JP4985490B2 - Deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a film on an article such as a molding die such as a mold used for molding automobile parts, various machine parts, various tools, automobile parts, machine parts, etc. The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus using plating.

  By forming a film on the surface of the article, the properties of the article such as wear resistance, slidability with other articles, chemical stability, optical properties, etc. are improved, and the performance required for the article is further improved. It is widely used for automobile parts, various machine parts (for example, sliding parts), various tools, molding dies such as molds, and medical articles and members.

  As one of such surface treatment methods, a vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode causes the cathode material to evaporate and a plasma containing the ionized cathode material is generated, and the ionized cathode material is biased to attract it. There is known an arc type ion plating in which a film is formed on an article to be deposited by flying.

  Film formation by such arc type ion plating has advantages such as good adhesion of the film to the film-formed article, high film formation speed, high film productivity, and surface treatment of tools and the like. It is used.

  By the way, in arc type ion plating, when the cathode material evaporates by vacuum arc discharge, giant molten particles called droplets may be generated, and these droplets are formed on the article to be deposited and the article. The problem is to suppress as much as possible the adhesion to the film being deposited. When the droplets are excessively adhered, the surface of the film becomes rough, and the film performance such as the sliding property and abrasion resistance of the film is deteriorated. Therefore, attempts have been made to reduce such droplets.

  For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-36063 describes that a magnetic field composed of magnetic force lines that do not converge but travel in parallel or diverge in front of the cathode material evaporation surface is described.

The formation of such a magnetic field has the following advantages.
(1) High-density plasma can be formed under the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field forming means, the ionization rate of the cathode material is high, and depending on the cathode material, the droplets are reduced. Quality film formation is possible.
For example, when a diamond like carbon (DLC) film is formed using a carbon cathode material, a hard DLC film having a high ionization rate of the carbon cathode material and a high sp3 component can be obtained.
(2) The arc spot on the evaporation surface of the cathode material is likely to move in a direction in which the magnetic field lines are inclined at an acute angle with respect to the normal line standing on the evaporation surface, but the magnetic field forming means does not converge in front of the evaporation surface of the cathode material and proceeds in parallel. Or, since the magnetic field lines that diverge are generated, the arc spot does not concentrate at the center of the evaporation surface, but moves to the evaporation surface as a whole, and the consumption of the cathode material evaporation surface is made uniform in each part. As a result, the cathode material can be used for a long time with less replacement frequency (the lifetime of the cathode material is shortened).
(3) Since the magnetic field forming means generates magnetic lines of force that travel in parallel or diverge without converging in front of the cathode material evaporation surface, the ionized cathode material flies over a wide range along the lines of magnetic force, and thus in a wide range within the vacuum vessel. An article to be deposited can be arranged to form a film with good film thickness uniformity and good productivity.

  By the way, in the film formation on the film-formed article by arc type ion plating, the film forming process is usually performed after evacuating the inside of the vacuum vessel to a high vacuum prior to the film formation. When exhaust is insufficient, residual gas components are taken into the film, and a high-quality film cannot be obtained. In particular, since water molecules are difficult to be exhausted, oxygen and hydrogen due to moisture may be taken into the film and the film quality may deteriorate.

In the formation of a DLC film, it is known that when hydrogen is taken into the film, the hardness and heat resistance of the film decrease.
When a DLC film is formed by a film formation method using arc ion plating, a carbon cathode material is usually used as a cathode material, so that a hard DLC film having a low hydrogen concentration in the film can be obtained. In some cases, hydrogen from the residual moisture is taken into the film, and the hardness and heat resistance of the film decrease accordingly.

Generally speaking, as a method of reducing the residual moisture before processing for the purpose of film formation in a vacuum vessel,
(1) Exhaust for a long time,
(2) Heating the inside of the vacuum vessel to release the adsorbed moisture,
(3) It is known to employ a so-called cold trap that adsorbs water molecules to a cooler such as a wall surface cooled to −100 ° C. or less.

Here, long-term exhaust significantly reduces the productivity of the film-formed article.
Further, taking the formation of the DLC film as an example, in order to prevent the hardness of the DLC film from being lowered, it is preferable to keep the temperature of the article to be deposited at a low temperature. This is not preferable because the temperature of the article to be deposited is increased. This heating method is difficult to apply to a film-formed article having low heat resistance, such as a film-formed article tempered at a low temperature.

On the other hand, the cold trap reduces the residual moisture in the vacuum container without significantly reducing the productivity of the film-forming article and without heating the film-forming article in the vacuum container to release moisture. Can do.
For this reason, it can be said that a cold trap is preferable for removing moisture remaining in the vacuum vessel prior to film formation on the film-formed article even in film formation by arc ion plating.

JP 11-36063 A

  However, in film formation by arc-type ion plating, the cooler part of the cold trap device is warmed by the radiant heat from the evaporation source during film formation on the article to be deposited, and the moisture that has been cooled and adsorbed there is re-evaporated. May end up.

  Further, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-36063, in the case of forming a magnetic field composed of magnetic lines of force that travel parallel or diverge without converging in front of the cathode material evaporation surface, the magnetic field is formed under the magnetic field. The high-density plasma that is generated reaches the cooler part in the form of a beam along the magnetic field lines, and the cooler part may be locally heated, which causes the water that has been cooled and adsorbed to the cooler to re-evaporate. There is.

  If oxygen or hydrogen is taken into the formed film due to the re-evaporated moisture, the film quality is deteriorated in terms of hardness and heat resistance.

  Therefore, the present invention relates to an evaporation source that evaporates a cathode material by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode and generates plasma containing the ionized cathode material, and the evaporation source is connected in communication, and a film-forming article support device is provided inside. A vacuum vessel provided with a vacuum vessel, an exhaust device for exhausting and depressurizing the inside of the vacuum vessel, and drawing the ionized cathode material to the film-formed article supported by the support device via the film-formed article support device A film deposition system using arc ion plating that includes a bias application power source for applying a bias, which reduces the amount of oxygen and / or hydrogen taken into the film due to residual moisture in the vacuum vessel, and thus has high quality. It is a first object to provide a film forming apparatus capable of forming the above film.

  The present invention relates to an evaporation source that evaporates a carbon cathode material by vacuum arc discharge between a cathode and an anode and generates plasma including an ionized carbon cathode material, and the evaporation source is connected in communication, and supports an article to be deposited inside. A vacuum vessel provided with an apparatus, an exhaust device for exhausting and depressurizing the inside of the vacuum vessel, and the ionized carbon cathode material on the film-formed article supported by the support device via the film-formed article support device A film forming apparatus using an arc type ion plating including a bias applying power source for applying a bias for attracting a film, and capable of forming a hard diamond like carbon (DLC) film having a low hydrogen concentration in the film. Is a second problem.

In order to solve the first problem, the present invention provides:
A vacuum in which a cathode material is evaporated by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode and a plasma including ionized cathode material is generated, and the evaporation source is connected in communication, and a film forming article support device is provided inside A container, an exhaust device for exhausting and depressurizing the inside of the vacuum container, and a bias for applying a bias for attracting the ionized cathode material to the film-formed article supported by the support device via the film-formed article support device It is a film forming device by arc type ion plating including an applied power source,
A cold trap device in which a cooler part for cooling and capturing moisture in the vacuum vessel is installed in the vacuum vessel;
Magnetic field forming means for applying a magnetic field composed of magnetic lines of force that travel parallel or diverge without converging in front of the cathode material evaporation surface of the cathode to the plasma generation region;
A shielding member that prevents the cooler of the cold trap device from being seen from any position on the cathode material evaporation surface and blocks plasma from reaching the cooler along the magnetic field lines generated by the magnetic field forming means. A film forming apparatus is provided.

  According to this film forming apparatus according to the present invention, since the cooler of the cold trap device for cooling and capturing moisture in the vacuum vessel is installed in the vacuum vessel, the productivity of the film-formed article is significantly reduced. Without any heating of the film-forming article in the vacuum container to release moisture, the remaining moisture in the vacuum container is sufficiently cooled and captured in the cooler prior to film formation on the film-forming article. Accordingly, a film having a low concentration of oxygen and / or hydrogen in the film due to moisture can be formed.

  Furthermore, it should be noted that the cooler of the cold trap device cannot be seen from any position on the cathode material evaporation surface, and that the plasma reaches the cooler along the magnetic field lines generated by the magnetic field forming means. Since the shielding member for shielding is provided, in the film formation on the film-formed article, the radiant heat from the evaporation source reaches the cooler, and the plasma is transferred to the cooler along the magnetic field lines generated by the magnetic field forming means. Thus, the radiant heat from the evaporation source and the heating of the cooler by the plasma are suppressed, and the re-evaporation of the water already trapped and captured by the cooler is suppressed. (Or) A film having a low hydrogen concentration in the film can be formed.

The film forming apparatus according to the present invention also has the following advantages.
(1) Since the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field forming means is applied to the plasma generation region, it is possible to form high-density plasma, the ionization rate of the cathode material is high, and the droplets are reduced depending on the cathode material. Therefore, it is possible to form a high quality film.
(2) The magnetic field forming means generates magnetic lines of force that travel in parallel or diverge without converging in front of the cathode material evaporation surface, so that the arc spot does not concentrate at the center of the evaporation surface and moves to the evaporation surface as a whole, Therefore, the consumption of the cathode material evaporation surface becomes uniform in each part, so that the sustainability of the arc discharge is improved and the cathode material can be used for a long time by reducing the replacement frequency (the life of the cathode material is shortened).
(3) The magnetic field forming means generates magnetic lines of force that travel in parallel or diverge without converging in front of the cathode material evaporation surface, so that the ionized cathode material can fly over such a wide range, thereby covering the wide range in the vacuum vessel. A film-forming article can be arranged to form a film with good film thickness uniformity and good productivity.

In the film forming apparatus for solving the first problem of the present invention, there can be provided a film forming apparatus for forming a diamond like carbon (DLC) film on an object to be formed using carbon as the cathode material, and this DLC film. Even in the film forming apparatus for forming the film, the cold trap apparatus does not heat the film-formed article in the vacuum container to release moisture, and the residual in the vacuum container is formed before the DLC film is formed on the film-formed article. Moisture can be sufficiently cooled and trapped in the cooler of the cold trap apparatus, and accordingly, a DLC film having a low concentration of oxygen and / or hydrogen in the film due to moisture can be formed.
Further, it should be noted that in the formation of a DLC film on the article to be deposited, the radiant heat from the evaporation source reaches the cooler, and that the plasma reaches the cooler along the magnetic field lines generated by the magnetic field forming means. By providing the shielding member for shielding, a hard DLC film having a low hydrogen concentration in the film due to residual moisture can be formed.
That is, the film forming apparatus for forming the DLC film is a film forming apparatus for solving the second problem according to the present invention.

Also in the film forming apparatus for forming this DLC film,
(1) Since the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field forming means is applied to the plasma generation region, it is possible to form a high-density plasma, and the ionization rate of the carbon cathode material is high, so that a high-quality DLC film can be formed. Is possible.
(2) The magnetic field forming means generates magnetic lines of force that travel in parallel or diverge without converging in front of the evaporation surface of the carbon cathode material, so that the arc spot does not concentrate at the center of the evaporation surface and moves to the evaporation surface as a whole. Therefore, the consumption of the cathode material evaporation surface is made uniform in each part, so that the sustainability of the arc discharge is improved and the cathode material can be used for a long time by reducing the replacement frequency (the life of the cathode material is shortened).
(3) Since the magnetic field forming means generates magnetic lines of force that travel in parallel or diverge without converging in front of the evaporation surface of the carbon cathode material, the ionized cathode material can fly over such a wide range, and accordingly, in a wide range within the vacuum vessel. An article to be deposited can be arranged to form a DLC film with good film thickness uniformity and good productivity.

In any case, it is preferable that the magnetic field lines formed by the magnetic field forming means have an angle of 0 ° or more and 30 ° or less with a normal line standing on the evaporation surface at the cathode material evaporation surface position.
When the angle between the magnetic material line and the normal line standing on the evaporation surface exceeds 30 °, the arc spot frequently moves to the outer peripheral portion of the cathode material evaporation surface, and the cathode material evaporation surface becomes The angle is preferably 30 ° or less because it becomes difficult to wear out uniformly as a whole.

As for the strength of the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field forming means, the magnetic flux density on the cathode material evaporation surface is preferably about 50 gauss or more and 1800 gauss or less.
When the magnetic flux density on the cathode material evaporation surface is less than 50 gauss, it becomes difficult to form a high-density plasma. If it exceeds 1800 gauss, the sustainability of the arc discharge decreases, and the productivity of the film-formed article decreases accordingly. Therefore, the magnetic flux density is preferably about 50 gauss to 1800 gauss.
In any case, the magnetic field forming means may be a permanent magnet, an electromagnetic coil, or a combination thereof.

  In any case, the cold trap device includes a refrigeration circuit using an evaporator that absorbs heat in the vacuum vessel, a device in which liquid nitrogen is dropped as a cooler, and the like. As long as it can be cooled and captured in the cooler. In the case of a refrigeration circuit, examples of the refrigerant include alternative chlorofluorocarbon solvents and helium.

As a more specific example of the cold trap device, the cooler includes an annular refrigerant circulation pipe, and a refrigeration circuit including the annular refrigerant circulation pipe can be provided.
When such a cold trap apparatus is employed, the shielding member has an area inside the vacuum container where the cooler of the cold trap apparatus is located and an area inside the vacuum container where the film-formed article support device is located, with the shielding member interposed therebetween. It is desirable to have an opening that communicates with the inner surface of the annular refrigerant flow pipe.

Between the shielding member and the inner wall of the vacuum vessel, the vacuum vessel inner region having the cooler of the cold trap device and the inner region of the vacuum container having the film-formed article support device are communicated with the shielding member interposed therebetween. A gap to be left may be left.
By having such an opening in the shielding member or further leaving such a gap, moisture can be smoothly cooled and captured from the entire inside of the vacuum vessel, Further, the exhaust device can smoothly exhaust the entire vacuum chamber.

In any case, the cold trap device may have a heating means for heating the cooler in order to heat and evaporate the moisture trapped in the cooler.
The heating means may be a heater such as an electric heater provided on the cooler, but may be a heat pump circuit that can be used by switching the cooler of the refrigeration circuit to a radiator.

  The cold trap device not only provides a refrigeration circuit, but also provides a heat pump air conditioning circuit that can also provide a heat pump circuit (for example, a so-called defrost circuit) that can be used by switching the cooler of the refrigeration circuit to a radiator. There may be.

The shielding member may be in the form of a plate, and in any case, the shielding member can be used under reduced pressure and is a metal having high heat resistance, such as stainless steel (for example, austenitic stainless steel such as JIS SUS304 or SUS316). Steel, martensitic stainless steels such as JIS SUS403, SUS410, and SUS420J2), heat resistant steels such as alloy tool steel for hot working (for example, SKD61), heat resistant alloys such as Hastelloy and Inconel, and high melting point metals such as molybdenum and tungsten. Can be mentioned. Among these, a magnetic metal with high certainty of blocking magnetic field lines (for example, stainless steel SUS420J2, SUS403, SUS410, SKD61) is preferable in consideration of cost.
The shielding member may have a double structure in order to improve heat resistance.

  The film forming apparatus according to the present invention may include only one arc type evaporation source or two or more. Further, an evaporation source other than the arc evaporation source may be provided.

It is also possible to make the bias application power source variable and perform ion bombardment treatment or the like for the purpose of improving film adhesion under a large output.
Prior to film formation, an ion source that can perform ion irradiation on the film formation article may be provided at the same time or alternately with film formation.
The exhaust device only needs to be able to depressurize the inside of the container (for example, up to about 10 ⁻³ Pa) so that a desired film can be formed in the vacuum container. For example, a turbo molecular pump, a diffusion pump, a claion pump, etc. Examples of the apparatus include an exhaust pump.

  In the film forming apparatus according to the present invention, oxygen or hydrogen or a gas containing either of them (for example, carbon dioxide gas or hydrocarbon gas) is controlled in the vacuum container (film forming chamber) in the film forming process. It is also possible to control the oxygen concentration and hydrogen concentration in the formed film to a very small amount by providing a gas supply device capable of introducing a small amount.

As explained above, according to the present invention,
A vacuum in which a cathode material is evaporated by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode and a plasma including ionized cathode material is generated, and the evaporation source is connected in communication, and a film forming article support device is provided inside A container, an exhaust device for exhausting and depressurizing the inside of the vacuum container, and a bias for applying a bias for attracting the ionized cathode material to the film-formed article supported by the support device via the film-formed article support device An arc type ion plating film forming apparatus including an applied power source, which can reduce the uptake of oxygen and / or hydrogen into the film due to residual moisture in the vacuum vessel and form a high quality film. A film formation apparatus can be provided.

  According to the present invention, the carbon cathode material is evaporated by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode, and the evaporation source that generates plasma containing the ionized carbon cathode material is connected to the evaporation source, and a film is formed inside. A vacuum vessel provided with an article support device, an exhaust device for exhausting and depressurizing the inside of the vacuum vessel, and the ionized carbon on the film formation article supported by the support device via the film formation article support device An arc type ion plating film forming apparatus including a bias applying power source for applying a bias for attracting a cathode material, and capable of forming a hard diamond like carbon (DLC) film having a low hydrogen concentration in the film. can do.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example A of a film forming apparatus (vacuum arc deposition apparatus) using arc ion plating according to the present invention.

  The film forming apparatus A includes two evaporation sources 1 on each of the left and right sides, a magnetic field forming apparatus 300 provided for each evaporation source, a vacuum vessel 2, a duct 3 connecting each evaporation source 1 and the vessel 2, A support device 4 for the film-formed article W installed in the container 2 and an exhaust device 7 for exhausting and decompressing the inside of the container are provided.

Since the vacuum container 2 is used as a film forming chamber, the “container 2” is referred to as the “film forming chamber 2” in the following description.
The evaporation source 1 includes a cathode 11, a trigger electrode 12, an arc discharge power source 13, and the like. A cathode mounting portion 30 is formed at the rear portion of the duct 3, and the cathode 11 is mounted on the mounting portion 30 via an insulating member 14.

  The cathode 11 is formed of a material selected according to the film to be formed. Here, the anode for the cathode serves as the grounded film forming chamber 2. As for the anode, for example, an anode AN surrounding the end of the cathode 11 in the duct 3 may be provided as indicated by a chain line in FIG.

  The trigger electrode 12 faces the end surface (cathode material evaporation surface) 111 of the cathode 11 directed into the film forming chamber 2 of the duct 3, and is brought into contact with and separated from the cathode material evaporation surface 111 by a reciprocating drive device (not shown). Is possible. In FIG. 1, the trigger electrode 12 is shown as penetrating the cathode 11. However, the trigger electrode 12 does not penetrate the cathode 11, but reciprocates on the wall around the cathode which does not appear in FIG. Passed through as possible.

  The arc discharge power supply 13 can apply an arc discharge voltage between the cathode 11 and the anode, and trigger between the cathode 11 and the trigger electrode 12 to induce arc discharge between the cathode 11 and the anode. Wiring is connected to the cathode 11 or the like so that a working voltage can be applied. The trigger electrode 12 is grounded via a resistor 15 so that no arc current flows.

  As described above, the duct 3 is mounted with the cathode 11 via the insulating member 14 on the one hand, and connected to the film forming chamber 2 via the insulating member 21 on the other hand. A magnetic field forming coil 31 is provided around the duct 3, and the coil is connected to an output variable power source 32. By energizing the coil from the power source, a magnetic field described later can be formed. Here, the coil 31, the portion of the duct 3 around which the coil 31 is provided, the power source 32, and the like constitute a magnetic field forming device 300.

An exhaust device 7 is connected to the film forming chamber 2 so that the inside of the film forming chamber 2 and the inside of the duct 3 communicating therewith can be maintained at a reduced pressure.
The exhaust device 7 may be any device that can exhaust and depressurize the film formation chamber so that desired film formation can be performed in the film formation chamber 2. For example, the exhaust device 7 includes an exhaust pump such as a turbo molecular pump, a diffusion pump, or a cryopump. Can be used.
A gas introduction unit 22 for introducing a film forming gas or the like into the film forming chamber 2 as necessary (for example, nitrogen gas is introduced into the film forming chamber 2 when the evaporation source cathode material is chromium and forms a chromium nitride film). As an introduction portion, there is also provided, for example, as a gas introduction portion for performing a pretreatment such as a cleaning pretreatment by glow discharge or the like prior to film formation on the article to be deposited.

  Although the film-forming article support device 4 is not limited thereto, in the example shown in FIG. 1, a vertical axis 41 that can be rotationally driven by an electric motor 40 from outside, a horizontal rotary table 42 supported by the vertical axis 41, and a rotary table A plurality of film-formed article support shafts 44 that are erected on the surface 42 and revolve while revolving in conjunction with the rotation of the turntable 42 by the interlocking mechanism 43 are provided. The vertical axis 41 is in a fixed position, so that the support device 4 as a whole can rotate around the vertical fixed-position rotation center axis of the vertical axis 41, and the article W mounted on the article support shaft 44 of the support apparatus 4. It rotates while revolving together with the support shaft 44 by the rotation of the turntable 42.

A heater H is erected at the center of the turntable 42, and the film-forming article W on the support shaft 44 can be heated to a predetermined film-forming temperature by this heater, if necessary.
The support device 4 is connected to a bias application power source P1. The variable power source P1 is a power source that applies a bias to attract the ionized cathode material to the article W supported by the support shaft 44.

The magnetic field forming apparatus 300 will be further described.
The apparatus 300 can form a magnetic field in the plasma generation region in front of the cathode material evaporation surface 111 by energizing the coil 31 from the power supply 32. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the magnetic field is composed of magnetic field lines mL that do not converge in front of the cathode material evaporation surface 111 but travel in parallel or diverge, and the magnetic field lines mL stand on the evaporation surface at the evaporation surface 111. The angle α formed with the normal line n is 0 ° or more and 30 ° or less. This magnetic field is a magnetic field having a magnetic flux density on the evaporation surface 111 of 50 to 1800 gauss.
The magnetic field lines mL in FIGS. 1 and 3 are schematically drawn in the state of original magnetic field lines that are not affected by the magnetic material or the like for easy understanding.

In addition to the above, the film forming apparatus A includes a cold trap apparatus 5 and a shielding member 6 described below.
It is desirable that the cold trap apparatus has a defrost function. Therefore, the cold trap device 5 of the present example includes a cooler 51 disposed along the ceiling wall 201 in the film forming chamber 2, and a refrigeration circuit using the cooler as an evaporator and the cooler 51 as a radiator. An air heat source heat pump type air conditioner or an air heat source heat pump type air conditioner circuit that can be selectively provided by switching a heat pump circuit used as a refrigerant flow direction switching valve. In this way, the cold trap device 5 has a defrost function.

  The cooler 51 may have a plate-like shape or the like through which a refrigerant can flow, but here, the refrigerant circulation pipe is annularly wound when viewed from the plane as shown in FIG. 2, and as shown in FIG. The pipe is connected to an outdoor portion 52 including a compressor and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the shielding member 6 is a plate-like member in which an opening 61 facing the inside of the annular refrigerant flow pipe constituting the cooler 51 is formed at the center. Here, it is made of stainless steel SUS304 having excellent heat resistance.

  The shielding member 6 has a horizontal plate portion 62 that is parallel to the ceiling 201 and a portion 63 that rises upward from the periphery of the opening 61 in a short cylindrical shape around the opening 61. It has a vertical plate portion 64 that extends from the back to the back. A gap g through which gas can flow is left between the outer peripheral edge of the horizontal plate portion 62 and the side peripheral wall 202 of the film forming chamber 2.

  The shielding member 6 is arranged so that not only the entire cooler 51 but also a part thereof cannot be seen linearly from any position on the cathode material evaporation surface 111 of each of the left and right evaporation sources. .

  With reference to FIG. 1, the evaporation surface 111 of the left evaporation source 1 will be described. The blocking member 6 is connected to any position on the evaporation surface 111 and any position on the cooler 51. Alternatively, almost all straight lines (for example, a straight line b1 starting from the top end position a1 of the evaporation surface, straight lines b2 and b3 starting from the bottom end position a2 of the evaporation surface, and a position a3 between the top and bottom ends of the evaporation surface start. It arrange | positions so that the straight line b4) used as a point may be interrupted on the way. Also on the evaporation surface 111 of the evaporation source 1 on the right side in FIG. 1, all or substantially all straight lines connecting any position on the evaporation surface 111 and any position on the cooler 51 are interrupted in the middle. Are arranged as follows.

  Further, the blocking member 6 is disposed so as to block the plasma generated in the left and right magnetic field forming devices 300 and trying to reach the cooler 51 along the magnetic field lines mL toward the cooler 51. Furthermore, if it does not exist, the shielding member 6 will be arrange | positioned so that all the plasma which reaches | attains the cooler 51 along the magnetic force line emitted with the magnetic field formation apparatus 300 may be interrupted on the way. .

In addition, the actual state of the magnetic field lines to be grasped when the blocking member 6 is arranged can be obtained by actually examining with a gauss meter or using commercially available magnetic field line analysis software.
The position of the cooler 51 of the cold trap device 5 does not have to be limited to a portion along the ceiling 201, and can be provided in an arbitrary shape or the like in an arbitrary position within a range that does not interfere with film formation. Depending on the position of the cooler 51, it is allowed to use a part of the wall of the film forming chamber 2, a part of the article support device 4 or the like as a part or all of the shielding member.

According to the film deposition apparatus (vacuum arc deposition apparatus) A based on arc ion plating described above, a thin film containing a cathode constituent material element can be formed on the film-formed article W as follows.
First, the film formation article W is mounted on the article support shaft 44 of the film formation article support apparatus 4. Next, the exhaust device 7 is operated to exhaust from the film forming chamber 2 and the duct 3, and the pressure is reduced to the film forming pressure. Further, prior to the start of film formation, the apparatus 5 is operated as a refrigeration circuit, and residual moisture in the film formation chamber 2 is cooled and captured by the cooler 51. The trapping of moisture by the cooler 51 continues during film formation.

In this example, a bias voltage for attracting film-forming ions is applied from the power source P1 to the film-formed article W on the article support shaft 44 in order to improve film adhesion.
During film formation, the object W is rotated while revolving by rotating the turntable 42 with the motor 40. Further, during film formation, the article W is heated and maintained at a predetermined film formation temperature by the heater H as necessary.

  At the start of film formation, the trigger electrode 12 is brought into contact with the evaporation surface 111 of the cathode 11 in at least one of the evaporation sources 1 and then separated. As a result, a spark is generated between the electrode 12 and the cathode 11, which triggers a vacuum arc discharge between the anode (deposition chamber 2) and the cathode 11. The cathode material is heated by the arc discharge, the cathode material evaporates, and plasma including the ionized cathode material starts to be formed in front of the cathode 11.

  On the other hand, when plasma formation starts at the latest, in the magnetic field forming apparatus 300 corresponding to the evaporation source 1 being used, the magnetic field forming coil 31 is energized from the power source 32 so that a magnetic field is formed. That is, when a current is supplied from the power source 32 to the coil 31, it is a magnetic force line that travels parallel to or diverges in the plasma generation region in front of the cathode material evaporation surface 111 and is normal to the evaporation surface 111 on the evaporation surface. A magnetic field having a magnetic flux density of 50 gauss or more and 1800 gauss or less on the evaporation surface 111 is formed, which includes magnetic field lines mL having an angle α of 0 ° or more and 30 ° or less.

Thus, a film containing the constituent element of the cathode material is formed on the film-formed article W.
In this film formation process,
Since the cooler 51 of the cold trap device 5 for cooling and capturing the moisture in the film forming chamber 2 is installed in the film forming chamber 2, the productivity of the film forming article is not significantly reduced. Prior to film formation on the film-formed article W without heating the film-formed article W in the film chamber to release moisture, the residual moisture in the film formation chamber is transferred to the cooler 51 even during film formation. The film can be sufficiently cooled and trapped, and accordingly, a film having a low concentration of oxygen and / or hydrogen in the film due to moisture can be formed.

  Furthermore, it should be noted that in the film forming apparatus A, the plasma can be observed along the magnetic field lines mL generated by the magnetic field forming apparatus 300 while the cooler 51 of the cold trap apparatus 5 cannot be seen from any position on the cathode material evaporation surface 111. Since the shielding member 6 is provided to prevent the water from reaching the cooler 51, the radiant heat from the evaporation source 1 (heat mainly generated from the arc spot position) is formed in the film formation on the film-formed article W. Reaching the cooler 51 and the plasma reaching the cooler 51 along the magnetic field lines mL generated by the magnetic field forming device 300 are suppressed, and thus the radiation heat from the evaporation source 1 and the heating of the cooler 51 by the plasma are suppressed. As a result, the re-evaporation of the water already cooled and captured by the cooler 51 is suppressed, and the oxygen and / or hydrogen film caused by the residual water is accordingly reduced. A film having a low concentration can be formed.

The film forming apparatus A also has the following advantages.
(1) A magnetic field formed by the magnetic field forming apparatus 300, that is, a magnetic force line that does not converge in front of the cathode material evaporation surface 111 but travels parallel or diverges, and becomes a normal line n that stands on the evaporation surface at the evaporation surface position. It is composed of magnetic field lines mL having an angle α of 0 ° or more and 30 ° or less, and a high-density plasma can be formed under a magnetic field having a magnetic flux density of 50 to 1800 gauss on the evaporation surface. The ionization rate is high, and depending on the cathode material, droplets are reduced, so that a high-quality film is formed on the article W.
(2) Since the magnetic field forming device 300 generates magnetic lines of force that travel in parallel or diverge without converging in front of the cathode material evaporation surface 111, the arc spot does not concentrate on the central portion of the evaporation surface 111, and the entire surface of the evaporation surface 111 Accordingly, the consumption of the cathode material evaporation surface 111 is made uniform in each part, so that the sustainability of the arc discharge is improved and the cathode 11 can be used for a long time by reducing the replacement frequency (the life of the cathode material is shortened).
(3) The magnetic field forming apparatus 300 has an angle between 0 ° and 30 °, which is a magnetic force line that does not converge in front of the cathode material evaporating surface 111 but is parallel to or diverges and a normal line that stands on the evaporating surface at the evaporating surface position. Since the magnetic field lines mL are generated, the ionized cathode material flies over a wide range along the magnetic field lines, but over a wide range that does not diverge too much, and the film-formed article W is arranged in a wide range within the film forming chamber 2 accordingly. Thus, a film can be formed with good film thickness uniformity and good productivity.

  After the film formation, the cold trap device 5 is operated by switching to the heat pump circuit, and the cooler 51 is operated as a radiator, thereby sufficiently evaporating the water adsorbed there and exhausting it to the exhaust device 5. Preparing for film formation.

In the apparatus A described above, two evaporation sources 1 are provided, but may be one or three or more.
In addition, the film-formed article support device 4 has only two article support shafts 44 on the turntable 42, but may have more.
The cooler 51 and the shielding member 6 for the cooler 51 are arranged near the ceiling 201. However, if the position of the cooler 51 and the shielding member 6 does not interfere with the film formation, the position such as the position facing the film formation chamber side wall, the bottom wall, etc. It can also be arranged at the position.

  When two or more evaporation sources 1 are provided as illustrated in FIG. 1, the operation order of the evaporation sources 1 can be arbitrarily determined according to the type of film to be formed. Further, the material of the cathode 11 in each evaporation source 1 is arbitrary as long as a film can be formed using the material.

For example, a DLC film can be formed on the film-formed article W using carbon as the material of the cathode 11 in each evaporation source 1.
In addition, the adoption of the magnetic field forming apparatus 300 can form a high-density plasma, the ionization rate of the carbon cathode material is high, and a high-quality diamond-like carbon (DLC) film can be formed. Since the wear of the material is uniformed in each part, the sustainability of the arc discharge is improved and the cathode material can be used for a long time by reducing the replacement frequency. A DLC film can be formed with good uniformity and good productivity. In addition, the radiant heat from the evaporation source 1 reaches the cooler 51 in the formation of the DLC film on the article W to be deposited, and the plasma is prevented from reaching the cooler 51 along the magnetic field lines generated by the magnetic field forming device 300. Since the shielding member 6 is provided, a hard DLC film having a low hydrogen concentration in the film due to residual moisture can be formed.

Next, the following examples and comparative examples will be described.
(1) In the apparatus A shown in FIG. 1, carbon is used as the cathode material of each evaporation source 1 and a DLC film is formed on the ring-shaped film-formed article W using the cold trap device 5 and the heat shielding member 6. This was carried out five times, and the hydrogen concentration in the film was measured for each DLC film obtained.
(2) In the apparatus A shown in FIG. 1, carbon is used as the cathode material of each evaporation source 1, but the DLC film is formed on the ring-shaped film-formed article W without using the cold trap apparatus 5 and the heat shielding member 6. The comparative example 1 which implemented forming 5 times and measured the hydrogen concentration in a film | membrane about each obtained DLC film | membrane.
(3) In the apparatus A shown in FIG. 1, carbon is used as the cathode material of each evaporation source 1 and the cold trap apparatus 5 is used, but the heat shielding member 6 is not used and the ring-shaped film-formed article W is used. Comparative Example 2 in which a DLC film was formed five times on each film, and the hydrogen concentration in the film was measured for each DLC film obtained.

In any film formation of the examples and comparative examples, a silicon wafer was employed as the film-formed article W. A DLC film was formed on each silicon wafer as follows.
First, in both the examples and comparative examples, glow discharge treatment with argon gas was performed prior to film formation. That is, a silicon wafer is attached to the article support shaft 44 of the article support apparatus 4 in the film forming chamber 2, and the inside of the chamber 2 is evacuated and decompressed to 5 × 10 ⁻³ Pa by the exhaust apparatus 7 (however, Examples and Comparative Examples 2) Then, the cold trap device 5 is operated to cool and trap the moisture in the film forming chamber 2 in the cooler 51, and the chamber 2 is evacuated and decompressed to 5 × 10 ⁻³ Pa). A gas is introduced at 200 ccm and the room pressure is set to 3 Pa. In this state, a voltage of −500 V is applied to the silicon wafer from the bias power source P1 for 10 minutes, and during that time, glow discharge is generated between the silicon wafer and the film forming chamber wall. The silicon wafer was pretreated.

Thereafter, in any of the examples and comparative examples, arc discharge was ignited on the carbon cathode 11 to perform DLC film formation on the silicon wafer. In this film forming process, the temperature of the silicon wafer is set to approximately 100 ° C., 50 ccm of argon gas is introduced into the film forming chamber 2, the chamber pressure is adjusted to 1 × 10 ⁻¹ Pa, and the power source P 1 is applied to the silicon wafer. A 50 V bias is applied to cause the magnetic field generator 300 to generate a 50 gauss magnetic field on the cathode material evaporation surface 111. In this state, an arc discharge is ignited on the carbon cathode 11 and an arc current is controlled by controlling the output of the power source 13. Was adjusted to 50 amperes, and a DLC film having a thickness of 1 μm was formed on the silicon wafer.

  The hydrogen concentration in the film of the DLC film obtained by each film formation in Examples and Comparative Examples was calculated from the measurement result of the film composition by RBS-HFS method (Rutherford Back Scattering-Hydrogen Forward Scattering Spectroscopy). The results are shown in the following table.

Cold tiger Heat shielding member 6 5 times DLC film hydrogen concentration 5 times hydrogen concentration average value
Example Use Use 0.4 atm% to 2.8 atm% 1.2 atm%
Comparative Example 1 Not adopted Not adopted 0.6atm% to 10.1 atm% 5.3 atm%
Comparative Example 2 Not used 0.6atm% to 8.5atm% 3.5 atm%

  As shown in the table above, in the examples, the hydrogen concentration in the film was low, but in Comparative Examples 1 and 2, films with a high hydrogen concentration in the film were confirmed. Thus, according to the example to which the present invention is applied, it can be seen that a film having a low hydrogen concentration in the film can be obtained with good reproducibility.

  In Comparative Example 1, since the cold trap device 5 was not employed, the residual moisture in the film forming chamber 2 increased. Therefore, in Comparative Example 2, the heat shielding member 6 was not employed, and thus the trap 51 was once captured. Since the (adsorbed) moisture is heated and re-evaporated by the plasma reaching the cooler 51 along the radiation heat from the evaporation source 1 and the lines of magnetic force, hydrogen of the re-evaporated moisture is taken into the membrane. It is thought that the concentration of hydrogen in the medium has increased.

Further, in Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 using the cold trap apparatus 5, the time required for exhausting and depressurizing the film forming chamber pressure to 5 × 10 ⁻³ Pa by the exhaust apparatus 5 was about 30 minutes. However, in Comparative Example 1 in which the cold trap apparatus 5 was not employed, the time required for exhaust pressure reduction to 5 × 10 ⁻³ Pa by the exhaust apparatus 5 at the beginning was 80 minutes. From this, it can be seen that the film forming apparatus according to the present invention is excellent also in the productivity of the film-formed article.

  In the film forming apparatus A, for example, a gas supply apparatus (illustrated) that can supply oxygen, hydrogen, or a gas containing either of them (for example, carbon dioxide gas or hydrocarbon gas) into the film forming chamber 2 in the film forming process. It is also possible to control the oxygen concentration and hydrogen concentration in the formed film to a very small amount by introducing a predetermined trace gas from (omitted).

  The various conditions relating to the film formation need not be limited to those described above, and the conditions such as the vacuum exhaust process, the glow discharge process, and the film formation process are the shape of the film forming apparatus according to the present invention and the shape of the article to be formed It may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the material and application. Steps such as a bombard process for improving adhesion and formation of an intermediate layer for improving film adhesion between the article to be deposited and the film may be added.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for forming a film on an article such as a molding die such as a mold used for molding automobile parts, various machine parts, various tools, automobile parts, machine parts, and the like.

It is a figure which shows roughly the structure of one example of the film-forming apparatus by the arc type ion plating which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the mutual arrangement | positioning relationship of the cooler, shielding member, and film-forming chamber of the cold trap apparatus in the film-forming apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a cathode material evaporation surface and the magnetic force line by a magnetic field formation apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

A Deposition apparatus 1 Evaporation source 11 Cathode 111 Cathode material evaporating surface n Normal α standing on the evaporating surface Angle 12 between magnetic force line mL and normal n 12 Trigger electrode 13 Power source for arc discharge 14 Insulating member 15 Resistance 2 Vacuum container Membrane chamber)
201 Ceiling 202 of chamber 2 Side peripheral wall 21 of chamber 2 Insulating member 23 Gas introduction unit 3 Duct 30 Cathode mounting unit 300 Magnetic field forming device 31 Magnetic field forming coil 32 Power mL Magnetic field line 4 Deposited article support device 41 Vertical axis 42 Turntable 43 Interlocking mechanism 44 Article support shaft 40 Electric motor H Heater 5 Cold trap device 51 Cooler 52 Part 6 such as compressor Shield member 61 Opening part 62 Horizontal plate part 63 Short cylinder part 64 Vertical plate part 7 Exhaust device AN Anode W Covered Film-forming article

Claims (8)

A vacuum in which a cathode material is evaporated by vacuum arc discharge between the cathode and the anode and a plasma including ionized cathode material is generated, and the evaporation source is connected in communication, and a film forming article support device is provided inside A container, an exhaust device for exhausting and depressurizing the inside of the vacuum container, and a bias for applying a bias for attracting the ionized cathode material to the film-formed article supported by the support device via the film-formed article support device It is a film forming device by arc type ion plating including an applied power source,
A cold trap device in which a cooler part for cooling and capturing moisture in the vacuum vessel is installed in the vacuum vessel;
Magnetic field forming means for applying a magnetic field composed of magnetic lines of force that travel parallel or diverge without converging in front of the cathode material evaporation surface of the cathode to the plasma generation region;
A shielding member that prevents the cooler of the cold trap device from being seen from any position on the cathode material evaporation surface and blocks plasma from reaching the cooler along the magnetic field lines generated by the magnetic field forming means. A film forming apparatus characterized by comprising:   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cold trap apparatus includes a heating unit for heating and evaporating moisture trapped in the cooler. The cooler of the cold trap device includes an annular refrigerant circulation pipe, and the cold trap device provides a refrigeration circuit including the annular refrigerant circulation pipe,
The shielding member has a space between the shielding member and a space inside the vacuum container where the cooler of the cold trap device is located and a region inside the vacuum container where the film-formed article support device is located. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an opening that communicates with the inner region.   Between the shielding member and the inner wall of the vacuum vessel, the vacuum vessel inner region having the cooler of the cold trap device and the inner region of the vacuum container having the film-formed article support device are communicated with the shielding member interposed therebetween. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a gap to be left is left.   The cold trap device provides a heat pump type air conditioning circuit that can also provide a heat pump circuit that can be used by switching the cooler to a radiator, and a heating means that heats and evaporates the moisture captured by the cooler The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the film forming apparatus is a heat pump circuit including the radiator.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cathode material is carbon, and a diamond-like carbon film is formed on the film-formed article.   The magnetic field line in the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field forming means is a magnetic field line having an angle of 0 ° or more and 30 ° or less with a normal line standing on the evaporation surface at the cathode material evaporation surface position of the cathode. The film-forming apparatus in any one.   The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field formed by the magnetic field forming unit is a magnetic field having a magnetic flux density of 50 to 1800 gauss on the cathode material evaporation surface of the cathode.

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