JP2656544B2 - Vacuum processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus used for forming a film (forming a film) on a surface of a substrate such as a semiconductor by sputtering, vapor deposition, or the like.

[Prior Art] When a plurality of types of substances are formed on a substrate or when different types of processing are performed, the processing sources are different from each other. Therefore, a required processing source is provided in one vacuum chamber. Means for sequentially processing substrates by these processing sources is employed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 60-253227 proposes such a vacuum processing apparatus.

The vacuum processing apparatus described in the above publication includes a main vacuum chamber and a plurality of sub-vacuum chambers communicating therewith and disposed around the main vacuum chamber, and each sub-vacuum chamber is provided with a different processing source. When performing substrate processing, the communicating portion between the main vacuum chamber and the sub-vacuum chamber is sealed with a substrate holder on which a substrate is mounted, the sub-vacuum chamber is made independent of the main vacuum chamber, and a predetermined gas is introduced. After the processing, the substrate is processed by the processing source. After this process is completed, the substrate holder is separated from the communication portion, the substrate holder is moved to the next sub-vacuum chamber by the rotating mechanism, and the next process is performed in the same manner.

By sequentially shifting the substrate holders in this manner, necessary processing for one substrate is executed in one main vacuum chamber, and the vacuum in the vacuum chamber is not broken for each processing. The processing time can be promptly executed by shortening the exhaust time, and the flow of gas between the processing sources and the contamination by the processing substances can be prevented.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned conventional vacuum processing apparatus, since the sub-vacuum chamber is arranged around the main vacuum chamber, the structure is complicated. The need for a means for sealing the portion communicating with the vacuum chamber with the substrate holder is required, so that the complexity is further increased. Furthermore, since the sealing by the substrate holder and the release thereof are performed for each processing, the time required for the processing step becomes longer, and the maintenance of the sealing part has also been required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and to provide a vacuum processing apparatus capable of performing a plurality of processes with a simple structure without inflow of gas or pollutant between processing sources.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is a vacuum processing apparatus for performing a film forming process on a substrate by a plurality of processing sources in a vacuum. And a holder disposed in the vacuum vessel to mount the substrate, and a vacuum protruding substantially perpendicularly at a distance from the vacuum vessel and having the processing source therein and allowing the holder to move, The other part except for the gap that communicates with the container is provided with a plurality of sealed processing chambers, and a holder driving mechanism that moves the holder so that the substrate sequentially faces each of the processing chambers. I do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the vacuum processing apparatus according to the first aspect, further comprising an apparatus that projects substantially perpendicularly from the vacuum vessel and performs pretreatment of the substrate, and moves the holder. It is characterized in that a plurality of pretreatment chambers which are communicated with the vacuum vessel only by an allowable gap and other than the gap are hermetically sealed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the first aspect, an arbitrary one of the processing chambers is provided with a vacuum exhaust port. Features.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the vacuum processing apparatus according to the first aspect, the vacuum vessel includes a sample loading / unloading port for taking in and out the substrate without breaking vacuum. It is characterized by the following.

Further, the invention according to claim 8 is a vacuum processing apparatus for performing a film forming process on a substrate by a plurality of processing sources in a vacuum, wherein a vacuum container and two of the vacuum containers are disposed in the vacuum container so as to face each other. Each of the processing sources, a holder disposed between the respective processing sources and having two surfaces in a front-to-back relationship with each other and capable of attaching the substrate, and a rotatable holder such that each surface faces each of the processing sources, One surface of the holder faces one of the processing sources, and the other surface of the holder together with the holder except for a gap allowing rotation of the holder when the other surface of the holder is at a position facing the other of the processing sources. It is characterized by comprising a partition wall for partitioning an area of each processing source, and a rotating mechanism for alternately opposing the two surfaces of the holder to which the substrate is attached to the processing sources.

[Action]

In the inventions set forth in claims 1 to 4, when the substrate to be processed is mounted on the holder and the holder is driven in the vacuum chamber by the holder driving mechanism, the substrate sequentially faces each processing chamber. Each time, a required film forming process is performed each time. Since each processing chamber is arranged at intervals and communicates with the vacuum container only through a gap that allows the holder to move, gas and substance particles generated in the processing chamber may leak to other processing chambers. And a desired film formation can be performed.

In the invention according to claim 8, the substrate to be processed is mounted on the holder, and the processing is performed by one processing source at a position where the holder faces the processing source. The processing by the other processing source is performed at the rotated position. Since the region where each processing source exists is only communicated with the gap that allows the rotation of the holder, the gas and substance particles generated in one processing region hardly leak to the other processing region, Also in this case, desired film formation can be performed.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on an illustrated example.

FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 (b) is a line Ib shown in FIG. 1 (a).
It is sectional drawing which follows -Ib. In each figure, 12 is a vacuum vessel, 13 is a processing chamber having a first evaporation source as a processing source, 14 is a processing chamber also having a second evaporation source, 15 is a processing chamber also having a first ion source, Reference numeral 16 is a processing chamber also having a second ion source. Each of the processing chambers 13, 14, 15, 16 forms a part of the vacuum vessel 12. That is, the vacuum container 12 has a flat cylindrical portion 12a,
The processing chambers 13, 14, 15, and 16 communicate with the cylindrical portion 12 a and stand upright. 13a and 16a are vacuum exhaust ports provided in the processing chambers 13 and 16. Although not shown, the processing chambers 14 and 15 are also provided with vacuum exhaust ports. 17
Denotes a substrate holder rotatably provided on the cylindrical portion 12a and supports the substrate 11, and 18 denotes a holder driving mechanism for driving the substrate holder 17 to rotate. In the present embodiment, the gap g between the upper surface of the substrate holder 17 and the inner surface of the upper wall of the cylindrical portion 12a has a minimum size in a range where the substrate 11 does not come into contact with any when the substrate holder 17 rotates.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. Now, consider a case in which a substance as an evaporation source in the processing chambers 13 and 14 and a substance as an ion source in the processing chambers 15 and 16 are sequentially formed on the substrate 11 to form a multi-layered structure having a multilayer structure. First, a processing source (evaporation source or ion source) in each of the processing chambers 13 to 16 is operated to be in a state in which a film can be formed. Next, the substrate holder 17 is rotated, and the substrate 11 is made to face the processing chamber 13 in the vacuum chamber 12, whereby a film of the substance as the evaporation source of the processing chamber 13 is formed on the substrate 11. Further, by rotating the substrate holder 17 so that the substrate 11 faces the processing chamber 14, a film of the substance of the evaporation source of the processing chamber 14 is formed on the substrate 11 on the first film. Similarly, the substrate holder 17 is rotated so that the substrate 11
Are successively opposed to the processing chamber 15 and then to the processing chamber 16, whereby a film of the material of the ion source in each of the processing chambers 15 and 16 is sequentially formed.

During the above-mentioned film forming process, used gases and scattered substance particles are generated inside the processing chambers 13 to 16. However, since the processing chambers 13 to 16 are arranged at intervals from each other and are communicated only with a small gap g of the vacuum vessel 12, the gas and substance particles generated in each processing chamber are respectively The amount of gas or substance particles that are confined in the processing chamber and leak to another processing chamber through the gap g is extremely small and does not adversely affect the film forming process.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the processing chambers are formed at intervals, and the processing chambers are configured to communicate with each other only with the minimum gap that allows the rotation of the substrate holder. Gas and substance particles generated in one processing chamber can be prevented from flowing into another processing chamber. Further, since the substrate holder is driven in a vacuum vessel common to the processing chambers, the driving mechanism can have a simple configuration.
In addition, since each processing chamber is provided with a vacuum exhaust port, the pressure in each processing chamber can be individually controlled, and processing sources having different operating pressure ranges, such as an evaporation source and an ion source, can be in the same vacuum vessel. It can be provided in.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those shown in FIGS. 1 (a) and 1 (b) are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. Reference numeral 20 denotes a sample outlet provided with a load lock mechanism, which is a vacuum container.
The sample (substrate 11) can be inserted and removed without breaking the vacuum of 12. Reference numeral 21 denotes a heater chamber, and reference numeral 22 denotes an etching chamber, which performs pretreatment of the substrate 11, respectively. That is,
The heater chamber 21 is provided with a heater to perform a baking process on the substrate, and the etching chamber 22 is provided with a sputtering device to perform a process for removing the surface layer of the substrate.

In the present embodiment, a predetermined film forming process is performed after pre-processing the substrate 11 in the heater chamber 21 and the etching chamber 22 in the vacuum chamber 12. The operation is similar to that of the first embodiment. In addition, the present embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment, and also has a sample outlet provided with a load lock mechanism, so that the substrate can be moved in and out without breaking the vacuum of the vacuum container. Efficient processing can be performed by shortening the evacuation time.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 24 is a cylindrical vacuum vessel, 25 is a vacuum exhaust port, 26 is a cathode electrode provided at one end of the vacuum vessel 24, 27 is a plasma source provided at the other end of the vacuum vessel 24, 27a is a plasma Electrode. Numeral 28 denotes a partition wall integral with the vacuum vessel 24, which divides a region where processing is performed by the cathode electrode 26 from a region where processing is performed by the plasma source 27. 29, 30 are shutter driving mechanisms for driving the shutters 29S, 30S, respectively. Reference numeral 31 denotes a substrate holder that supports the substrate 11, and is provided rotatably in a direction indicated by an arrow in the figure by a holder driving mechanism (not shown). The shutters 29S and 30S are located between the plasma source 27 and the substrate holder 31, and between the cathode electrode 26 and the substrate holder 31, respectively. Further, between the peripheral edge of the substrate holder 31 and the peripheral edge of the partition wall 28, the substrate holder 31 is provided.
There is a minimum gap g within a range that does not hinder the rotation of. In the present embodiment, the substrate holder 31 itself also serves as a part of a partition wall for forming a region.

When a film is formed on the substrate 11 by the cathode electrode 26, the shutter 30S is opened and the process is performed.When a film is formed on the formed film by the plasma source 27, the shutter 30S is closed. After rotating the substrate holder 31 by 180 ° so that the substrate 11 faces the plasma source 27, the shutter 29S
Is opened to form a film by the plasma source 27. By closing the shutter 30S before rotating the substrate holder 31 during the above processing, it is possible to prevent gas and contaminants existing in the region on the cathode electrode 26 side from flowing into the region on the plasma source 27 side. The effect of this embodiment is the same as the effect of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 33 denotes a vacuum container which is formed in a U-shape as shown. Reference numeral 33a denotes a flat portion corresponding to the cylindrical portion 12a of the first embodiment. Reference numerals 34 and 35 denote a sample carrying inlet and a sample carrying outlet provided with a load lock mechanism, respectively. Reference numerals 36, 37, 38, and 39 denote processing chambers that are electrically connected to the flat portion 33a and stand upright from the flat portion 33a, and each includes a predetermined processing source. A substrate holder for holding the substrate and a transfer means for transferring the substrate holder along the U-shaped vacuum vessel 33 are provided inside the flat portion 33a, but these are not shown. The transfer means includes a mechanism using a belt or a chain.

The substrate inserted from the sample loading port 34 is successively opposed to the processing sources of the processing chambers 36 to 39 by the substrate holder, is subjected to a predetermined process, and is taken out from the sample loading port 35 after the process is completed. This embodiment has the same effect as the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 41 is a ring-shaped vacuum vessel, 41a
Is a flat portion corresponding to the cylindrical portion 12a of the first embodiment. Reference numerals 42 and 43 are a sample carry-in port and a sample carry-out port provided with a load lock mechanism, respectively. 44, 45, 46 are flat parts 41a
And the processing chambers are upright from the flat portion 41a, and each is provided with a predetermined processing source. Flat part
A substrate holder for holding the substrate and transfer means (belt, chain, etc.) for transferring the substrate holder along the annular vacuum vessel 41 are provided inside 41a, but these are not shown.

The substrate inserted from the sample loading port 42 is successively opposed to the processing sources of the processing chambers 44 to 46 by the substrate holder, is subjected to a predetermined process, and is taken out from the sample loading port 43 after the process is completed. This embodiment has the same effect as the second embodiment.

In the description of each of the above embodiments, an example is shown in which the vacuum exhaust port is provided in each region only in the first embodiment and the third embodiment. It is clear that a vacuum exhaust port can be provided in the area to control the pressure in each area. Also, the third
In the embodiments other than the fourth embodiment and the fourth embodiment,
The substrate may be rotated a plurality of times, and a predetermined processing source may be driven each time the substrate is rotated to form an arbitrary multilayer film.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, in the present invention, the processing chambers are made to protrude substantially perpendicularly from the vacuum vessel at intervals from each other, and
Since it is formed so as to communicate with the vacuum vessel only by the gap that allows the holder to move, it is possible to prevent gas and substance particles generated in each processing chamber from flowing into other processing chambers with a simple configuration, Further, since the holder is driven in a vacuum vessel common to the respective processing chambers, the driving mechanism can have a simple configuration.

Further, in another invention, the processing source is disposed facing the inside of the vacuum vessel, and when the holder is at a position facing each processing source, the holder and the partition wall except for a gap that allows the holder to rotate. As we divided the area of each processing source,
It is possible to prevent gas or substance particles generated on one processing source side from flowing into another processing source side. Further, since the size of the holder only needs to be large enough to mount the substrate, the size of the holder can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1 (a) and 1 (b) are a plan view and a side sectional view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a vacuum processing apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention. It is a top view. 11 ... Substrate, 12, 24, 33, 41 ... Vacuum container, 13, 14, 1
5, 16, 37, 38, 39, 44, 45, 46 ... Processing room, 17, 31 ...
... substrate holder, 21 ... heater chamber, 22 ... etching chamber,
26: Cathode electrode, 27: Plasma source, 28: Partition wall.

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A vacuum processing apparatus for performing a film forming process on a substrate by a plurality of processing sources in a vacuum, comprising: a vacuum container; a holder disposed in the vacuum container for mounting the substrate; A plurality of processing chambers protruding substantially vertically at intervals and provided with the processing source therein and communicating with the vacuum vessel only by a gap allowing the holder to move, and excluding the gap except for the gap; A holder drive mechanism for moving the substrate so that the substrate sequentially faces each of the processing chambers. 2. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an apparatus which projects substantially perpendicularly from said vacuum vessel and performs a pre-treatment of said substrate, said vacuum vessel being formed only by a gap which allows movement of said holder. A vacuum processing apparatus provided with a plurality of pretreatment chambers that are in communication with the pretreatment chamber except for the gap except for the gap. 3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a vacuum exhaust port is provided in an arbitrary one of the processing chambers. 4. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vacuum vessel has a sample loading / unloading port for loading / unloading said substrate without breaking vacuum. . 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum chamber has a flat cylindrical shape, and each of the processing chambers is disposed on a peripheral edge of the cylinder. Vacuum processing equipment. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the vacuum chamber is U-shaped, and each of the processing chambers is arranged along the U-shape. Vacuum processing equipment. 7. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vacuum vessel is in a ring shape, and said processing chambers are arranged along said ring. apparatus. 8. A vacuum processing apparatus for performing a film forming process on a substrate by a plurality of processing sources in a vacuum, comprising: a vacuum container; two of the processing sources arranged in the vacuum container so as to face each other; A holder which is disposed between the processing sources and has two surfaces in a front-to-back relationship to which the substrate can be mounted, and which is rotatable so that each surface faces the processing source; and one surface of the holder is A partition that faces one of the processing sources and partitions the area of each processing source together with the holder except for a gap that allows rotation of the holder when the other surface of the holder is at a position facing the other of the processing sources. A vacuum processing apparatus, comprising: a wall; and a rotating mechanism that alternately faces the two surfaces of the holder, on which the substrate is mounted, to the processing sources. 9. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising an openable and closable shutter covering said holder and said gap.