotation axis R3.

[0058] As shown in Figure 5, the rotation mechanism 180 includes a link 181 for rotatably supporting the shaft 175, a joint 183 for supporting the link 181 so that it can be displaced circumferentially about the third rotation axis R3, and a spring 185.

[0059] The joint 183 is provided on the main rotating plate 151 so as to penetrate the main rotating plate 151 in the normal direction, and thereby stands upright in the normal direction on the back surface of the main rotating plate 151. The link 181 has a hole (not shown) at a first end through which the joint 183 penetrates. The link 181 is supported by the joint 183 through this hole so as to be displaceable in the circumferential direction relative to the joint 183. In this way, the link 181 is attached to the main rotating plate 151 so as to be displaceable around the third rotation axis R3 in the circumferential direction relative to the third rotation axis R3.

[0060] According to one example, a bearing may be provided between the joint 183 and the link 181. This allows the link 181 to be held in the joint 183 so as to be able to smoothly displace in the circumferential direction around the joint 183.

[0061] The link 181 further has a hole (not shown) through which the shaft 175 passes, at a second end that is farther away from the first rotation axis R1 than the first end. The link 181 supports the shaft 175 so that the shaft 175 is rotatable about its axis. As a result, the shaft 175 is attached to the rotating mechanism 180 so that it is rotatable about a second rotation axis R2 that is displaced in the circumferential direction relative to the third rotation axis R3. According to one example, a ball bearing may be provided between the shaft 175 and the link 181. As a result, the shaft 175 can be supported by the link 181 so that it is smoothly rotatable.

[0062] The slit 159 provided in the main rotating plate 151 is an arc-shaped slit that curves along the circumferential direction about the third rotation axis R3. The shaft 175 is held by the link 181 so that the distance from the third rotation axis R3, i.e., the rotational diameter about the third rotation axis R3, corresponds to the distance from the center of the slit 159 to the third rotation axis R3. As a result, the shaft 175 is disposed so as to be displaceable along the slit 159 in the circumferential direction about the third rotation axis R3, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B .

[0063] A spring 185 is provided between the link 181 and the main rotating plate 151 such that a first end of the spring 185 is fixed to the link 181 and a second end of the spring 185 is fixed to the main rotating plate 151 .

[0064] As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the third rotation axis R3 is located between the first rotation axis R1 and the second rotation axis R2 in the radial direction relative to the first rotation axis R1, and the rotation diameter between the second rotation axis R2 and the third rotation axis R3 is smaller than the rotation diameter between the second rotation axis R2 and the first rotation axis R1.

[0065] Therefore, when the shaft 175 is displaced in the circumferential direction along the slit 159, the radial length between the shaft 175 and the first rotation axis R1 changes.

[0066] The spring 185 is provided between the link 181 and the main rotating plate 151 so as not to apply a biasing force to the link 181 when the shaft 175 is at the circumferential center position of the slit 159, i.e., at the position where the radial distance from the first rotation axis R1 is the longest. In other words, the spring 185 is connected to the link 181 so as to apply a biasing force to the link 181 in a direction returning the shaft 175 to the center position when the shaft 175 deviates from the center position.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 4, a first end of the shaft 175 protrudes from the surface of the main rotating plate 151. The first end of the shaft 175 is connected to the center of the rotating table 171 on the back side of the rotating table 171. As a result, the rotating table 171 is disposed on the front side of the main rotating plate 151 in a state in which it can rotate around the shaft 175 and can be displaced in the circumferential direction about the third rotation axis R3 as the shaft 175 moves, as shown in Figs. 6A and 6B.

[0068] As described above, the rotational diameter between the shaft 175 and the third rotation axis R3 is smaller than the rotational diameter between the shaft 175 and the first rotation axis R1. Therefore, the rotary table 171 is disposed on the main rotary plate 151 so as to be displaceable in the radial direction of the first rotation axis R1 as the shaft 175 moves in the circumferential direction about the third rotation axis R3.

[0069] 2, the turntable 171 has a circular outline and a support structure on the front side that supports the rectangular substrate 200. Specifically, the turntable 171 has a rectangular recess 171A on the front side that corresponds to the shape of the substrate 200 (see FIG. 4), and supports the substrate 200 fitted in the recess 171A.

[0070] 4, the rotating table 171 has a hollow internal structure and supports the edge of the substrate 200 from the back side of the substrate 200. The shaft 175 connected to the rotating table 171 is a hollow cylindrical member. The cavity 171B of the rotating table 171 communicates with a second end of the shaft 175, which is opposite to the first end.

[0071] A second end of the shaft 175 is located on the back side of the main rotating plate 151. A light receiving sensor RS is provided at the second end of the shaft 175 so as to cover the opening of the shaft 175. The light receiving sensor RS receives measurement light that is irradiated from above the substrate 200 and propagates through the substrate 200 and the cavity 171B, and outputs a signal corresponding to the intensity of the received measurement light. The signal output by the light receiving sensor RS is used to measure the thickness of a thin film formed on the substrate 200.

[0072] The second end of the shaft 175 is connected to the center of the wheel 179. In this manner, the rotating base 171 is connected to the first end of the shaft 175, and the wheel 179 is connected to the second end of the shaft 175, so that the rotating base 171 rotates (i.e., spins) around the shaft 175 in accordance with the rotation of the wheel 179.

[0073] With respect to the wheel 179, an O-ring 179B is attached to the side wall of a wheel body 179A having a circular outline. The wheel 179 is disposed at a height where the O-ring 179B comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface 137B of the guide rail 137A so as to run on the inner peripheral surface 137B of the guide rail 137A.

[0074] That is, when the main rotary plate 151 rotates, the wheels 179 run on the inner peripheral surface 137B of the guide rail 137A in accordance with the revolution of the rotary table 171 caused by the rotation of the main rotary plate 151 .

[0075] The above-mentioned spring 185 is provided to ensure that when the wheel 179 is running, the wheel 179 does not separate from the inner surface 137B of the guide rail 137A and does not slip, allowing the wheel 179 to run stably on the inner surface 137B of the guide rail 137A.

[0076] Due to the arrangement of the spring 185 described above, the wheel 179 receives tension from the spring 185 through the shaft 175, which has a component directed radially outward from the main rotating plate 151, and is pressed against the inner surface 137B of the guide rail 137A so as to maintain contact with the inner surface 137B of the guide rail 137A.

[0077] That is, wheel 179 is pressed against inner circumferential surface 137B of guide rail 137A by the radially outward biasing force of spring 185. As a result, wheel 179 revolves on a trajectory along guide rail 137A while rotating, with almost no slippage on inner circumferential surface 137B of guide rail 137A or separation from guide rail 137A.

[0078] When the guide rail 137A is elliptical as shown in Figure 3, the wheel 179 of the auxiliary rotating device 170 and the rotating base 171 linked thereto rotate while revolving in an elliptical orbit as shown in Figures 7A and 7B. When the main rotating plate 151 rotates by an angle α in the direction of the arrow from the state in which the wheel 179 is positioned as shown in Figure 7A, the wheel 179 moves to the position shown in Figure 7B while tracing an elliptical orbit. The main rotating plate 151 is indicated by a dashed line in Figures 7A and 7B.

[0079] When the main rotating plate 151 rotates, the positions of the rotating table 171 and the wheels 179 in the radial direction of the main rotating plate 151 are controlled to positions along the guide rail 137A by a dynamic action involving centrifugal force, the biasing force of the spring 185, and the resistance force from the guide rail 137A to the wheels 179. In other words, the guide rail 137A controls the positions of the wheels 179 and the shaft 175 in the radial direction by contact with the wheels 179 of the auxiliary rotating device 170, thereby controlling the revolution of the rotating table 171.

[0080] In some embodiments, the substrate rotating device 100 controls the revolution orbit using the guide rail 137A to revolve the turntable 171 supporting the substrate 200 along an asymmetric elliptical orbit while rotating the turntable 171. This revolution and rotation causes complex displacements of each point on the substrate 200 so as to traverse the non-uniform spatial distribution of the film material from the deposition source 10, thereby forming a thin film of uniform thickness on the surface of the substrate 200.

[0081] The graph shown in Figure 8 shows the results of measuring the film thickness λ of the substrate 200 held on the rotation table 171 and the film thickness λ of the substrate 200 held on the substrate holding table when, for the purpose of a comparative experiment, a substrate holding table was placed between two adjacent secondary rotation devices 170 on the main rotation plate 151 and fixed so as not to move relative to the main rotation plate 151, and thin film formation was performed while the substrate rotation device 100 was rotating.

[0082] The horizontal axis of the graph indicates the position on the surface of the substrate 200. The vertical axis of the graph indicates the film thickness λ of the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate 200. The line graph plotted with circular symbols indicates the spatial distribution of film thickness λ on the substrate 200 placed on the substrate holder, and the line graph plotted with rectangular symbols indicates the spatial distribution of film thickness λ on the substrate 200 placed on the rotation table 171 in some embodiments. As such, it can be seen that the substrate rotation device 100 in some embodiments can form a thin film of uniform thickness (λ) on the substrate 200 with extremely high precision.

[0083] As described above, in the substrate rotating device 100 of some embodiments, the main rotating device 150 corresponding to the main rotating mechanism rotates around the first rotation axis R1 (shafts 135, 155).

[0084] A rotating table 171, a shaft 175, and a wheel 179 of an auxiliary rotation device 170 corresponding to the auxiliary rotation mechanism revolve around a first rotation axis R1 (shafts 135, 155) and rotate about a second rotation axis R2 (shaft 175) in accordance with the rotation of the main rotating plate 151. The rotating table 171, the shaft 175, and the wheel 179 are provided on the main rotating plate 151.

[0085] In the auxiliary rotation device 170, the turntable 171, which includes a support structure (recess 171A) for the substrate 200, rotates about a second rotation axis R2 (shaft 175), and the second rotation axis R2 (shaft 175) is displaced in the circumferential direction relative to a third rotation axis R3. The third rotation axis R3 (joint 183) is provided on the main rotating plate 151 between the first rotation axis R1 (shafts 135, 155) and the second rotation axis R2 (shaft 175). Therefore, in conjunction with the displacement in the circumferential direction, the second rotation axis R2 (shaft 175) is displaced in the radial direction relative to the first rotation axis R1.

[0086] The guide rail 137A constituting the guide structure has an inner peripheral surface 137B used to control the revolution of the rotating table 171. The inner peripheral surface 137B extends in the circumferential direction about the first rotation axis R1 (shafts 135, 155), has an asymmetric ring-shaped outline, and faces the first rotation axis R1.

[0087] The guide rail 137A brings the inner circumferential surface 137B into contact with the wheels 179 of the auxiliary rotating device 170, and restricts displacement of the wheels 179 radially outward from the main rotating plate 151. By this restriction, the guide rail 137A controls the circumferential displacement along the second rotation axis R2 (shaft 175) and the slits 159 of the rotating table 171, and the accompanying radial displacement relative to the first rotation axis R1, so that the rotating table 171 revolves in an orbit corresponding to the inner circumferential surface 137B (an orbit along the inner circumferential surface 137B).

[0088] As described above, the substrate rotating device 100 of some embodiments realizes a point-symmetric revolution motion accompanied by rotation of the rotating table 171 without using a film thickness correction plate or a planetary gear mechanism, and displaces each point on the substrate 200 with respect to the spatial distribution of the film material scattered from the deposition source 10. Therefore, as can be seen from the experimental results, a uniform thin film can be formed on the surface of the substrate 200 with high precision.

[0089] In film formation using a planetary gear mechanism, the revolution orbit is a perfect circle, so the even function term of the function T(r), that is, the order n is an even number r ｎHowever, it is difficult to eliminate the influence of the even function term by making its coefficient approach zero. In contrast, in some embodiments, the turntable 171 can be made to revolve in an asymmetric elliptical orbit, which makes it possible to eliminate the influence of the even function term and achieve a uniform film thickness λ.

[0090] Furthermore, in film formation using a planetary gear mechanism, when using multiple evaporation sources 10 with different spatial distributions of scattered particles, it is difficult to form uniform thin films from each of the evaporation sources 10 because the revolution orbit is a perfect circle. The substrate rotation device 100 of some embodiments can also suppress such non-uniformity. In other words, the substrate rotation device 100 can form thin films using each of the multiple evaporation sources 10 more uniformly than in the past.

[0091] Furthermore, although a planetary gear mechanism is prone to vibration during rotation, the substrate rotating device 100 of some embodiments can suppress vibration during rotation. This suppression of vibration contributes to highly accurate film thickness formation.

[0092] In some embodiments, the revolution orbit is controlled using the guide rail 137A instead of gears, which makes it easy to manufacture a relatively large-scale substrate rotation device 100 and build a system capable of forming a uniform film thickness on a large substrate 200. Therefore, according to some embodiments, it is possible to reduce costs associated with film formation and improve product productivity.

[0093] In some embodiments, the biasing force of the spring 185 and centrifugal force are used to press the wheels 179 of the auxiliary rotation device 170 against the inner circumferential surface 137B of the guide rail 137A so that they do not separate from each other and do not slip. Then, the rotation of the wheels 179 is used to rotate the rotation table 171 about the second rotation axis R2 (shaft 175). This enables highly accurate control of the rotational motion of the substrate 200, enabling highly accurate thin film formation.

[0094] In some embodiments, the rotation mechanism 180 uses a link mechanism to hold the second rotation axis R2 so that it can move in the circumferential direction about the third rotation axis R3, thereby displacing it in the radial direction about the first rotation axis R1. Therefore, with a simple configuration, the turntable 171 can be held so that it can be displaced in the radial direction about the first rotation axis R1. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a lightweight and highly durable substrate rotation device 100. The lightweight structure also has the advantage that the main rotating plate 151 can be rotated at high speed with less energy.

[0095] According to some embodiments, various revolution orbits other than the elliptical orbit shown in Fig. 3 can be easily realized by changing the circumferential shape of the guide rail 137A. The ellipticity is not limited to the example shown in Fig. 3. For example, the revolution orbit can be any ellipse with an ellipticity a / b of 0.99 or less, where a is the shortest distance of the ellipse and b is the longest distance of the ellipse.

[0096] The guide rail 137A may be changed to a guide rail 139A having a non-point-symmetric ring-shaped outline other than an ellipse, as shown in Fig. 9. The guide rail 139A may be arranged on the base plate 131 so as to meander in the circumferential direction.

[0097] By preparing a plurality of guide members 137 with different guide rail shapes and by interchangeably attaching these guide members 137 to the base plate 131, the substrate rotating device 100 can realize a wide variety of revolutions.

[0098] The substrate rotating device 100 may be provided with a mechanism for moving the guide rails 137A and 139A. As shown in FIG. 10 , the substrate rotating device 190 includes a first slide mechanism 141 and a second slide mechanism 142. The first slide mechanism 141 slides a first portion 1391 of the guide rail 139A in a radial direction relative to the first rotation axis. The second slide mechanism 142 slides a second portion 1392 of the guide rail 139A in a radial direction relative to the first rotation axis. The first slide mechanism 141 and the second slide mechanism 142 are disposed on a base plate 131 of the guide device 130. The first portion 1391 and the second portion 1392 of the guide rail 139A are separated from the bottom plate and other portions of the guide rail 139A.

[0099] The substrate rotating device 190 may be configured similarly to the substrate rotating device 100 of the above-described embodiment, except that a portion of the guide rail 139A is configured to be movable and that the substrate rotating device 190 is provided with first and second slide mechanisms 141, 142. The substrate rotating device 190 allows the orbital path of the turntable 171 to be adjusted to achieve a uniform film thickness, thereby achieving more accurate thin film formation.

[0100] According to some embodiments, the substrate rotation device 100 is disposed in a container 15 of a dielectric film deposition apparatus 1 having a plurality of deposition sources 10. The dielectric film deposition apparatus 1 corresponds to a processing system for film formation, and the plurality of deposition sources 10 correspond to processing devices.

[0101] According to some embodiments, the substrate rotation device 100 may be mounted on a milling processing system 300, as shown in FIG. 11A . As a result, the substrate rotation device 100 may be used to rotate a substrate 200 to be milled. The processing system 300 shown in FIG. 11A includes the substrate rotation device 100 together with a milling processing device 301. The processing system 300 is configured to process the surface of the substrate 200, which rotates and revolves together with the turntable 171 due to the operation of the substrate rotation device 100, by irradiating it with an ion beam from the processing device 301, thereby scraping the surface.

[0102] According to some embodiments, the substrate rotation device 100 may be mounted on a processing system 400 for etching, as shown in FIG. 11B . As a result, the substrate rotation device 100 may be used to rotate a substrate 200 to be etched. The processing system 400 shown in FIG. 11B includes the substrate rotation device 100 together with a processing device 401 for etching. The processing system 400 is configured to use an etching agent scattered from the processing device 401 to scrape the surface of the substrate 200, which rotates and revolves together with the turntable 171 due to the operation of the substrate rotation device 100.

[0103] Although the substrate rotating device has been described above as an example in several embodiments, it goes without saying that the substrate rotating device is not limited to the above-described embodiments and can take on various forms.

[0104] For example, the spring 185 may not be provided in the substrate rotating device 100. There may be cases where the centrifugal force is sufficient to press the wheel 179 onto the guide rail 137A even without the spring 185. In addition, the substrate rotating device 100 shown in the drawings is conceptual, and the dimensions and shapes of each part of the substrate rotating device 100 are not limited to those shown in the drawings.

[0105] The function of one component in the above embodiments may be distributed among multiple components. The functions of multiple components may be integrated into one component. Some of the configurations of the above embodiments may be omitted. All aspects included in the technical idea specified by the wording of the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A substrate rotation device comprising: a main rotation mechanism that rotates about a first rotation axis; a sub-rotation mechanism that revolves around the first rotation axis in conjunction with rotation of the main rotation mechanism and rotates about a second rotation axis; and a guide structure that is provided around the first rotation axis and controls the orbital motion of the sub-rotation mechanism, wherein the main rotation mechanism comprises the sub-rotation mechanism, and the second rotation axis is displaced around a third rotation axis provided in the main rotation mechanism between the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis, in a circumferential direction relative to the third rotation axis, the sub-rotation mechanism comprises a support structure that supports a substrate to be processed, the support structure rotates about the second rotation axis, and the guide structure has a contact surface that extends in the circumferential direction relative to the first rotation axis, and the guide structure controls the displacement of the second rotation axis in the circumferential direction relative to the third rotation axis, and when the contact surface comes into contact with the sub-rotation mechanism, the substrate rotation device causes the sub-rotation mechanism to revolve in an orbit along the contact surface.

2. A substrate rotating device as described in claim 1, wherein the contact surface is an inner circumferential surface facing the first rotation axis of the guide structure, and the inner circumferential surface regulates radial outward displacement of the auxiliary rotation mechanism relative to the first rotation axis.

3. A substrate rotation device as described in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the main rotation mechanism has a rotating plate that rotates around the first rotation axis, the rotating plate having a slit along the circumferential direction relative to the third rotation axis, and the auxiliary rotation mechanism has the second rotation axis that passes through the slit, a rotating table that is arranged at a first end of the second rotation axis and has the support structure, and a wheel that is arranged at a second end opposite the first end and runs on the contact surface, and while the wheel runs on the contact surface in conjunction with the revolution motion, the wheel and the rotating table connected via the second rotation axis rotate on their own axes.

4. A substrate rotation device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the auxiliary rotation mechanism is connected to the main rotation mechanism via a spring that urges the auxiliary rotation mechanism in a direction to maintain contact with the contact surface.

5. A substrate rotating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the auxiliary rotating mechanism revolves around the first rotating shaft in an elliptical orbit.

6. The substrate rotating device according to claim 5, wherein said contact surfaces are elliptical in a circumferential direction about said first axis of rotation.

7. A substrate rotation device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the contact surface is arranged in a ring shape that is not point-symmetric in the circumferential direction relative to the first rotation axis, and the auxiliary rotation mechanism revolves around the first rotation axis in a non-point-symmetric orbit.

8. A substrate rotating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the guide structure comprises a slide mechanism for moving at least a portion of the contact surface in a radial direction relative to the first rotation axis.

9. A processing system comprising: a substrate rotating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and a processing device configured to process a surface of the substrate which rotates and revolves together with the auxiliary rotation mechanism by operation of the substrate rotating device.

10. The processing system according to claim 9, wherein the processing device is configured to process the surface of the substrate by forming a film on the surface of the substrate or by scraping the surface of the substrate.

11. The processing system according to claim 9, wherein the processing device is configured to process the surface of the substrate by deposition, milling, or etching.

12. The processing system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the processing device is configured to process the surface of the substrate by scattering a substance toward the surface of the substrate.

13. A processing method comprising: operating a substrate rotating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and processing a surface of the substrate which rotates and revolves together with the auxiliary rotation mechanism by the operation of the substrate rotating device.

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