JP7488149B2 - Vacuum processing apparatus and vacuum processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of vacuum processing equipment and vacuum processing methods, and in particular to a vacuum processing equipment and vacuum processing method that reduce residual charge.

As shown in the following Patent Document 1, a conventional method is to measure the induced current generated when the substrate is released, calculate the reverse bias voltage value and application time for erasing the residual charge from the measured value, and store the calculated voltage value and application time in advance. After applying a voltage to the electrodes in a vacuum atmosphere to adsorb the substrate and perform vacuum processing, when the substrate is released, a reverse bias voltage of the calculated voltage value is applied for the calculated application time to reduce the residual adsorption force generated in the substrate.

However, in recent years, the types of devices have become more diverse, and in some cases, the substrates that are continuously vacuum-processed are not the same type but a mixture of several types, or the amount of warping of the substrate varies due to the thinning of the substrate. In order to erase the residual charge on the substrate, the residual adhesion force cannot be removed by simply applying a constant reverse bias voltage for a certain period of time. As a result, problems such as damage to the substrate during removal or misalignment of the substrate due to the substrate jumping up during removal have occurred. This problem is particularly noticeable in large substrates, such as FPDs and mounting substrates, where the substrate is operated with low rigidity (small moment of area) in the relationship between the substrate and the lift pins (or where substrate deflection is tolerated). This is thought to be due in part to the fact that the same minute thickness variation that was not previously a problem can cause a large variation in dielectric constant due to the larger and thinner substrates, resulting in inability to completely reduce the residual charge.

Patent No. 3913355

The present invention was created to solve the problems of the conventional technology described above, and provides a technology that reliably eliminates residual charges.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vacuum processing apparatus including: a vacuum chamber; a suction device disposed in the vacuum chamber, the device body being provided with a first type of electrode and a second type of electrode spaced apart from each other; and a power supply device for applying, between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode, a suction voltage for suctioning a substrate disposed on the suction device, and a first separation voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the suction voltage and for reducing residual charge, the suction voltage being applied between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode, processing a manufactured substrate suctioned by the suction device in a vacuum atmosphere, and applying the first separation voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode to reduce charges accumulated between the suction device and the manufactured substrate, thereby separating the suction device and the manufactured substrate. a main measurement electrode is provided in the main body at a position spaced apart from the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode and facing a portion near the edge of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device, and the vacuum processing apparatus is provided with a separation device that separates a main facing portion of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device, which is a portion facing the main measurement electrode, from the suction device, and a current measuring device that measures the magnitude of a main measurement current that is a current flowing through the main measurement electrode, and the area of the main measurement electrode is made smaller than the area of the first type of electrode and the area of the second type of electrode, and when the manufacturing substrate is adsorbed, a voltage of the same polarity and magnitude as the voltage applied to the first type of electrode is applied to the main measurement electrode.
The present invention also relates to a vacuum processing apparatus, wherein the part separation device has a movable measurement pin, and the contact portion of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device with which the measurement pin comes into contact is positioned between the edge of the manufacturing substrate and the main facing portion.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing apparatus having a control device that determines the polarity, magnitude and application time of a second spacing voltage that reduces the residual charge of the production substrate that has been adsorbed by the suction device and to which the first spacing voltage has been applied, from the direction and magnitude of the measured main measurement current, and applies the second spacing voltage between the first and second types of electrodes using the power supply device.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing apparatus having a memory device that stores a current-voltage relationship in which the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage are associated with the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current, and the control device determines the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage and the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current by comparing them with the current-voltage relationship.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing apparatus in which the apparatus main body is provided with a secondary measurement electrode that is spaced apart from the first type of electrode, the second type of electrode, and the main measurement electrode, adjacent to the main measurement electrode, and smaller than the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode, and the secondary measurement electrode is arranged at a location that is separated from the suction device after the secondary facing portion, which is a portion of the manufacturing substrate arranged in the apparatus main body that faces the secondary measurement electrode, and the main facing portion are separated from the suction device by the part separation device, and a voltage of the same polarity and magnitude as the main measurement electrode is applied to the secondary measurement electrode when the manufacturing substrate is adsorbed, and the direction and magnitude of the secondary measurement current, which is a current flowing through the secondary measurement electrode, is measured by the current measuring device.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing apparatus having a control device that determines the magnitude and application time of a second separation voltage that reduces residual charge on the production substrate that is adsorbed by the adsorption device and to which the first separation voltage has been applied, from the measured magnitude of the main measurement current and the measured magnitude of the secondary measurement current, and applies the second separation voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing apparatus having a memory device that stores a current-voltage relationship in which the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage are associated with the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current, and the control device determines the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage, the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current, and the direction and magnitude of the secondary measurement current by comparing them with the current-voltage relationship.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing method including the steps of: an attraction step of applying an attraction voltage between a first type of electrode and a second type of electrode spaced apart from each other to an attraction device provided on an apparatus body, thereby causing the attraction device to attract a manufactured substrate; a processing step of processing the manufactured substrate attracted to the attraction device in a vacuum atmosphere; a first residual charge reduction step of applying a first separation voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the attraction voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode, thereby reducing residual charge; and a separation step of separating the manufactured substrate from the attraction device, wherein in the processing step: This vacuum processing method includes a current measurement process in which a voltage of the same polarity and magnitude as the voltage applied to the first type of electrode is applied to a main measurement electrode that is smaller than the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode and is arranged in a position facing a portion near the edge of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device, and after a first residual charge reduction process and before performing the separation process, a main facing portion of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device that faces the main measurement electrode is separated from the suction device to pass a current through the main measurement electrode, and the magnitude of the main measurement current that flows through the main measurement electrode is measured.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing method in which, in the current measurement process, a force is applied to a portion of the manufacturing substrate between the main facing portion and an edge of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device, causing the main facing portion to move away from the suction device.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing method including a second residual charge reduction process, after the current measurement process and before the separation process, of applying a second separation voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode, wherein in the current measurement process, the polarity, magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage that reduces the residual charge of the production substrate that is adsorbed by the adsorption device and to which the first separation voltage has been applied are determined from the direction and magnitude of the measured main measurement current.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing method in which, in the current measurement step, the polarity, magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage are determined by comparing the measured direction and magnitude of the main measurement current with a current-voltage relationship in which the polarity, magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage correspond to the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current.
The present invention also relates to a vacuum processing method in which, in the processing step, a voltage of the same polarity and magnitude as that of the main measurement electrode is applied to a secondary measurement electrode that is adjacent to the main measurement electrode of the apparatus main body, is located insulated from the first type electrode, the second type electrode, and the main measurement electrode, and is smaller than the first type electrode and the second type electrode, and in the current measurement step, a secondary facing portion, which is the portion of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device that faces the secondary measurement electrode, is separated from the suction device after the main facing portion is separated, thereby passing a current through the secondary measurement electrode, and the magnitude of the secondary measurement current that flows through the secondary measurement electrode is measured.
The present invention is also a vacuum processing method which includes a second residual charge reduction step of applying a second separation voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode after the current measurement step and before the separation step, and which includes a condition determination step of determining, after the current measurement step and before the second residual charge reduction step, the magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage which reduces the residual charge of the production substrate which has been adsorbed by the chucking device and to which the first separation voltage has been applied, from the measured magnitude of the main measurement current and the measured magnitude of the secondary measurement current.
The present invention is also a vacuum processing method in which the magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage are determined by comparing the measured magnitude of the main measurement current with the measured magnitude of the secondary measurement current in a current-voltage relationship in which the magnitude of the main measurement current and the magnitude of the secondary measurement current correspond to the magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing method, wherein when the second separation voltage is applied, the main measurement electrode is insulated from the first type of electrodes and the second type of electrodes.
The present invention also provides a vacuum processing method, in which the main measurement electrode and the secondary measurement electrode are insulated from the first type of electrodes and the second type of electrodes when the second separation voltage is applied.

After the residual charge is eliminated, the manufactured substrate can be separated from the suction device, preventing damage to the substrate or misalignment during transport.

The main facing part of the manufacturing substrate that is to be actually separated from the suction device is separated from the suction device, and the polarity and magnitude of the main measurement current that flows through the main measurement electrode at that time is measured, so that the residual charge of the manufacturing substrate that is to be actually separated from the suction device and the suction device can be measured.

For multiple manufactured boards on which different magnitudes of main measurement current were measured, the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage that reduces the residual charge are determined, and a current-voltage relationship that correlates the polarity and magnitude of the main measurement current to the determined polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage is stored in a storage device.By comparing the polarity and magnitude of the measured main measurement current with the current-voltage relationship, the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage that reduces the residual charge can be determined even for manufactured boards of different types or thicknesses.

By incorporating into the current-voltage relationship the relationship between the polarity and magnitude of the main measurement current flowing through the main measurement electrode and the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage that reduces the residual charge, the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage can be determined from the main measurement current and the secondary measurement current, and an accurate second separation voltage can be obtained.

An example of the vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention Plan view of an adsorption device used in the present invention FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a main facing portion of the manufacturing substrate that faces a main measurement electrode is separated from the suction device. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a secondary facing portion of the manufacturing substrate that faces the secondary measurement electrode is separated from the suction device. Other examples of adsorption devices

Reference numeral 105 in FIG. 1 denotes a vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention.
This vacuum processing apparatus 105 is a sputtering apparatus, and includes a vacuum chamber 111 , an adsorption device 112 disposed inside the vacuum chamber 111 , and a sputtering target 141 disposed on the adsorption device 112 .

The suction device 112 has a plate-shaped device body 129 made of an insulating material, and inside the device body 129 are provided first to fourth suction electrodes 121 to 124, each of which has a thin film or thin plate shape, a main measurement electrode 125, and a secondary measurement electrode 126 that is spaced apart from the main measurement electrode 125.

The surfaces of the first to fourth chucking electrodes 121 to 124, the main measurement electrode 125, and the secondary measurement electrode 126 are arranged so as to be located on the same plane inside the device body 129.

The surface of the suction device 112 is parallel to the electrode plane, and therefore an insulating material constituting the device body 129 is arranged at a constant thickness between the surface of the suction device 112 and the surfaces of the first to fourth suction electrodes 121 to 124, the main measurement electrode 125, and the secondary measurement electrode 126. Even if the insulating material is not of a constant thickness, this can be dealt with by performing a correction calculation according to the thickness.

If the plane on which the surfaces of the first to fourth suction electrodes 121 to 124, the main measurement electrode 125, and the secondary measurement electrode 126 are located is defined as the electrode plane, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the suction device 112 with the device body 129 on the electrode plane removed. The suction device 112 in FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the suction device 112 cut along a cut line corresponding to line A-A in FIG. 2.

The first to third suction electrodes 121 to 123 are circular ring-shaped, and the fourth suction electrode 124 is circular. The device body 129 is circular, the first to third suction electrodes 121 to 123 are formed with different diameters, and the first to fourth suction electrodes 121 to 124 are arranged in this order at regular intervals from the edge of the suction device 112 toward the inside.

The main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 have a smaller area than any of the first to fourth chucking electrodes 121 to 124. Here, a portion of the first chucking electrode 121 located on the outermost periphery has been removed, and the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 are disposed in the removed portion.

A main lifting device 137 and a measurement lifting device 138 are arranged outside the vacuum chamber 111.

A through hole is formed in the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 111, and on the outside of the vacuum chamber 111, a plurality of lifting bellows 146 and at least one measurement bellows 131 are provided on the bottom surface so that their edges surround the through hole in the bottom surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, the suction device 112 has a number of lifting holes 145 and one measurement hole 135, and the measurement hole 135 is positioned in the same straight line as the through hole in the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber 111. Inside each of the lifting holes 145, through holes, and lifting bellows 146, a rod-shaped lifting pin 148 is disposed, one end of which is connected to the main lifting device 137. Inside the measurement hole 135, through hole, and measurement bellows 131, a rod-shaped measurement pin 132 is disposed, one end of which is connected to the measurement lifting device 138.

In FIG. 2, an example is shown in which a measurement hole 135 is formed, but the functions related to the series of measurement holes 135 described below may be configured so that at least one of the lift holes 145 can be shared. In the case of a shared configuration, the lift pins 148 and the measurement pins 132 can be made to have the same lift mechanism, and it is also possible to have a simplified configuration in which the total number of pins can be reduced. Furthermore, since it is possible to provide a maximum of the same number of measurement holes 135 as the lift holes 145, it becomes possible to grasp the average number of measurement points and the distribution situation, and a configuration that allows for more accurate measurements can be achieved.

By the operation of the main lifting device 137 and the measurement lifting device 138, the lifting pin 148 and the measurement pin 132 move with the expansion and contraction of the lifting bellows 146 and the measurement bellows 131. Here, the electrode plane and the surface of the suction device 112 are horizontal, and the lifting pin 148 and the measurement pin 132 are erected.

The main lifting device 137 and the measurement lifting device 138 move the upper end of the lifting pin 148 and the upper end of the measurement pin 132 between a position protruding from the surface of the suction device 112 and a position housed inside the suction device 112.

The main lifting device 137 and the measurement lifting device 138 are configured to exhibit identical dynamic characteristics when moving between two points (extended position, retracted position). For example, identical dynamic characteristics are ensured when moving between two points by position control with feedback, force control using a solenoid coil, gas pressure, or cylinder, or speed control using an electric motor. A typical example of identical dynamic characteristics is when the main lifting device 137 and the measurement lifting device 138 are mechanically linked and exhibit the same operation.

A vacuum exhaust device 143, a sputtering gas source 144, and a sputtering power supply 142 are arranged outside the vacuum chamber 111.

When the vacuum processing device 105 is used to perform vacuum processing on a manufacturing substrate, the vacuum exhaust device 143 is operated, and the vacuum exhaust device 143 evacuates the inside of the vacuum chamber 111 to form a vacuum atmosphere.

The tip of the lift pin 148 and the tip of the measurement pin 132 are positioned inside the suction device 112 (storage position), and the manufacturing substrate is carried into the vacuum chamber 111 while the inside of the vacuum chamber 111 is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust device 143.

After the transported manufacturing substrate is positioned on the surface of the suction device 112, the main moving device 137 raises each lift pin 148, and the manufacturing substrate 113 is placed on the lift pins 148 in the protruding position. The lift pins 148 are then lowered, and the back surface of the manufacturing substrate is brought into contact with the surface of the suction device 112, whereby the manufacturing substrate is placed on the suction device 112. The reference numeral 113 in FIG. 1 indicates the manufacturing substrate placed on the suction device 112.

A control device 118 and a power supply device 116 are arranged outside the vacuum device 111.

The power supply device 116 is electrically connected to the first to fourth chucking electrodes 121 to 124. The power supply device 116 is also connected to the control device 118. A control signal output by the control device 118 is input to the power supply device 116, and the power supply device 116 is controlled by the control device 118.

When the manufacturing substrate 113 is placed on the suction device 112 in contact with the suction device 112, the power supply device 116 applies voltages of the same polarity and magnitude to the first suction electrode 121 and the third suction electrode 123, and applies voltages of the same polarity and magnitude to the second suction electrode 122 and the fourth suction electrode 124.

The vacuum chamber 111 is connected to ground potential, and voltages of opposite polarity are applied between the first and third chucking electrodes 121, 123 and the second and fourth chucking electrodes 122, 124.

For example, when a positive voltage is applied to the first and third chucking electrodes 121, 123, a negative voltage is applied to the second and fourth chucking electrodes 122, 124, and when a negative voltage is applied to the first and third chucking electrodes 121, 123, a positive voltage is applied to the second and fourth chucking electrodes 122, 124.

If the set of the first and third suction electrodes 121, 123 is a first type of electrode, and the set of the second and fourth suction electrodes 122, 124 is a second type of electrode, the first type of electrodes and the second type of electrodes are arranged at a fixed distance apart, and the first and second types of electrodes are separated from the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126. Reference numeral 108 denotes the first type of electrode, and reference numeral 109 denotes the second type of electrode.

Here, it is assumed that a conductive thin film is formed on the manufacturing substrate 113 to be attracted by the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109. This also includes the case where the conductive thin film is formed on the manufacturing substrate 113 placed on the attraction device 112.

Capacitors are formed between the first type of electrode 108 and the conductive thin film of the manufacturing substrate 113, between the second type of electrode 109 and the conductive thin film of the manufacturing substrate 113, between the main measurement electrode 125 and the conductive thin film of the manufacturing substrate 113, and between the secondary measurement electrode 126 and the conductive thin film of the manufacturing substrate 113. If the capacitor formed between the first type of electrode 108 and the conductive thin film is the first capacitor, and the capacitor formed between the second type of electrode 109 and the conductive thin film is the second capacitor, the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109 are electrically connected by a series connection circuit of the first capacitor and the second capacitor.

If the capacitor formed between the main measurement electrode 125 and the conductive thin film of the manufacturing substrate 113 is the main measurement capacitor, and the capacitor formed between the secondary measurement electrode 126 and the conductive thin film of the manufacturing substrate 113 is the secondary measurement capacitor, the main measurement electrode 125 and the second type of electrode 109 are connected by a series connection circuit of the main measurement capacitor and the second capacitor, and the secondary measurement electrode 126 and the second type of electrode 109 are connected by a series connection circuit of the secondary measurement capacitor and the second capacitor.

When the power supply unit 116 applies a voltage to the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109, a voltage of the same polarity and magnitude as that of the first type of electrode 108 is applied to the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126.

If the voltage between the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109 is the adsorption voltage, the magnitude of the voltage between the main measurement electrode 125 and the second type of electrode 109 and between the secondary measurement electrode 126 and the second type of electrode 109 will also be equal to the adsorption voltage.

As a result, when an attraction voltage is applied between the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109, the series connection circuit of the first capacitor and the second capacitor, the series connection circuit of the main measurement capacitor and the second capacitor, and the series connection circuit of the secondary measurement capacitor and the second capacitor are each charged by the attraction voltage.

The control device 118 is provided with a memory device 119, which stores the polarity and magnitude of the adsorption voltage. An adsorption voltage of the polarity and magnitude stored in the memory device 119 is applied between the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109, and an electrostatic force or gradient force is generated between the first and second types of electrodes 108, 109 and the manufacturing substrate 113, and the manufacturing substrate 113 is adsorbed to the adsorption device 112.

When the manufacturing substrate 113 is adsorbed to the adsorption device 112, the thermal resistance between the manufacturing substrate 113 and the adsorption device 112 is smaller than the state before adsorption, and the temperature of the manufacturing substrate 113 can be easily controlled by the heater and cooling device arranged inside the adsorption device 112.

The sputtering target 141 is attached to the cathode electrode 140, which is connected to the sputtering power supply 142. A sputtering gas source 144 introduces a sputtering gas into the vacuum atmosphere. The control device 118 controls the temperature of the production substrate 113, and the sputtering power supply 142 is operated to apply a sputtering voltage to the cathode electrode 140. The sputtering target 141 is sputtered, and the vacuum processing of the production substrate 113 begins as a thin film is formed on the surface of the production substrate 113.

When the thin film is formed to the specified thickness, the application of the sputtering voltage is terminated, the vacuum process is completed, and the application of the adsorption voltage is stopped.

In this state, residual charges are generated between each electrode 108, 109, 125, 126 and the production substrate 113.

The memory device 119 stores the magnitude and application time of the first separation voltage, which has the opposite polarity to the attraction voltage.

When the power supply device 116 applies a first separation voltage of a magnitude stored in the memory device 119 between the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109 for an application time stored in the memory device 119 while the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 are shorted to the first type of electrode 108, the residual charge accumulated in the production substrate 113 and the suction device 112 is reduced.

Assuming that the measurement lifting device 138, the measurement bellows 131, and the measurement pin 132 constitute the part separation device 130, the part separation device 130 is controlled by the control device 118.

The control device 118 applies a first separation voltage using the power supply device 116, then connects the first type of electrode 108, the second type of electrode 109, the main measurement electrode 125, and the secondary measurement electrode 126 to ground potential, and then operates the partial separation device 130 to raise the measurement pin 132 located inside the suction device 112 (storage position). In the process of reaching the protruding position, the tip of the measurement pin 132 comes into contact with the rear surface of the manufacturing substrate 113.

When the portion of the manufacturing substrate 113 adsorbed to the suction device 112 that faces the main measurement electrode 125 is defined as the main facing portion, and the portion that faces the secondary measurement electrode 126 is defined as the secondary facing portion, the main measurement electrode 125 is positioned so that the main facing portion is located near the edge of the manufacturing substrate 113 adsorbed to the suction device 112.

In addition, if the portion of the manufacturing substrate 113 adsorbed to the adsorption device 112 that the tip of the measuring pin 132 comes into contact with is defined as the contact portion, the measuring pin 132 is positioned such that the contact portion is closer to the edge of the manufacturing substrate 113 than the main facing portion, and is located between the edge of the manufacturing substrate 113 and the main facing portion.

The secondary measurement electrode 126 is also positioned such that the secondary facing portion is farther from the edge of the manufacturing substrate 113 adsorbed to the adsorption device 112 than the primary facing portion, and therefore the secondary measurement electrode 126 is located farther from the edge of the device body 129 than the primary measurement electrode 125.

In this example, the secondary measurement electrode 126 is positioned so that the secondary facing portion is located on a straight line connecting the contact portion and the main facing portion, and in particular, it is preferable to position the secondary measurement electrode 126 so that the secondary facing portion is located on a straight line connecting the center of the contact portion and the center of the main facing portion.

Even after the first separation voltage is applied between the first and second types of electrodes 108, 109, residual charge remains, and after the measuring pin 132 comes into contact with the contact portion, when the tip of the measuring pin 132 is further moved in a direction protruding from the suction device 112, the resistance due to the residual charge affects the dynamic characteristics with respect to the protruding movement force, but since the protruding movement force is set to be large relative to the resistance, the portion of the manufacturing substrate 113 near the contact portion first separates from the suction device 112. In other words, the resistance due to the residual charge in that nearby portion affects the dynamic characteristics.

When the tip of the measurement pin 132 protrudes from the suction device 112 by a larger amount, the area of the portion of the manufacturing substrate 113 that is separated from the suction device 112 increases.

In other words, the resistance caused by the residual charge in the area gradually separated from the nearby area in a concentric circle (the resistance generated in the contact area beyond the boundary of the concentric circle) exerts a dominant effect on the dynamic characteristics of the measurement pin 132 (the reference dynamic characteristics described later) through the bending rigidity of the manufacturing substrate 113 (due to the second moment of area and Young's modulus of the manufacturing substrate).

The boundary between the portion of the manufacturing substrate 113 that is separated from the suction device 112 and the portion that maintains contact with the suction device 112 initially expands like an umbrella, but as the amount that the tip of the measurement pin 132 protrudes from the suction device 112 increases, it eventually moves from a position near the contact portion toward the center of the manufacturing substrate 113.

When the boundary passes over the main measurement electrode 125, the distance between the conductive thin film of the manufacturing substrate 113 and the main measurement electrode 125 increases, and when the main facing portion moves away from the suction device 112 as shown in Figure 3, the capacitance value of the main measurement capacitor decreases to a value close to zero.

In addition, after the boundary passes over the primary measurement electrode 125, it also passes over the secondary measurement electrode 126, and when the secondary facing portion separates from the suction device 112 as shown in FIG. 4, the capacitance value of the secondary measurement capacitor decreases to a value close to zero.

On the other hand, when the boundary passes over the primary measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126, the portion of the manufacturing substrate 113 that faces the second type of electrode 109 maintains contact with the suction device 112, and there is no change in the capacitance value of the second capacitor.

Therefore, while the boundary passes over the main measurement electrode 125, a discharge occurs due to the charge stored in the main measurement capacitor, and the discharge causes a main measurement current to flow through the main measurement electrode 125. A current of the same magnitude and in the same direction also flows in the second capacitor.

In addition, while the boundary passes over the secondary measurement electrode 126, a discharge occurs due to the charge stored in the secondary measurement capacitor, and the discharge causes a secondary measurement current to flow through the secondary measurement electrode 126. A current of the same magnitude and in the same direction also flows in the second capacitor.

The main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 are connected to the power supply unit 116 via the current measuring device 115, and are capable of measuring the direction, value, and flow time of the main measurement current, and the direction, value, and flow time of the secondary measurement current, which is the current flowing through the secondary measurement electrode 126.

In other words, by comparing the current measured values with the standard correlation for the direction, value, and time of flow of the main measurement current and secondary measurement current, as well as the correlation between each value, and checking for deviations from the standard, the change in dynamic characteristics, i.e., the state of residual charge, can be measured.

The direction and magnitude of the main measurement current and the direction and magnitude of the secondary measurement current measured by the current measuring device 115 are output from the current measuring device 115 to the control device 118 as measurement results, and the measurement results, correlation comparisons, etc. are displayed on the display device 147 connected to the control device 118.

The capacitance values of the first capacitor, the second capacitor, the main measurement capacitor, and the secondary measurement capacitor are measured in advance and stored in the memory device 119. The control device 118 calculates the magnitude of the charge accumulated in the main measurement capacitor, and from the polarity and magnitude of that charge, it can also calculate the polarity and magnitude of the residual charge accumulated in the production substrate 113 and the suction device 112 and display them on the display device 147.

Based on the measurement results displayed on the display device 147, the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the voltage to reduce the residual charge are determined, and the measurement pin 132 is housed inside the measurement hole 135, and with the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 insulated from the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109, a second separation voltage of the determined polarity and magnitude is applied between the first and second types of electrodes 108, 109 for the determined application time, thereby reducing the residual charge.

If the measurement results are identical to the reference correlation, the second separation voltage based on the measurement results will naturally have a voltage polarity, magnitude, and application time of zero. This is an ideal result in terms of production efficiency. This is because the residual charge has been sufficiently reduced by the first separation voltage, so the measurement process using the part separation device 130 and the application process of the second separation voltage can be omitted by the control device 118, thereby shortening the process.

In other words, it is preferable for the control device 118 to change the first separation voltage to be applied to the next manufacturing substrate 113 to a voltage obtained by adding or subtracting the second separation voltage, or a voltage obtained by adding or subtracting a value obtained by multiplying the second separation voltage by a certain coefficient (as an alternative method, a graph is used in which the relationship between the first and second separation voltages is plotted in a preliminary measurement, and a function that can be used to interpolate between the points is derived and this function is used).

By applying the second separation voltage, the residual charge accumulated on the production substrate 113 and the suction device 112 is reduced, and the lift pins 148 are raised from inside the lift hole 145, the production substrate 113 is placed on the lift pins 148, and the production substrate 113 is separated from the suction device 112, and the production substrate 113 on which the thin film has been formed can be moved to another vacuum processing device.

As another example, the following method can be used to shorten the process.

Step 1. As described above, a vacuum process is performed while the manufacturing substrate 113 is being adsorbed, and a first separation voltage is applied between the first and second types of electrodes 108, 109. Then, the tip of the measurement pin 132 is moved in a direction protruding from the adsorption device 112, and the portion near the contact portion begins to separate from the adsorption device 112.

Step 2. The boundary between the part separated from the suction device 112 and the part where contact between the suction device 112 is maintained reaches the main measurement electrode 125. The distinction between the arrival and the next step (step 3) is made by the current value (trigger current value) flowing through the current measurement device 115 connected to the predetermined main measurement electrode 125. This current value functions as an ammeter operation start trigger that starts the current measurement device 115. If the current value is below this value, it means that the residual charge has been sufficiently reduced by the first separation voltage (i.e., there is no need to apply the second separation voltage), so the operation of applying the second separation voltage is not started and the subsequent steps are not performed. Note that exceeding the trigger current value means that even if the first separation voltage is applied, the residual charge is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, so for example, the thickness of the manufacturing substrate 113 is different from the assumption at the time the first separation voltage was set.

Step 3. The current corresponding to the movement of the boundary on the primary measurement electrode 125 is detected by the current measuring device 115. (The detected current reflects the shape of the electrode, the movement of the boundary, and the second moment of area of the manufactured substrate 113. In other words, from the viewpoint of the signal/noise ratio, it is desirable to have an electrode shape that is the same as the speed of reduction of the contact area, and to provide the electrode at a location where the manufactured substrate 113 is easily deformed by the measurement pin 132. In this way, the necessity for the second separation voltage can be grasped more accurately. The same applies to the secondary measurement electrode 126 described later.)
Step 4. The fact that the boundary has passed over the main measurement electrode 125 and is located outside the main measurement electrode 125 is detected by the magnitude of the current flowing through the current measuring device 115 being equal to or less than the trigger current value.

Step 5. As the boundary moves, similar measurements are performed on each secondary measurement electrode 126 in steps 2 to 4 above.

In addition, by configuring the boundary so that it cannot exist simultaneously on the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126, the time interval between the signals originating from the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 can be maintained, and the time interval in step 6 can be lengthened, which is preferable in terms of the signal/noise ratio.

If the dynamic characteristics are the same, the movement of the boundary is governed by the residual charge and bending rigidity, so in the case of a circular base, the circumferential side tends to separate first and the central side tends to separate later, so in order to increase the sensitivity of the current measurement when the boundary moves on the secondary measurement electrode 126, it can be said that it is preferable for the secondary measurement electrode 126 to have a shape in which the area on the circumferential side is larger than the area on the central side (for example, a sector, triangle, or doughnut cut shape). (However, in a configuration in which the primary measurement electrode and secondary measurement electrode are provided in a minute region in which the boundary spreads out like an umbrella centered on the measurement pin, it is preferable to adopt a shape in which the area on the measurement pin side is larger.)
In this sense, it is desirable to position the secondary measurement electrode 126 closer to the corner than the measurement pin 132 if the manufactured substrate is rectangular, and it is desirable to position the secondary measurement electrode 126 closer to the circumference than the measurement pin 132 if the manufactured substrate is circular.

Step 6. A preliminary measurement is carried out as described below, and based on this, the main measurement electrode 125 and the sub-measurement electrode 126 are measured.
a) Start and end time interval of the main measurement current, and start and end time interval of the secondary measurement current
b) Peak current interval (time interval between the peaks of the primary and secondary measurement currents)
c) Compare with a selected measurement value (hereinafter, these are called evaluation values) for one or more preset current value excess judgments and judgment time intervals, etc.

Step 7. The current residual charge is obtained as a result of the comparison. The simplest comparison involves obtaining standards for two different residual charges in the <preliminary measurement> described below, using these two standards to perform linear interpolation, and using this function for comparison to calculate the current residual charge. Naturally, multiple standards can be obtained and compared using a function that has been interpolated with a polynomial to obtain the residual charge, and naturally multiple evaluation values can be used to obtain the residual charge as a multivariate function.

Step 8. If the calculation in step 7 is configured so that the calculation is completed within the time period when the measurement pin 132 continues to move toward the protruding position, the boundary leaves the upper surface of the secondary measurement electrode 126 in step 5, and the boundary does not reach the first and second types of electrodes 108 and 109, the second separation voltage is applied before the boundary reaches the first and second types of electrodes 108 and 109, making it possible to sufficiently reduce the residual charge. Note that the dynamic characteristics are such that the boundary reaches the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109 after the application time. With such dynamic characteristics, the boundary passes with the residual charge held by the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109 reduced (almost disappeared), so that the substrate is not damaged or transported out of alignment when the manufacturing substrate 113 is separated from the suction device 112.

Step 9. If the lift pins 148 are configured to reach the back surface of the substrate at the end of step 8, the lift pins 148 can be raised and the manufactured substrate 113 placed on the lift pins 148 (and on the measurement pins 132) to separate the manufactured substrate 113 from the suction device 112, allowing the manufactured substrate 113 on which the thin film has been formed to be moved to another vacuum processing device. This results in the measurement step and the charge removal step being incorporated into a series of substrate movement steps, and no delays due to additional steps are incurred.

<Preliminary measurement>
Here, before starting vacuum processing of the production substrate 113, a test substrate of a different type or structure (or a test substrate that is the same as or has a different thickness as the production substrate 113) is placed in the suction device 112, and with the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 electrically connected to the first type of electrodes 108, an chucking voltage is applied between the first type of electrodes 108 and the second type of electrodes 109 for a predetermined time to chucking the test substrate, and then, with the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 electrically connected to the first type of electrodes 108, a first separation voltage of opposite polarity to the chucking voltage and of a magnitude stored in the memory device 119 is applied between the first type of electrodes 108 and the second type of electrodes 109 for the application time stored in the memory device 119, to reduce the residual charge to the target value in the preliminary measurement.

The test board placed on the suction device 112 is moved between two points (projection position, storage position) of the measurement pin 132 by the measurement lifting device 138, and the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current and secondary measurement current of the test board in which the residual charge has been reduced by the first separation voltage are measured (the value of this measurement corresponds to the evaluation value). By performing this preliminary measurement, it is possible to derive a function of each residual charge and the evaluation value for multiple test boards. Naturally, a table can be used to compare each value instead of a function, and this can be replaced with a function and numerical processing based on the table. Note that the residual charge is proportional to the force applied when the measurement pin 132 is raised, and the force (for example, a value in units of N) can be replaced with a charge to correspond to the evaluation value. Other examples of force recording can be the pressure of the medium in the case of pneumatic control, or the drive current in the case of control using a solenoid or motor.

After measuring the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current and the sub-measurement current corresponding to the residual charge for a plurality of test substrates in this manner, the test substrate is again adsorbed, and a state is created in which each of the residual charges described above (each target value in the preliminary measurement) exists on the test substrate. In a state in which the main measurement electrode 125 and the sub-measurement electrode 126 are insulated from the first type electrode 108 and the second type electrode 109, a second separation voltage of a different magnitude or application time for each test substrate is applied between the first and second types of electrodes 108 and 109 with a polarity that reduces the residual charge. Then, the lift pin 148 is raised, and the test substrate is separated from the adsorption device 112 while measuring the force applied to the lift pin 148. Naturally, the second separation voltage is set to a residual charge amount that does not cause damage to the substrate or a conveyance deviation, that is, the current value flowing through the current measuring device 115 connected to the main measurement electrode 125 is equal to or less than a predetermined trigger current value. The measurement pin 132 may be raised in synchronization with the rise of the lift pin 148. If a function or table can be established for the correlation between each of the residual charges described above and the second separation voltage that is equal to or less than a predetermined trigger current value, the residual charge can be identified by raising the measurement pin 132, and then the second separation voltage can be applied. Even if the first separation voltage is not enough to reduce the residual charge, the second separation voltage can be applied before the lift pin 148 rises, so that damage to the substrate or transport deviations do not occur.

Now, for test substrates of different types, structures, and thicknesses, evaluation values such as the main measurement current corresponding to each test substrate are obtained, and the correspondence with each residual charge is created as a function or table, and this is stored in the memory device 119. Even if the manufactured substrate 113 is not of the same type, structure, or thickness as the test substrate, the correspondence between the evaluation value obtained by measurement and the residual charge can be complemented to determine the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage that reduces the force when separating.

Therefore, the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage are obtained from the measurement result of the main measurement current and the current-voltage relationship, or the measurement result of the main measurement current and the secondary measurement current and the current-voltage relationship (i.e., the relationship between the evaluation value and each residual charge, and the relationship between each residual charge and the second separation voltage), and the second separation voltage is applied to the manufacturing substrate 113 for the application time obtained from the current-voltage relationship while the main measurement electrode 125 and the secondary measurement electrode 126 are insulated from the first type of electrode 108 and the second type of electrode 109, thereby making it possible to further reduce the residual charge compared to before the second separation voltage was applied. In other words, even if there is an inconvenient residual charge due to an unexpected event such as the thickness of the manufacturing substrate 113 being different from that expected at the time the first separation voltage was set, the second separation voltage can be applied in the measurement accompanying the rise of the measurement pin 132, so that the residual charge can be further reduced and no damage or transport deviation of the substrate occurs.

For example, the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage obtained from the main measurement current may be used, or the second separation voltage obtained by averaging the magnitude and application time obtained from the main measurement current and the magnitude and application time obtained from the secondary measurement current may be used. The polarity may be obtained from either the main measurement current or the secondary measurement current.

<Other examples of adsorption devices>
FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining electrodes of another adsorption device 221 that can be used in the present invention.

The adsorption device 221 has multiple first type electrodes 208, multiple second type electrodes 209, and multiple third type electrodes 210.

In this suction device 221, the third type electrode 210 is a set of electrodes each consisting of two interdigitated positive electrodes 236 and two interdigitated negative electrodes 237, and the first and second type electrodes 208 and 209 are rectangular ring shaped, but the shapes of the first and second type electrodes 208 and 209 are not limited to rectangular ring shapes and may be polygonal.

The first type electrodes 208, the second type electrodes 209, and the third type electrodes 210 are arranged such that electrodes of the same type are not adjacent to each other.

The manufacturing substrate is placed on the suction device 221 in a horizontal position, a high voltage is applied between the positive electrode 236 and the negative electrode 237, and the insulating manufacturing substrate is adsorbed by the generated gradient force. After that, the suction device 221 and the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device 221 are rotated to be in a substantially vertical position.

When a conductive thin film is formed on the surface of the manufacturing substrate while it is being attracted to the suction device 221 by the positive electrode 236 and the negative electrode 237, the high voltage applied between the positive and negative electrodes 236 and 237 is stopped, and the application of the suction voltage between the first and second types of electrodes 208 and 209 is started, and the manufacturing substrate is attracted by electrostatic force to perform vacuum processing.

After the vacuum process, the suction device 221 and the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device 221 are rotated to make them horizontal.

Here, the suction device 221 has a rectangular shape, but is not limited to a rectangular shape and can also be a polygonal or circular shape. In the case of a polygonal shape, the first and second type electrodes 208, 209 are not formed at at least one corner, and the main measurement electrode 225, the first secondary measurement electrode 226, and the second secondary measurement electrode 227 are arranged at that corner.

In addition, a measurement hole 235 is provided at the corner, and a measurement pin 232 is placed inside the measurement hole 235.

If the portion of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device 221 facing the first secondary measurement electrode 226 is defined as the first secondary facing portion, and the portion facing the second secondary measurement electrode 227 is defined as the second secondary facing portion, the main measurement electrode 225 is positioned so that the main facing portion facing the main measurement electrode 225 is located near the edge of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device 221, the first secondary facing portion is positioned farther from the edge than the main facing portion, and the first and second secondary measurement electrodes 226, 227 are positioned so that the second secondary facing portion is positioned farther from the edge than the first secondary facing portion.

After applying a first separation voltage between the first and second types of electrodes 208, 209, the measuring pin 232 is moved by the partial separation device to separate the main facing portion from the suction device 221 and measure the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current, the measuring pin 232 is further moved to separate the main facing portion, and then the first sub facing portion starts to separate from the suction device 221, the first sub facing portion separates from the suction device 221 and the direction and magnitude of the first sub measurement current flowing to the first sub measurement electrode 226 is measured, and after the first sub facing portion is separated, the second sub facing portion starts to separate from the suction device 221, and the second sub facing portion separates from the suction device 221 and the direction and magnitude of the second sub measurement current flowing to the second sub measurement electrode 227 is measured.

The storage device stores a current-voltage relationship in which the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage that significantly reduces the residual charge are associated with the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current, the direction and magnitude of the first sub-measurement current, and the direction and magnitude of the second sub-measurement current. For example, the residual charge can be reduced more accurately by applying a second separation voltage that is an average of the magnitude and application time obtained by matching the direction and magnitude of the measured main measurement current to the current-voltage relationship, the magnitude and application time obtained by matching the direction and magnitude of the measured first sub-measurement current to the current-voltage relationship, and the magnitude and application time obtained by matching the direction and magnitude of the measured second sub-measurement current to the current-voltage relationship. The polarity of the second separation voltage may be obtained from either the direction of the main measurement current, the direction of the first sub-measurement current, or the direction of the second sub-measurement current.

After the second separation voltage is applied, the lift pin 248 arranged inside the lift hole 245 is raised, and the manufacturing substrate that has been subjected to vacuum processing is separated from the suction device 221 and moved to another vacuum processing device.

In addition, in this suction device 221, a main measurement electrode 225, a first secondary measurement electrode 226, and a second secondary measurement electrode 227 are provided at the four corners of the suction device 221, so that the main measurement current, the first secondary measurement current, and the second secondary measurement current can be measured at multiple corner locations, and a second separation voltage can be calculated by averaging the magnitude and application time calculated from these current values and applied.

The above describes a vacuum processing method and vacuum processing apparatus 105 for forming a thin film by sputtering a sputtering target 141, but the vacuum processing method and vacuum processing apparatus 105 of the present invention are not limited to a sputtering method and sputtering apparatus, but broadly include methods for processing a substrate in a vacuum atmosphere and vacuum processing apparatuses used for such methods, such as an etching method and an etching apparatus, and a CVD method and a CVD apparatus.

In steps 1 to 9 above, the pins used for measurement and the pins used for lifting and lowering are separate pins, but if the electrode shape or lifting pin shape is such that the boundary operation is the same, the same pin can be used as a dual-purpose pin for both measurement and lifting and lowering.

In this case, the dual-purpose pin is placed inside the measurement bellows, and during measurement and lifting, it is raised and lowered by a lifting device that operates as the main lifting device and the measurement lifting device. In this way, steps 1 to 9 above can be performed using the dual-purpose pin instead of the measurement pin and lifting pin.

Furthermore, if the lifting pins other than the dual-purpose pin are made detachable, the lifting device will only have dual-purpose pins, which is the same as the main lifting device lifting and lowering the measurement pins. Therefore, the measurement lifting device and the main lifting device can be combined into a single lifting device, simplifying the configuration.

The above is an example of a simplified integrated configuration, but it is not limited to this method. The process of raising and lowering the measurement pin can be performed in a separate device, and the measurement value (evaluation value) obtained in the above-mentioned <preliminary measurement> process can be applied to the device of the present invention, thereby eliminating the need for a measurement lifting device and measurement pin.

105... vacuum processing apparatus 108, 208... first type of electrode 109, 209... second type of electrode 111... vacuum chamber 112... suction device 113... manufacturing substrate 115... current measuring device 116... power supply device 125, 225... main measurement electrode 126... secondary measurement electrode 130... partial separation device 226... first secondary measurement electrode 227... second secondary measurement electrode

Claims (16)

A vacuum chamber;
a suction device disposed in the vacuum chamber, the suction device having a first type of electrode and a second type of electrode spaced apart from each other on a main body of the device;
a power supply unit that applies, between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode, an attraction voltage for attracting a substrate placed on the attraction device, and a first separation voltage that has a polarity opposite to that of the attraction voltage and reduces residual charges;
having
a vacuum processing apparatus that applies an attraction voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode, processes a manufacturing substrate attracted to the attraction device in a vacuum atmosphere, and applies a first separation voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode to reduce electric charges accumulated between the attraction device and the manufacturing substrate, thereby separating the attraction device and the manufacturing substrate,
a main measurement electrode is provided on the device body at a position spaced apart from the first type of electrodes and the second type of electrodes and facing a portion near an edge of the production substrate that is sucked by the suction device;
The vacuum processing apparatus includes:
a separation device for separating a main facing portion of the manufacturing substrate sucked by the suction device, the main facing portion being a portion facing the main measurement electrode, from the suction device;
a current measuring device for measuring the magnitude of a main measurement current which is a current flowing through the main measurement electrode;
was established,
The area of the main measurement electrodes is smaller than the area of the first type of electrodes and the area of the second type of electrodes,
In the vacuum processing apparatus, when the production substrate is attracted to the main measurement electrodes, a voltage having the same polarity and magnitude as a voltage applied to the first type of electrodes is applied to the main measurement electrodes. The part separation device has a movable measuring pin,
2. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a contact portion of the production substrate held by the suction device, with which the measurement pins come into contact, is disposed between an edge of the production substrate and the main facing portion. A vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a control device which determines the polarity, magnitude and application time of a second separation voltage, which reduces the residual charge of the manufacturing substrate that is attracted to the attraction device and to which the first separation voltage is applied, from the direction and magnitude of the measured main measurement current, and applies the second separation voltage between the first and second types of electrodes by the power supply device. a storage device that stores a current-voltage relationship in which the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current are associated with the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage;
4. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control device determines the polarity, magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage by checking the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current against the current-voltage relationship. The device body is provided with a secondary measurement electrode that is spaced apart from the first type of electrodes, the second type of electrodes, and the main measurement electrode, adjacent to the main measurement electrode, and smaller than the first type of electrodes and the second type of electrodes;
the secondary measurement electrode is disposed at a location where a secondary facing portion, which is a portion of the production substrate disposed in the device body that faces the secondary measurement electrode, and the main facing portion are separated from the suction device by the part separation device,
a voltage having the same polarity and magnitude as that of the main measurement electrode is applied to the secondary measurement electrode when the production substrate is attracted;
3. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the current measuring device measures a direction and a magnitude of a secondary measurement current that flows through the secondary measurement electrode. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a control device that determines the magnitude and application time of a second separation voltage that reduces the residual charge of the manufacturing substrate that is attracted to the attraction device and to which the first separation voltage is applied, from the measured magnitude of the main measurement current and the measured magnitude of the secondary measurement current, and applies the second separation voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode. a storage device that stores a current-voltage relationship in which the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current are associated with the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage;
7. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control device determines the polarity, magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage by comparing the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current and the direction and magnitude of the secondary measurement current with the current-voltage relationship. a suction step of applying a suction voltage between a first type of electrode and a second type of electrode spaced apart from each other, to a suction device provided on a device body, to cause the suction device to suction the manufacturing substrate;
a processing step of processing the manufacturing substrate held by the suction device in a vacuum atmosphere;
a first residual charge reduction step of reducing residual charges by applying a first separating voltage having a polarity opposite to that of the attracting voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode;
a separating step of separating the manufacturing substrate from the suction device;
A vacuum processing method comprising:
In the processing step, a voltage having the same polarity and magnitude as the voltage applied to the first type of electrode is applied to a main measurement electrode that is smaller than the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode and is disposed in a position facing a portion near an edge of the production substrate that is sucked to the suction device;
A vacuum processing method including a current measurement process for passing a current through the main measurement electrode by separating a main facing portion of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device, which is a portion facing the main measurement electrode, from the suction device after a first residual charge reduction process and before performing the separation process, and measuring the magnitude of the main measurement current, which is the current flowing through the main measurement electrode. The vacuum processing method according to claim 8, wherein in the current measurement process, a force is applied to the portion of the manufacturing substrate between the main facing portion and an edge of the manufacturing substrate that is held by the suction device, to separate the main facing portion from the suction device. 10. The vacuum processing method according to claim 8, further comprising a second residual charge reducing step of applying a second separation voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode after the current measuring step and before the separating step,
A vacuum processing method in which, in the current measurement process, the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second spacing voltage that reduces the residual charge of the production substrate that is adsorbed by the adsorption device and to which the first spacing voltage is applied are determined from the direction and magnitude of the measured main measurement current. The vacuum processing method according to claim 10, wherein in the current measurement process, the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage are obtained by comparing the measured direction and magnitude of the main measurement current with a current-voltage relationship in which the polarity, magnitude, and application time of the second separation voltage correspond to the direction and magnitude of the main measurement current. In the processing step, a voltage of the same polarity and magnitude as that of the main measurement electrode is applied to a sub-measurement electrode that is adjacent to the main measurement electrode of the device body, is provided at a location insulated from the first type electrode, the second type electrode, and the main measurement electrode, and is smaller than the first type electrode and the second type electrode;
A vacuum processing method described in any one of claims 9 or 10, in the current measurement process, a secondary facing portion, which is a portion of the manufacturing substrate adsorbed to the suction device that faces the secondary measurement electrode, is separated from the suction device after the main facing portion is separated, thereby passing a current through the secondary measurement electrode, and the magnitude of the secondary measurement current, which is the current flowing through the secondary measurement electrode, is measured. 13. The vacuum processing method according to claim 12, further comprising a second residual charge reducing step of applying a second separation voltage between the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode after the current measuring step and before the separating step,
A vacuum processing method including a condition determining step, which is performed after the current measuring step and before the second residual charge reducing step, of determining the magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage that reduces the residual charge of the production substrate that is adsorbed by the adsorption device and to which the first separation voltage has been applied, from the measured magnitude of the main measurement current and the measured magnitude of the secondary measurement current. The vacuum processing method according to claim 13, wherein the magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage are obtained by comparing the measured magnitude of the main measurement current with the measured magnitude of the secondary measurement current in a current-voltage relationship in which the magnitude of the main measurement current and the magnitude of the secondary measurement current correspond to the magnitude and application time of the second separation voltage. 11. The vacuum processing method according to claim 10 , wherein the main measurement electrode is insulated from the first type of electrodes and the second type of electrodes when the second separation voltage is applied. The vacuum processing method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein when the second separation voltage is applied, the main measurement electrode and the secondary measurement electrode are insulated from the first type of electrode and the second type of electrode.

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