JP3964966B2 - Film forming apparatus provided with antifouling means - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for performing a film forming process on a substrate to be processed under vacuum, and in particular, a film forming apparatus provided with an antifouling means for preventing internal contamination and contamination of the substrate to be processed. About.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in various manufacturing processes such as a semiconductor manufacturing process, a liquid crystal display panel manufacturing process, or a disk manufacturing process, a film is formed to perform a film forming process on a substrate to be processed such as a silicon wafer, a liquid crystal display substrate, an optical disk or a mini disk. The device is in use.
[0003]
There are various types of film forming apparatuses. As a typical example, a plasma is formed inside a vacuum processing chamber for processing a substrate to be processed under vacuum, and a target is sputtered by the plasma. There is a sputtering apparatus in which a thin film is formed on the surface of a substrate to be processed by emitted target atoms.
[0004]
There are various types of sputtering apparatuses that use plasma, and one of them is a type that forms a plasma inside a vacuum processing chamber using a magnetic field.
[0005]
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a vacuum processing chamber portion of this type of sputtering apparatus. In FIG. 6, reference numeral 2A indicates a vacuum processing chamber, and this vacuum processing chamber 2A is provided by a vacuum pump (turbo molecular pump) 12. It can be evacuated. The vacuum processing chamber 2A is provided with an opening 2a, and the opening 2a is closed by a movable lid 26 made of a valve disk that is driven to open and close by a valve opening / closing mechanism 27.
[0006]
Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the movable lid-side electrical connection portion 30 is attached to the lower portion of the inner surface 26 a of the movable lid 26. In the vacuum processing chamber 2 </ b> A, a processing chamber side electrical connection portion 31 is attached at a position facing the movable lid side electrical connection portion 30.
[0007]
These movable lid side and processing chamber side electrical connection portions 30 and 31 are protected by a reflector 36 so as not to be damaged such as film adhesion during processing of the substrate D to be processed. Moreover, the process chamber side electrical connection part 31 is electrically connected to the power supply 32 and the control part 33 of the sputtering apparatus.
[0008]
As can be seen from FIG. 6, in a state where the movable lid 26 closes the opening 2a of the vacuum processing chamber 2A, the movable lid-side electrical connection portion 30 and the processing chamber-side electrical connection portion 31 come into contact with each other. It is connected to the.
[0009]
The movable lid 26 has an inner surface 26a, and four substrate holders 28 are rotatably provided on the inner surface 26a for holding the substrate D to be processed which is a disk. Further, a sputtering source 14A for performing a predetermined film forming process is installed in the vacuum processing chamber 2A. The sputtering source 14A includes a target T disposed so as to face the substrate D to be processed, and a magnet (not shown) for generating plasma in the vacuum processing chamber 2A.
[0010]
When performing the film forming process of the substrate D to be processed in this sputtering apparatus, a predetermined gas is introduced into the evacuated vacuum processing chamber 2A and a vacuum processing chamber is used while utilizing a magnetic field by a magnet. The gas introduced into 2A is turned into plasma.
[0011]
When plasma is formed inside the vacuum processing chamber 2A, target atoms are sputtered from the surface of the target T by the plasma, and target atoms are emitted toward the substrate D to be processed. The target atoms released toward the substrate D to be processed adhere to and deposit on the surface of the substrate D to be processed, whereby a desired film is formed on the surface of the substrate D to be processed.
[0012]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the film forming apparatus (sputtering apparatus) shown in FIG. 6, target atoms released from the surface of the target T by sputtering adhere to the surface of the substrate D to be processed, and a film is formed. The released target atoms adhere to portions other than the target substrate D to form a film, and the inside of the film forming apparatus is contaminated. In particular, the contamination of the inner surface 26a of the movable lid 26 is significant. The film adhering to the inside of the film forming apparatus becomes a generation source of particles and can cause contamination of the substrate D to be processed.
[0013]
Therefore, in order to prevent film formation on the inner surface 26a of the movable lid 26, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a disc-shaped deposition plate 42 is provided between the inner surface 26a of the movable lid 26 and the substrate holder 28. A method of removably providing the bolts 53 having the spacers 52 is conceivable.
[0014]
7 and 8, reference numeral 34 denotes a vacuum motor, reference numeral 35 denotes a rotating shaft, reference numeral 40 denotes an inner mask, and reference numeral 41 denotes an outer mask.
[0015]
In this way, since the released target atoms adhere to the surface of the deposition preventing plate 42, the inner surface 26a of the movable lid 26a is not soiled, and when the deposition preventing plate 42 is soiled. Can be exchanged.
[0016]
However, even when the deposition preventing plate 42 is provided as described above, the target atoms pass around the back side of the substrate holder 28 through the gap between the back surface of the substrate holder 28 and the surface of the deposition plate 42, and There was a problem of fouling the back side.
[0017]
Further, the adhesion rate of the target atoms is not uniform over the entire deposition preventing plate 42, and the deposition rate at the center of the surface of the deposition preventing plate 42 indicated by reference numeral 43 in FIG. For this reason, when the film thickness of the center 43 of the surface of the deposition preventing plate 42 is increased, it is necessary to replace the entire deposition preventing plate 42 even if the thickness of the other portions is not so great.
[0018]
Furthermore, since the heating rate by the plasma is high in the portion where the adhesion rate of the target atoms is high, there is a possibility that the central portion of the deposition preventing plate 42 is largely thermally deformed and comes into contact with the back surface of the rotating substrate holder 28. In order to prevent thermal deformation of the deposition preventing plate 42, it is conceivable to fix the central portion of the deposition preventing plate 42 to the movable lid 26 with a bolt or the like, but this structure is adopted for the convenience of maintenance of the apparatus. It is extremely difficult.
[0019]
The present invention has been made to solve the various problems described above, and provides a film forming apparatus provided with a fouling preventing means that can reliably prevent fouling of a film forming apparatus and fouling of a substrate to be processed. With the goal.
[0020]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A film forming apparatus comprising the fouling preventing means according to the invention of claim 1 is a vacuum transfer chamber capable of evacuating the interior, a plurality of vacuum processing chambers disposed adjacent to the outer periphery of the vacuum transfer chamber, Each opening formed on the side of each vacuum processing chamber facing the vacuum transfer chamber, a movable lid provided inside the vacuum transfer chamber, which can close the opening, and an inner surface side of the movable lid A plurality of substrate holders that are rotatably provided to rotatably hold a substrate to be processed; and a pollution prevention means that is detachably provided between the plurality of substrate holders and the movable lid. The prevention means includes a first adhesion-preventing plate that covers substantially the entire inner surface of the movable lid, and a second attachment that is detachably provided at the center of the surface of the first adhesion-prevention plate that is surrounded by the plurality of substrate holders. And an adhesion preventing plate.
[0021]
The film forming apparatus provided with the antifouling means according to the invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the surface of the second deposition preventing plate is located at a height between the front surface and the back surface of the substrate holder. To do.
[0022]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film forming apparatus comprising the fouling preventing means, wherein the second adhesion-preventing plate has a head that is enlarged so as to prevent the attached film from peeling off. It is attached to said 1st adhesion prevention board by characterized by the above-mentioned.
[0023]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a film forming apparatus including an antifouling unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0024]
First, the overall configuration of the sputtering apparatus which is the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
[0025]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional plan view of a sputtering apparatus, and a vacuum transfer chamber 3 is formed inside a housing 10 having a substantially octagonal planar shape, the inside of which can be evacuated. A load lock chamber 1 for loading or unloading the substrate D to be processed is formed in one side of the vacuum transfer chamber 3 and seven vacuum processing chambers 2A are formed on the remaining seven sides. 2B... 2G are arranged and formed at equiangular intervals.
[0026]
Then, in these vacuum processing chambers 2A, 2B,... 2G, a film forming process by sputtering is performed on the substrate D to be processed. In addition, the to-be-processed substrate D is a circular substrate such as a compact disc (CD) or a mini disc (MD), and has a circular opening formed in the center.
[0027]
On the side facing the vacuum transfer chamber 3 of the load lock chamber 1 and the vacuum processing chambers 2A, 2B,... 2G, openings 1a and 2a having the same shape and the same size for loading and unloading the substrate D are formed. . Each vacuum processing chamber 2 is connected to a turbo molecular pump 12 (see FIG. 2), which is a vacuum pump, so that the inside can be evacuated and sputtering sources 14A, 14B... 14G for performing a predetermined film forming process. Is installed.
[0028]
An annular turntable 15 is rotatably disposed at the bottom of the vacuum transfer chamber 3, and a large gear 18 is formed on the outer periphery of the turntable 15. A driving small gear 19 is engaged with the large gear 18.
[0029]
Eight valve mechanisms 25 are arranged on the upper surface of the turntable 15 along the circumferential direction of the turntable 15, and these valve mechanisms 25 are composed of the load lock chamber 1 and the seven vacuum processing chambers 2A, 2B. ... arranged to correspond to 2G. Each valve mechanism 25 includes a movable lid 26 made of a valve disk capable of closing the respective openings 1a, 2a of the load lock chamber 1 and the vacuum processing chambers 2A, 2B,... 2G, and a valve for driving the movable lid 26 to open and close. An opening / closing mechanism 27 is provided.
[0030]
Each movable lid 26 has an inner surface facing the inside of the load lock chamber 1 and the vacuum processing chambers 2A, 2B,... 2G when the openings 1a, 2a of the load lock chamber 1 and the vacuum processing chambers 2A, 2B,. 26a, and four substrate holders 28 for rotating and holding the substrate D to be processed are rotatably provided on the inner surface 26a.
[0031]
Further, a transport device 29 for transporting the substrate D to be loaded into the load lock chamber 1 is provided on the loading side of the load lock chamber 1, and four sheets are placed inside the load lock chamber 1 by the transport device 29. The substrate D to be processed is carried in or out as a set.
[0032]
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the vacuum processing chamber 2 </ b> A is closed by the movable lid 26. As shown in FIG. 2, the movable lid-side electrical connection portion 30 is attached to the lower portion of the inner surface 26 a of the movable lid 26. Further, on the side of the vacuum processing chamber 2 </ b> A facing the vacuum transfer chamber 3, a processing chamber side electrical connection portion 31 is attached at a position facing the movable lid side electrical connection portion 30.
[0033]
These movable lid side and processing chamber side electrical connection portions 30 and 31 are protected by a reflector 36 so as not to be damaged such as film adhesion during processing of the substrate D to be processed. Moreover, the process chamber side electrical connection part 31 is electrically connected to the power supply 32 and the control part 33 of the sputtering apparatus.
[0034]
As can be seen from FIG. 2, in the state where the movable lid 26 closes the opening 2a of the vacuum processing chamber 2A, the movable lid-side electrical connection portion 30 and the processing chamber-side electrical connection portion 31 come into contact with each other and are electrically connected. It is connected to the.
[0035]
As shown in FIG. 2, the sputtering source 14A includes a target T arranged so as to face the substrate D to be processed, and a magnet (not shown) for generating plasma in the vacuum processing chamber 2A. And.
[0036]
2 illustrates one vacuum processing chamber 2A and one movable lid 26, and the other vacuum processing chambers 2B, 2C... 2G and other movable lids 26, 26. The lid side electrical connection part 30 and the process chamber side electrical connection part 31 are respectively attached.
[0037]
When performing film formation processing of the substrate D to be processed in this sputtering apparatus, a predetermined gas is introduced into the vacuum processing chamber 2A that has been evacuated and the vacuum processing chamber 2A is used while utilizing a magnetic field generated by a magnet. The gas introduced inside is turned into plasma.
[0038]
When plasma is formed inside the vacuum processing chamber 2A, target atoms are sputtered from the surface of the target T by the plasma, and target atoms are emitted toward the substrate D to be processed. The target atoms released toward the substrate D to be processed adhere to and deposit on the surface of the substrate D to be processed, whereby a desired film is formed on the surface of the substrate D to be processed.
[0039]
The film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment includes the fouling prevention means indicated by reference numeral 50 in FIG. Hereinafter, the contamination preventing means 50, which is a characteristic part of the present embodiment, will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 34 denotes a vacuum motor, reference numeral 35 denotes a rotating shaft, reference numeral 40 denotes an inner mask, and reference numeral 41 denotes an outer mask.
[0040]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the fouling prevention means 50 includes a circular first deposition preventing plate 51 that covers substantially the entire inner surface 26a of the movable lid 26, and the first deposition preventing plate 51 is a substrate. Between the back surface 28a of the holder 28 and the inner surface 26a of the movable lid 26, it is detachably attached by a plurality of first attachment plate mounting bolts 53 having spacers 52.
[0041]
Further, a second deposition plate 56 is detachably provided by a second deposition plate mounting bolt 54 and a nut 55 at the center of the surface of the first deposition plate 51 surrounded by the plurality of substrate holders 28. Yes. As shown in FIG. 4, the second deposition preventing plate 56 has a shape that substantially corresponds to the outer shape of each substrate holder 28, that is, a star shape.
[0042]
Further, the second deposition plate mounting bolt 54 for mounting the second deposition plate 56 to the first deposition plate 51 is made of a material having high adhesion to the membrane, and the attached membrane is peeled off. In order to prevent this, it has a head 54a that is larger than the head of a standard bolt.
[0043]
In this way, the head 54a of the second attachment plate mounting bolt 54 is enlarged to increase its surface area, and by using a material having high adhesion to the film, the membrane and head attached to the head 54a The adhesion force with the surface of the portion 54a is increased, and generation of particles due to film peeling can be prevented.
[0044]
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the front surface 56a of the second deposition preventing plate 56 is located at a height between the front surface 28b and the rear surface 28a of the substrate holder 28, and the second deposition preventing plate 56 and the substrate are disposed. The structure is such that the target atoms are unlikely to enter the back surface 28 a side of the substrate holder 28 from the gap with the holder 28.
[0045]
Further, the second deposition plate mounting bolt 54 for fixing the second deposition plate 56 is configured not to protrude from the surface 28b of the substrate holder 28 toward the target T side. For this reason, the second deposition plate The attachment bolt 54 does not adversely affect the characteristics such as the film thickness distribution of the substrate D to be processed.
[0046]
In addition, the 1st deposition board 51 and the 2nd deposition board 56 can be formed with materials, such as stainless steel, copper, and aluminum, and it is preferable to form especially with copper which is excellent in thermal conductivity.
[0047]
Further, the first deposition plate 51, the second deposition plate 56, the first deposition plate mounting bolt 53, the second deposition plate mounting bolt 54, etc. constituting the fouling prevention means 50 are all subjected to a surface treatment such as sandblasting. The surface treatment makes it difficult for the film to peel off.
[0048]
Next, the operation and effect of the antifouling means 50 in the film forming apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.
[0049]
Since substantially the entire inner surface 26a of the movable lid 26 is covered with the removable first protective plate 51, the inner surface 26a of the movable lid 26 is soiled by the released target atoms and becomes a generation source of particles. In addition to being able to prevent, if the first deposition preventing plate 51 is soiled to such an extent that it needs to be replaced, the first deposition preventing plate 51 can be appropriately replaced.
[0050]
In addition, since the second deposition plate 56 is detachably provided at the center of the surface of the first deposition plate 51 having a high target atom adhesion rate, the second deposition plate 56 is contaminated to the extent that replacement is required. In such a case, it is possible to replace only the second adhesion-preventing plate 56, and the maintenance is excellent.
[0051]
Further, the central portion of the surface of the first deposition plate 51 having a high target atom adhesion rate is a portion where the heating rate by the plasma is high and the temperature is high. Therefore, thermal deformation is suppressed. For this reason, the deformed first deposition preventing plate 51 does not come into contact with the back surface 28a of the rotating substrate holder 28.
[0052]
In addition, since the surface area of the head 54a of the second deposition plate mounting bolt 54 for fixing the second deposition plate 56 is enlarged to increase the surface area, a material having high adhesion to the membrane is used. The adhesion force between the attached film and the surface of the head 54a is increased, so that generation of particles due to peeling of the film can be prevented, and as a result, contamination of the substrate D to be processed can be prevented.
[0053]
Further, since the front surface 56a of the second deposition preventing plate 56 is positioned between the front surface 28b and the rear surface 28a of the substrate holder 28, the gap between the second deposition preventing plate 56 and the substrate holder 28 is used. It is difficult for target atoms to go around to the back surface 28a side, and the back surface 28a of the substrate holder 28 can be prevented from being contaminated by the target atoms.
[0054]
Further, since the second deposition plate mounting bolt 54 for fixing the second deposition plate 56 is configured not to protrude from the surface 28b of the substrate holder 28 toward the target T, the second deposition plate mounting bolt. 54 does not adversely affect the characteristics such as the film thickness distribution of the substrate D to be processed.
[0055]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the film forming apparatus provided with the antifouling means according to the present invention, the substantially entire inner surface of the movable lid is covered with the first removable adhesion plate. It is possible to prevent the inner surface of the movable lid from being soiled and becoming a source of particles, and when the first deposition preventing plate is contaminated to such an extent that replacement is necessary, the first deposition preventing plate can be appropriately replaced. .
[0056]
Also, since the second deposition plate is detachably provided at the center of the surface of the first deposition plate having a high target atom adhesion rate, the second deposition plate is damaged to the extent that replacement is required. It is possible to replace only the second deposition preventive plate, which is excellent in maintainability.
[0057]
In addition, the central portion of the surface of the first deposition preventing plate with a high adhesion rate of target atoms is a portion where the heating rate by plasma is high and the temperature is high, but the second deposition preventing plate acts as a reinforcing member against deformation and is thermally deformed. Therefore, the deformed first deposition preventing plate does not come into contact with the back surface of the rotating substrate holder.
[0058]
In addition, since the head of the bolt that secures the second protective plate is enlarged to increase its surface area, the adhesion between the attached film and the surface of the head increases, preventing generation of particles due to film peeling. As a result, the substrate to be processed can be prevented from being stained.
[0059]
In addition, since the surface of the second deposition preventive plate is positioned between the front and back surfaces of the substrate holder, target atoms are unlikely to enter the back side of the substrate holder from the gap between the second deposition preventive plate and the substrate holder. The back surface of the substrate holder can be prevented from being soiled by the target atoms.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing the overall configuration of a film forming apparatus provided with a fouling preventing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which the vacuum processing chamber of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is closed by a movable lid.
3 is an enlarged side view of a movable lid portion of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG.
4 is a perspective view of the movable lid of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the vacuum processing chamber side.
5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view showing the vicinity of the center of the first deposition preventing plate of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view showing a vacuum processing chamber portion of a conventional sputtering apparatus.
7 is a side view showing a state in which a deposition preventing plate is attached to the movable lid of the sputtering apparatus shown in FIG. 6;
8 is a front view showing a state in which a deposition preventing plate is attached to the movable lid of the sputtering apparatus shown in FIG. 6;
[Explanation of symbols]
2A, 2B,... 2G, vacuum processing chamber 2a, opening 3, vacuum transfer chamber 26, movable lid 26a, inner surface 28 of movable lid, substrate holder 28a, rear surface 28b of substrate holder, surface 50 of substrate holder, antifouling means 51, first protective plate 54, second protective plate Attachment plate mounting bolt 54a Head of second attachment plate attachment bolt 56 Second attachment plate 56a Surface of second attachment plate D Substrate

Claims (3)

A vacuum transfer chamber capable of evacuating the interior, a plurality of vacuum processing chambers arranged adjacent to the outer periphery of the vacuum transfer chamber, and each vacuum processing chamber formed on the side facing the vacuum transfer chamber An opening, a movable lid provided inside the vacuum transfer chamber and capable of closing the opening, and a plurality of substrates provided rotatably on the inner surface side of the movable lid for rotating and holding the substrate to be processed A holder, and a pollution prevention means detachably provided between the plurality of substrate holders and the movable lid,
The antifouling means is detachably provided at a center portion of the surface of the first deposition preventing plate surrounded by a first deposition preventing plate that covers substantially the entire inner surface of the movable lid and a plurality of the substrate holders. And a second deposition preventing plate, comprising: a film deposition apparatus provided with antifouling means. 2. The film forming apparatus with antifouling means according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the second deposition preventing plate is located at a height between the front surface and the back surface of the substrate holder. The said 2nd adhesion board is attached to the 1st adhesion board by the 2nd adhesion board attachment bolt which has an enlarged head so that exfoliation of the adhering film may be prevented. A film forming apparatus comprising the fouling preventing means according to claim 1.

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