阅读说明：本技术 成膜装置以及电子器件的制造方法 (Film forming apparatus and method for manufacturing electronic device ) 是由 菅原洋纪 青沼大介 于 2019-07-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供能够生产率良好且简便地进行预溅射的成膜装置以及电子设备的制造方法。成膜装置(1)具备：将成膜对象物(6)及圆筒形的靶(2)配置于内部的腔室(10)；设置于靶(2)的内部,生成从靶(2)的外周面泄漏的泄漏磁场的磁场产生部件(3)；以及驱动靶(2)旋转的靶驱动部件(11)。磁场产生部件(3)是产生从靶(2)的外表面的与靶(2)的成膜对象物相向的第一区域(A1)泄漏的第一泄漏磁场(M1)、和从靶(2)的外表面的不与靶(2)的成膜对象物(6)相向的第二区域(A2)泄漏的第二泄漏磁场(M2)的部件。第二泄漏磁场(M2)的强度比第一泄漏磁场(M1)的强度低。(The invention provides a film forming apparatus and a method for manufacturing electronic equipment, which can perform pre-sputtering with good productivity and convenience. A film forming apparatus (1) is provided with: a chamber (10) in which an object (6) to be film-formed and a cylindrical target (2) are disposed; a magnetic field generating member (3) which is provided inside the target (2) and generates a leakage magnetic field leaking from the outer peripheral surface of the target (2); and a target driving member (11) for driving the target (2) to rotate. The magnetic field generating means (3) is a means for generating a first leakage magnetic field (M1) that leaks from a first region (A1) of the outer surface of the target (2) that faces the object to be film-formed of the target (2), and a second leakage magnetic field (M2) that leaks from a second region (A2) of the outer surface of the target (2) that does not face the object to be film-formed of the target (2). The strength of the second leakage magnetic field (M2) is lower than the strength of the first leakage magnetic field (M1).)

1. A film forming apparatus includes:

a chamber in which a film formation object and a cylindrical target are disposed;

a magnetic field generating member provided inside the target and generating a leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer peripheral surface of the target; and

a target driving member for driving the target to rotate,

the film forming apparatus forms a film on the film forming object arranged opposite to the target,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

the magnetic field generating means generates a first leakage magnetic field that leaks from a first region of the outer surface of the target where the target and the film formation object face each other, and a second leakage magnetic field that leaks from a second region of the outer surface of the target where the target does not face the film formation object,

the second leakage magnetic field has a lower intensity than the first leakage magnetic field.

2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the second region is located on the opposite side of the first region with respect to the rotation axis of the target.

3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the magnetic field generating member includes a first magnet unit that generates the first leakage magnetic field and a second magnet unit that generates the second leakage magnetic field.

4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3,

a magnetic plate is disposed between the second magnet unit and the target.

5. The film forming apparatus according to claim 4,

the magnetic plate has an arc-shaped cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the target.

6. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the second magnet unit is a magnet unit having a magnetic force weaker than that of the first magnet unit.

7. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the film forming apparatus has a mode for simultaneously performing sputtering in the first region and sputtering in the second region.

8. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the film forming apparatus further includes a partition member that partitions an interior of the chamber into a first space facing the first region and a second space facing the second region.

9. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the film forming apparatus includes a gas supply unit for supplying a sputtering gas into the chamber,

the position of the gas supply port by the gas supply member is in the vicinity of a plane perpendicular to a normal line of a film formation target surface of the film formation target and including a rotation axis of the target.

10. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,

the chamber has a plurality of cathode units each having the magnetic field generating member, and the cathode units are arranged such that the magnetic field generating member is arranged inside the target.

11. A film forming apparatus includes:

a chamber in which a film formation object and a cylindrical target are disposed;

a magnetic field generating member provided inside the target and generating a leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer peripheral surface of the target; and

a target driving member for driving the target to rotate,

the film forming apparatus forms a film on the film forming object arranged opposite to the target,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the target, a point on the outer periphery of the target and having the shortest distance to the object to be film-formed when the point is disposed facing the object to be film-formed is defined as a first point, a straight line connecting the first point and a point on the rotation axis of the target is defined as a first straight line, and a straight line passing through the point on the rotation axis of the target and perpendicular to the first straight line is defined as a second straight line,

when the target is divided on a plane including the second straight line and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the target, a portion including the first point is defined as a first portion, and the remaining portion is defined as a second portion,

the magnetic field generating means generates a first leakage magnetic field that leaks from an outer surface of the first portion of the target and a second leakage magnetic field that leaks from an outer surface of the second portion of the target,

the second leakage magnetic field has a lower intensity than the first leakage magnetic field.

12. A film forming apparatus includes:

a chamber in which a film formation object and a cylindrical target are disposed;

a magnetic field generating member provided inside the target and generating a leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer peripheral surface of the target; and

a target driving member for driving the target to rotate,

the film forming apparatus forms a film on the film forming object arranged opposite to the target,

it is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

a first space for performing sputtering for forming a film on the film formation object and a second space for performing sputtering for cleaning an outer surface of the target are provided in the chamber,

the magnetic field generating member is a member that generates a first leakage magnetic field that leaks from an outer surface of the target on the first space side and a second leakage magnetic field that leaks from an outer surface of the target on the second space side,

the second leakage magnetic field has a lower intensity than the first leakage magnetic field.

13. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, comprising a sputtering film formation step of disposing a film formation object in a chamber and depositing sputtering particles projected from a cylindrical target disposed so as to face the film formation object to form a film, wherein the sputtering film formation step comprises the steps of,

a leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer surface of the target is generated in both a first direction from the target toward the object to be film-formed and a second direction from the object to be film-formed by a magnetic field generating member disposed inside the target,

the intensity of the leakage magnetic field in the second direction is lower than the intensity of the leakage magnetic field in the first direction,

the method for manufacturing the electronic device comprises the following steps:

a main sputtering step of performing sputtering by concentrating plasma by the leakage magnetic field in the first direction; and

and a pre-sputtering step of performing sputtering by concentrating the plasma by the leakage magnetic field in the second direction.

14. The method of manufacturing an electronic device according to claim 13,

the pre-sputtering step is a step of cleaning the outer surface of the target.

15. The method of manufacturing an electronic device according to claim 14,

the main sputtering step and the pre-sputtering step are performed simultaneously.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a method of manufacturing an electronic device.

Background

Sputtering is widely known as a method for forming a thin film made of a material such as a metal or a metal oxide on a film formation object such as a substrate or a laminate formed on a substrate. A sputtering apparatus for forming a film by a sputtering method has a structure in which a target made of a film forming material is disposed in a vacuum chamber so as to face a film forming object. When a negative voltage is applied to the target, plasma is generated in the vicinity of the target, the surface of the target is sputtered with ionized inert gas elements, and the emitted sputtered particles are deposited on the object to be film-formed to form a film. In addition, there is also known a magnetron sputtering method in which a magnet is disposed on the rear surface of a target (inside the target in the case of a cylindrical target) and sputtering is performed by increasing the electron density in the vicinity of a cathode by a generated magnetic field.

In such a conventional film deposition apparatus, for example, after the target is replaced, after the chamber is opened to the atmosphere, or when the film deposition process is not performed continuously and the target is not exposed to plasma for a long period of time, the surface of the target may be oxidized or deteriorated. In this way, when the surface of the target is oxidized or deteriorated, or when foreign matter adheres to the surface of the target, or the like, sputtering is performed on the object other than the object to be film-formed before sputtering the object to be film-formed, and pre-sputtering is performed to clean the surface of the target (patent document 1).

As a method for pre-sputtering in a rotating cathode (RC; also referred to as a rotating cathode or a rolling cathode) that performs sputtering while rotating a target, for example, there is a method described in patent document 2. In the sputtering apparatus described in patent document 2, the following three states can be obtained by rotating a magnet (magnet assembly) provided inside the RC.

(1) The plasma is directed to the opposite side of the substrate (object to be film-formed).

(2) The plasma is directed in the lateral direction (direction horizontal to the film formation surface of the substrate).

(3) A state in which the plasma is directed toward the substrate.

That is, by generating plasma in the state of (1) and maintaining the state of (1) or (2), it is possible to perform pre-sputtering without sputtering the substrate. After the completion of the pre-sputtering, if the magnet is rotated to be in the state of (3), the substrate and the RC can be transferred from the pre-sputtering to the main sputtering without moving.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a film forming device and a manufacturing method of an electronic device, wherein the film forming device can perform pre-sputtering with good productivity and simplicity.

Means for solving the problems

A film forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a chamber in which a film formation object and a cylindrical target are disposed; a magnetic field generating member provided inside the target and generating a leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer peripheral surface of the target; and a target driving member that drives the target to rotate, the film forming apparatus forming a film on the film forming object disposed to face the target, wherein the magnetic field generating member generates a first leakage magnetic field that leaks from a first region of an outer surface of the target where the target and the film forming object face each other, and a second leakage magnetic field that leaks from a second region of the outer surface of the target where the target does not face the film forming object, and a strength of the second leakage magnetic field is lower than a strength of the first leakage magnetic field.

A film forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes: a chamber in which a film formation object and a cylindrical target are disposed; a magnetic field generating member provided inside the target and generating a leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer peripheral surface of the target; and a target driving member that drives the target to rotate, the film forming apparatus forming a film on the film forming object arranged to face the target, wherein in a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the target, a point on an outer periphery of the target, at which a distance from the film forming object is shortest when the target is arranged to face the film forming object, is defined as a first point, a straight line connecting the first point and a point on a rotation axis of the target is defined as a first straight line, a straight line passing through the point on the rotation axis of the target and perpendicular to the first straight line is defined as a second straight line, and when the target is divided by a plane including the second straight line and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the target, a portion including the first point is defined as a first portion and the remaining portion is defined as a second portion, the magnetic field generating member generates a first leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer surface of the first portion of the target and a second leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer surface of the second portion of the target And a second leakage magnetic field component with surface leakage, wherein the strength of the second leakage magnetic field is lower than that of the first leakage magnetic field.

A film forming apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention includes: a chamber in which a film formation object and a cylindrical target are disposed; a magnetic field generating member provided inside the target and generating a leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer peripheral surface of the target; and a target driving member that drives the target to rotate, wherein the film forming apparatus forms a film on the film forming object disposed to face the target, wherein a first space that performs sputtering for forming a film on the film forming object and a second space that performs sputtering for cleaning an outer surface of the target are provided inside the chamber, the magnetic field generating member is a member that generates a first leakage magnetic field that leaks from an outer surface of the target on the first space side and a second leakage magnetic field that leaks from an outer surface of the target on the second space side, and a strength of the second leakage magnetic field is lower than a strength of the first leakage magnetic field.

In addition, a method for manufacturing an electronic device according to still another aspect of the present invention includes a sputtering film forming step of disposing a film formation object in a chamber and depositing sputtering particles ejected from a cylindrical target disposed opposite to the film formation object to form a film, wherein a leakage magnetic field leaking from an outer surface of the target is generated in both a first direction from the target toward the film formation object and a second direction away from the film formation object by a magnetic field generating member disposed inside the target, and a strength of the leakage magnetic field in the second direction is lower than a strength of the leakage magnetic field in the first direction, and the method includes: a main sputtering step of performing sputtering by concentrating plasma by the leakage magnetic field in the first direction; and a pre-sputtering step of performing sputtering by concentrating the plasma by the leakage magnetic field in the second direction.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, the pre-sputtering can be performed with good productivity and in a simple manner.

Drawings

Fig. 1(a) is a schematic view showing a configuration of a film deposition apparatus according to embodiment 1, and (B) is a side view of the film deposition apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2(a) is a perspective view of the magnetic plate, and (B) is a perspective view of the first magnet unit.

Fig. 3(a) is a perspective view showing an example of the target driving mechanism, and (B) is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the target driving mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the structure of a film deposition apparatus according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 5(a) is a schematic view showing the structure of the film formation apparatus according to embodiment 3, and (B) is a perspective view of the partition plate according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view showing the structure of a film deposition apparatus according to embodiment 4.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a general layer structure of an organic EL element.

Description of the reference numerals

1. A film forming apparatus; 2. a target; 3. a magnet unit (magnetic field generating member); 6. an object to be film-formed; 10. a chamber; 11. a target drive mechanism (target drive means); a1, a first area; a2, second area; m1, a first leakage magnetic field; m2, second leakage magnetic field.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. However, the following embodiments are merely exemplary of preferred configurations of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to these configurations. In the following description, the hardware configuration and software configuration of the apparatus, the process flow, the manufacturing conditions, the dimensions, the materials, the shapes, and the like are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to these unless otherwise specifically stated.

[ embodiment 1]

First, a basic configuration of a film deposition apparatus 1 according to embodiment 1 will be described with reference to fig. 1 (a).

The film formation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is used for depositing and forming a thin film on a substrate (including a structure in which a laminate is formed on a substrate) in the manufacture of various electronic devices such as a semiconductor device, a magnetic device, and an electronic component, and optical components. More specifically, the film formation apparatus 1 is preferably used for manufacturing electronic devices such as a light-emitting element, a photoelectric conversion element, and a touch panel. Among them, the film formation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is particularly preferably used in the production of organic light emitting elements such as organic el (electro luminescence) elements and organic photoelectric conversion elements such as organic thin film solar cells. The electronic device of the present invention includes a display device (for example, an organic EL display device) including a light-emitting element, an illumination device (for example, an organic EL illumination device), and a sensor (for example, an organic CMOS image sensor) including a photoelectric conversion element.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a general layer structure of an organic EL element. As shown in fig. 7, an organic EL element generally has a structure in which an anode, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an organic light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a cathode are formed in this order on a substrate. The film formation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is suitably used when a laminated film of a metal, a metal oxide, or the like for an electron injection layer and an electrode (cathode) is formed on an organic film by sputtering. Further, the film formation is not limited to the film formation on the organic film, and a film can be formed by stacking on a plurality of surfaces as long as the film can be formed by sputtering of a combination of materials such as a metal material and an oxide material.

The film formation apparatus 1 includes a chamber 10 capable of maintaining the inside of the chamber at a vacuum, and the chamber 10 includes a gas inlet (supply port) 7a and an exhaust port (not shown). An inert gas such as argon or a reactive gas is supplied into the chamber 10 through the gas inlet 7a by a gas introduction means not shown. Here, the gas inlet 7a is provided at the tip of the gas pipe 7 disposed inside the chamber 10. The chamber 10 is evacuated from the inside thereof through an unillustrated exhaust port by an unillustrated exhaust means.

In the chamber 10, a film formation object 6 to be subjected to a film formation process by the film formation apparatus 1 and a cylindrical target 2 disposed to face the film formation object 6 are disposed. In a state where the target 2 is disposed in the chamber 10, the object 6 to be film-formed may be conveyed to a film formation region, which is a region in the chamber 10 facing the target 2, by a conveying means not shown, and a film formation process may be performed. The object 6 to be film-formed may be subjected to a film forming process while being moved in a direction parallel to the film forming surface of the object 6 to be film-formed in the film forming region by an object driving means not shown. A magnet unit 3 as a magnetic field generating member is provided inside the target 2. The target 2 is rotationally driven by a target drive mechanism 11 as a drive member about a cylindrical central axis of the target 2 as a rotation axis. The magnet unit 3 is mounted in a sealed housing 4, and constitutes a rotary cathode 8 together with the target 2.

The target 2 functions as a supply source of a film forming material to be formed on the object 6 to be film formed. The material of the target 2 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include metal targets such as Cu, Al, Ti, Mo, Cr, Ag, Au, and Ni, and alloy materials thereof. The target 2 may be formed with a layer made of another material such as a liner inside the layer formed with the film-forming material. The target 2 is a cylindrical target, but the term "cylindrical" herein does not mean a mathematically strict cylindrical shape, and includes a shape in which a generatrix is not a straight line but a curved line, and a cross section perpendicular to a central axis is not a mathematically strict "circle". That is, the target 2 in the present invention may be a cylindrical target that can rotate about the central axis.

The magnet unit 3 is a magnetic field generating member that generates a leakage magnetic field leaking from the outer surface of the target 2. The magnet unit 3 generates a first leakage magnetic field M1 that leaks from a first region a1 of the outer surface of the target 2 facing the object 6, and a second leakage magnetic field M2 that leaks from a second region a2 of the outer surface of the target 2 not facing the object 6. That is, the magnet unit 3 generates the first leakage magnetic field M1 in the first space S1 which is a space between the target 2 and the object 6 to be film-formed, and generates the second leakage magnetic field M2 in the second space S2 which is a space in a direction away from the outer surface of the target 2 and in a direction away from the object 6 to be film-formed. Here, the first space S1 is a space for performing sputtering for forming a film on the object 6 to be film-formed, and the second space S2 is a space for performing sputtering for cleaning the outer surface of the target as described later. In the example of the figure, the second space S2 is a space between the bottom surface of the chamber and the target 2. The first and second leakage magnetic fields M1 and M2 concentrate the plasmas P1 and P2 near the outer periphery of the target 2, thereby efficiently performing sputtering. In addition, the first space S1 faces the first region a1, and the second space S2 faces the second region a 2.

The arrangement of the first magnet unit 3A and the second magnet unit 3B can be expressed as follows. The detailed configurations of the first magnet unit 3A and the second magnet unit 3B will be described later. In a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the target 2, a point on the outer periphery of the target 2 and a point at which the distance from the object 6 to be film-formed is shortest when the point is disposed opposite to the object 6 to be film-formed is defined as a first point X1. In the same cross section, a straight line connecting the first point X1 and the point n on the rotation axis of the target 2 is defined as a first straight line L1. Further, in the same cross section, a straight line passing through the point n on the rotation axis of the target 2 and perpendicular to the first straight line L1 is defined as a second straight line L2. At this time, the target 2 is divided into two parts by a plane including the second straight line L2 and parallel to the longitudinal direction of the target 2. The two parts are taken as a first part and a second part. In fig. 1 a, the first point X1 is the uppermost point on the outer periphery of the target 2, the first straight line L1 is a straight line passing through the first point X1 and perpendicular to the object 6, and the second straight line L2 is a straight line passing through the center (point n) of the target 2 and parallel to the object 6. Therefore, in the case of fig. 1 a, the target 2 is divided into a semicircle (semi-cylinder) on the side of the object 6 and a semicircle (semi-cylinder) on the opposite side. At this time, the first magnet unit 3A generates a first leakage magnetic field M1 leaking from at least a part of the outer surface of the first portion, and the second magnet unit 3B generates a second leakage magnetic field M2 leaking from at least a part of the outer surface of the second portion.

Inside the target 2, a magnetic plate 5 that reduces the intensity of a leakage magnetic field generated by the magnet unit 3 and leaking to the outer surface of the target 2 is disposed between the inner periphery of the target 2 and the magnet unit 3. In the present embodiment, the magnetic plate 5 has a function of making the strength of the second leakage magnetic field M2 weaker than the strength of the first leakage magnetic field M1. This makes it possible to reduce the density of the plasma P2 near the target 2 in the second space S2 to be lower than the density of the plasma P1 near the target 2 in the first space S1, and to make the discharge in the second space S2 weaker than the discharge in the first space S1.

As shown in fig. 2(a), the magnetic plate 5 is an arch-shaped plate-like member that extends along the inner periphery of the cylindrical housing 4, and is fixed to the inner periphery of the housing 4. In the illustrated example, the magnetic plate 5 covers a half-circumference portion of the housing 4, and has a semi-cylindrical shape. The magnetic plate 5 may be fixed to the inner periphery of the housing 4 by bonding or fixing with a fastening member such as a screw, or the magnetic plate may be made of a magnetic material as the material of the housing 4 itself.

The material of the magnetic plate 5 is not particularly limited as long as it absorbs magnetic flux and easily concentrates inside, that is, a material having high relative permeability. The relative permeability of the material constituting the magnetic sheet 5 is preferably 500 or more, preferably 1000 or more, and more preferably 3000 or more. The upper limit of the relative permeability of the material constituting the magnetic plate 5 is not particularly limited, and may be 10000000 or less, or 1000000 or less, for example. More specifically, the material constituting the magnetic plate 5 is preferably a ferromagnetic material, and for example, Fe, Co, Ni, or an alloy thereof, permalloy (japanese patent: ミューメタル), or the like can be used.

A power supply 13 for applying a bias voltage is connected to the target 2, and the target driving mechanism 11 and the power supply 13 are controlled by a control unit 14. In addition, the chamber 10 is grounded. That is, by applying the power source 13 while rotating the target 2, the first space S1 on the film formation object 6 side and the second space S2 on the opposite side (back side) to the film formation object 6 are caused to generate plasma, and the back side is subjected to weak discharge to perform pre-sputtering. At the same time, plasma with high density is generated in the first space S1 to perform main sputtering, and sputtered particles are deposited on the object 6 to be film-formed to form a film.

As shown in fig. 1(B), in the illustrated example, the object 6 is disposed horizontally, parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating cathode 8, on the ceiling side of the vacuum chamber 10, and both edges are held by the substrate holder. The object 6 to be film-formed is carried in from, for example, an inlet door, not shown, provided in a side wall of the chamber 10, moved to a film-forming position in the film-forming region to form a film, and then discharged from an outlet door, not shown, after the film is formed. As described above, the film deposition apparatus 1 may be configured to perform the film deposition in a state where the film deposition surface of the object 6 to be film-deposited faces downward in the direction of gravity, that is, so-called upward deposition. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a so-called downward deposition may be employed in which the film formation is performed in a state in which the object 6 to be film-formed is disposed on the bottom surface side of the chamber 10, the rotating cathode 8 is disposed above the object, and the film formation surface of the object 6 to be film-formed faces upward in the direction of gravity. Alternatively, the film formation may be performed in a state where the object 6 to be film-formed stands upright, that is, in a state where the film formation surface of the object 6 to be film-formed is parallel to the direction of gravity.

The rotating cathode 8 is disposed at the substantially center in the vertical direction of the chamber 10, and both ends are rotatably supported by the support block 300 and the end block 200. As shown in fig. 1(a), the gas pipes 7 are provided at two positions on the left and right in the drawing with respect to the rotating cathode 8, and extend upward from the bottom surface side of the chamber 10. The gas pipe 7 has a gas inlet 7a (gas supply position) as an opening in the chamber 10, which is bent toward the left and right sides of the cylindrical target 2 at the height of the central axis N of the rotating cathode 8, and is opened to face the left and right sides of the target 2.

The position of the gas introduction port 7a is not particularly limited, and is preferably between the first space S1 and the second space S2. That is, the position of the gas inlet 7a is preferably in the vicinity of a plane perpendicular to the normal line of the surface to be film-formed of the object 6 and including the rotation axis of the target 2. Thus, gas can be supplied from the single gas inlet 7a to both the first space S1 and the second space S2.

(arrangement structure of magnet unit 3)

The magnet unit 3 includes a first magnet unit 3A that forms a magnetic field in a direction toward the object 6 to be film-formed (first direction D1) and a second magnet unit 3B that forms a magnetic field in a direction away from the object 6 to be film-formed, that is, in a second direction D2. In the present embodiment, the first direction D1 is opposite to the second direction D2 by 180 °, that is, the angle formed by the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 is 180 °, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The angle formed between the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 may be 90 ° or more and 180 ° or less, and is preferably 120 ° or more and 180 ° or less. The first magnet unit 3A and the second magnet unit 3B are overlapped with their back surfaces facing each other, and the magnetic force is set to have the same strength. Further, a space may be provided between the first magnet unit 3A and the second magnet unit 3B. The first magnet unit 3A and the second magnet unit 3B have basically the same configuration, and the configuration will be described by taking the first magnet unit 3A as an example.

As shown in fig. 2(B), the first magnet unit 3A includes a center magnet 31 extending in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the rotating cathode 8, a peripheral magnet 32 surrounding the center magnet 31 and having a different polarity from the center magnet 31, and a yoke plate 33. The peripheral magnet 32 includes a pair of linear portions 32a and 32b extending parallel to the central magnet 31, and turning portions 32c and 32c connecting both ends of the linear portions 32a and 32 b. The second magnet unit 3B also has the same configuration.

The magnetic field formed by the magnet unit 3 has magnetic lines of force that return annularly from the magnetic pole of the center magnet 31 toward the linear portions 32a, 32a of the peripheral magnet 32. Thereby, a circular magnetic field passage extending in the longitudinal direction of the target 2 is formed near the surface of the target 2. By this magnetic field, electrons are trapped, and plasma is concentrated near the surface of the target 2, thereby improving the sputtering efficiency.

(Structure of case)

The housing 4 is a cylindrical sealed box, and the magnet unit 3 is disposed in the housing 4. The central axis of the housing 4 and the central axis of the target are assembled coaxially with the central axis N of the rotating cathode 8. The yoke plate 33 of the magnet unit 3 is positioned on a horizontal plane passing through the central axis N, and is disposed such that a vertical plane passing through the centers of the central magnets 31, 31 of the first magnet unit 3A and the second magnet unit 3B passes through the central axis.

(Driving mechanism of target)

Fig. 3(a) is a schematic perspective view showing an example of the target drive mechanism 11, and fig. 3(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the rotation axis of the rotary cathode 8. Fig. 3(a) mainly shows a basic structure of the rotating cathode 8, and fig. 3(B) mainly shows an arrangement structure of the rotary bearing and the seal.

First, the target drive mechanism 11 will be described with reference to fig. 3 (a). The power transmission shaft 21 for transmitting power to the target 2 is a cylindrical hollow shaft, and protrudes toward the endblock 200, and the fixed shaft 41 of the housing 4 protrudes from the power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2 through the hollow hole of the power transmission shaft 21. The power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2 is provided so as to protrude from the center of an end plate 22 fixed to an end of the target 2, and the fixed shaft 41 of the housing 4 is provided so as to protrude from the center of an end plate 42 of the housing 4.

The power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2 is connected to a motor 130 as a drive source via a belt transmission mechanism 110 as a drive transmission mechanism, and transmits a rotational drive force. That is, the rotational driving force of the motor 130 is transmitted to the target 2 via the belt transmission mechanism 110 and the power transmission shaft 21, and the target 2 is driven to rotate. In the illustrated example, the belt transmission mechanism 110 uses a toothed belt and a pulley, but is not limited thereto.

On the other hand, at the end of the support block, the driven-side rotating shaft 24 provided at the end of the target 2 is rotatably supported by the support block 300. Unlike the end block side, the fixed shaft 44 of the housing 4 may not penetrate the driven-side rotating shaft 24 of the target 2, as long as it is supported rotatably relative to each other.

Next, referring to fig. 3(B), description will be made centering on the bearing and the seal of the rotating portion.

(end block side structure)

A pair of bearings B are provided between the fixed shaft 41 and the power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2, the power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2 is rotatable with respect to the fixed shaft 41, and a sealing device 270 suitable for vacuum sealing is attached to an annular gap between the fixed shaft 41 and the power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2. The sealing device 270 has a function of sealing the annular gap by enabling relative rotation between the fixed shaft 41 and the power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2. Further, the housing 4 is coupled to the magnet unit 3, and even if the target 2 rotates, the housing 4 and the magnet unit 3 inside do not rotate. That is, the film formation apparatus 1 can rotate the target 2 in a state where the housing 4 and the magnet unit 3 inside are fixed to the end block 200.

A bearing B is also provided between the power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2 and the circular opening 201 provided in the endblock 200, the power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2 is rotatable with respect to the endblock 200, and an annular gap between the power transmission shaft 21 of the target 2 and the opening 201 is sealed by a sealing device 270. In the illustrated example, the driving force transmission shaft 21 is provided on an end plate 22 that closes the opening end of the target 2, the end portion on the outer peripheral side of the target 2 is fastened by a fastening member 290 such as a jig, and the fitting portion between the inner periphery of the target 2 and the end plate 22 is sealed by a gasket G. This maintains the low-pressure state in the casing 4.

(Structure of support Block 300 side)

The driven-side rotating shaft 24 of the target 2 is not hollow, but is provided coaxially with the power transmission shaft 21, and is rotatably supported via a bearing B in a shaft hole 301 provided in the support block 300. No special sealing device is required for the bearing.

The driven-side rotating shaft 24 is provided on an end plate 25 that closes the opening end of the target 2, a bearing hole 26 that does not penetrate is provided on the inner end surface of the end plate 25, and the fixed shaft 44 of the housing 4 is rotatably supported by the bearing hole 26 via a bearing B. The end portion on the outer peripheral side is also fastened to the end portion on the support block 300 side of the target 2 by a fastening member 290 such as a jig, and the fitting portion between the inner periphery of the target 2 and the end plate is sealed by a gasket G, so that the inner space of the target 100 is maintained in a low pressure state.

Here, the support block 300 is disposed inside the chamber 10, and the end block 200 is disposed outside the chamber 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the end block 200 may be disposed inside the chamber 10. In this case, the motor 130 and the like may be disposed inside the end plate 200. The end block 200 and the support block 300 may be disposed inside the chamber 10 and may be configured to be movable together with the rotating cathode 8 in parallel with the film formation surface of the object 6 to be film-formed. According to this configuration, the rotating cathode 8 can be driven in parallel with the film formation surface of the object 6 to be film-formed while rotating the rotating cathode 8.

Next, the operation of the film formation apparatus 1 will be described.

The film deposition apparatus 1 controls the motor 130 and the target drive mechanism 11 of the drive source by the control unit 14 to rotate the target 2, thereby depositing a film on the film deposition object 6. When a bias voltage is applied from the power supply 13 to the target 2 while rotating the target 2, plasma is generated in the space outside the target 2 by the leakage magnetic field generated by the magnet unit 3. More specifically, high-density plasma P1 is generated in the first space S1 on the film formation object 6 side by the first leakage magnetic field M1 having a high magnetic force, and low-density plasma P2 is generated in the second space S2 on the opposite side of the film formation object 6 by the second leakage magnetic field M2 having a low magnetic force.

The portion of the outer surface of the target 2 corresponding to the second region a2 was cleaned (pre-sputtered) by sputtering the target 2 with the charged particles of the low-density plasma P2 in the second space S2. Since the target 2 is driven to rotate, a portion to be cleaned by the pre-sputtering in the outer surface of the target 2 moves on the outer surface of the target 2. That is, by performing the pre-sputtering while rotating the target 2, the entire circumference of the outer surface of the target 2 can be cleaned. The portion of the outer surface of the target 2 cleaned by the pre-sputtering is sent into the first area a1 by rotation. In the first region a1, the cleaned target surface is sputtered with charged particles of the high-density plasma P1 in the first space S1 (main sputtering). This reduces the deposition of the sputtered particles of impurities on the object 6 to be film-formed, thereby forming a uniform film.

The main sputtering and the pre-sputtering may be performed sequentially with time intervals, may be performed sequentially continuously, or may be performed simultaneously. In this embodiment mode, main sputtering and pre-sputtering are performed simultaneously. By simultaneously performing the main sputtering and the pre-sputtering, the main sputtering is immediately performed on the surface of the target 2 cleaned in the second area a2, and the surface of the target 2 can be always kept clean in the first area a1 where the main sputtering is performed. This makes it possible to obtain a homogeneous film-forming layer having high purity.

In the present embodiment, the pre-sputtering is performed in the second space S2 located in the direction away from the object 6. That is, the pre-sputtering is performed by sputtering a portion of the outer surface of the target 2 that does not face the object 6 to be film-formed. Thus, since sputtering particles scattered by the pre-sputtering adhere to the inner wall surface of the chamber 10 on the opposite side of the object 6 to be film-formed, the influence of the pre-sputtering on the object 6 to be film-formed or the film formed on the object 6 to be film-formed can be reduced. The second leakage magnetic field M2 formed by leakage from the second region a2 has a magnetic field strength weaker than that of the first leakage magnetic field M1, and the density of plasma P2 generated in the second space S2 is lower than that of plasma P1. Therefore, since sputtering is performed by a weaker discharge than that of main sputtering in the pre-sputtering, it is also possible to suppress the consumption amount of the target 2 by the pre-sputtering.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, only the points of difference from embodiment 1 will be described, and the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[ embodiment 2]

Fig. 4 shows a film deposition apparatus 101 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. In embodiment 1, the strength of the second leakage magnetic field M2 leaking from the second region a2 is set to be lower than the strength of the first leakage magnetic field M1 leaking from the first region a1 by the magnetic plate 5. On the other hand, in embodiment 2, the magnetic force of the second magnet unit 3B itself is made weaker than the magnetic force of the first magnet unit 3A on the film formation object 6 side. Thus, the strength of the second leakage magnetic field M2 leaking from the second region a2 is set to be lower than the strength of the first leakage magnetic field M1 leaking from the first region a 1. Thus, the leakage magnetic field on the second region a2 side can be weakened without using the magnetic plate 5 to perform weak discharge, and main sputtering in the first region a1 and pre-sputtering in the second region a2 can be efficiently performed.

[ embodiment 3]

Fig. 5 shows a film deposition apparatus 102 according to embodiment 3 of the present invention. In embodiment 3, the partition member 400 is provided to partition the interior of the chamber 10 into the first space S1 and the second space S2 for forming a film on the object 6 to be film-formed.

As described above, the first space S1 is a region where the high-density plasma P1 is generated at the time of main sputtering, and the second space S2 is a region where the low-density plasma P2 is generated at the time of pre-sputtering. The film formation apparatus 102 has a first gas inlet 71 for introducing a gas into the first space S1 and a second gas inlet 72 for introducing a gas into the second space S2, and the gas inlets 71 and 72 may be connected to other gas supply sources. Different kinds of gases may be supplied from the gas inlets 71 and 72.

The partition member is formed of a plate material bent into an L shape, which includes a pair of horizontal plate sections 401 provided on the left and right sides of the rotary cathode 8 along a horizontal plane passing through the central axis N of the rotary cathode 8, and support plate sections 402 extending in the vertical direction and supporting the horizontal plate sections 401. The support plate portion 402 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the chamber 10, and the end portion of the horizontal plate portion 401 on the rotating cathode 8 side faces the side surface of the target 2 with a slight gap therebetween. The horizontal plate 401 may be directly fixed to the wall of the chamber 10. By thus partitioning the first space S1 and the second space S2, it is possible to suppress the influence of the adhesion of the scattered particles of oxide or the like to the object side during the pre-sputtering.

[ embodiment 4]

Fig. 6 shows a film deposition apparatus 103 according to embodiment 4 of the present invention. In embodiment 4, one magnet unit 3 is provided so as to face the first region a1 on the film formation object 6 side, and two magnet units are provided so as to face the second regions a21 and a 22. That is, the film formation apparatus 103 includes the first magnet unit 3A disposed to generate the leakage magnetic field from the first region a1, and the two second magnet units 3B1 and 3B2 disposed to generate the leakage magnetic fields M21 and M22 from the second regions a21 and a 22. The second magnet units 3B1 and 3B2 are arranged on the upstream side and the downstream side in the target rotation direction, and are arranged in a triangular shape together with the first magnet unit 3A.

In this way, in the second region a2, the two second magnet units 3B1 and 3B2 generate the plurality of plasmas P21 and P22 by the two magnetic fields M21 and M22, so that the discharge region on the back surface side can be enlarged, and the uniformity of the cleaned surface can be improved. The number of the second magnet units is not limited to two, and may be three or more.

[ other embodiments ]

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various configurations can be adopted without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in embodiments 1 to 3, the magnet unit 3 is configured such that one second magnet unit 3B is disposed on the opposite side of 180 ° from the first magnet unit 3A facing the object to be film-formed, but one second magnet unit 3B may be disposed offset on the downstream side in the rotational direction like the magnet unit 3B2 on the downstream side of the two second magnet units in embodiment 4. In this way, the target 2 can be cleaned immediately before the main sputtering is started, and the cleaning effect is high.

In the above embodiments, the case where the magnetic plate 5 is disposed in the housing 4 together with the magnet unit 3 has been described, but the magnetic plate may be disposed in a gap between the outer periphery of the housing 4 and the inner periphery of the target 2.

In the above embodiment, the magnetic plate has a substantially semicircular cross section and has a size covering 180 ° of the cylindrical target, but the size is not limited to 180 °. The size of the cylindrical target is preferably in a range of 90 ° to 270 °, more preferably 150 ° to 210 °.

In the above embodiment, the magnetic plate 5 is formed of one magnetic plate, but may be formed by stacking 2 magnetic plates, and is not limited to 1 magnetic plate.

In the above embodiment, the case where one rotary cathode 8 is used is exemplified, but the present invention can also be applied to a film deposition apparatus in which a plurality of rotary cathodes 8 are arranged inside the chamber 10. More specifically, the present invention can be applied to a film deposition apparatus in which a plurality of rotary cathodes 8 each having a target 2 of a different material are arranged to form a film deposition layer having a laminated structure of different materials on an object 6 to be film deposited. When different materials are deposited by the plurality of rotary cathodes 8, sputtering particles (mixture) of different materials sputtered from the target 2 of one rotary cathode 8 may adhere to the target 2 of the other rotary cathode 8. When the mixing occurs in this way, the composition ratio of the film formed on the object 6 to be film-formed may change from a desired ratio. Even in such a case, if a weak discharge is always performed on the back surface side as in the above-described embodiments, the different materials adhering thereto are always cleaned and removed, and the composition ratio of the film formation layer can be maintained.