JP5801179B2 - Deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, and more particularly to a film forming apparatus having a configuration in which a plurality of cathode magnets are driven using a plurality of power sources.

  As an example of a film forming apparatus provided with a cathode magnet driving device having a plurality of power sources for driving a plurality of cathode magnets, for example, a film forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1 can be cited. The film forming apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of servo motors that drive a cathode magnet, and each servo motor is controlled by a controller via a servo amplifier. In the control of the cathode magnet using the servo motor, mechanical anomaly detection is performed based on an increase in torque and a position feedback value of an encoder provided in the servo motor.

JP 2003-147519 A

  However, in the technique used in the film forming apparatus of Patent Document 1, there is a case in which automatic abnormality detection cannot be performed when only the servo motor is idle due to breakage or dropping of the shaft joint. That is, in the case where the motor itself continues to rotate while the torque of the servo motor decreases, it is difficult to detect an abnormality from the increase of the torque or the position feedback value of the encoder.

  For this reason, in order to discover mechanical abnormalities such as shaft joint breakage or dropout, the driver must be checked visually or the operator must detect by analyzing the motor speed and torque diagrams. There wasn't. For this reason, there has been a demand for means capable of quickly and reliably detecting a mechanical abnormality of the drive unit.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus that can quickly and reliably detect a mechanical abnormality of a drive unit of a cathode magnet.

  A film forming apparatus according to the present invention includes a plurality of cathode magnet devices, a transmission unit coupled to each of the plurality of cathode magnet units, and a cathode magnet unit connected to each of the transmission units. A drive unit that operates under a load condition; and a control unit that controls the drive unit, the control unit calculates a difference between power values supplied to any two of the drive units, The difference is compared with a preset discrimination condition, and when the difference satisfies the discrimination condition, an abnormality of the transmission means is notified.

  In a film forming apparatus having a plurality of power sources for driving a plurality of cathode magnets, it is possible to quickly and reliably detect a mechanical abnormality of a cathode magnet drive unit.

It is a schematic block diagram of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view (transverse sectional view) of a film forming chamber of the film forming apparatus of FIG. 1. It is a cross-sectional view of the cathode magnet drive device according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is II sectional drawing of FIG. It is the schematic of the detection apparatus of the cathode magnet drive device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the mode (at the time of normal) of the cathode magnet drive device 90 measured with the abnormality detection system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the mode (at the time of abnormality) of the cathode magnet drive device 90 measured with the abnormality detection system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a diagram which shows the absolute value of the difference of the output-time diagram of the time of the normal time and the time of abnormality measured with the abnormality detection system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart of the abnormality determination in the abnormality detection system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The members, arrangements, and the like described below are examples embodying the invention and do not limit the present invention, and it is needless to say that various modifications can be made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.

  1 to 9 are diagrams illustrating a cathode magnet driving apparatus or a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the film forming apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a film forming chamber of the film forming apparatus. FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cathode magnet drive device, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the detection device of the cathode magnet drive device, and FIG. FIG. 7 shows the state of the cathode magnet driving device (when normal), FIG. 7 shows the state of the cathode magnet driving device measured at the abnormality detection system (when abnormal), and FIG. 8 shows the monitoring device for the cathode magnet driving device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an abnormality determination in the abnormality detection system, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the absolute value of the difference between the output-time diagram at normal time and abnormal time measured in FIG. It should be noted that the illustration is omitted except for a part in order to prevent complication of the drawing.

  The film forming apparatus 1 according to the present invention is a sputtering apparatus adapted to form a large substrate by arranging a plurality of cathodes 50 in the film forming chamber 11. The cathode magnet 80 a disposed inside the cathode 50 of the film forming chamber 11 has a mechanism for reciprocating, and the reciprocating motion of the cathode magnet 80 a is synchronized with all the cathodes 50. The film forming apparatus 1 is configured to detect a torque during operation of the cathode magnets 80 arranged on different cathodes 50 and compare these torques to detect abnormality of the cathode driving device. Yes.

  First, the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The film forming apparatus 1 is configured by connecting chambers such as a film forming chamber 11, a preheating chamber 13, and a substrate transfer chamber 15 (a substrate loading chamber LL and a substrate take-out chamber UL). These chambers are connected via a gate valve GV. These chambers are connected to an evacuation device for evacuation, and are provided with a substrate holder 5 for holding the substrate S and a substrate transfer path (not shown) for transferring the substrate holder 5 to a predetermined position in the chamber. Yes.

  The film forming chamber 11 is a chamber for performing a film forming process on the substrate S, and the film forming apparatus 1 performs a predetermined film forming process on the two substrates S held on both surfaces of the substrate holder 5 in an upright posture. Is called. The film forming chamber 11 will be further described later with reference to FIG. The preheating chamber 13 is connected to the film forming chamber 11 via the gate valve GV, and transports the substrate holder 5 holding the substrate S before the film forming process to the film forming chamber 11 to form the film forming process. The substrate holder 5 on which the subsequent substrate S is held is collected. In the preheating chamber 13, a heating device (not shown) for heating the substrate S before film formation processing to a predetermined temperature is provided.

  The substrate transfer chamber 15 includes a substrate loading chamber LL and a substrate take-out chamber UL. The substrate loading chamber LL and the substrate take-out chamber UL are connected to the preheating chamber 13 and the gate valve GV, respectively. Both the substrate loading chamber LL (load lock chamber) and the substrate take-out chamber UL (unload chamber) can be repeatedly vented and evacuated with the gate valve GV closed. The transfer device 17 carries the unprocessed substrate S held in the substrate cassette 19a disposed in the atmospheric pressure atmosphere into the substrate holder 5 in the substrate loading chamber LL opened (vented) to atmospheric pressure.

  Then, after evacuating the substrate loading chamber LL, the gate valve GV between the substrate loading chamber LL and the preheating chamber 13 is opened, and the substrate holder 5 in the substrate loading chamber LL in which the substrate S is held is in a vacuum atmosphere. The preheating chamber 13 is conveyed. The substrate S is held by the substrate cassette 19a with the film formation surface facing upward (horizontal position), but the substrate holder 5 has a posture (standing posture) with the film formation surface directed horizontally. Retained. That is, when the substrate S is transferred to the substrate holder 5, the transfer device 17 changes the horizontal posture from the horizontal posture.

  The substrate holder 5 is configured by providing a frame body on which a substrate S can be stood on a slider for moving along a substrate transport path provided in each chamber. The substrates S can be held in a standing posture on both sides of the frame. That is, since the substrate holder 5 can hold the two substrates S with the film formation surfaces facing outward, the film formation process for the two substrates S can be performed simultaneously. The standing posture of the substrate S means that the substrate S is placed on the substrate holder so that the back surface of the surface to be processed of the substrate S has an angle of 86 to 89.5 ° with respect to the horizontal direction (direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity). 5 indicates a state of being leaned against.

  The substrate holder 5 holding the substrate S after the film forming process is carried into the substrate take-out chamber UL from the preheating chamber 13 in a vacuum atmosphere. Thereafter, the gate valve GV between the substrate take-out chamber UL and the preheating chamber 13 is closed and opened to the atmospheric pressure (vent), and the substrate cassette in which the substrate S is arranged in the atmospheric pressure atmosphere by the transfer device 17. Transfer to 19b. The substrate transfer chamber 15 of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1 includes a substrate loading chamber LL and a substrate take-out chamber UL as different chambers. However, the substrate transfer chamber 15 is provided as a substrate loading chamber LL and a substrate take-out chamber. Of course, it may be configured as one chamber having both functions of UL.

  The substrate S to be subjected to film formation by the film forming apparatus 1 is made of glass having a length of 2460 mm, a width of 2160 mm, and a thickness of about 1 mm. It goes without saying that the film forming process can be performed by the film forming apparatus according to the present invention.

  Here, a processing flow of the substrate S in the film forming apparatus 1 will be described. The unprocessed substrate S stored in the substrate cassette 19a is first loaded by the transfer device 17 from the substrate cassette 19a onto the substrate holder 5 disposed in the substrate loading chamber LL. Next, the substrate S mounted on the substrate holder 5 is heated to a predetermined temperature in the preheating chamber 13 and then carried into the film forming chamber 11 and subjected to predetermined vacuum processing. In the film forming chamber 11 of this embodiment, an electrode such as ITO or a reflective film such as Al is formed on the substrate surface by sputtering. The substrate S on which a predetermined film forming process has been performed in the film forming chamber 11 passes through the preheating chamber 13 and is transferred into the substrate take-out chamber UL, and is collected from the substrate holder 5 in the substrate take-out chamber UL.

  FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the film forming chamber of the film forming apparatus. The film formation chamber 11 includes a substrate transfer path (not shown) for transferring the substrate holder 5 to a predetermined position, a cathode 50 for performing sputter film formation on the substrate S held by the substrate holder 5, and the periphery of the cathode 50 A shield plate 70 having a substantially C-shaped cross section is provided inside. The shield plate 70 is a stainless steel plate having a height equivalent to that of the cathode 50 and having a substantially C-shaped cross section. The shield plate 70 covers three directions excluding the substrate side in the cross-sectional direction of the cathode 50.

  The cathode 50 has a substantially triangular prism shape, and is disposed so as to be rotatable around the central axis with the axial direction directed in the direction of gravity. The cathodes 50 are provided in the film forming chamber 11 by four pieces (total of eight pieces) across the substrate transfer path. Each of the eight cathodes is denoted by reference numerals 501 to 508. However, when referring to an arbitrary cathode, the reference numeral 50 is denoted for convenience.

  These cathodes 50 are arranged so that the central axis (rotating axis) is parallel to the target position across the substrate transport path. Further, the four cathodes 50 (501, 502, 503, and 504) arranged on one side of the substrate conveyance path are arranged so as to draw a convex arc on the outside (opposite side of the substrate conveyance path). Similarly, the four cathodes 50 (505, 506, 507, 508) arranged on the opposite side of the substrate conveyance path are also arranged so as to draw a convex arc on the outside (reverse side of the substrate conveyance path). This is because uniform film formation is performed on the substrate S.

  Since the cathodes 50 are disposed on both sides of the substrate transport path, sputtering can be performed simultaneously from both sides of the substrate holder 5 and film formation can be performed on the two substrates S at the same time. That is, when the substrate holder 5 holding the unprocessed substrate S is transported into the film forming chamber 11 along the substrate transport path, the sputtering process is simultaneously performed from the targets 60 located on both sides of the substrate holder 5. Done. Note that both sides of the substrate holder 5 are configured so as to be able to hold the substrates S with the film formation surface facing outward, respectively.

  The cathode 50 includes a cathode chamber 61 formed in a substantially triangular prism shape, and target electrodes 51 (51a, 51b, 51c) provided on each triangular surface of the cathode chamber 61. A cathode magnet 80 (80a, 80b, 80c) is disposed inside each target electrode 51, and a target 60 (60a, 60b, 60c) is attached to each target electrode 51 (51a, 51b, 51c). it can. A cathode magnet driving device 90 for driving the cathode magnet 80 is provided inside the cathode chamber 61. Both the cathode chamber 61 and the target 60 have dimensions longer than the upper and lower ends in the height direction of the substrate S. Lids are attached to the upper and lower ends of the cathode chamber 61, and the atmosphere in the cathode chamber 61 can be isolated from the atmosphere in the film forming chamber 11.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the cathode magnet driving device. The configuration of the cathode 50 will be described with reference to FIG. The cathode chamber 61 is provided in the film forming chamber 11 so as to rotate about the central axis of the substantially triangular prism. The cathode chamber 61 is arranged so that the central axis of the substantially triangular prism is parallel or slightly inclined with respect to the film formation surface of the substrate.

  The target 60 is a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member containing a film forming material, and can be disposed on each of the three outer surfaces of the cathode chamber 61. That is, the target 60 (60a, 60b, 60c) can be attached to each of the target electrodes 51 (51a, 51b, 51c) provided on the three surfaces of the cathode chamber 61 of each cathode chamber 61.

  Each target 60 (60a, 60b, 60c) is formed by bonding a film-forming material to a backing plate. The deposition material of the target 60 attached to the same cathode chamber 61 may be the same material or a different material, and is selected according to the step of forming a film on the substrate S. In the present embodiment, the types and order of the targets 60 arranged on all the target electrodes 51 (51a, 51b, 51c) are unified.

  Each target electrode 51 (51 a, 51 b, 51 c) can be selected by rotating the central axis in the axial direction of the cathode chamber 61 as the rotation axis to oppose the substrate S. By using a plurality of target electrodes 51 at the same time, a single film is formed using a plurality of targets 60 of the same type at the same time. Next, each cathode chamber 61 is rotated, the next target 60 is selected, and the next film is laminated on the formed film.

  The cathode magnets 80 (80a, 80b, 80c) are permanent magnets that can be reciprocated along the back surface of each target electrode 51 (51a, 51b, 51c) inside the cathode chamber 61. By reciprocating the cathode magnet 80 to form a magnetic force on the substrate side surface of the target 60, the plasma generation density and position can be controlled. In addition, since the cathode 50 of this embodiment is the structure which three cathode magnets operate | move in response to the one gearwheel 93, these cathode magnets are collectively called a cathode magnet apparatus. Further, when the present invention is applied to a film forming apparatus that operates only one cathode magnet, one cathode magnet is referred to as a cathode magnet apparatus.

  Further, when the present invention is applied to a film forming apparatus that operates a plurality of cathodes 50 with the same gear or servomotor, all the cathode magnets provided on the cathodes are collectively referred to as a cathode magnet apparatus. And For example, when the eight cathodes 50 provided in the film forming apparatus 1 are divided into a plurality of groups and the servo motors that operate the respective groups are made common, the cathode magnets belonging to the same group are grouped into the cathodes. It will be called a magnet device.

  4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. The configuration of the cathode magnet driving device will be described with reference to FIG. The cathode magnet drive device 90 includes a servo motor 91 and a transmission device (transmission means) that transmits the power of the servo motor 91 to the cathode. The servo motor 91 is a driving force source that operates a load, and can rotate the output shaft 94 when operated. The transmission device can operate the cathode magnet 80 in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 92, and the rotating shaft 92 is connected to the output shaft 94 of the servo motor 91. A gear 93 is integrally provided at the tip of the rotating shaft 92, and a rack that meshes with the gear 93 is formed on the back surface of the cathode magnet 80. The servo motor 91 rotates by a predetermined angle alternately in one direction and the opposite direction. Therefore, the cathode magnet 80 reciprocates while maintaining a certain distance from the target 60.

  The output shaft 94 of the servo motor 91 is mechanically connected to the rotary shaft 92 by a shaft coupling 95. One servo motor 91 is arranged for each cathode 50 and operates according to a command from the control device 99 via the servo amplifier 98. In the servo motor 91, the output value during operation is measured by each servo amplifier, and each power value can be read out. As will be described later, the servo amplifier 98 is a device that supplies power to the servo motor 91 based on a command value from the control device 99 and a current position feedback from the servo motor 91.

  With the above configuration, the cathode magnet driving device 90 can simultaneously reciprocate the three cathode magnets 80 (80a, 80b, 80c) by the rotating shaft 92 connected to the output shaft 94 of the servo motor 91 by the shaft coupling 95. . Further, the reciprocating motion of the cathode magnet 80 can be synchronized among the plurality of target electrodes 51 (a plurality selected from 501 to 508).

  Here, the control device 99 includes a calculation device 101 that gives command values (commands) to the plurality of servo amplifiers 98 and monitors output values during the servo motor operation. The servo amplifier 98 is a device (driver) that supplies power to the servo motor 91 based on the command value from the control device 99 and the current position feedback from the servo motor 91. The current position of the servo motor 91 is calculated from the read value of the encoder. The abnormality detection system 100 which has the control apparatus 99 and the servo amplifier 98 and detects abnormality of the cathode magnet drive device 90 is comprised.

  FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the abnormality detection system 100. The abnormality detection system 100 is a system that detects an abnormality of the cathode magnet drive device 90 as described above, and includes the same number of servo amplifiers 98 and control devices 99 as the servo motors 91. First, the abnormality detection system 100 reads out a real-time output value from the servo amplifier 98 of the cathode magnet driving device 90 to be monitored for abnormality. Here, there are always a plurality of cathode magnet driving devices 90 to be monitored for abnormality.

  In this embodiment, the output values of the two cathode magnet driving devices 90 are read out. Each cathode 50 has the same weight, mechanical structure, and the like, and the load condition by the operation command given from the control device 99 is the same with respect to the output and the operation speed of the servo motor. Therefore, the combination for comparing the output values of the servo motor 91 is arbitrary. Note that the arithmetic processing is performed by the arithmetic device 101 configured to include the comparison arithmetic circuit 102 and the threshold determination circuit 103.

  In the present embodiment, the operations of the two cathode magnet driving devices 90 that read out the output value are synchronized, but the abnormality detection system can detect even if the operation timing is shifted. In this case, one of the output values to be compared may be shifted and compared by the time when the operation timing is shifted. That is, the “same load condition” described above does not mean that the operation timing of the cathode magnet driving device 90 is the same. Even when the load conditions are not the same, if the load conditions are set in advance (predetermined load conditions), the abnormality can be determined by comparing the difference between the output values.

  The absolute value of the difference between the two read output values is obtained by the comparison operation circuit 102, and when the absolute value of the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold (when the judgment condition is satisfied), the threshold judgment circuit 103 detects the difference. Abnormal processing starts. The abnormality determination criterion may be a case where the absolute value of the difference exceeds a threshold value for a predetermined time, or a case where an integral value of a portion where the absolute value of the difference exceeds the threshold value exceeds a reference value. Here, the output value is a current / voltage value (power value) supplied from the power source (driver) to the servo motor 91, and is a value proportional to the torque value generated by the servo motor 91. The data processing for abnormality determination will be described later with reference to FIG.

  If the absolute value of the difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it indicates that the load on one of the servo motors 91 of the cathode magnet driving device 90 attached to the compared cathode 50 has decreased or increased. It is conceivable that the gear 93 or the shaft coupling 95 is deformed, worn, damaged, or a foreign object is caught in the gear 93. The abnormality processing includes notifying the cathode magnet driving device 90 that detected the abnormality, stopping the device, and the like.

  Here, data processing in the abnormality detection system 100 will be described. First, data measured by the servo amplifier 98 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C show the state (normal state) of the cathode magnet driving device 90 measured by the detection device of the cathode magnet driving device. 6A is a speed-time diagram, FIG. 6B is an output-time diagram, and FIG. 6C is a position-time diagram. Although the horizontal axis in FIGS. 6 to 8 is expressed as time, the time here is position information of the servo motor 91 and can be replaced with the rotation angle or position of the servo motor.

  In FIG. 6A, the speed of the servo motor 91 alternately appears as plus and minus. This is because the servo motor 91 repeats normal rotation and reverse rotation in order to swing the cathode magnet 80. The speed is measured by the servo amplifier 98 reading an encoder attached to the servo motor 91. The output in FIG. 6B is a power value applied to the servo motor 91, and it can be seen that a large output is loaded when the speed changes. The position information in FIG. 6C is the rotation angle of the rotation shaft 92 of the servo motor 91 and is calculated from the measurement value of the encoder of the servo motor 91 read by the servo amplifier 98.

  Fig.7 (a)-FIG.7 (c) are the states (at the time of abnormality) of the cathode magnet drive device 90 measured with the detection apparatus of the cathode magnet drive device. 7A is a velocity-time diagram, FIG. 7B is an output-time diagram, and FIG. 7C is a position-time diagram. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C are examples in which the shaft coupling 95 is damaged. First, no abnormality is seen in the position-time diagram of FIG. This is because the servo motor 91 operates normally even if the shaft coupling 95 is damaged.

  A slight variation is observed in the speed-time diagram of FIG. 7A, which is probably because some member is in contact with the rotating shaft 92. Depending on the state of breakage of the shaft coupling 95, it may be considered that no change is observed in FIG. In the output-time diagram of FIG. 7B, a large change was recognized as compared with the normal time (see FIG. 6B). This is because the shaft coupling 95 is damaged and the output shaft 94 and the rotary shaft 92 of the servo motor are not connected, so that the output value (electric power) at the time of the acceleration / deceleration operation becomes smaller than normal.

  FIG. 8C is a diagram showing the absolute value of the difference between the normal time and the abnormal output-time diagram. FIG. 8A is a line segment showing the output-time at the normal time, and is the same line segment as FIG. 6B. FIG. 8B is a line segment showing the output-time at the time of abnormality, and is the same line segment as FIG. 7B. The change can be quantified by taking the absolute value of the difference between normal and abnormal output. Further, when a predetermined value is set as a threshold, it is possible to measure time and position exceeding the threshold. That is, an abnormality that cannot be detected even by position feedback of the encoder can be detected. Data processing for abnormality determination in the abnormality detection system 100 is performed by the arithmetic unit 101.

  Abnormality determination is performed in the arithmetic unit 101. When the cathode magnet drive device 90 is driven and controlled, it is constantly monitored. A flowchart of abnormality determination will be described with reference to FIG. In step S101, output values (power) are read from the plurality of servo amplifiers 98 and 99 to be compared. The reading of S101 is performed in real time. In step S102, output values (power) of arbitrary combinations are compared, and the absolute value of the difference is calculated. The combination of the output values compared in S102 is arbitrary, but is limited to the cathode magnet driving device 90 including a plurality of cathode magnets controlled under the same load condition. However, the pair of cathode magnet driving devices 90 arranged opposite to each other with the substrate conveyance path interposed therebetween are suitable for the combination for determining abnormality because the load conditions are the closest. This is because it is possible to reduce the threshold value for abnormality determination by calculating the difference between the output values, and to easily ensure the accuracy of abnormality determination.

  In step S103, the presence / absence of an abnormality is determined based on conditions (discrimination conditions) such as comparison with a threshold, duration, occurrence frequency within a specified time, and the like. In this embodiment, since S101 and S102 are performed in real time, a determination condition is adopted that determines that an abnormality occurs when a state in which the difference output in S102 exceeds a threshold value continues for a certain time or more. . If it is determined in S103 that there is no abnormality, the process returns to step S101, and steps S101 to S103 are repeated as long as there is no abnormality. If it is determined in S103 that there is an abnormality, the process proceeds to step S104.

  In step S104, the user is notified of the cathode magnet driving device 90 that has detected an abnormality, and processing such as stopping the device is performed. Examples of means for notifying the user of the abnormality in S104 include output of an alarm sound and display on the display of the control device. In S102 of the present embodiment, the absolute value of the difference is calculated, but the absolute value may not be calculated. When the absolute value calculation is not employed, a detection system that can identify the cathode 50 in which an abnormality has been detected can be provided. Specifically, the cathode magnet driving device 90 serving as a reference for taking the difference is determined, and the cathode magnet driving device 90 in which the abnormality is detected can be specified by determining whether the difference is the minus side or the plus side.

  In this embodiment, when the servo motor 91 does not operate normally, an abnormality is notified by an abnormality determination program different from the flowchart of FIG. This is because an abnormality is detected from the position information of the encoder when the servo motor 91 does not operate normally. Of course, the abnormality determination of the servo motor 91 may be performed before executing the abnormality determination flowchart of the present embodiment. For example, the control device reads the rotation angle information of the encoder of the servo motor, and is configured to notify the abnormality of the servo motor when the error (difference) between the preset rotation angle information and the preset value exceeds a certain value. be able to. In this case, when there is no abnormality in the rotation angle information of the servo motor, the flowchart of FIG. 9 is executed.

  According to the present invention, in a film forming apparatus having a plurality of power sources for driving a plurality of cathode magnets, an abnormality that cannot be detected even by position feedback of the encoder can be detected quickly and reliably. In particular, a great effect can be expected in finding a mechanical abnormality of the cathode magnet drive unit.

S Substrate GV Gate valve 1 Deposition device 5 Substrate holder 11 Deposition chamber 13 Preheating chamber 15 Substrate transfer chamber LL Substrate loading chamber UL Substrate take-out chamber 17 Transfer devices 19a, 19b Substrate cassette 50, 501-508 Cathode (triangle) Cathode)
51, 51a, 51b, 51c Target electrodes 60, 60a, 60b, 60c Target 61 Cathode chamber 70 Shield plates 80, 80a, 80b, 80c Cathode magnet 90 Cathode magnet drive device 91 Servo motor 92 Rotating shaft 93 Gear 94 Output shaft 95 Axis Fitting 98 servo amplifier (driver)
99 Controller (Controller)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Abnormality detection system 101 Arithmetic apparatus 102 Comparison arithmetic circuit 103 Threshold judgment circuit

Claims (4)

A plurality of cathode magnet devices;
A transmission means coupled to each of the plurality of cathode magnet devices;
Driving means connected to each of the transmission means and operating the cathode magnet device under a predetermined load condition via the transmission means;
Control means for controlling the drive means,
The control means includes
Calculate the difference between the power values supplied to any two of the plurality of driving means,
Comparing the difference with a preset discrimination condition;
When the difference satisfies the determination condition, an abnormality of the transmission unit is notified.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination condition is a condition in which the difference exceeds a preset threshold value for a predetermined time. The plurality of cathode magnet devices are arranged on both sides of the substrate transport path,
The cathode magnet device operated by the two driving means for calculating the difference is a pair of the cathode magnet devices arranged to face each other with the substrate transport path interposed therebetween. 2. The film forming apparatus according to 2. 4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined load condition is a condition in which a plurality of the driving units operate synchronously under the same load condition. 5.