Cleaning and pre-coating method for coating apparatus, and coating apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed in the present disclosure are a cleaning and pre-coating method for a coating apparatus, and a coating apparatus. j carriers are divided into n batches, and the number of carriers in each batch is less than or equal to m, wherein n ≥ 2, and m, j, and n are all positive integers. The method comprises: providing an inner wall surface of each of m process chambers with a first cumulative film layer, and an outer wall surface of each of the j carriers with a second cumulative film layer; when the m process chambers are vacant, driving an i-th batch of carriers into the process chambers, wherein one carrier corresponds to one process chamber, 1 ≤ i ≤ n, and i is an integer; removing the first cumulative film layers and the second cumulative film layers on the outer wall surfaces of the i-th batch of carriers; coating the inner wall surfaces of the process chambers and the outer wall surfaces of the i-th batch of carriers with first protective film layers; driving the i-th batch of carriers out of the process chambers to complete a cleaning and pre-coating procedure for the i-th batch of carriers; and performing at least one process coating procedure, wherein the process coating procedure comprises: placing substrates on the j carriers and sequentially driving the j carriers to pass through the m process chambers.

Description

A cleaning and pre-coating method for a coating equipment, and the coating equipment itself.

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This disclosure is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411580294.X, filed on November 6, 2024, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of coating equipment technology, and in particular to a cleaning and pre-coating method for coating equipment, as well as coating equipment. Background Technology

[0004] In the production of photovoltaic cells, the cleaning of carriers and process chambers, as well as the pre-coating process, are crucial steps in ensuring the quality of photovoltaic cell production. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a cleaning and pre-coating method for a coating equipment, the coating equipment comprising: m process chambers, j carriers, and a conveying device for conveying the carriers; dividing the j carriers into n batches, wherein the number of carriers in each batch is less than or equal to m; wherein n ≥ 2, and m, j, and n are all positive integers; the method includes:

[0006] The inner walls of m process chambers are all covered with a first cumulative film layer, and the outer walls of j carriers are all covered with a second cumulative film layer.

[0007] When m process chambers are empty, the i-th batch of vehicles enters the process chambers, and one vehicle corresponds to one process chamber, where 1≤i≤n and i is an integer;

[0008] Remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of vehicles;

[0009] A first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber and the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers;

[0010] The i-th batch of vehicles drove out of the process chamber to complete the cleaning and pre-coating process of the i-th batch of vehicles;

[0011] Perform at least one process coating step, which is as follows: place the substrate on j carriers, and the j carriers sequentially drive through m process chambers.

[0012] In the cleaning and pre-coating method of the coating equipment provided in this embodiment, the carrier can drive into or out of the process chamber under the action of the conveying device.

[0013] When the process chamber is empty, the i-th batch of carriers enters the process chamber, with one carrier located in a separate process chamber. The first accumulated film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers are then removed. Next, a first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber and the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers. The i-th batch of carriers then exits the process chamber, thus completing the cleaning and pre-coating process for the i-th batch of carriers. Since all j carriers have a second cumulative film layer on their outer walls, by controlling the thickness of the second cumulative film layer on all other batches of carriers except the i-th batch, their respective thicknesses can be kept within a suitable range. Therefore, cleaning and pre-coating are unnecessary. In other words, the second cumulative film layer on all other batches of carriers acts as a protective film layer. Thus, after completing the cleaning and pre-coating process on the i-th batch of carriers, the process coating process can be directly performed. At this point, the first protective film layer on the inner walls of the m process chambers, the first protective film layer on the outer walls of the i-th batch of carriers, and the second cumulative film layer on all other batches of carriers will not peel off and will all act as protective film layers, ensuring the normal progress of the process coating process and guaranteeing the quality of the substrate coating.

[0014] Because the method in this disclosure performs pre-coating immediately after cleaning a batch of carriers and process chambers, it reduces the number of times carriers enter and exit the process chambers, thus reducing the transport time consumed during unnecessary carrier entry and exit from the process chambers during the cleaning and pre-coating process. Furthermore, since at least one process coating step in this disclosure corresponds to only one batch of carriers for the cleaning and pre-coating process, the total process time for the process coating step is increased, thereby improving the efficiency of the process coating step.

[0015] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, removing the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall surface of the i-th batch of carriers specifically involves:

[0016] When the thickness of at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of vehicles reaches a threshold, the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of vehicles are removed.

[0017] With this configuration, the cleaning and pre-coating process for the i-th batch of carriers will only be performed if the thickness of at least one of the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers reaches a threshold. This reduces the frequency of cleaning and pre-coating, and improves the efficiency of the coating equipment when coating the substrate normally.

[0018] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, a method for making at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers reach a threshold thickness includes: accumulating the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers through a process coating step, so that the thickness of at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers reaches the threshold thickness.

[0019] With the above settings, the thickness of at least one of the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers can be accumulated to a threshold through the substrate coating process.

[0020] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, j > m; the thickness of at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers reaches a threshold, and the thickness of the first cumulative film layer reaches a threshold.

[0021] In this way, the thickness of the first accumulated film layer on the process chamber reaches the threshold first, which facilitates the cleaning of the pre-coating process.

[0022] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, j > m; when j / m is an integer, n = j / m; when j / m is a non-integer, n is the smallest positive integer greater than j / m.

[0023] This configuration ensures the utilization rate of the process chamber when j / m is an integer. When j / m is not an integer, n is the smallest positive integer greater than j / m, which also guarantees the utilization rate of the process chamber.

[0024] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, j > m, and the number of at least one batch of vehicles is equal to m.

[0025] Since the number of at least one batch of carriers is equal to the number of process chambers, the utilization rate of the process chambers can be improved to some extent when performing the cleaning and pre-coating process.

[0026] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, after the i-th batch of carriers performs a cleaning and pre-coating process and at least one process coating process, the method further includes: alternately performing a cleaning and pre-coating process and at least one process coating process on each batch of carriers other than the i-th batch in the n batches of carriers, until all n batches of carriers have completed one cleaning and pre-coating process and at least one process coating process.

[0027] In this way, when cleaning and pre-coating n batches of vehicles, n process coating steps are interspersed, which can ensure the efficiency of process coating.

[0028] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, the cleaning and pre-coating process is performed sequentially along multiple batches of carriers. In two adjacent batches of carriers, the difference between the second cumulative film thickness in the previous batch and the second cumulative film thickness in the subsequent batch is equal to the cumulative film thickness of one coating process.

[0029] In this way, after performing one coating process, the thickness of the second cumulative film layer on the next batch of carriers will not be too thick, thus preventing the second cumulative film layer from peeling off.

[0030] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, after the i-th batch of carriers leaves the process chamber to complete the cleaning and pre-coating process of the i-th batch of carriers, at least one process coating process is performed, wherein the process coating process is: placing a substrate on j carriers and before the j carriers sequentially drive through m process chambers, the method further includes: performing a cleaning and pre-coating process once for each batch of carriers in n batches except for the i-th batch.

[0031] In this way, the cleaning and pre-coating process of multiple batches of vehicles can be completed sequentially, and then the process coating process can be carried out. Since the pre-coating is completed directly after the cleaning of the same batch of vehicles, the unnecessary transportation time of the vehicles can be saved.

[0032] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, the inner walls of m process chambers each have a first cumulative film layer, and the outer walls of j carriers each have a second cumulative film layer, including:

[0033] The inner walls of m process chambers and the outer walls of j carriers are clean. The j carriers pass through the m process chambers in sequence.

[0034] A first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber and the outer wall of the j carriers;

[0035] Perform a coating process to thicken the first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber, so as to accumulate it into a first accumulated film layer, and thicken the first protective film layer on the outer wall of the j carriers, so as to accumulate it into a second accumulated film layer.

[0036] With this setup, by depositing a first protective film layer on j carriers and m process chambers, and performing process coating steps, a first accumulated film layer and a second accumulated film layer are formed, which facilitates the formation of the film layers.

[0037] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a coating apparatus for performing the methods in any of the above embodiments. The coating apparatus further includes an RPS device, the outlet of which is connected to a process chamber. The RPS device is used to introduce plasma gas into the process chamber to remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall surface of the i-th batch of carriers.

[0038] In the coating equipment provided in this embodiment, when it is necessary to remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer of the i-th batch of carriers, the RPS device is turned on. The plasma gas generated by the RPS device enters the process chamber to react with the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer of the i-th batch of carriers. After the reaction, the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer of the i-th batch of carriers are converted into gas, which is then discharged outside the process chamber, thereby achieving the cleaning of the process chamber and the carriers. The RPS device cleans more thoroughly and is more efficient.

[0039] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, the coating equipment further includes a baffle, and at least one process chamber is provided with a baffle, which is opposite to and spaced apart from the air outlet of the RPS device.

[0040] By setting up baffles, since the baffles are opposite to the outlet of the RPS device, the plasma gas will collide with the baffles and diffuse in all directions. This can prevent the plasma gas from concentrating in one place in the process chamber, and make the cleaning of the RPS device more uniform.

[0041] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, the coating equipment further includes an RF power supply, an upper electrode plate, and a lower electrode plate. The upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate are disposed in the process chamber, and the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate are spaced apart in the vertical direction. The RF power supply is electrically connected to both the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate. The gap between the upper electrode plate and the lower electrode plate is used for the passage of a carrier. The gas generated by the RPS device can pass through the gap. The RF power supply is turned on at the same time as the RPS device is turned on.

[0042] With the above settings, when the carrier and process chamber need to be cleaned, the carrier is positioned in the gap between the upper and lower electrode plates. Then, the RPS device and the radio frequency power supply are turned on simultaneously. The radio frequency power supply can generate an electric field in the gap. The electric field can reionize the gas after the plasma gas generated by the RPS is recombinated, thereby ensuring the cleaning efficiency.

[0043] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, a rough layer formed by sandblasting or shot peening is formed on at least one of the inner wall of the process chamber, the surface of the side heating plate mounted on the inner wall of the process chamber, and the surface of the upper electrode plate. The rough layer is used to improve the adhesion of the film layer on at least one of the inner wall of the process chamber, the surface of the side heating plate, and the surface of the upper electrode plate.

[0044] This can increase the roughness of at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber, thereby increasing the upper limit of the film layer adhering to at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber. This prevents the film layer adhering to at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber from falling off onto the substrate during the substrate coating process, thus ensuring the quality of the substrate coating.

[0045] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, a roughening layer is formed on at least one of the lower surface of the upper electrode plate and the inner surface of the side heating plate.

[0046] Since the lower surface of the upper electrode plate and the inner surface of the side heating plate can face the carrier, simply increasing the roughness of the lower surface of the upper electrode plate and the inner surface of the side heating plate can not only reduce the cost of processing the upper electrode plate and the side heating plate, but also ensure the quality of the substrate coating.

[0047] In one possible implementation of this disclosure, the roughness of the rough layer ranges from 6.3 μm to 50 μm.

[0048] The rough layer within this roughness range not only ensures the roughness of at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber, but also prevents the film layer on the rough layer from adhering too tightly. This ensures that the film layer on the rough layer can easily fall off when cleaning the inner wall of the process chamber and the outer wall of the carrier, making it convenient to clean at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber. Attached Figure Description

[0049] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this disclosure or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0050] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the first external structure of the coating equipment provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0051] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the first process of cleaning and pre-coating method of coating equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0052] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a second external structure of the coating equipment provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0053] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the third external structure of the coating equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0054] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a second process for cleaning and pre-coating methods of the coating equipment provided in this embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the third process of the cleaning and pre-coating method of the coating equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0056] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the fourth process of the cleaning and pre-coating method of the coating equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0057] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the fifth process of cleaning and pre-coating method of coating equipment provided in the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0058] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 01-Coating equipment; 1-Process chamber; 2-Carrier; 3-Conveying device; 31-Internal conveying section; 311-Conveying sub-section; 32-External conveying section; 4-Isolation valve; 5-RPS device; 51-Body; 52-Pipe; 6-Baffle; 61-Connecting column; 7-RF power supply; 8-Upper electrode plate; 9-Lower electrode plate; 10-Roughening layer; 02-Substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0059] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this disclosure clearer, the specific technical solutions of this disclosure will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this disclosure. The following embodiments are used to illustrate this disclosure, but are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0060] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the embodiments of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0061] Furthermore, in the embodiments of this disclosure, directional terms such as "up," "down," "left," and "right" are defined relative to the orientation in which the components are schematically placed in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these directional terms are relative concepts, used for relative description and clarification, and can change accordingly depending on the orientation in which the components are placed in the accompanying drawings.

[0062] In the embodiments disclosed herein, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium.

[0063] In embodiments of this disclosure, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0064] In this disclosure, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this disclosure should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0065] During the production of solar cells, the substrate is placed on a carrier and then passes through the process chamber in sequence. Inside the process chamber, the substrate undergoes a coating process, and the quality of the coating determines the electrochemical conversion efficiency of the solar cell.

[0066] Based on this, as shown in Figure 1, this disclosure provides a cleaning and pre-coating method for a coating equipment 01, as well as the coating equipment 01, which includes m process chambers 1, j carriers 2, and a conveying device 3 for conveying the carriers 2.

[0067] Specifically, the conveying device 3 passes through the process chamber 1, and the carrier 2 is mounted on the conveying device 3. The conveying device 3 is used to convey the carrier 2, and the carrier 2 is used to carry the substrate 02.

[0068] Among them, substrate 02 can be a semiconductor substrate, such as a silicon wafer or a silicon carbide wafer.

[0069] Furthermore, the value of m can be 1, 2, 3, 5, or 10, as shown in Figure 1. When there are multiple process chambers 1, the multiple process chambers 1 are arranged sequentially, and any adjacent process chambers 1 can be interconnected or isolated from each other. The specific number of process chambers 1 can be set according to needs.

[0070] In some examples, as shown in Figure 1, the conveying device 3 includes an internal conveying section 31 and an external conveying section 32. The internal conveying section 31 passes through the process chamber 1, and the external conveying section 32 is located outside the process chamber 1. The outlet end of the external conveying section 32 can communicate with the inlet end of the internal conveying section 31, and the inlet end of the external conveying section 32 can communicate with the outlet end of the internal conveying section 31. The carrier 2 is placed on the external conveying section 32, and the external conveying section 32 is started, so that the carrier 2 enters the internal conveying section 31 inside the process chamber 1. Then, the process chamber 1 is placed in an independent and closed environment for process processing. After the process processing is completed, the internal conveying section 31 is started to transport the carrier 2 to the external conveying section 32. At the same time, the substrate 02 on the carrier 2, after the process coating process, is clamped to the next station. This realizes the conveying of the carrier 2, so that the carrier 2 passes through the process chamber 1 to process the substrate 02 on the carrier 2.

[0071] For example, there are multiple process chambers 1, and any adjacent process chambers 1 can be connected or separated from each other. The internal conveying section 31 includes multiple conveying sub-sections 311. Each process chamber 1 is provided with a conveying sub-section 311. Two adjacent conveying sub-sections 311 can be connected or separated from each other. In this way, multiple conveying sub-sections 311 can be used to convey the carrier 2 so that the carrier 2 passes through multiple process chambers 1 in sequence.

[0072] For example, the conveying device 3 uses a combination of synchronous belt, rollers and motor to realize the conveying function. The motor rotates to drive the synchronous belt transmission, thereby realizing the conveying.

[0073] For example, an isolation valve 4 is provided between any two adjacent process chambers 1. Opening the isolation valve 4 connects the adjacent process chambers 1, and closing the isolation valve 4 isolates the adjacent process chambers 1. Simultaneously, isolation valves 4 are also provided at the inlet end of the first process chamber 1 and the outlet end of the last process chamber 1. Opening the isolation valve 4 connects the inlet end of the first process chamber 1 to the outside, and the outlet end of the last process chamber 1 connects to the outside. Closing the isolation valve 4 isolates the inlet end of the first process chamber 1 from the outside, and the outlet end of the last process chamber 1 from the outside.

[0074] In some examples, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (Pecvd) was used to deposit a film on the surface of substrate 02.

[0075] With the above configuration, the conveying device 3 can drive the carrier 2 through multiple process chambers 1 in sequence. When the carrier 2 is inside a process chamber 1, the corresponding process chamber 1 can be in an independent and isolated state. At this time, the substrate 02 can undergo the coating process, and a film layer will be deposited on the substrate 02. After the coating is completed, the conveying device 3 is used to transport the carrier 2 to the next station, thereby performing cyclic coating on the substrate 02.

[0076] During the coating process on substrate 02, in addition to the film being deposited on substrate 02, film layers are also deposited on the inner wall of process chamber 1 and the outer wall of carrier 2. When an excessively thick film layer is deposited on the inner wall of process chamber 1 and the outer wall of carrier 2, the inner wall of process chamber 1 and the outer wall of carrier 2 need to be cleaned to remove the excessively thick film layer, thereby avoiding dust problems caused by the excessively thick film layer during the coating process on substrate 02, and preventing it from contaminating the film layer on substrate 02.

[0077] After cleaning, the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2 need to be pre-coated. That is, a film of appropriate thickness is deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2 to ensure that when the substrate 02 is coated later, the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2 have a film layer with the same coating layer as the substrate 02. This avoids contamination of the coating layer on the substrate 02 by the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2 during the coating process, thereby ensuring the coating quality of the battery cell.

[0078] In related technologies, when the film thickness accumulated on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2 reaches the upper limit, the specific cleaning and pre-coating process is as follows: first, a cleaning process is performed, and then a pre-coating process is performed.

[0079] During the cleaning process, multiple carriers 2 are divided into multiple batches, with each batch containing at least one carrier 2. One batch of carriers 2 is driven into the process chamber 1 at a time, with one carrier 2 corresponding to one process chamber 1. Then, the process chamber 1 and the batch of carriers 2 are cleaned. After cleaning, the batch of carriers 2 is driven out of the process chamber 1, and then the next batch of carriers 2 is driven into the process chamber 1. The process chamber 1 and the batch of carriers 2 are then cleaned again, and this process is repeated to clean the process chamber 1 and multiple batches of carriers 2.

[0080] Next, a pre-coating process is performed, in which one batch of carriers 2 enters the process chamber 1 at a time, with one carrier 2 corresponding to one process chamber 1. Then, the process chamber 1 and the batch of carriers 2 are pre-coated. After the pre-coating is completed, the batch of carriers 2 is driven out of the process chamber 1, and then the next batch of carriers 2 is driven into the process chamber 1. Then, the process chamber 1 and the batch of carriers 2 are pre-coated again. This process is repeated to achieve the pre-coating of the process chamber 1 and multiple batches of carriers 2.

[0081] However, this cleaning and pre-coating process consumes too much time in the transport of the carrier 2, that is, the carrier 2 drives into and out of the process chamber 1 too many times, so the cleaning and pre-coating efficiency is low.

[0082] For example, there are five process chambers 1. Multiple carriers 2 are divided into two batches, with each batch containing five carriers 2. Thus, during the cleaning and pre-coating processes, the specific steps are as follows: the first batch of carriers 2 enters process chamber 1 for cleaning, the first batch of carriers 2 exits process chamber 1, the second batch of carriers 2 enters process chamber 1 for cleaning and then pre-coating, the second batch of carriers 2 exits process chamber 1, the first batch of carriers 2 enters process chamber 1 for pre-coating, and the first batch of carriers 2 exits process chamber 1. That is: enter, clean, exit, enter, clean, pre-coating, exit, enter, pre-coating, exit.

[0083] Based on this, in the coating equipment 01 of this disclosure, j carriers 2 are divided into n batches, and the number of carriers 2 in each batch is less than or equal to m; where n ≥ 2, and m, j, and n are all positive integers. It is understood that the number of j is greater than or equal to 2. As shown in Figure 2, the cleaning and pre-coating method of the coating equipment 01 provided in this embodiment includes S100 to S600:

[0084] S100: The inner walls of m process chambers 1 all have a first cumulative film layer, and the outer walls of j carriers 2 all have a second cumulative film layer.

[0085] It should be explained that, except for the i-th batch of carriers 2, the thickness of the second cumulative film layer on all other batches of carriers 2 needs to be kept within a suitable range and less than the threshold to avoid the film layer from peeling off during the process coating procedure.

[0086] The first accumulated film layer can be an amorphous thin film, a microcrystalline thin film, a polycrystalline thin film, or a nanocrystalline thin film, etc. The second accumulated film layer can be an amorphous thin film, a microcrystalline thin film, a polycrystalline thin film, or a nanocrystalline thin film, etc.

[0087] Furthermore, the first and second accumulated films can be formed through process deposition steps. It is understood that during the process deposition steps on substrate 02, different process chambers 1 will deposit different films on substrate 02. Therefore, different process gases will be introduced into different process chambers 1 during deposition. For example, when depositing an intrinsic silicon layer on the surface of substrate 02, silane will be introduced into process chamber 1. When depositing a doped layer on the surface of substrate 02, phosphine or diborane will be introduced into process chamber 1.

[0088] Therefore, the material of the first accumulation film layer includes at least one of silicon atoms, phosphorus atoms, or boron atoms. The material of the second accumulation film layer includes at least one of silicon atoms, phosphorus atoms, or boron atoms.

[0089] S200: When process chamber 1 is empty, the i-th batch of vehicles 2 enters process chamber 1, and one vehicle 2 corresponds to one process chamber 1; where 1≤i≤n, and i is an integer.

[0090] The value of i can be 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10, etc., and the specific value to be selected depends on the values ​​of n and j.

[0091] In addition, the number of vehicles 2 in the i-th batch of vehicles 2 can be one, two, three, four or five, etc., and can be divided according to needs. However, it should be noted that the number of vehicles 2 in a batch of vehicles 2 should be less than or equal to m.

[0092] For example, when m=5 and j=10; when n=2, there are five vehicles 2 in one batch of vehicles 2 and five vehicles 2 in another batch of vehicles 2.

[0093] In some examples, the coating equipment 01 has a controller and a detection device. The detection device is electrically connected to the controller and is used to detect whether there is a carrier 2 in the process chamber 1. The conveying device 3 is electrically connected to the controller and is used to control the opening and closing of the conveying device 3. With this configuration, when the detection device detects that the process chamber 1 is empty, the detection device sends a first signal to the controller, which then controls the conveying device 3 to start, thereby conveying the i-th batch of carriers 2 so that the carriers 2 enter the corresponding process chamber 1. Then, after the carriers 2 have been conveyed into place, the detection device sends a second signal to the controller, which then controls the conveying device 3 to close and simultaneously controls the isolation valve 4 to close, so that the process chamber 1 is in an independent and closed environment for subsequent processing.

[0094] The detection device can be a photoelectric sensor, a position sensor, or other components, and can be used in combination depending on the type of detection device.

[0095] S300: Remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers 2.

[0096] In some examples, a remote plasma source (Rps) device is used to introduce corrosive plasma gases such as nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) into process chamber 1 to remove the first and second accumulated film layers. The specific introduction time is determined based on the thicknesses of the first and second accumulated film layers and the composition of the plasma gas. When the thicknesses of the first and second accumulated film layers are different, the thicker one is used as the reference, and plasma gas is introduced for a corresponding duration to ensure that both the first and second accumulated film layers are completely removed.

[0097] S400: A first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers 2.

[0098] In some examples, a first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2 using a bulk-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process.

[0099] For example, the thickness of the first protective film can be controlled by controlling the time when process gas is introduced into the process chamber 1.

[0100] In some examples, the film deposited on substrate 02 during the process coating is an intrinsic silicon layer. Therefore, the first protective film layer can also be an intrinsic silicon layer. This avoids contamination of the film layer deposited on substrate 02 by the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2 during the process coating process, thus ensuring the coating quality.

[0101] In some examples, the thickness of the first protective film can range from 100 nm to 1000 nm. For example, the thickness of the first protective film can be 100 nm, 200 nm, 300 nm, 600 nm, or 1000 nm, etc., which can be selected according to the requirements.

[0102] S500: The i-th batch of carriers 2 drives out of the process chamber 1 to complete the cleaning and pre-coating process of the i-th batch of carriers 2.

[0103] In some examples, a bulk-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process is used to deposit a first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2. After the process gas is introduced into the process chamber 1 for a certain period of time, the pre-coating is completed. The controller will control the isolation valve 4 to open and control the conveying device 3 to start, so as to transport all the carriers 2 in the i-th batch of carriers 2 in the process chamber 1 to the outside of the process chamber 1.

[0104] S600: Perform at least one process coating step, which is as follows: place substrate 02 on j carriers 2, and the j carriers 2 sequentially drive through m process chambers 1.

[0105] Specifically, the coating process refers to the process of having the carrier 2 carrying the substrate 02 drive into the process chamber 1, then making the process chamber 1 an independent environment, and introducing process gas into the process chamber 1 to coat the surface of the substrate 02.

[0106] The minimum number of coating processes can be 1, 2, 3, 6, or 10. The number of coating processes can be selected according to requirements.

[0107] With the above setup, when process chamber 1 is empty, the i-th batch of carriers 2 enters process chamber 1, with each carrier 2 located within a separate process chamber 1. Then, the first accumulated film layer on the inner wall of process chamber 1 and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers 2 are removed. Next, a first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall of process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers 2. Then, the i-th batch of carriers 2 exits process chamber 1, thus completing the cleaning and pre-coating process for the i-th batch of carriers 2. Since the outer walls of all j carriers 2 have a second cumulative film layer, by controlling the thickness of the second cumulative film layer of the other batches of carriers 2 (excluding the i-th batch of carriers 2), it can be ensured that their respective thicknesses are kept within a suitable range. Cleaning and pre-coating are not required. In other words, the second cumulative film layer of all batches of carriers 2 (excluding the i-th batch of carriers 2) acts as a protective film layer (first protective film layer). Therefore, after completing the cleaning and pre-coating process of the i-th batch of carriers 2, the process coating process can be carried out directly. At this time, the first protective film layer of the inner wall of the m process chambers 1, the first protective film layer of the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers 2, and the second cumulative film layer of all batches of carriers 2 (excluding the i-th batch of carriers 2) will not fall off, and they all act as protective film layers, which can ensure the normal progress of the process coating process and ensure the quality of the substrate coating.

[0108] Because the method in this disclosure performs pre-coating immediately after cleaning a batch of carriers 2 and process chambers 1, the number of times carriers 2 enter and exit process chambers 1 is reduced, thus reducing the transport time consumed during unnecessary entry and exit of carriers 2 into and out of process chambers 1 during the cleaning and pre-coating process. Furthermore, since at least one process coating process in this disclosure corresponds to only one batch of carriers for the cleaning and pre-coating process, the total process time for the process coating process is increased, thereby improving the efficiency of the process coating process.

[0109] In some embodiments, j > m, and the number of at least one batch of vehicles 2 is equal to m.

[0110] In some examples, when j=6, m=5, n=2, the number of vehicles 2 in one batch of vehicles 2 is five, and the number of vehicles 2 in another batch of vehicles 2 is one.

[0111] In other examples, when j = 11, m = 5, n = 3, the number of vehicles 2 in both batches of vehicles 2 is five, and the number of vehicles 2 in the other batch of vehicles 2 is one.

[0112] With the above setup, since the number of carriers 2 in at least one batch of carriers is equal to the number of process chambers 1, the utilization rate of process chambers 1 can be improved to a certain extent and the efficiency of the cleaning and pre-coating process can be improved during the cleaning and pre-coating process.

[0113] In some embodiments, j > m; when j / m is an integer, n = j / m; when j / m is not an integer, n is the smallest positive integer greater than j / m.

[0114] In some examples, when j = 10 and m = 5, then n = 2. Thus, the number of carriers 2 in each batch of carriers 2 is equal and equal to the number of process chambers 1, and j carriers 2 are divided equally.

[0115] In some examples, when j=6, m=5, n=3, so that the number of vehicles 2 in one batch of vehicles 2 is five, and the number of vehicles 2 in another batch of vehicles 2 is one.

[0116] In other examples, when j=11, m=5, n=3, so that the number of vehicles 2 in both batches of vehicles 2 is five, and the number of vehicles 2 in the other batch of vehicles 2 is one.

[0117] In this way, the utilization rate of process chamber 1 can be improved and the efficiency of the cleaning and pre-coating process can be increased when performing the cleaning and pre-coating process.

[0118] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the coating equipment 01 of this disclosure further includes an RPS device 5. The outlet of the RPS device 5 is connected to the process chamber 1. The RPS device 5 is used to introduce plasma gas into the process chamber 1 to remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall surface of the i-th batch carrier 2.

[0119] The air outlet can be oriented towards the center of the process chamber 1.

[0120] Furthermore, the number of process chambers 1 is the same as the number of RPS devices 5, with each RPS device 5 corresponding to one process chamber 1. For example, if there are five process chambers 1 and five RPS devices 5, one RPS device 5 is connected to one process chamber 1.

[0121] Of course, the number of process chambers 1 and the number of RPS devices 5 can be different.

[0122] For example, the number of process chambers 1 is less than the number of RPS devices 5, with at least one process chamber 1 corresponding to multiple RPS devices 5. This ensures cleaning efficiency. For instance, there are five process chambers 1 and ten RPS devices 5, allowing one process chamber 1 to be simultaneously connected to two RPS devices 5.

[0123] For example, the number of process chambers 1 is greater than the number of RPS devices 5. For instance, there are five process chambers 1 and four RPS devices 5, wherein at least one RPS device 5 corresponds to multiple process chambers 1, and one RPS device 5 can communicate with multiple process chambers 1 simultaneously.

[0124] In some examples, as shown in Figure 3, the RPS device 5 includes a body 51 and a pipe 52. The body 51 is located outside the process chamber 1, and the body 51 is connected to the air inlet of the pipe 52, while the air outlet is the air outlet of the pipe 52. The generation and cessation of plasma gas are controlled by controlling the start and stop of the body 51.

[0125] With the above settings, when it is necessary to remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2, the RPS device 5 is turned on. The RPS device 5 generates corrosive plasma gas which enters the process chamber 1 to react with the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2. After the reaction, the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers 2 are converted into gas, and then the gas is discharged to the outside of the process chamber 1, thereby achieving the cleaning of the process chamber 1 and the i-th batch of carriers.

[0126] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the coating equipment 01 further includes a baffle 6, and at least one process chamber 1 is provided with a baffle 6, which is opposite to and spaced apart from the air outlet of the RPS device 5.

[0127] The baffle 6 can be directly opposite the air outlet of the RPS device 5, that is, the center line of the air outlet of the RPS device 5 is perpendicular to the plane where the baffle 6 is located. Alternatively, the baffle 6 can be obliquely opposite the air outlet of the RPS device 5, that is, the center line of the air outlet of the RPS device 5 forms an acute angle with the plane where the baffle 6 is located, such as 45°, 60°, 70° or 80°, etc.

[0128] In addition, the material of baffle 6 can include metal, such as titanium or carbon steel. Of course, the material of baffle 6 can also include non-metals.

[0129] In some examples, as shown in Figure 4, a connecting post 61 is connected to the baffle 6. The baffle 6 is connected to the inner wall of the process chamber 1 through the connecting post 61, which can ensure the stability of the baffle 6.

[0130] In some examples, the outlet of the RPS device 5 may be located above, around, or below the process chamber 1.

[0131] By setting baffle 6, since baffle 6 is opposite to the outlet of RPS device 5, the plasma gas will collide with baffle 6 and diffuse in all directions. This can prevent the plasma gas from concentrating in a certain position in process chamber 1, and can make the plasma gas dispersed in process chamber 1, so that the cleaning of RPS device 5 can be more uniform.

[0132] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, the coating equipment 01 further includes an RF power supply 7, an upper electrode plate 8, and a lower electrode plate 9. The upper electrode plate 8 and the lower electrode plate 9 are disposed in the process chamber 1, and are spaced apart vertically. The RF power supply 7 is electrically connected to both the upper electrode plate 8 and the lower electrode plate 9. The gap between the upper electrode plate 8 and the lower electrode plate 9 is used for the passage of the carrier 2. Gas generated by the RPS device 5 can pass through the gap. The RF power supply 7 is turned on simultaneously with the RPS device 5.

[0133] In some examples, the upper electrode plate 8 has an airflow channel, and the lower surface of the upper electrode plate 8 has evenly distributed openings. The airflow channel can be connected to a process gas source outside the process chamber 1. In this way, when the substrate 02 is coated, the outer wall surface of the carrier 2 is coated, or the inner wall surface of the process chamber 1 is coated, the external process gas source can enter the airflow channel inside the upper electrode plate 8, and then flow into the gap through the opening of the upper electrode plate 8, thereby pre-coating the carrier 2 located in the gap, or coating the substrate 02 on the carrier 2, while simultaneously coating the inner wall surface of the process chamber 1.

[0134] With the above settings, when it is necessary to clean the inner wall of the carrier 2 and the process chamber 1, the carrier 2 is positioned in the gap between the upper electrode plate 8 and the lower electrode plate 9. Then, the RPS device 5 and the radio frequency power supply 7 are turned on at the same time. The radio frequency power supply 7 can generate an electric field in the gap. The electric field can re-ionize the gas after the plasma gas generated by RPS is combined, thereby ensuring the cleaning efficiency.

[0135] Of course, in other embodiments, only the RPS device 5 may be turned on when cleaning the inner wall surfaces of the carrier 2 and the process chamber 1.

[0136] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, at least one of the inner wall surface of the process chamber 1, the surface of the side heating plate installed on the inner wall surface of the process chamber 1, and the surface of the upper electrode plate 8 is formed with a rough layer 10 formed by sandblasting or shot peening. The rough layer 10 is used to improve the film adhesion on at least one of the inner wall surface of the process chamber 1, the surface of the side heating plate, and the surface of the upper electrode plate 8.

[0137] Since there is also a side heating plate in the process chamber 1 for heating the carrier 2, a film layer will also accumulate on the side heating plate.

[0138] Therefore, by using sandblasting or shot peening processes, a rough layer 10 is formed on at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate 8, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber 1. This increases the roughness of at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate 8, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber 1, thereby increasing the upper limit of the film layer adhering to at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate 8, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber 1. This prevents the film layer adhering to at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate 8, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber 1 from falling off onto the substrate 02 during the coating process, thus ensuring the quality of the coating on the substrate 02.

[0139] The roughening layer 10 can cover all surfaces of the upper electrode plate 8, or it can cover only a portion of the surface of the upper electrode plate 8. Similarly, the roughening layer 10 can cover all surfaces of the side heating plate, or it can cover only a portion of the surface of the side heating plate.

[0140] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4, a roughening layer 10 is formed on at least one of the lower surface of the upper electrode plate 8 and the inner surface of the side heating plate.

[0141] The roughening layer 10 can cover the entire lower surface of the upper electrode plate 8, or the roughening layer 10 can cover a portion of the lower surface of the upper electrode plate 8.

[0142] Since the lower surface of the upper electrode plate 8 can face the carrier 2 and the inner surface of the side heating plate can face the carrier 2, increasing the roughness of the lower surface of the upper electrode plate 8 and the inner surface of the side heating plate can not only reduce the cost of processing the upper electrode plate 8 and the side heating plate, but also greatly improve the film adhesion of the lower surface of the upper electrode plate 8 and the inner surface of the side heating plate. This prevents the film on the lower surface of the upper electrode plate 8 and the film on the inner surface of the side heating plate from falling onto the substrate 02, thereby ensuring the quality of the coating on the substrate 02.

[0143] In some embodiments, the roughness of the rough layer 10 ranges from 6.3 μm to 50 μm. Within this roughness range, the rough layer 10 not only ensures the roughness of at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate 8, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber 1, but also prevents the film layer on the rough layer from adhering too tightly. This ensures that the film layer on the rough layer 10 easily falls off when cleaning the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the carrier 2, facilitating the cleaning of at least one of the surfaces of the upper electrode plate 8, the side heating plate, and the inner wall of the process chamber 1.

[0144] The roughness of the rough layer 10 can be 6.3μm, 16μm, 20μm, 25μm, 30μm or 50μm, etc.

[0145] In some examples, the roughness range of the rough layer 10 can be 12.5μm to 25μm, 7μm to 13μm, 25μm to 50μm, or 30μm to 45μm, etc.

[0146] In cases where the roughness of the rough layer 10 ranges from 12.5 μm to 25 μm, the roughness of the rough layer 10 can be 12.5 μm, 13 μm, 14 μm, 16 μm, 20 μm, or 25 μm, etc. These will not be listed individually here.

[0147] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG5, S300: removing the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall surface of the i-th batch of carriers 2 specifically means: S310: when the thickness of at least one of the second accumulated film layer and the first accumulated film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 reaches a threshold, removing the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall surface of the i-th batch of carriers 2.

[0148] Understandably, the threshold refers to the point at which the thickness of at least one of the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers 2 has reached its upper limit. If the substrate 02 is not cleaned and a coating process is performed, there is a risk of dust shedding from the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers 2. The range of the threshold can be obtained empirically.

[0149] With the above settings, the cleaning and pre-coating process of the i-th batch of carriers 2 will only be performed when the thickness of at least one of the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 reaches the threshold. This can reduce the frequency of cleaning and pre-coating and improve the efficiency of the coating equipment 01 when coating the substrate 02 normally.

[0150] In some embodiments, a method for making at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 reach a threshold thickness includes: accumulating the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 through a process coating step, so that the thickness of at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 reaches a threshold thickness.

[0151] In some examples, when the thickness of the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 are the same and m < j, the first cumulative film layer reaches the threshold first when the substrate 02 on the carrier 2 is coated.

[0152] In some examples, when the thickness of the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the carrier 2 in the i-th batch of carriers 2 are the same, and m>j, the second cumulative film layer reaches the threshold first when the substrate 02 on the carrier 2 is coated.

[0153] With the above setup, the coating process of substrate 02 can accumulate at least one of the thicknesses of the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 to a threshold. Specifically, substrate 02 is placed on j carriers 2, and the j carriers 2 sequentially pass through the process chamber 1, thereby achieving coating of substrate 02 on the j carriers 2. During the coating process, coating particles are also deposited on the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2, causing at least one of the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 to reach the threshold. In this way, the coating process and the cleaning and pre-coating process are executed alternately, which can compress the cycle time of the coating equipment 01 production line and reduce the frequency of the cleaning and pre-coating process while ensuring the coating quality of substrate 02.

[0154] In some embodiments, j > m; the thickness of at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers 2 reaches a threshold, and the thickness of the first cumulative film layer reaches a threshold.

[0155] In this way, when performing the coating process, the thickness of the first accumulated film layer on the process chamber first reaches the threshold, which facilitates the cleaning of the pre-coating process.

[0156] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6, after the i-th batch of carriers 2 performs a cleaning pre-coating process and at least one process coating process, the method further includes S700: alternately performing a cleaning pre-coating process and at least one process coating process on each batch of carriers 2 other than the i-th batch in the n batches of carriers 2 until all n batches of carriers 2 have completed one cleaning pre-coating process and at least one process coating process.

[0157] In some examples, i=2 and n=3, after completing the cleaning and pre-coating process of the second batch of carriers 2 and executing S600 once, the third batch of carriers 2 will then undergo the cleaning and pre-coating process and the process coating process. Then the first batch of carriers 2 will undergo the cleaning and pre-coating process and the process coating process, thus completing the cleaning and pre-coating process of 3 batches of carriers 2 and the process coating process 3 times.

[0158] With the above settings, at least n process coating steps are interspersed during the cleaning and pre-coating process of n batches of carriers 2. This not only reduces the unnecessary transfer time of the carriers during the cleaning and pre-coating process, but also ensures the efficiency of the process coating process.

[0159] In some embodiments, the cleaning and pre-coating process is performed sequentially along multiple batches of carriers 2. In two adjacent batches of carriers 2, the difference between the second cumulative film thickness in the previous batch of carriers 2 and the second cumulative film thickness in the subsequent batch of carriers 2 is equal to the film thickness accumulated in one coating process.

[0160] In some examples, n=2, and the second cumulative film layer of the first batch of carriers 2 is 200nm. In this case, the first batch of carriers 2 needs to be cleaned and pre-coated before the actual coating process. This results in the second cumulative film layer of the second batch of carriers 2 being 180nm. If the cumulative thickness of the coating process is 20nm, then exactly after the first coating process, the thickness of the second cumulative film layer of the second batch of carriers 2 has also increased by 20nm, reaching 200nm. This allows for control of the second cumulative film layer of multiple batches of carriers 2, ensuring that after one coating process, the thickness of the second cumulative film layer of the next batch of carriers 2 reaches or has not yet reached the threshold, thus preventing the second cumulative film layer from bursting during the coating process.

[0161] In this way, after performing one process coating process, the thickness of the second cumulative film layer of the next batch of carriers 2 will not be too thick, which can prevent the second cumulative film layer from falling off, ensure the normal progress of process coating, and ensure the cyclic cleaning, pre-coating and process coating of multiple batches of carriers 2.

[0162] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG7, after the i-th batch of carriers 2 drives out of the process chamber to complete the cleaning and pre-coating process of the i-th batch of carriers 2, before performing at least one process coating process, the process coating process is: placing substrate 02 on j carriers 2 and before the j carriers 2 sequentially drive through m process chambers 1, the method further includes: S800: performing a cleaning and pre-coating process once for each batch of carriers 2 in n batches except for the i-th batch.

[0163] In some examples, n=2, then after the cleaning and pre-coating process of the first batch of carriers 2 is completed, the cleaning and pre-coating process of the second batch of carriers 2 is performed, and then at least one process coating process is performed.

[0164] In this way, the cleaning and pre-coating process of multiple batches of carriers 2 can be completed sequentially, and then the process coating process can be carried out. Since the pre-coating is completed directly after the cleaning of the same batch of carriers 2, the unnecessary transportation time of the carriers can be saved.

[0165] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG8, S100: the inner wall surfaces of m process chambers each have a first cumulative film layer, and the outer wall surfaces of j carriers 2 each have a second cumulative film layer, including S110 to S130:

[0166] S110: The inner walls of m process chambers 1 and the outer walls of j carriers 2 are in a clean state, and the j carriers 2 pass through m process chambers 1 in sequence.

[0167] S120: A first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the j carriers 2.

[0168] S130: Perform a coating process to thicken the first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber 1, so as to accumulate into a first accumulated film layer, and thicken the first protective film layer on the outer wall of the j carriers 2, so as to accumulate into a second accumulated film layer.

[0169] It should be explained that S110 to S130 above only provide a method for forming the first and second accumulated film layers, which is mainly applicable to the initial stage (first time when the coating equipment 01 is turned on) of the coating equipment 01.

[0170] With this setup, by depositing a first protective film layer on j carriers 2 and m process chambers and performing a process coating process, a first accumulated film layer and a second accumulated film layer are formed, which facilitates the formation of the film layers.

[0171] With this setup, after the coating equipment 01 is powered on, a first protective film layer needs to be deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and on the outer wall of each batch of carriers 2. This is a pre-coating process for the process chamber 1 and carriers 2 to facilitate the subsequent coating process. After the pre-coating process is completed, the coating process begins on the substrate 02. During this process, coating particles not only deposit on the substrate 02 but also become immersed in the first protective film layer, accumulating to form the first and second accumulated film layers, respectively. Then, the cleaning and pre-coating process for the carriers 2 and process chamber 1 is repeated.

[0172] To facilitate a better understanding of the method in this disclosure, one specific embodiment is described. n=2, the number of carriers 2 in each batch 2 is five, and the number of process chambers 1 is five. The cleaning pre-coating process and the process coating process are interleaved starting from the initial stage of the coating equipment 01.

[0173] First, the inner walls of the five process chambers 1 and the outer walls of the ten carriers 2 are clean. Then, the conveying device 3 is started, and the first batch of carriers 2 enters the process chamber 1 in the order of the first batch of carriers 2 to the second batch of carriers 2. The five carriers 2 are located in the five process chambers 1 respectively. Then, the isolation valve 4 between any adjacent process chambers 1 is closed. Next, the radio frequency power supply 7 is started, and the process gas at the gas source is simultaneously introduced into the airflow channel in the upper electrode plate 8. The process gas then flows from the opening on the upper electrode plate 8 into the process chamber 1 to deposit the first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber 1. At the same time, the first protective film layer is deposited on the outer wall of the first batch of carriers 2. Then, the first batch of carriers is driven out of the process chamber 1. Then, the above steps are repeated to deposit the first protective film layer on the second batch of carriers, and at the same time, the first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 is thickened. Since the number of carriers 2 is twice the number of process chambers, the thickness of the first protective film layer on the inner wall of process chamber 1 is twice the thickness of the first protective film layer on carriers 2. Assuming the thickness of the first protective film layer on carriers 2 is Y, then the thickness of the first protective film layer on the inner wall of process chamber 1 is 2Y.

[0174] Next, the substrate 02 is placed on the carrier 2 for a coating process to deposit a film on the surface of the substrate 02. At the same time, the first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 accumulates into a first accumulated film layer, and the first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 accumulates into a second accumulated film layer. After the first accumulated film layer reaches a threshold X (since the number of carriers 2 is greater than the number of process chambers 1, the thickness of the first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 is greater than the thickness of the first protective film layer on the carrier 2, so the first accumulated film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 accumulates to the threshold X first), the second accumulated film layer on the carrier 2 has not yet reached the threshold X. Then, the substrate 02 is removed, the RPS device 5 and the RF power supply 7 are started to remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the first batch of carriers 2. Then, the first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall of the process chamber 1 and the outer wall of the first batch of carriers 2. Then, the first batch of carriers 2 is driven out of the process chamber 1.

[0175] Since the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall of the second batch of carriers did not reach the threshold X, after the cleaning and pre-coating process of the first batch of carriers 2, the second accumulated film layer of the second batch of carriers 2 was not cleaned. Instead, the substrate 02 was directly subjected to the process coating process until the first accumulated film layer reached the threshold X again. At this time, the thickness of the second accumulated film layer of the second batch of carriers 2 was greater than that of the second accumulated film layer of the first batch of carriers 2. Therefore, the second batch of carriers 2 was driven into the process chamber 1 to clean the second accumulated film layer and the first accumulated film layer of the second batch of carriers 2, and then pre-coating was performed. Then the process coating process of the substrate 02 continued.

[0176] This completes the cleaning and pre-coating process for both batches of carriers 2, while simultaneously interspersing the process coating process for substrate 02. After one cycle is completed, the above cycle can be repeated continuously, alternating the cleaning and pre-coating process with the process coating process. This improves the efficiency of the process coating process and saves unnecessary transport time for carriers 2.

[0177] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this disclosure and do not limit the patent scope of this disclosure. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this disclosure and its drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for cleaning and pre-coating a coating equipment, wherein, The coating equipment (01) includes: m process chambers (1), j carriers (2), and a conveying device (3) for conveying the carriers (2); the j carriers (2) are divided into n batches, and the number of carriers (2) in each batch is less than or equal to m; wherein, n≥2, and m, j, and n are all positive integers; the method includes: The inner walls of the m process chambers (1) each have a first cumulative film layer, and the outer walls of the j carriers (2) each have a second cumulative film layer; When the m process chambers (1) are empty, the i-th batch of vehicles (2) enters the process chamber (1), and one vehicle (2) corresponds to one process chamber (1), where 1≤i≤n and i is an integer; Remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall surface of the i-th batch of carriers (2); A first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall surface of the process chamber (1) and the outer wall surface of the i-th batch of carriers (2); The i-th batch of carriers (2) drives out of the process chamber (1) to complete the cleaning and pre-coating process of the i-th batch of carriers (2); Perform at least one process coating step, wherein the process coating step is: place a substrate (02) on the j carriers (2) and the j carriers (2) sequentially drive through the m process chambers (1).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The removal of the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall surface of the i-th batch of carriers (2) specifically involves: When the thickness of at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers (2) reaches a threshold, the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer on the outer wall of the i-th batch of carriers (2) are removed.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, A method for achieving a thickness threshold for at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers (2), comprising: Through the coating process, the first cumulative film layer and the second cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers (2) are accumulated so that the thickness of at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of carriers (2) reaches the threshold.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, j > m; The thickness of at least one of the second cumulative film layer and the first cumulative film layer of the i-th batch of vehicles (2) reaches a threshold when the thickness of the first cumulative film layer reaches the threshold.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, j > m; When j / m is an integer, n = j / m; when j / m is not an integer, n is the smallest positive integer greater than j / m.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, j > m, at least one batch of vehicles (2) has a quantity equal to m.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, After the cleaning and pre-coating process is performed on the i-th batch of carriers (2), and after the at least one process coating process is performed, the method further includes: The cleaning and pre-coating process and the at least one process coating process are alternately performed on each batch of carriers (2) except for the i-th batch, until all the n batches of carriers (2) have completed one cleaning and pre-coating process and the at least one process coating process.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The cleaning and pre-coating process is performed along multiple batches of carriers (2). In two adjacent batches of carriers (2), the difference between the second cumulative film thickness in the previous batch of carriers (2) and the second cumulative film thickness in the subsequent batch of carriers (2) is equal to the cumulative film thickness of one coating process.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, After the i-th batch of carriers (2) drives out of the process chamber (1) to complete the cleaning and pre-coating process of the i-th batch of carriers (2), the method further includes performing the cleaning and pre-coating process once for each batch of carriers (2) except for the i-th batch, after the i-th batch of carriers (2) has driven out of the process chamber (1) in sequence.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein, The inner walls of the m process chambers (1) each have a first cumulative film layer, and the outer walls of the j carriers (2) each have a second cumulative film layer, including: The inner walls of the m process chambers (1) and the outer walls of the j carriers (2) are in a clean state, and the j carriers (2) pass through the m process chambers (1) in sequence; The first protective film layer is deposited on the inner wall surface of the process chamber (1) and the outer wall surface of the j carriers (2); The process coating step is performed to thicken the first protective film layer on the inner wall of the process chamber (1) to accumulate into the first accumulated film layer, and the first protective film layer on the outer wall of the j carriers (2) is thickened to accumulate into the second accumulated film layer.

11. A coating apparatus, wherein, For performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the coating equipment (01) further includes an RPS device (5), the outlet of which is connected to the process chamber (1), and the RPS device (5) is used to introduce plasma gas into the process chamber (1) to remove the first accumulated film layer and the second accumulated film layer on the outer wall surface of the i-th batch carrier (2).

12. The coating equipment according to claim 11, wherein, The coating equipment (01) further includes a baffle (6), which is provided in at least one process chamber (1). The baffle (6) is opposite to and spaced apart from the air outlet of the RPS device (5).

13. The coating apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein, The coating equipment (01) further includes a radio frequency power supply (7), an upper electrode plate (8), and a lower electrode plate (9). The upper electrode plate (8) and the lower electrode plate (9) are arranged in the process chamber (1). The upper electrode plate (8) and the lower electrode plate (9) are arranged at intervals in the vertical direction. The radio frequency power supply (7) is electrically connected to the upper electrode plate (8) and the lower electrode plate (9). The gap between the upper electrode plate (8) and the lower electrode plate (9) is used for the passage of the carrier (2). The gas generated by the RPS device (5) can pass through the gap. The radio frequency power supply (7) is turned on at the same time as the RPS device (5) is turned on.

14. The coating equipment according to claim 13, wherein, A rough layer (10) formed by sandblasting or shot peening is formed on at least one of the inner wall surface of the process chamber (1), the surface of the side heating plate installed on the inner wall surface of the process chamber (1), and the surface of the upper electrode plate (8). The rough layer (10) is used to improve the adhesion of the film layer on at least one of the inner wall surface of the process chamber (1), the surface of the side heating plate, and the surface of the upper electrode plate (8).

15. The coating apparatus according to claim 14, wherein, The rough layer (10) is formed on at least one of the lower surface of the upper electrode plate (8) and the inner surface of the side heating plate.

16. The coating apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, The roughness of the rough layer (10) ranges from 6.3 μm to 50 μm.

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