US20010008208A1 - Sputtering apparatus capable of changing distance between substrate and deposition preventing plate used for film formation - Google Patents
Sputtering apparatus capable of changing distance between substrate and deposition preventing plate used for film formation Download PDFInfo
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- US20010008208A1 US20010008208A1 US09/251,642 US25164299A US2001008208A1 US 20010008208 A1 US20010008208 A1 US 20010008208A1 US 25164299 A US25164299 A US 25164299A US 2001008208 A1 US2001008208 A1 US 2001008208A1
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- substrate
- preventing plate
- deposition preventing
- substrate holder
- sputtering apparatus
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
- H01J37/3411—Constructional aspects of the reactor
- H01J37/3447—Collimators, shutters, apertures
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/34—Sputtering
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/50—Substrate holders
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/56—Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks
- C23C14/564—Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases
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- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
- C23C—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL
- C23C14/00—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
- C23C14/22—Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material characterised by the process of coating
- C23C14/56—Apparatus specially adapted for continuous coating; Arrangements for maintaining the vacuum, e.g. vacuum locks
- C23C14/568—Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes
- H01J37/34—Gas-filled discharge tubes operating with cathodic sputtering
Definitions
- the present invention relates to sputtering apparatuses and more particularly to a sputtering apparatus capable of changing a distance between a substrate and a deposition preventing plate used for forming a film on a liquid crystal display device, a semiconductor, a magneto-optical recording disk, a magnetic recording disk and so on.
- Sputtering apparatuses are conventionally used to manufacture liquid crystal display devices, semiconductors, magneto-optical recording disks, magnetic recording disks and so on.
- the sputtering apparatuses used for mass production thereof include two kinds of apparatuses, namely, in-line sputtering apparatuses for carrying a substrate together with its holder and cluster tool sputtering apparatuses for carrying only a substrate.
- a plurality of processing chambers such as a loading chamber, an unloading chamber and a film forming chamber are successively arranged in a linear or U shape manner.
- a substrate is held by a holder.
- a plurality of substrate holders pass through the processing chambers parallel to the substrate surfaces to successively form films on the substrates.
- a plurality of substrates are generally held on one substrate holder and carried by moving the substrate holder.
- a deposition preventing plate for covering part of a substrate and an apparatus mechanism portion is provided so that an unnecessary film is not deposited on the substrate other than its prescribed portion and in a vacuum container.
- the substrate is carried more easily than when only a substrate is carried, and the substrate is carried at high speed.
- the in-line sputtering apparatus has superior productivity.
- a relatively large gap has to be provided to avoid contact between a substrate and the deposition preventing plate or between a substrate holder and the deposition preventing plate while the substrate is being carried. Due to the large gap, an unnecessary film is deposited on the substrate holder and in the vacuum container. When such an unnecessary film exists and peels off, the substrate is tainted and the quality of a sputtered film is lowered.
- a large number of various deposition preventing plates have to be provided, and they have to be exchanged and washed constantly. Thus, maintenance becomes difficult.
- a middle chamber which contains a robot operating in a vacuum at the center of the apparatus, is provided and a plurality of processing chambers such as a film forming chamber, a loading chamber and an unloading chamber are arranged around the middle chamber.
- a film is formed on a substrate that is stopped and accurately positioned in the film forming chamber.
- a deposition preventing plate can be arranged sufficiently close to the substrate so that a film is not deposited on the substrate other than its prescribed portion and in a vacuum container at the time of film formation.
- the robot which operates in a vacuum, at the apparatus center can basically carry only one substrate at a time and has a limit in its substrate carrying capability. Thus, productivity is limited.
- substrate holders called substrate carts, trays or substrate carriers are used and that substrates are carried parallel to the substrate surfaces.
- the substrates are attached to the substrate holders and moved in each processing chamber according to the purposes.
- the sputtering apparatuses which are considered to be improvements on the conventional in-line sputtering apparatuses, have not solved conventional problems with the in-line sputtering apparatuses. That is, the gap for preventing contact between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate or between the substrate holder and the deposition preventing plate during substrate carriage are still set to a fixed distance. Therefore, the problem that an unnecessary film is deposited on the substrate holder or in the vacuum container has not been improved.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering apparatus capable of forming a good quality sputtered film.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering apparatus allowing easy maintenance.
- Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering apparatus capable of preventing damage to a substrate during substrate carriage.
- a sputtering apparatus for forming a sputtered film on a substrate held on a substrate holder in a vacuum chamber includes a target, a deposition preventing plate provided between the target and the substrate holder, a substrate holder carrying mechanism, and a moving mechanism for moving the substrate holder carrying mechanism to change a distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate.
- the moving mechanism moves the substrate holding carrying mechanism to change the distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate
- the substrate can move close to the deposition preventing plate during film formation on the substrate and move away from the deposition preventing plate during substrate carriage. Accordingly, an unnecessary film will not deposit on the substrate holder or in the vacuum container, and maintenance of the substrate holder and the like can be made easier. Since an unnecessary film is not deposited, the substrate will not be tainted because of a peeled film. Thus, a good quality sputtered film can be formed on the substrate.
- a sputtering apparatus for forming a sputtered film on a substrate held on a substrate holder in a vacuum chamber includes a target, a deposition preventing plate provided between the target and the substrate holder, and a moving mechanism for moving the deposition preventing plate to change a distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate.
- the moving mechanism moves the deposition preventing plate to change the distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate
- the substrate can move close to the deposition preventing plate during film formation on the substrate and move away from the deposition preventing plate during substrate carriage. Accordingly, an unnecessary film will not deposit on the substrate holder or in the vacuum container, and maintenance of the substrate holder and the like can be made easier. Since an unnecessary film is not deposited, the substrate will not be tainted because of a peeled film. Thus, a good quality sputtered film can be formed on the substrate.
- FIGS. 1 and 2 are plan and front views for describing a schematic structure of a sputtering apparatus in a first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 3 and 4 are side views for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in the first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 7 and 8 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in a third embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 9 and 10 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 11 and 12 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
- the sputtering apparatus includes a loading chamber 1 , a heating chamber 3 connected to loading chamber 1 via a gate valve 2 a capable of opening and closing, a film forming chamber 4 connected to heating chamber 3 via a gate valve 2 b capable of opening and closing, a cooling chamber 5 connected to film forming chamber 4 via a gate valve 2 c capable of opening and closing, and an unloading chamber 6 connected to cooling chamber 5 via a gate valve 2 d capable of opening and closing.
- Gate valves 2 e and 2 f capable of opening and closing are provided at the entrance of loading chamber 1 and at the exit of unloading chamber 6 , respectively.
- a substrate 7 is attached in a substrate holding hole 9 of a substrate holder 8 as a tray in the air.
- Gate valve 2 e at the entrance of loading chamber 1 is opened. After substrate holder 8 is carried in loading chamber 1 , gate valve 2 e at the entrance of loading chamber 1 is closed.
- an exhausting system causes air pressure to attain a prescribed degree of vacuum.
- gate valve 2 a between loading chamber 1 and heating chamber 3 is opened, substrate holder 8 is carried from loading chamber 1 to heating chamber 3 , and then gate valve 2 a is closed.
- gate valve 2 b between heating chamber 3 and film forming chamber 4 is opened, substrate holder 8 is carried to film forming chamber 4 , and then gate valve 2 b is closed.
- film formation is carried out on substrate 7 attached to substrate holder 8 .
- gate valve 2 c between film forming chamber 4 and cooling chamber 5 is opened, substrate holder 8 is carried to cooling chamber 5 , and then gate valve 2 c is closed.
- an air intake system (not shown, supplies air from the outside to attain the atmospheric pressure.
- gate valve 2 f at the exit of unloading chamber 6 is opened, substrate holder 8 is carried from unloading chamber 6 to the outside of the apparatus, and then gate valve 2 f is closed.
- substrate holder 8 that is discharged to the outside of the apparatus, substrate 7 that has gone through film formation is removed from substrate holding hole 9 .
- substrate holder 8 In substrate holder 8 from which substrate 7 is removed, another substrate 7 that has not been processed is attached again in substrate holding hole 9 . Substrate holder 8 is again carried to loading chamber 1 .
- substrate holder 8 is carried by a substrate holder carrying mechanism 16 provided in each processing chamber.
- one substrate 7 is attached to one surface of substrate holder 8 in this embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the structure is actually not limited to it.
- FIG. 3 is a side view of a main part for describing an inner structure of film forming chamber 4 during film formation in the sputtering apparatus in the first embodiment.
- Film forming chamber 4 includes a target 12 for forming a film on a substrate 7 , a deposition preventing plate 13 provided with a locating pin 11 , a mechanism 14 for introducing driving force in a vacuum chamber, a driving force generating mechanism 15 for transmitting driving force in film forming chamber (vacuum chamber) 4 via mechanism 14 , a substrate holder carrying mechanism 16 for carrying substrate holder 8 , and a ball thread 17 for moving substrate holder carrying mechanism 16 by rotation.
- substrate 7 is fixed in a stationary state at a position opposite to target 12 .
- deposition preventing plate 13 for covering part of substrate 7 is provided between substrate 7 and target 12 so that a film is not formed on substrate 7 other than its prescribed portion.
- Deposition preventing plate 13 is provided with locating pin 11 .
- Substrate holder 8 for holding substrate 7 is provided with a locating hole 10 .
- the tip of deposition preventing plate 13 and the surface of substrate 7 are closely arranged to have a prescribed gap, and the distance is approximately 0.1 to 5 mm. Since deposition preventing plate 13 accordingly covers substrate 7 other than its prescribed portion when observed from target 12 , film deposition on an unnecessary portion can be prevented.
- FIG. 4 is a side view for describing the inside of the film forming chamber when a substrate moves in the sputtering apparatus.
- Substrate 7 is carried vertically to the sheet plane of FIG. 4 when it is carried in and out.
- substrate 7 and substrate holder 8 move vertically to the surface of substrate 7 and away from deposition preventing plate 13 (in the direction denoted by arrow 20 ) so as to avoid contact of substrate 7 to be carried or substrate holder 8 with deposition preventing plate 13 .
- locating pin 11 is pulled out of locating hole 10 .
- carriage of substrate 7 and substrate holder 8 is started.
- the distance between the tip of deposition preventing plate 13 and the surface of substrate 7 at this time is approximately 5 to 30 mm. This has to be a distance enough to avoid contact of locating pin 11 with substrate 7 or substrate holders 8 . Accordingly, the distance is not limited to the value above but a suitable distance is selected according to an apparatus structure.
- the above described movement is an operation related to carriage out of a substrate holder after film formation, and the movement for locating a substrate holder to a prescribed position (carriage in) for film formation is opposite from the operation above.
- locating pin 11 is inserted in locating hole 10 because substrate 7 and deposition preventing plate 13 approach each other during film formation on substrate 7 , and locating pin 11 is pulled out when substrate 7 moves.
- locating hole 10 is not always necessary and may be omitted. In this structure as well, locating pin 11 is pressed against substrate holder 8 and, as a result, the distance between substrate 7 and deposition preventing plate 13 is obtained accurately.
- substrate 7 is carried by movement of substrate holder 8 as described above.
- the movement of substrate holder 8 indicated by arrows 20 in FIG. 4 is achieved when substrate holder carrying mechanism 16 is moved by rotation of ball thread 17 .
- Ball thread 17 is driven and rotated by driving force that is generated by driving force generating device 15 outside the vacuum container and introduced in the vacuum chamber by mechanism 14 for introducing driving force in the vacuum chamber.
- substrate holder 8 is also carried by utilizing the driving force. It is noted that substrate holder carrying mechanism 16 is provided with a threaded hole that engages with ball thread 17 .
- substrate 7 is moved close to and away from deposition preventing plate 13 by using ball thread 17 in this embodiment, the structure is not limited to it but a link mechanism, a cum mechanism, a gear and the like may be used.
- the in-line sputtering apparatus which is linearly arranged, is used and described as an apparatus structure in this embodiment, the structure is not limited to it.
- the present invention can also be applied to an in-line sputtering apparatus having another structure and an improvement on the above described in-line sputtering apparatus.
- the sputtering apparatus in this embodiment is advantageous in that it can solve both of the problem of contact of substrate 7 and substrate holder 8 with deposition preventing plate 13 during carriage and the problem of film deposition on an unnecessary portion during film formation by causing substrate 7 and substrate holder 8 , to which substrate 7 is attached, to move close to and away from deposition preventing plate 13 . Further, substrate 7 can be attached to and removed from substrate holder 8 outside the apparatus, and therefore the sputtering apparatus is also advantageous in that maintenance such as washing of substrate holder 8 can be carried out outside the apparatus.
- FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of film forming chamber 4 in a sputtering apparatus in a second embodiment. Since the parts not shown in FIG. 5 or 6 have the same structure as the sputtering apparatus in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the detailed description thereof will not be repeated.
- Film forming chamber 4 of the sputtering apparatus in the second embodiment includes a deposition preventing plate 23 including a deposition preventing plate fixed portion 23 a and a deposition preventing plate movable portion 23 b, a driving force delivery body 24 provided with locating pin 11 and a cooling water hole 27 for circulating cooling water, a mechanism 25 for introducing driving force in a vacuum container, a driving force generating device 26 for transmitting driving force in film forming chamber (vacuum chamber) 4 via mechanism 25 , and a cooling water carrying mechanism 28 .
- Substrate holder 8 carried in film forming chamber 4 is stopped at a prescribed position, and film formation is performed at that position.
- deposition preventing plate 23 is provided for each substrate attached to substrate holder 8 .
- Deposition preventing plate 23 is arranged between target 12 and substrate 7 , and the plate is close to substrate 7 during film formation (while the substrate holder is stopped) as shown in FIG. 5. Accordingly, a sputtered film is prevented from sticking to such a portion of substrate 7 that does not have to be film-formed and to substrate holder 8 .
- deposition preventing plate 23 is separated from substrate 7 during carriage as shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, contact between substrate 7 and deposition preventing plate 23 during carriage can be prevented, and therefore a defect in the sputtering apparatus and damage to substrate 7 can be prevented.
- deposition preventing plate 23 The structure and operation of deposition preventing plate 23 will be described in detail in the following.
- Deposition preventing plate 23 includes deposition preventing plate fixed portion 23 a and deposition preventing plate movable portion 23 b.
- Deposition preventing plate fixed portion 23 a is fixed on a side of target 12
- deposition preventing plate movable portion 23 b is supported by driving force delivery body 24 .
- Driving force delivery body 24 is connected to driving force generating device 26 outside the vacuum container (film forming chamber 4 ), and can be moved vertically in the figure by driving force that is generated by driving force generating device 26 (such as an air cylinder and a motor) and introduced into the vacuum container by mechanism 25 for introducing driving force in the vacuum container (such as magnetic coupling, bellows, and magnetic hydraulic sealing).
- Driving force delivery body 24 that supports deposition preventing plate movable portion 23 b is provided with locating pin 11 .
- Locating pin 11 is formed to fit into locating hole 10 , which is provided in substrate holder 8 , when driving force delivery body 24 is driven downward (to the side of the substrate).
- substrate 7 is stopped and driving force generating device 26 drives driving force delivery body 24 downward (to the side of the substrate) during film formation as shown in FIG. 5.
- driving force generating device 26 drives driving force delivery body 24 downward (to the side of the substrate) during film formation as shown in FIG. 5.
- locating pin 11 fits into locating hole 10 of substrate holder 8 , and the positional relationship between driving force delivery body 24 and substrate holder 8 , that is, the position of substrate 7 in film forming chamber 4 is determined.
- deposition preventing plate movable portion 23 b and the surface of substrate 7 approach each other to have a prescribed gap (approximately 0.1 to 5 mm), and deposition preventing plate fixed portion 23 a and deposition preventing plate movable portion 23 b are arranged to partially be overlapped when observed from target 12 . Accordingly, in this state, such a portion of substrate 7 that does not have to film-formed as well as substrate holder 8 are covered when observed from target 12 . Thus, film deposition on an unnecessary portion can be prevented.
- driving force generating device 26 drives driving force delivery body 24 upward (to the side of the target) as shown in FIG. 6, and locating pin 11 is released from locating hole 10 . Then, the distance from the tip of deposition preventing plate movable portion 23 b to the surface of substrate 7 becomes approximately 5 to 30 mm. The distance only has to be enough to avoid contact of locating pin 11 to substrate 7 or substrate holder 8 , and it is not limited to the value above. Further, a suitable distance is selected according to an apparatus structure.
- Deposition preventing plate 23 arranged near substrate 7 and target 12 is heated and increased in temperature as film formation continues. Temperature increase in deposition preventing plate 23 results in thermal expansion thereof, causes deposits to be released from deposition preventing plate 23 (particle generation), and taints substrate 7 as a result. Accordingly, temperature increase in deposition preventing plate 23 has to be suppressed as much as possible. Then, cooling water hole 27 is provided in driving force delivery body 24 and cooling water is circulated using cooling water hole 27 in this embodiment (in FIGS. 5 and 6, only the portion for introducing cooling water to deposition preventing plate 23 is shown, and the portion for draining cooling water from deposition preventing plate 23 is omitted).
- Cooling water hole 27 is arranged to surround and to be close to deposition preventing plate 23 so as to efficiently cool the deposition preventing plate 23 . By thus doing, generation of particles can be suppressed.
- Other structures in which a hole for passing cooling water in deposition preventing plate 23 can also be adopted as the method of cooling deposition preventing plate 23 .
- FIGS. 7 and 8 show another example of the structure of deposition preventing plate 23 and its driving mechanism in FIGS. 5 and 6.
- FIG. 7 shows the state in film forming chamber 4 during film formation
- FIG. 8 is a plan view of a main part for showing the inside of film forming chamber 4 during substrate carriage.
- a deposition preventing plate 33 in FIGS. 7 and 8 has the positional relationship between a deposition preventing plate fixed portion 33 a and a deposition preventing plate movable portion 33 b opposite from that in deposition preventing plate 23 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Even with such a structure, a sputtered film can be prevented from sticking to such a portion of substrate 7 that has not be film-formed as well as substrate holder 8 , and contact between substrate 7 and deposition preventing plate 33 during carriage can be prevented.
- deposition preventing plate 23 or 33 (deposition preventing plate movable portion 23 b or 33 b ) moves in the second or third embodiment, the entire deposition preventing plate 43 moves in this embodiment as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.
- This embodiment is a variation of the moving mechanism of deposition preventing plate 43 in the fourth embodiment.
- FIGS. 11 and 12 show an example of the structure of a deposition preventing plate 53 and its moving mechanism in this embodiment.
- deposition preventing plate 53 rotates around a rotation shaft 21 .
- rotation driving force for rotating operation is generated by an driving force generating device outside a vacuum container and introduced in the vacuum container by a mechanism for introducing driving force in the vacuum container similarly to the above described embodiments.
- Substrate holder 8 is not provided with a locating hole, and deposition preventing plate 53 is located by causing locating pin 11 a to abut against substrate holder 8 . Since deposition preventing plate 53 can be attached accurately by rotation shaft 21 , a high distance accuracy can be attained even when locating pin 11 a is located by contact with substrate holder 8 .
- the embodiments describe a case where an in-line sputtering apparatus having linearly arranged processing chambers is used as an apparatus structure, the embodiments are not limited to the apparatus but may be applied to an in-line sputtering apparatus having other structures, an improvement on the above described in-line sputtering apparatus, or a cluster tool sputtering apparatus.
- the deposition preventing plate which covers part of a substrate so that a film is not formed on a portion other than a prescribed portion, moves close to the substrate when film formation is carried out on the substrate and moves away from the substrate when the substrate is carried. Since the deposition preventing plate and the substrate are close to each other during film formation on the substrate, film formation on an unnecessary portion can be prevented. Since the deposition preventing plate and the substrate are far from each other during substrate carriage, contact between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate can be avoided, and substrate damage and an apparatus defect can be suppressed.
- driving force for driving the deposition preventing plate is generated outside the vacuum container and introduced in the vacuum container by the mechanism for introducing driving force in the vacuum container, the driving force generating mechanism has not be provided in the vacuum container.
- the deposition preventing plate is provided with the locating member, the positional relationship between the substrate holder and the deposition preventing plate can be determined accurately.
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Abstract
A sputtering apparatus for forming a sputtered film on a substrate held on a substrate holder in a vacuum chamber includes a target, a deposition preventing plate provided between the target and the substrate holder, a substrate holder carrying mechanism, and a moving mechanism for moving the substrate holder carrying mechanism to change a distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate.
Description
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to sputtering apparatuses and more particularly to a sputtering apparatus capable of changing a distance between a substrate and a deposition preventing plate used for forming a film on a liquid crystal display device, a semiconductor, a magneto-optical recording disk, a magnetic recording disk and so on.
- 2. Description of the Background Art
- Sputtering apparatuses are conventionally used to manufacture liquid crystal display devices, semiconductors, magneto-optical recording disks, magnetic recording disks and so on. The sputtering apparatuses used for mass production thereof include two kinds of apparatuses, namely, in-line sputtering apparatuses for carrying a substrate together with its holder and cluster tool sputtering apparatuses for carrying only a substrate.
- In an in-line sputtering apparatus, a plurality of processing chambers such as a loading chamber, an unloading chamber and a film forming chamber are successively arranged in a linear or U shape manner. A substrate is held by a holder. A plurality of substrate holders pass through the processing chambers parallel to the substrate surfaces to successively form films on the substrates.
- In the apparatus, a plurality of substrates are generally held on one substrate holder and carried by moving the substrate holder. In the film forming chamber, a deposition preventing plate for covering part of a substrate and an apparatus mechanism portion is provided so that an unnecessary film is not deposited on the substrate other than its prescribed portion and in a vacuum container.
- Accordingly, the substrate is carried more easily than when only a substrate is carried, and the substrate is carried at high speed. Thus, the in-line sputtering apparatus has superior productivity. However, a relatively large gap has to be provided to avoid contact between a substrate and the deposition preventing plate or between a substrate holder and the deposition preventing plate while the substrate is being carried. Due to the large gap, an unnecessary film is deposited on the substrate holder and in the vacuum container. When such an unnecessary film exists and peels off, the substrate is tainted and the quality of a sputtered film is lowered. Further, in order to prevent deposition of a film on a substrate holder driving mechanism for moving a substrate holder, a large number of various deposition preventing plates have to be provided, and they have to be exchanged and washed constantly. Thus, maintenance becomes difficult.
- On the other hand, in a cluster tool sputtering apparatus, a middle chamber, which contains a robot operating in a vacuum at the center of the apparatus, is provided and a plurality of processing chambers such as a film forming chamber, a loading chamber and an unloading chamber are arranged around the middle chamber. A film is formed on a substrate that is stopped and accurately positioned in the film forming chamber. Accordingly, a deposition preventing plate can be arranged sufficiently close to the substrate so that a film is not deposited on the substrate other than its prescribed portion and in a vacuum container at the time of film formation.
- Accordingly, deposition of a film on an unnecessary portion can be minimized, and maintenance becomes easy because the number of components of the deposition preventing plate can be reduced. However, the robot, which operates in a vacuum, at the apparatus center can basically carry only one substrate at a time and has a limit in its substrate carrying capability. Thus, productivity is limited.
- In recent years, several new sputtering apparatuses of the two kinds have been proposed. These techniques are disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 4-137522, 6-69316, 8-3744, and 9-143733, for example.
- These new sputtering apparatuses are common in that substrate holders called substrate carts, trays or substrate carriers are used and that substrates are carried parallel to the substrate surfaces. For film formation, the substrates are attached to the substrate holders and moved in each processing chamber according to the purposes.
- However, the sputtering apparatuses, which are considered to be improvements on the conventional in-line sputtering apparatuses, have not solved conventional problems with the in-line sputtering apparatuses. That is, the gap for preventing contact between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate or between the substrate holder and the deposition preventing plate during substrate carriage are still set to a fixed distance. Therefore, the problem that an unnecessary film is deposited on the substrate holder or in the vacuum container has not been improved.
- An object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering apparatus capable of forming a good quality sputtered film.
- Another object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering apparatus allowing easy maintenance.
- Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering apparatus capable of preventing damage to a substrate during substrate carriage.
- According to one aspect of the present invention, a sputtering apparatus for forming a sputtered film on a substrate held on a substrate holder in a vacuum chamber includes a target, a deposition preventing plate provided between the target and the substrate holder, a substrate holder carrying mechanism, and a moving mechanism for moving the substrate holder carrying mechanism to change a distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate.
- Since the moving mechanism moves the substrate holding carrying mechanism to change the distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate, the substrate can move close to the deposition preventing plate during film formation on the substrate and move away from the deposition preventing plate during substrate carriage. Accordingly, an unnecessary film will not deposit on the substrate holder or in the vacuum container, and maintenance of the substrate holder and the like can be made easier. Since an unnecessary film is not deposited, the substrate will not be tainted because of a peeled film. Thus, a good quality sputtered film can be formed on the substrate.
- According to another aspect of the present invention, a sputtering apparatus for forming a sputtered film on a substrate held on a substrate holder in a vacuum chamber includes a target, a deposition preventing plate provided between the target and the substrate holder, and a moving mechanism for moving the deposition preventing plate to change a distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate.
- Since the moving mechanism moves the deposition preventing plate to change the distance between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate, the substrate can move close to the deposition preventing plate during film formation on the substrate and move away from the deposition preventing plate during substrate carriage. Accordingly, an unnecessary film will not deposit on the substrate holder or in the vacuum container, and maintenance of the substrate holder and the like can be made easier. Since an unnecessary film is not deposited, the substrate will not be tainted because of a peeled film. Thus, a good quality sputtered film can be formed on the substrate.
- The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
- FIGS. 1 and 2 are plan and front views for describing a schematic structure of a sputtering apparatus in a first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 3 and 4 are side views for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in the first embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in a second embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 7 and 8 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in a third embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 9 and 10 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
- FIGS. 11 and 12 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of a film forming chamber (during film formation on a substrate and during substrate carriage, respectively) in a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
- First Embodiment
- A sputtering apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in the following with reference to the drawings.
- Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sputtering apparatus includes a
loading chamber 1, aheating chamber 3 connected toloading chamber 1 via agate valve 2 a capable of opening and closing, afilm forming chamber 4 connected toheating chamber 3 via agate valve 2 b capable of opening and closing, acooling chamber 5 connected tofilm forming chamber 4 via agate valve 2 c capable of opening and closing, and anunloading chamber 6 connected tocooling chamber 5 via agate valve 2 d capable of opening and closing.Gate valves loading chamber 1 and at the exit ofunloading chamber 6, respectively. - Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the flow of a substrate in the sputtering apparatus will be described.
- 1) A
substrate 7 is attached in asubstrate holding hole 9 of asubstrate holder 8 as a tray in the air. - 2)
Gate valve 2 e at the entrance ofloading chamber 1 is opened. Aftersubstrate holder 8 is carried inloading chamber 1,gate valve 2 e at the entrance ofloading chamber 1 is closed. - 3) In
loading chamber 1, an exhausting system, not shown, causes air pressure to attain a prescribed degree of vacuum. - 4) After a prescribed degree of vacuum is obtained,
gate valve 2 a betweenloading chamber 1 andheating chamber 3 is opened,substrate holder 8 is carried from loadingchamber 1 toheating chamber 3, and thengate valve 2 a is closed. - 5) In
heating chamber 3,substrate 7 attached tosubstrate holder 8 is heated to a prescribed temperature. - 6) After
substrate 7 is heated to a prescribed temperature,gate valve 2 b betweenheating chamber 3 andfilm forming chamber 4 is opened,substrate holder 8 is carried to film formingchamber 4, and thengate valve 2 b is closed. - 7) In
film forming chamber 4, film formation is carried out onsubstrate 7 attached tosubstrate holder 8. - 8) After film formation on
substrate 7 is completed,gate valve 2 c betweenfilm forming chamber 4 andcooling chamber 5 is opened,substrate holder 8 is carried to coolingchamber 5, and thengate valve 2 c is closed. - 9) In
cooling chamber 5,substrate 7 attached tosubstrate holder 8 is cooled to a prescribed temperature. - 10) After
substrate 7 is cooled to a prescribed temperature,gate valve 2 d between coolingchamber 5 and unloadingchamber 6 is opened,substrate holder 8 is carried to unloadingchamber 6, and thengate valve 2 d is closed. - 11) In unloading
chamber 6, an air intake system, not shown, supplies air from the outside to attain the atmospheric pressure. - 12) After the atmospheric pressure is attained in unloading
chamber 6,gate valve 2 f at the exit of unloadingchamber 6 is opened,substrate holder 8 is carried from unloadingchamber 6 to the outside of the apparatus, and thengate valve 2 f is closed. - 13) In
substrate holder 8 that is discharged to the outside of the apparatus,substrate 7 that has gone through film formation is removed fromsubstrate holding hole 9. - 14) In
substrate holder 8 from whichsubstrate 7 is removed, anothersubstrate 7 that has not been processed is attached again insubstrate holding hole 9.Substrate holder 8 is again carried toloading chamber 1. - Since the series of processes are carried out in parallel and in a successive manner as described above, high productivity is attained. Here,
substrate holder 8 is carried by a substrateholder carrying mechanism 16 provided in each processing chamber. - Although one
substrate 7 is attached to one surface ofsubstrate holder 8 in this embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the structure is actually not limited to it. - FIG. 3 is a side view of a main part for describing an inner structure of
film forming chamber 4 during film formation in the sputtering apparatus in the first embodiment.Film forming chamber 4 includes atarget 12 for forming a film on asubstrate 7, adeposition preventing plate 13 provided with a locatingpin 11, amechanism 14 for introducing driving force in a vacuum chamber, a drivingforce generating mechanism 15 for transmitting driving force in film forming chamber (vacuum chamber) 4 viamechanism 14, a substrateholder carrying mechanism 16 for carryingsubstrate holder 8, and aball thread 17 for moving substrateholder carrying mechanism 16 by rotation. - For film formation,
substrate 7 is fixed in a stationary state at a position opposite to target 12. Infilm forming chamber 4,deposition preventing plate 13 for covering part ofsubstrate 7 is provided betweensubstrate 7 and target 12 so that a film is not formed onsubstrate 7 other than its prescribed portion.Deposition preventing plate 13 is provided with locatingpin 11.Substrate holder 8 for holdingsubstrate 7 is provided with a locatinghole 10. When locatingpin 11 is inserted in locatinghole 10, the positional relationship betweensubstrate holder 8 anddeposition preventing plate 13 is determined and fixed. As a result, the positional relationship betweensubstrate 7 held onsubstrate holder 8 anddeposition preventing plate 13 is also determined. - The tip of
deposition preventing plate 13 and the surface ofsubstrate 7 are closely arranged to have a prescribed gap, and the distance is approximately 0.1 to 5 mm. Sincedeposition preventing plate 13 accordingly coverssubstrate 7 other than its prescribed portion when observed fromtarget 12, film deposition on an unnecessary portion can be prevented. - FIG. 4 is a side view for describing the inside of the film forming chamber when a substrate moves in the sputtering apparatus.
-
Substrate 7 is carried vertically to the sheet plane of FIG. 4 when it is carried in and out. Whensubstrate 7 is carried,substrate 7 andsubstrate holder 8 move vertically to the surface ofsubstrate 7 and away from deposition preventing plate 13 (in the direction denoted by arrow 20) so as to avoid contact ofsubstrate 7 to be carried orsubstrate holder 8 withdeposition preventing plate 13. Thus, locatingpin 11 is pulled out of locatinghole 10. Thereafter, carriage ofsubstrate 7 andsubstrate holder 8 is started. The distance between the tip ofdeposition preventing plate 13 and the surface ofsubstrate 7 at this time is approximately 5 to 30 mm. This has to be a distance enough to avoid contact of locatingpin 11 withsubstrate 7 orsubstrate holders 8. Accordingly, the distance is not limited to the value above but a suitable distance is selected according to an apparatus structure. - The above described movement is an operation related to carriage out of a substrate holder after film formation, and the movement for locating a substrate holder to a prescribed position (carriage in) for film formation is opposite from the operation above.
- In the sputtering apparatus, locating
pin 11 is inserted in locatinghole 10 becausesubstrate 7 anddeposition preventing plate 13 approach each other during film formation onsubstrate 7, and locatingpin 11 is pulled out whensubstrate 7 moves. However, locatinghole 10 is not always necessary and may be omitted. In this structure as well, locatingpin 11 is pressed againstsubstrate holder 8 and, as a result, the distance betweensubstrate 7 anddeposition preventing plate 13 is obtained accurately. - In this embodiment,
substrate 7 is carried by movement ofsubstrate holder 8 as described above. The movement ofsubstrate holder 8 indicated byarrows 20 in FIG. 4 is achieved when substrateholder carrying mechanism 16 is moved by rotation ofball thread 17.Ball thread 17 is driven and rotated by driving force that is generated by drivingforce generating device 15 outside the vacuum container and introduced in the vacuum chamber bymechanism 14 for introducing driving force in the vacuum chamber. Further,substrate holder 8 is also carried by utilizing the driving force. It is noted that substrateholder carrying mechanism 16 is provided with a threaded hole that engages withball thread 17. - Although
substrate 7 is moved close to and away fromdeposition preventing plate 13 by usingball thread 17 in this embodiment, the structure is not limited to it but a link mechanism, a cum mechanism, a gear and the like may be used. - Although the in-line sputtering apparatus, which is linearly arranged, is used and described as an apparatus structure in this embodiment, the structure is not limited to it. The present invention can also be applied to an in-line sputtering apparatus having another structure and an improvement on the above described in-line sputtering apparatus.
- As described above, the sputtering apparatus in this embodiment is advantageous in that it can solve both of the problem of contact of
substrate 7 andsubstrate holder 8 withdeposition preventing plate 13 during carriage and the problem of film deposition on an unnecessary portion during film formation by causingsubstrate 7 andsubstrate holder 8, to whichsubstrate 7 is attached, to move close to and away fromdeposition preventing plate 13. Further,substrate 7 can be attached to and removed fromsubstrate holder 8 outside the apparatus, and therefore the sputtering apparatus is also advantageous in that maintenance such as washing ofsubstrate holder 8 can be carried out outside the apparatus. - Second Embodiment
- FIGS. 5 and 6 are plan views of a main part for describing an inner structure of
film forming chamber 4 in a sputtering apparatus in a second embodiment. Since the parts not shown in FIG. 5 or 6 have the same structure as the sputtering apparatus in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the detailed description thereof will not be repeated. -
Film forming chamber 4 of the sputtering apparatus in the second embodiment includes adeposition preventing plate 23 including a deposition preventing plate fixedportion 23 a and a deposition preventing platemovable portion 23 b, a drivingforce delivery body 24 provided with locatingpin 11 and acooling water hole 27 for circulating cooling water, amechanism 25 for introducing driving force in a vacuum container, a drivingforce generating device 26 for transmitting driving force in film forming chamber (vacuum chamber) 4 viamechanism 25, and a coolingwater carrying mechanism 28. -
Substrate holder 8 carried infilm forming chamber 4 is stopped at a prescribed position, and film formation is performed at that position. Near the position where the holder is stopped infilm forming chamber 4,deposition preventing plate 23 is provided for each substrate attached tosubstrate holder 8.Deposition preventing plate 23 is arranged betweentarget 12 andsubstrate 7, and the plate is close tosubstrate 7 during film formation (while the substrate holder is stopped) as shown in FIG. 5. Accordingly, a sputtered film is prevented from sticking to such a portion ofsubstrate 7 that does not have to be film-formed and tosubstrate holder 8. Further,deposition preventing plate 23 is separated fromsubstrate 7 during carriage as shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly, contact betweensubstrate 7 anddeposition preventing plate 23 during carriage can be prevented, and therefore a defect in the sputtering apparatus and damage tosubstrate 7 can be prevented. - The structure and operation of
deposition preventing plate 23 will be described in detail in the following. -
Deposition preventing plate 23 includes deposition preventing plate fixedportion 23 a and deposition preventing platemovable portion 23 b. Deposition preventing plate fixedportion 23 a is fixed on a side oftarget 12, and deposition preventing platemovable portion 23 b is supported by drivingforce delivery body 24. Drivingforce delivery body 24 is connected to drivingforce generating device 26 outside the vacuum container (film forming chamber 4), and can be moved vertically in the figure by driving force that is generated by driving force generating device 26 (such as an air cylinder and a motor) and introduced into the vacuum container bymechanism 25 for introducing driving force in the vacuum container (such as magnetic coupling, bellows, and magnetic hydraulic sealing). - Driving
force delivery body 24 that supports deposition preventing platemovable portion 23 b is provided with locatingpin 11. Locatingpin 11 is formed to fit into locatinghole 10, which is provided insubstrate holder 8, when drivingforce delivery body 24 is driven downward (to the side of the substrate). - In the sputtering apparatus having
deposition preventing plate 23 and its driving mechanism of such a structure,substrate 7 is stopped and drivingforce generating device 26 drives drivingforce delivery body 24 downward (to the side of the substrate) during film formation as shown in FIG. 5. At this time, locatingpin 11 fits into locatinghole 10 ofsubstrate holder 8, and the positional relationship between drivingforce delivery body 24 andsubstrate holder 8, that is, the position ofsubstrate 7 infilm forming chamber 4 is determined. - At this time, the tip of deposition preventing plate
movable portion 23 b and the surface ofsubstrate 7 approach each other to have a prescribed gap (approximately 0.1 to 5 mm), and deposition preventing plate fixedportion 23 a and deposition preventing platemovable portion 23 b are arranged to partially be overlapped when observed fromtarget 12. Accordingly, in this state, such a portion ofsubstrate 7 that does not have to film-formed as well assubstrate holder 8 are covered when observed fromtarget 12. Thus, film deposition on an unnecessary portion can be prevented. - Meanwhile, when
substrate holder 8 is carried, drivingforce generating device 26 drives drivingforce delivery body 24 upward (to the side of the target) as shown in FIG. 6, and locatingpin 11 is released from locatinghole 10. Then, the distance from the tip of deposition preventing platemovable portion 23 b to the surface ofsubstrate 7 becomes approximately 5 to 30 mm. The distance only has to be enough to avoid contact of locatingpin 11 tosubstrate 7 orsubstrate holder 8, and it is not limited to the value above. Further, a suitable distance is selected according to an apparatus structure. - When the interval from
substrate 7 orsubstrate holder 8 to deposition preventing platemovable portion 23 b becomes large enough, carriage ofsubstrate holder 8 is started. According to the apparatus, contact between substrate 7 (or substrate holder 8) anddeposition preventing plate 23 can be prevented, and a defect and substrate damage can be suppressed. -
Deposition preventing plate 23 arranged nearsubstrate 7 andtarget 12 is heated and increased in temperature as film formation continues. Temperature increase indeposition preventing plate 23 results in thermal expansion thereof, causes deposits to be released from deposition preventing plate 23 (particle generation), and taintssubstrate 7 as a result. Accordingly, temperature increase indeposition preventing plate 23 has to be suppressed as much as possible. Then, coolingwater hole 27 is provided in drivingforce delivery body 24 and cooling water is circulated usingcooling water hole 27 in this embodiment (in FIGS. 5 and 6, only the portion for introducing cooling water todeposition preventing plate 23 is shown, and the portion for draining cooling water fromdeposition preventing plate 23 is omitted). Coolingwater hole 27 is arranged to surround and to be close todeposition preventing plate 23 so as to efficiently cool thedeposition preventing plate 23. By thus doing, generation of particles can be suppressed. Other structures in which a hole for passing cooling water indeposition preventing plate 23, for example, can also be adopted as the method of coolingdeposition preventing plate 23. - Third Embodiment
- FIGS. 7 and 8 show another example of the structure of
deposition preventing plate 23 and its driving mechanism in FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 7 shows the state infilm forming chamber 4 during film formation, and FIG. 8 is a plan view of a main part for showing the inside offilm forming chamber 4 during substrate carriage. - A
deposition preventing plate 33 in FIGS. 7 and 8 has the positional relationship between a deposition preventing plate fixedportion 33 a and a deposition preventing platemovable portion 33 b opposite from that indeposition preventing plate 23 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. Even with such a structure, a sputtered film can be prevented from sticking to such a portion ofsubstrate 7 that has not be film-formed as well assubstrate holder 8, and contact betweensubstrate 7 anddeposition preventing plate 33 during carriage can be prevented. - Fourth Embodiment
- Although part of
deposition preventing plate 23 or 33 (deposition preventing platemovable portion deposition preventing plate 43 moves in this embodiment as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. - In this case, when an
projection 20 is provided ondeposition preventing plate 43 on the side oftarget 12, anddeposition preventing plate 43 is moved to the side ofsubstrate holder 8, creation of a gap betweentarget 12 anddeposition preventing plate 43 can be prevented. Deposition of an unnecessary film due to this gap can be prevented. - Fifth Embodiment
- This embodiment is a variation of the moving mechanism of
deposition preventing plate 43 in the fourth embodiment. FIGS. 11 and 12 show an example of the structure of adeposition preventing plate 53 and its moving mechanism in this embodiment. - In this embodiment,
deposition preventing plate 53 rotates around arotation shaft 21. In this case as well, rotation driving force for rotating operation, not shown, is generated by an driving force generating device outside a vacuum container and introduced in the vacuum container by a mechanism for introducing driving force in the vacuum container similarly to the above described embodiments. -
Substrate holder 8 is not provided with a locating hole, anddeposition preventing plate 53 is located by causing locatingpin 11 a to abut againstsubstrate holder 8. Sincedeposition preventing plate 53 can be attached accurately byrotation shaft 21, a high distance accuracy can be attained even when locatingpin 11 a is located by contact withsubstrate holder 8. - Although the above described embodiments describe a case where an in-line sputtering apparatus having linearly arranged processing chambers is used as an apparatus structure, the embodiments are not limited to the apparatus but may be applied to an in-line sputtering apparatus having other structures, an improvement on the above described in-line sputtering apparatus, or a cluster tool sputtering apparatus.
- In the sputtering apparatus of the present invention, at least part of the deposition preventing plate, which covers part of a substrate so that a film is not formed on a portion other than a prescribed portion, moves close to the substrate when film formation is carried out on the substrate and moves away from the substrate when the substrate is carried. Since the deposition preventing plate and the substrate are close to each other during film formation on the substrate, film formation on an unnecessary portion can be prevented. Since the deposition preventing plate and the substrate are far from each other during substrate carriage, contact between the substrate and the deposition preventing plate can be avoided, and substrate damage and an apparatus defect can be suppressed.
- Since driving force for driving the deposition preventing plate is generated outside the vacuum container and introduced in the vacuum container by the mechanism for introducing driving force in the vacuum container, the driving force generating mechanism has not be provided in the vacuum container.
- When the mechanism for cooling the deposition preventing plate is provided in the driving force delivery body for transmitting driving force, influence of particles, for example, can be suppressed.
- Since the deposition preventing plate is provided with the locating member, the positional relationship between the substrate holder and the deposition preventing plate can be determined accurately.
- Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
Claims (12)
1. A sputtering apparatus for forming a sputtered film on a substrate held on a substrate holder in a vacuum chamber, comprising:
a target;
a deposition preventing plate provided between said target and said substrate holder;
a substrate holder carrying mechanism; and
a moving mechanism for moving said substrate holder carrying mechanism to change a distance between said substrate and said deposition preventing plate.
2. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein said moving mechanism includes
claim 1
a driving force generating device provided outside the vacuum chamber,
a driving force introducing mechanism connected to said driving force generating device, and
a substrate holder moving mechanism connected to said driving force introducing mechanism.
3. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein
claim 2
said substrate holder carrying mechanism includes a threaded hole, and
said substrate holder moving mechanism includes a ball thread connected to said driving force introducing mechanism and engaging with said threaded hole.
4. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein
claim 1
said deposition preventing plate is provided with a locating pin, and
said substrate holder is provided with a locating hole in which said locating pin is inserted.
5. A sputtering apparatus for forming a sputtered film on a substrate held on a substrate holder in a vacuum chamber, comprising:
a target;
a deposition preventing plate provided between said target and said substrate holder; and
a moving mechanism for moving said deposition preventing plate to change a distance between said substrate and said deposition preventing plate.
6. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein said moving mechanism includes
claim 5
a driving force generating device, and
a driving force delivery body connected to said driving force generating device.
7. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein said deposition preventing plate includes
claim 6
a fixed portion fixed on a side of said target, and
a movable portion fixed to said driving force delivery body.
8. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein
claim 7
said fixed portion is provided in front of said movable portion when observed from said target.
9. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein
claim 7
said movable portion is provided in front of said fixed portion when observed from said target.
10. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein
claim 6
said driving force delivery body is provided with a locating pin, and
said substrate holder is provided with a locating hole in which said locating pin is inserted.
11. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein
claim 5
said deposition preventing plate is provided rotatably around a rotation shaft, and said deposition preventing plate includes a locating pin abutting against said substrate holder.
12. The sputtering apparatus according to , wherein
claim 6
a cooling water hole for circulating cooling water is formed inside said driving force delivery body.
Applications Claiming Priority (5)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP10-033438(P) | 1998-02-17 | ||
JP10-033438 | 1998-02-17 | ||
JP3343898A JP3520191B2 (en) | 1998-02-17 | 1998-02-17 | Equipment for manufacturing sputtered films |
JP04503498A JP3566528B2 (en) | 1998-02-26 | 1998-02-26 | Sputtered film manufacturing apparatus and sputtered film manufacturing method |
JP10-045034 | 1998-02-26 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20010008208A1 true US20010008208A1 (en) | 2001-07-19 |
US6309525B2 US6309525B2 (en) | 2001-10-30 |
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ID=26372125
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Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US09/251,642 Expired - Lifetime US6309525B2 (en) | 1998-02-17 | 1999-02-17 | Sputtering apparatus capable of changing distance between substrate and deposition preventing plate used for film formation |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US6309525B2 (en) |
CN (3) | CN100441735C (en) |
TW (1) | TW461923B (en) |
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US20060278522A1 (en) * | 2005-06-13 | 2006-12-14 | Lg.Philips Lcd Co., Ltd. | Sputtering apparatus and driving method thereof |
US20170018412A1 (en) * | 2014-02-19 | 2017-01-19 | Sakai Display Products Corporation | Sputtering Apparatus |
US10008372B2 (en) | 2014-02-19 | 2018-06-26 | Sakai Display Products Corporation | Film deposition apparatus |
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US20060278522A1 (en) * | 2005-06-13 | 2006-12-14 | Lg.Philips Lcd Co., Ltd. | Sputtering apparatus and driving method thereof |
US8470142B2 (en) * | 2005-06-13 | 2013-06-25 | Lg Display Co., Ltd. | Sputtering apparatus and driving method thereof |
US20170018412A1 (en) * | 2014-02-19 | 2017-01-19 | Sakai Display Products Corporation | Sputtering Apparatus |
US10008372B2 (en) | 2014-02-19 | 2018-06-26 | Sakai Display Products Corporation | Film deposition apparatus |
US10170288B2 (en) * | 2014-02-19 | 2019-01-01 | Sakai Display Products Corporation | Sputtering apparatus |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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TW461923B (en) | 2001-11-01 |
CN1282763C (en) | 2006-11-01 |
CN100441735C (en) | 2008-12-10 |
CN1177948C (en) | 2004-12-01 |
CN1227275A (en) | 1999-09-01 |
US6309525B2 (en) | 2001-10-30 |
CN1548574A (en) | 2004-11-24 |
CN1664163A (en) | 2005-09-07 |
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