JP2013147677A - Film deposition system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a film deposition system which can provide an improved distribution of film thickness of a substrate surface having surface asperities.SOLUTION: A film deposition system 1 allows a substrate W on a stage 11 to rotate around a first axis Z1 and around a second axis Z2, thereby: increasing flexibility in a variation of a position of the substrate W relative to a deposition source 12; and securing a uniform distribution of film thickness irrespective of the radial position on the substrate W. Thus, the film deposition system 1 can provide the surface of the substrate W having asperities, for example, with an improved distribution of film thickness on the side of the asperities.

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus capable of uniformly forming a thin film on a surface of a substrate having an uneven portion.

  In recent years, various film forming apparatuses for forming a thin film with a uniform film thickness on the surface of a substrate have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 below has a sputtering target arranged to face the substrate surface in an oblique direction and a holder motor that rotates the substrate holder around the center of the substrate, while rotating the substrate. A sputtering apparatus is described in which vapor deposition particles are incident on a substrate surface from an oblique direction.

JP 2008-103026 A

  The sputtering apparatus having the above configuration has a great effect on improving the film thickness distribution on a relatively flat region on the substrate, but cannot improve the film thickness distribution on the substrate surface having the uneven portion. There is. That is, when the structural layer is distributed in an island shape on the substrate surface, the distribution of the thickness of the film formed on the side surface of the structural layer depends on the radial position of the substrate, and the required film thickness uniformity is achieved. It was very difficult to secure.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of improving the film thickness distribution on the surface of a substrate having an uneven portion.

In order to achieve the above object, a film formation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber, a stage, a first rotation shaft, a film formation source, a second rotation shaft, a drive source, and a rotation transmission. Mechanism.
The stage is for supporting the substrate, and is installed inside the chamber. The first rotation axis rotates the stage around a first axis that passes through the center of the substrate on the stage.
The film forming source causes film forming particles to enter the substrate on the stage from an oblique direction.
The second rotation axis is arranged along a second axis parallel to the first axis, and is separated from the first axis by a first distance.
The drive source can rotate the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft around respective axes.
The rotation transmission mechanism is installed between the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft, and rotates the stage around the second shaft.

It is a perspective view of the important section showing roughly the film deposition system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of the principal part of the said film-forming apparatus.

A film formation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber, a stage, a first rotation shaft, a film formation source, a second rotation shaft, a drive source, and a rotation transmission mechanism.
The stage is for supporting the substrate, and is installed inside the chamber. The first rotation axis rotates the stage around a first axis that passes through the center of the substrate on the stage.
The film forming source causes film forming particles to enter the substrate on the stage from an oblique direction.
The second rotation axis is arranged along a second axis parallel to the first axis, and is separated from the first axis by a first distance.
The drive source can rotate the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft around respective axes.
The rotation transmission mechanism is installed between the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft, and rotates the stage around the second shaft.

  In the film forming apparatus, the substrate on the stage can rotate around the first axis and revolve around the second axis. This increases the degree of freedom in changing the relative position of the substrate with respect to the film formation source, and ensures a uniform film thickness distribution regardless of the radial position of the substrate. Therefore, according to the film forming apparatus, it is possible to improve the film thickness distribution on, for example, the side surface of the uneven portion with respect to the substrate surface having the uneven portion.

  The film forming source is determined according to the film forming method. For example, in the case of a sputtering apparatus, a sputtering cathode (sputtering gun), and in the case of a vacuum evaporation apparatus, the evaporation source of the film forming material is applicable. The number of film forming sources is not limited to one, and a plurality of film forming sources may be installed. The film forming particles are particles of film forming material generated by a film forming source, for example, sputtered particles generated by sputtering a target in the case of a sputtering apparatus, and generated by an evaporation source in the case of a vacuum evaporation apparatus. This corresponds to the evaporated particles of the deposited material.

The film forming apparatus may further include a disk-shaped plate member. The plate member includes a support portion that supports the stage and a fixed portion that is fixed to the second rotation shaft, and is disposed around the second rotation shaft in a plane orthogonal to the second shaft. Can be rotated.
According to the film forming apparatus, film forming particles that are not irradiated on the substrate among the film forming particles irradiated from the film forming source can be deposited on the plate member. That is, the plate member functions as an adhesion preventing plate that suppresses contamination inside the chamber due to film-forming particles. Thereby, careless adhesion of the film-forming particles to the inner wall surface of the chamber can be suppressed, and the cleaning efficiency of the chamber can be increased.

The rotation transmission mechanism includes a first gear, a second gear, and a third gear. The first gear is installed around the first rotation shaft. The second gear has a through hole through which the second rotation shaft passes, and is fixed to the chamber. The third gear is disposed between the first gear and the second gear.
With this configuration, the stage revolves around the second axis by the rotation of the plate member, and receives the rotational force of the third gear that rotates around the second gear, and rotates around the first axis. Rotation is possible. Thus, the substrate on the stage can be rotated and revolved by a single drive source that rotates the second rotation shaft.

  The first distance can be appropriately determined depending on the height of the uneven portion on the surface of the substrate, the inclination angle of the side surface of the uneven portion, and the like. Can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a main part of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view of the main part of the film forming apparatus. The film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment is configured as a sputtering apparatus, and includes a chamber 10, a stage 11, and a sputtering cathode 12. In the drawing, the X axis and the Y axis indicate horizontal directions orthogonal to each other, and the Z axis indicates a vertical direction orthogonal to the X axis and Y axis.

  The chamber 10 is connected to an evacuation pump (not shown), and is configured so that the inside can be evacuated to a predetermined pressure. The chamber 10 is connected to a gas supply source (not shown), and is configured so that a predetermined process gas (for example, a discharge gas such as Ar or a reactive gas such as oxygen) can be introduced into the chamber 10. . Furthermore, an opening for taking in and out the substrate W between the outside and the inside of the chamber 10 is formed in the peripheral wall of the chamber, and a gate valve for opening and closing the opening is provided in the peripheral wall.

  The stage 11 has a disk shape, and its surface forms a support surface that supports the substrate W horizontally. Although not shown, the stage 11 has a chuck mechanism (for example, a mechanical chuck) that holds the substrate W. In the present embodiment, the stage 11 is formed with a size substantially equal to the size of the substrate W, but of course it is not limited to this.

  In the present embodiment, a semiconductor wafer is used as the substrate W, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, or the like is also applicable. The size of the substrate W is not particularly limited. The surface of the substrate W may be a flat surface, or an uneven surface in which uneven portions such as a structural layer are distributed in an island shape.

  The sputtering cathode 12 includes a sputtering target (hereinafter simply referred to as “target”) 120, a backing plate that supports the target 120, a power unit that applies high-frequency power to the backing plate, a magnet unit that forms a magnetic field on the surface of the target, and the like. including.

  The sputtering cathode 12 is installed in the chamber 10 so that the surface of the target 120 faces the surface of the substrate W on the stage 11 in an oblique direction. The sputtering cathode 12 sputters the target by forming a plasma of a discharge gas between the target 120 and the substrate W, and makes the film formation particles knocked out of the target 120 incident on the substrate W from an oblique direction. . Thereby, a thin film made of the constituent material of the target 120 is formed on the surface of the substrate W. The constituent material of the target 120 is not particularly limited, and may be a metal, an alloy, or a compound thereof, or a ceramic material or a resin material.

  The film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a self-revolving unit 20 for revolving the substrate W inside the chamber 10 during the sputtering film formation. Hereinafter, the self-revolving unit 20 will be described.

  The rotation / revolution unit 20 includes a first rotation shaft 21, a second rotation shaft 22, a plate member 50 that supports the stage 11, a drive source 40 that rotates the second rotation shaft 22, and a second rotation. And a rotation transmission mechanism 30 that rotates the first rotation shaft 21 in synchronization with the rotation of the shaft 22.

  The first rotating shaft 21 is fixed to the stage 11. The first rotating shaft 21 is disposed along a first axis Z1 passing through the center O1 (FIG. 1) of the substrate W supported by the stage 11. The first rotating shaft 21 is attached to the plate member 50 so as to be rotatable with respect to the plate member 50.

  The second rotating shaft 22 is disposed along a second axis Z2 that is parallel to the first axis Z1 and separated from the first axis Z1 by a predetermined distance (L). The drive source 40 is composed of, for example, a motor, and rotates the second rotating shaft 22 around the second axis Z2. The second rotating shaft 22 is inserted into a cylindrical guide member 41 that penetrates the bottom of the chamber 10 in an airtight manner, and is connected to the drive source 40 outside the chamber 10.

  The separation distance (offset amount) L between the first axis Z1 and the second axis Z2 is the height of the uneven portion formed on the surface of the substrate W, the taper angle of the side surface of the uneven portion, the arrangement pitch of the uneven portion, the substrate It is appropriately determined according to the radius (r) of W, the incident angle of the film forming particles incident from the target 120, the distance between the substrate W and the target 120, and the like. In the present embodiment, the magnitude of the offset amount L is set, for example, in a range from r / 4 to r, with the radius r of the substrate W as a reference.

  The plate member 50 includes a support portion 51 that rotatably supports the first rotation shaft 21 and a fixing portion 52 that is fixed to the upper end of the second rotation shaft 22. The support portion 51 is composed of a bearing member, and supports the stage 11 via the first rotation shaft 21 so as to be rotatable. The plate member 50 has a disk shape. An intersection point O2 (FIG. 1) between the second axis Z2 and the plate member 50 is the center of the plate member 50. Accordingly, the plate member 50 can be rotated around the second axis Z2 in the XY plane by the drive source 40.

  The rotation transmission mechanism 30 includes a first gear 31, a second gear 32, a third gear 33, and a casing 34 that accommodates these gears.

  The first gear 31 is attached around the first rotating shaft 21 and rotates together with the first rotating shaft 21. The second gear 32 is fixed to the upper end portion of the guide member 41, and a through hole 32a through which the second rotating shaft 22 passes is formed at the center portion. Accordingly, the second rotating shaft 22 can be rotated with respect to the second gear 32 fixed to the chamber 10 via the guide member 41. The third gear 33 is disposed between the first gear 31 and the second gear 32 and functions as an adjustment gear that adjusts the ratio between the rotation speed and the revolution speed of the stage 11.

  The casing 34 rotates the first bearing 36 that rotatably supports the first rotating shaft 21, the second bearing 37 that rotatably supports the guide member 41, and the rotating shaft 35 of the third gear 33. And a third bearing 38 that is freely supported.

  In the auto-revolution unit 20 configured as described above, the plate member 50 rotates in the XY plane by the drive of the drive source 40. As a result, the first rotary shaft 21 supported by the support portion 51 of the plate member 50 and the stage 11 thereabove around the second axis Z2 so as to draw a circle with a radius L centered on the point O2. Revolve.

  On the other hand, the first gear 31 provided on the first rotating shaft 21 is engaged with the second gear 32 via the third gear 33. Since the second gear 32 is fixed to the guide member 41, the first gear 31 is rotated around the rotation shaft 21 and the third gear 33 is rotated around the rotation shaft 35 as the stage 11 revolves. And the second gear 32 is rotated around the second gear 32. As described above, the stage 11 revolves around the second axis Z2 while rotating around the first axis Z1. In the present embodiment, when the stage 11 rotates clockwise around the point O2, the stage 11 rotates counterclockwise around the point O1.

  The rotation speed of the stage 11 is determined by the revolution speed of the stage 11 and the gear diameter of the third gear 33. The revolution speed of the stage 11 is not particularly limited, and is 120 rpm, for example. In the present embodiment, the gear ratio of the third gear 33 to the first gear 31 is set so that the rotational speed of the stage 11 is an even multiple (2 times, 4 times, etc.) of the revolution speed. . As a result, the revolution position and the rotation position of the stage 11 correspond to each other, so that the orientation of the substrate W (orientation flat orientation) can always be constant at the position where the substrate W is removed from the stage 11. . As a result, a stable substrate loading / unloading operation is ensured without requiring a sensor or the like for optically detecting the orientation of the substrate.

  In the film forming apparatus 1 of this embodiment, the sputter film formation is performed by the self-revolving unit 20 while the substrate W on the stage 11 is revolved. Thereby, the degree of freedom of the relative position change of the substrate W with respect to the target 120 is increased, and a uniform film thickness distribution independent of the radial position of the substrate W is ensured. Therefore, according to the film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the film thickness distribution with respect to the side surface of the uneven portion with respect to the surface of the substrate W having the uneven portion.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the disk-shaped plate member 50 is provided in the revolution region of the stage 11, the particles that are not irradiated on the substrate W among the sputtered particles irradiated from the target 120 are those of the plate member 50. Deposited on top. That is, the plate member 50 functions as an adhesion preventing plate that suppresses contamination inside the chamber 10 due to sputtered particles. Thereby, careless adhesion of sputtered particles to the inner wall surface of the chamber 10 can be suppressed, and the cleaning efficiency of the chamber 10 can be increased.

  Furthermore, according to the film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the substrate W (stage 11) can be rotated and revolved by a single drive source 40. Thereby, while being able to simplify a self-revolving structure, control can be facilitated.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the sputtering apparatus has been described as an example of the film forming apparatus. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be applied to other film forming apparatuses such as a vacuum evaporation apparatus and an ion plating apparatus. is there.

  Moreover, although the above embodiment demonstrated the example which has arrange | positioned the single stage 11 around the revolution axis | shaft (2nd axis | shaft Z2), it is not restricted to this, The several stage 11 is installed around the revolution axis | shaft. May be. In this case, what is necessary is just to install the above-mentioned rotation transmission mechanism in each stage. The plate member may be omitted as necessary.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the drive source 40 is installed on the second rotating shaft 22 that is the revolution shaft, but instead, the drive source may be installed on the first rotating shaft 21. Even with such a configuration, the revolution drive of the stage can be realized through the rotation transmission mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Film-forming apparatus 10 ... Chamber 11 ... Stage 12 ... Sputtering cathode 20 ... Auto-revolution unit 21 ... 1st rotating shaft 22 ... 2nd rotating shaft 30 ... Rotation transmission mechanism 31 ... 1st gear 32 ... 2nd Gear 33 ... Third gear 40 ... Drive source 50 ... Plate member 120 ... Target Z1 ... First axis Z2 ... Second axis W ... Substrate

Claims (4)

A chamber;
A stage installed inside the chamber for supporting a substrate;
A first axis of rotation that rotates the stage about a first axis that passes through the center of the substrate on the stage;
A film forming source for causing film forming particles to enter the substrate on the stage from an oblique direction;
A second rotation axis arranged along a second axis parallel to the first axis and spaced apart from the first axis by a first distance;
A driving source capable of rotating the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft around each axis;
A film deposition apparatus comprising: a rotation transmission mechanism that is installed between the first rotation shaft and the second rotation shaft and rotates the stage around the second shaft. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,
A support portion that rotatably supports the stage; and a fixing portion that is fixed to the second rotation shaft, and rotates about the second rotation shaft in a plane orthogonal to the second shaft. A film forming apparatus further comprising a possible disc-shaped plate member. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2,
The rotation transmission mechanism is
A first gear installed around the first rotating shaft;
A second gear having a through-hole through which the second rotating shaft passes and fixed to the chamber;
A film forming apparatus comprising: a third gear disposed between the first gear and the second gear. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1,
The first distance is a deposition apparatus that is not less than r / 4 and not more than r, where r is the radius of the substrate.

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