Sputtering Shield Plate Cooling for Uniform Film Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sputtering apparatuses experience non-uniform aluminum film quality due to local temperature rise and gas discharge from shield plates, leading to increased grain size and instability in plasma discharge.
Innovation Solution
The sputtering apparatus incorporates coolant passages in shield plates that extend to the edges of openings, maintaining shield plate temperatures below 40°C and preventing gas discharge, ensuring uniform film quality and stable plasma discharge by circulating coolant through these passages during film formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If coolant passages are extended to the edges of openings in shield plates, then local temperature rise and gas discharge are suppressed, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by extending coolant passages specifically to the edge regions of openings in shield plates where heat accumulation occurs. The coolant passages are positioned to provide cooling primarily at the peripheral portions of the first and second openings, rather than uniformly across entire shield plates. This localized cooling approach addresses the specific problem of edge heating and gas discharge without requiring complex cooling of entire shield plate structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The shield plates are divided into multiple regions with different thermal management requirements. The patent segments the cooling function by creating separate coolant passages for different openings (first opening around substrate, second opening around target) and extending them selectively to edge regions. This segmentation allows independent optimization of cooling for each opening based on its specific thermal conditions and film quality requirements.
2Reliability
If shield plate temperature is maintained below 40°C through extended coolant passages, then gas discharge is prevented, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating coolant passages at the edge regions of openings where plasma-induced heating and gas discharge occur, rather than cooling entire shield plates. This localized approach reduces the total volume of coolant required and decreases the energy consumption of coolant circulation systems while maintaining plasma discharge stability by preventing gas discharge only at the critical edge regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by providing cooling only to the extent necessary to prevent gas discharge at opening edges, rather than uniformly cooling entire shield plates. The coolant passages are extended to edge regions where temperature control is critical for plasma stability, but not necessarily to all regions of shield plates, optimizing the balance between reliability and energy consumption.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively suppresses local heating and gas discharge, resulting in uniform aluminum film quality and stable plasma discharge, even under high heat input from plasma, by maintaining shield plate temperatures and preventing thermal deformation.
Implementation Method 1
a first coolant passage which is disposed in the first shield plate part and which has a passage portion extending all the way to the first shield plate part positioned around the first opening
Implementation Method 2
By circulating a coolant such as cooling water and the like through the coolant passage, it is so arranged that the shield plate can be cooled during film forming by sputtering the target
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a sputtering apparatus which is capable of suppressing a local temperature rise at an outer peripheral part of a to-be-processed substrate. The sputtering apparatus SM has: a vacuum chamber in which a target and the to-be-processed substrate Sw are disposed face-to-face with each other; a shield plate for enclosing a film forming space between the target and the to-be-processed substrate; and a cooling unit for cooling the shield plate. The shield plate has a first shield plate part which is disposed around the to-be-processed substrate and which has a first opening equivalent in contour to the to-be-processed substrate. The cooling unit includes a first coolant passage which is disposed in the first shield plate part and which has a passage portion extending all the way to the first shield plate part positioned around the first opening.