JP5393209B2 - Deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus, and more particularly to an in-line film forming apparatus in which processing chambers are connected in series.

  Conventionally, as a film forming apparatus having a plurality of film forming chambers, there are a single wafer type and an in-line type. As an in-line type film forming apparatus, a vacuum processing apparatus including a load lock chamber and three film forming chambers in this order is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). This apparatus is provided with two transfer paths, the forward path and the return path, in the load lock chamber and the three film formation chambers, and from the transfer path that is the forward path to the second transfer path that is the return path in the last film formation chamber. A transfer mechanism for transferring is provided. Then, the substrate carrier is moved from the first film formation chamber to the third film formation chamber through the forward transfer path, and after the three-layer film is formed, it is transferred to the transfer path as the return path by the transfer mechanism and loaded. It is moved to the lock room.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-340425 (refer to claim 1 and FIG. 1)

  According to the above apparatus, there is an advantage that even a large substrate can form three layers of films continuously in one film forming apparatus. By the way, in the film forming apparatus, the film forming means needs maintenance, and in particular, when the sputtering method is performed, the target must be exchanged as necessary. In such a case, in the in-line type film forming apparatus as described above, the film forming chamber must be once opened to the atmosphere in order to replace the film forming means. Then, since there is a processing chamber that is open to the atmosphere in the middle of the transport path, the substrate cannot be transported, and the operation of the entire apparatus must be stopped.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and to provide an in-line type film forming apparatus that does not require the operation of the entire apparatus to be stopped even during maintenance.

The film forming apparatus of the present invention is formed by connecting a plurality of processing chambers including at least one film forming processing chamber in series, and the film forming processing chamber includes a substrate setting portion on which a substrate is set A film-forming apparatus comprising a film-forming means installation section in which a film-forming means for performing a predetermined film-forming process on the substrate is installed, and these substrate installation section and film-forming means installation section are configured to be separable And comprising a shutter for isolating the substrate installation section and the film forming means installation section and maintaining a vacuum in the substrate installation section ,
The shutter moves on a transfer unit provided across the substrate installation portions of the plurality of film forming chambers . In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, a shutter for isolating the substrate setting unit from the film forming process chamber and maintaining a vacuum in the substrate setting unit is provided. Therefore, it is not necessary to stop the operation of the entire apparatus. In addition, by being configured to move on the transfer unit in this way, the shutter can be moved and installed in a film formation chamber that requires maintenance without providing a shutter for each film formation chamber.

  The shutter is provided with a seal member on one surface of the shutter over the circumferential direction, and the film formation process is performed between the substrate installation position and the film formation unit installation part on the film formation process chamber inner wall. It is preferable that there is provided a protruding portion that protrudes toward the inside of the chamber and that is continuously provided in the circumferential direction and that contacts the seal member. With such a configuration, the substrate installation side can be held in vacuum with a simple configuration.

  As a preferred embodiment of the shutter moving mechanism, a cylindrical rod-shaped member is provided on the bottom surface of the shutter along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface, and the shutter is rotatable in the circumferential direction of the rod-shaped member. A plurality of conveying means are provided at predetermined intervals on the floor surface of each substrate installation portion, and a roller having a concave portion at the center so that the rod-shaped member is engaged, and the shutter is formed by the rod-shaped member. Moving on this roller can be mentioned. With this configuration, the shutter can be moved stably.

  Further, the transfer means may be a transfer path for transferring a substrate provided over the plurality of processing chambers. With this configuration, it is not necessary to newly provide a shutter transport system.

  Preferably, the shutter is made of a carbon-based material and a SUS plate that covers the periphery of the carbon-based material, or a rib is provided on the other surface on which the seal member is provided. By comprising in this way, it can reduce in weight and can hold | maintain rigidity.

  In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the substrate is held substantially vertically or vertically in the film forming apparatus in order to reduce the installation area.

  According to the film forming apparatus of the present invention, since the substrate installation portion can be held in vacuum by the shutter, there is an excellent effect that it is not necessary to stop the operation of the entire apparatus even during maintenance.

It is a schematic diagram of the in-line type film-forming apparatus concerning embodiment. It is a partial enlarged view of the in-line type film forming apparatus according to the embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the structure of the shutter concerning embodiment, (a) is a front view of a shutter, (b) is a partial cross section figure in a shutter conveyance path. It is sectional drawing of the film-forming chamber for demonstrating installation of the shutter in a film-forming chamber. It is a figure for demonstrating installation in the film-forming chamber of another shutter.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the in-line type film forming apparatus of this embodiment.

  The in-line film forming apparatus 1 includes a plurality of processing chambers that perform predetermined processing on the substrate S. Specifically, as the processing chamber of the in-line type film forming apparatus 1, a load lock chamber 11, a heating chamber 12, a first film forming chamber 13, a second film forming chamber 14, and a third film forming chamber 15 are provided. These are connected in series via the door valve 16 in this order. Each chamber can independently perform a predetermined treatment in a vacuum.

  The load lock chamber 11 is provided with a vacuum pump (not shown) so that the inside of the load lock chamber 11 is evacuated to a predetermined vacuum level and the vacuum level can be maintained.

  The heating chamber 12 is provided with a vacuum pump (not shown), and the inside of the heating chamber 12 can be evacuated to a predetermined degree of vacuum, and the degree of vacuum can be maintained. The heating chamber 12 is provided with a heating means (not shown) in the center thereof so that the temperature of the substrate S installed in the heating chamber 12 can be raised to a predetermined temperature.

  The first film forming chamber 13 to the third film forming chamber 15 include substrate setting portions 131, 141, 151 where the substrates are respectively set, and film forming means setting portions 132, 142, 152 where the respective film forming means are set, Consists of. The substrate placement portions 131, 141, 151 and the film formation means placement portions 132, 142, 152 are each provided with openings, and both chambers communicate with each other through these openings to form a film formation space 133 for performing a film formation process, 143 and 153 are formed. The substrate placement units 131, 141, 151 are provided with a vacuum pump (not shown) until the inside of the first film formation chamber 13 to the third film formation chamber 15, that is, the film formation spaces 133, 143, 153 reaches a predetermined degree of vacuum. It is configured to be evacuated and to maintain the degree of vacuum. As the film forming means, a known film forming means can be used. For example, in the case of forming a film by a sputtering method, a target and a sputtering gas introducing means can be installed to form a film. ing. In addition, when a film is formed by the CVD method, a film forming gas introducing unit is provided so that the film can be formed.

  The in-line type film forming apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is a vertical transfer type vacuum processing apparatus that processes a substrate S while holding the substrate S substantially vertically by a frame-shaped substrate carrier 2. The in-line type film forming apparatus 1 is provided with a first transfer path 21 and a second transfer path 22 that are parallel to each other and transfer the substrate S from the load lock chamber 11 to the third film formation chamber 15. The first transport path 21 is provided on the side of the film forming means installation unit 132, 142, 152. The transport means for the substrate S is not particularly limited. For example, two rails are laid on each of the first transport path 21 and the second transport path 22, and the substrate carrier 2 is placed on the bottom of the substrate carrier 2. You may be comprised so that it can move with the wheel provided in. Specifically, the lower surface of the substrate carrier 2 is provided with a rack, and the load lock chamber 11, the heating chamber 12, and the first film formation chamber 13 to the third film formation chamber 15 have pinion gears that are rotated by the rotational force of the motor. Since the rack and the pinion gear are engaged, the driving force of the motor is transmitted to the substrate carrier 2 to convey the substrate carrier 2.

  Furthermore, the third film forming chamber 15 is provided with path changing means (not shown) that can move the substrate carrier 2 between the first transport path 21 and the second transport path 22. That is, the third film forming chamber 15 functions as a film forming chamber and a traverse chamber for traversing the substrate. The path changing means, for example, engages the hook portion of the path changing means with a protrusion provided on the outer frame of the substrate carrier 2, stably supports the substrate carrier 2 in this state, and transports the substrate carrier 2 to the first state. It is comprised so that it can be translated between the path | route 21 and the 2nd conveyance path 22, and a conveyance path can be changed.

  By the way, when performing the maintenance of the film forming chamber of the in-line type film forming apparatus 1, for example, when replacing the film forming device installed in the second film forming chamber 14, when the film forming device setting section 142 is opened, Since the second film formation chamber 14 is opened to the atmosphere, the vacuum in the substrate installation unit 141 cannot be maintained, and the operation of the in-line type film formation apparatus 1 has to be stopped, so this needs to be prevented.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the in-line type film forming apparatus 1 includes the substrate setting units 131, 141, 151 and the film forming means setting units 132, 142, 152 in order to maintain the vacuum in each film forming chamber during maintenance. A shutter 3 is provided to isolate the. The shutter 3 is stored in a storage chamber 17 provided on the downstream side of the third film formation chamber 15 except during a maintenance operation such as during film formation. At the time of maintenance, the shutter 3 is moved on the shutter conveyance path 31 laid from the storage chamber 17 to the first film formation chamber 13 to a film formation chamber that requires maintenance, for example, the second film formation chamber 14. 3 separates the substrate installation unit 141 from the film forming unit installation unit 142. The film deposition means can be exchanged by opening the film deposition means installation section 142 while maintaining the vacuum state in the substrate installation section 141 by the shutter 3. Accordingly, since the substrate S is configured to be able to pass through the second film forming chamber even during maintenance, it is not necessary to stop the operation of the in-line type film forming apparatus 1.

  Hereinafter, the shutter 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the in-line film forming apparatus. 3A and 3B are schematic views showing the configuration of the shutter. FIG. 3A is a front view of the shutter, and FIG. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view of the shutter conveyance path. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the film forming chamber for explaining the installation of the shutter in the film forming chamber. Hereinafter, the case where maintenance of the second film forming chamber 14 is performed will be described, and the substrate carrier 2 is omitted in FIG.

  The shutter 3 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and a seal member 32 is provided on one surface thereof in the circumferential direction. As will be described later, the seal member 32 is configured to come into contact with a protruding portion 144 provided in the second film forming chamber 14.

  A cylindrical rod-shaped member 33 is provided on the bottom surface of the shutter 3 along the longitudinal direction thereof. The shutter 3 is configured to be rotatable in the circumferential direction of the rod-shaped member 33.

  In addition, rollers 34 are arranged in parallel on the floor surface of the substrate installation unit 141 of the second film formation chamber 14 via a fixing member 35 at a predetermined interval. A rod-shaped member 33 is placed on the roller 34, and the rod-shaped member 33 is moved as the roller 34 rotates. Specifically, the roller 34 has a curved shape with a concave central portion so that the rod-shaped member 33 engages in a cross-sectional view. The rotation shaft 331 of the roller 34 is rotatably installed on the fixed member 35, and one end of the rotation shaft 331 is connected to a drive control device (not shown), and the rotation shaft 331 is rotated by the drive control device. . By this rotation, the shutter 3 installed on the roller 34 can move in the rotation direction via the rod-shaped member 33. In the present embodiment, the plurality of rollers 34 constitute a shutter conveyance path (conveyance means) 31. Further, in order to provide the shutter transport path 31 between the film forming chambers, the door valve 16 is also provided at a predetermined position between the film forming chambers.

  A magnet 36 is mounted on the ceiling of the shutter 3. Further, another magnet 36 is installed on the ceiling surface of the second film forming chamber 14 so as to face the magnet 36 slightly outside from a position facing the shutter conveyance path 31. Due to the attractive force between the magnets 36, the shutter 3 is moved while being held substantially perpendicular to the floor surface.

  The shutter 3 is installed so that the surface on which the seal member 32 is provided faces the first conveyance path 21. On the inner wall surface of the substrate installation portion 141, a protruding portion 144 that protrudes toward the film forming space 143 is provided on the inner side of the shutter conveyance path 31. The protruding portion 144 is continuously provided over the inner circumferential direction of the substrate installation portion 141, and is configured such that the seal member 32 is in contact with the protruding portion 144. In addition, since the protrusion part 144 provided in the floor surface is installed avoiding the fixing member 35, the contact part 144a is provided so that the seal member 32 may contact | abut. A pressing member (for example, an air cylinder) 145 for pressing the upper portion of the shutter 3 against the protruding portion 144 is provided on the inner side of the upper surface of the wall surface of the film forming device installing section 142 provided with an opening communicating with the film forming device installing section 142. Is provided.

  A maintenance operation using the movable shutter 3 will be described. As described above, the shutter 3 is conveyed to a predetermined position by the rotation of the roller 34 by the drive control device. When the shutter 3 stops at a predetermined position, a pressing member (for example, an air cylinder) 145 presses the upper part of the shutter 3. Then, the shutter 3 rotates with the rod-shaped member 33 as a fulcrum and comes into contact with the projecting portion 144, so that the seal member 32 is brought into contact with the projecting portion 144 (contact portion 144 a), and as a result, inside the substrate installation portion 141. Is sealed by the shutter 3. As a result, a vacuum can be maintained on the inner side than the shutter 3 of the substrate installation portion 141. Therefore, even if the film formation means installation unit 142 is removed, the first substrate is replaced while replacing the film formation means installed in the film formation means installation unit 142 without stopping the operation of the in-line type film formation apparatus 1. The film can be transferred from the film forming chamber 13 to the third film forming chamber 15.

  This will be described using a specific example. When the first film and the second film thicker than the first film are formed on the substrate S in this order by the sputtering method, the target for forming the second film is the first film. It is necessary to replace the target earlier than the target for forming the first film. In such a case, a target for forming the first film is installed in the first film forming chamber 13, and a target for forming the second film is installed in the second film forming chamber 14. A target for forming the second film is also installed in the third film forming chamber 15.

  When the film forming apparatus is operated to form a film in the first film forming chamber 13 and the second film forming chamber 14 and it becomes necessary to replace the target in the second film forming chamber 14, the shutter is moved from the storage chamber 17 to the shutter. 3 is moved to the second film forming chamber 14 via the shutter conveyance path 31. Then, as described above, the shutter 3 is rotated with the rod-shaped member 33 as a fulcrum and is brought into contact with the protruding portion 144 to seal the inside of the substrate installation portion 141 and keep it in a vacuum. Then, the film forming means installation unit 142 is removed and the target is exchanged. Even in this case, the substrate moving to the third film forming chamber 15 after being formed in the first film forming chamber 13 can pass through the second film forming chamber 14 in a vacuum state. The second film is formed in the third film forming chamber 15 by being transferred into the third film forming chamber 15, and then the path is changed by the path changing means to pass through the second film forming chamber 14 to the load lock chamber 11. It is carried out of the in-line type film forming apparatus 1. As described above, in the present embodiment, by providing the shutter 3, it is possible to perform maintenance without stopping the operation of the in-line film forming apparatus 1 even if there is a film forming chamber that requires maintenance.

  After replacing the target and installing the film formation means installation section 142, the space formed by the shutter 3 and the film formation means installation section 142 is brought into a desired vacuum state by a vacuum pump (not shown), and then the shutter 3 is moved. The film is transferred to the storage chamber 17 via the shutter transfer path 31 and film formation in the second film formation chamber 14 is started.

  Such a shutter 3 preferably has a high rigidity so that a vacuum can be maintained as described above. For example, the shutter 3 may be made of a highly rigid material such as a carbon material (for example, carbon fiber). Although the carbon material is thin and has high rigidity, there is an advantage that a large space for the shutter 3 is not required and the apparatus installation area is not increased. However, since the carbon material may release gas, for example, a SUS plate It is more preferable to sandwich the plate surface with or cover the entire periphery. Further, a rib member may be provided on the shutter 3. In this case, any shape of rib may be installed as long as it is configured to ensure rigidity. Of course, the number of ribs is not limited.

  In the present embodiment, the shutter conveyance path 31 is provided outside the projecting portion 144, but may be provided inside the projecting portion 144. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a shutter transport path 31 is provided between the protruding portion 144 and the substrate transport path 21. Then, the shutter 3 is pressed from the substrate transport path 21 side so that the sealing member 32 abuts against the protruding portion 144 by another pressing means 146. In this case, the pressing means 146 is configured so that an opening that can be freely opened and closed is provided in the ceiling of the substrate installation unit 141 and can be introduced into the substrate installation unit 141 from outside the substrate installation unit 141 through this opening. It is preferable that This is because if the pressing means 145 as described above is provided in the substrate installation portion 141, it interferes with other members in the substrate installation portion 141, such as a substrate transport system. The pressing unit 146 may be configured to press the shutter 3 by rotating the pressing unit 146 by, for example, a motor.

  In this embodiment, the shutter transport path 31 for moving the shutter 3 is provided, but the shutter 3 may be transported via the substrate transport paths 21 and 22 for transporting the substrate S. In this case, a shutter holding unit for installing the shutter 3 at a predetermined position is further provided in the substrate installation unit 141, and a path changing unit is provided in each of the substrate installation units 131, 141, 151. Then, the substrate transfer paths 21 and 22 are moved to the shutter holding unit by using the path changing unit, and the pressing unit having the same configuration as the pressing unit 146 is provided in the substrate setting unit 141, and the shutter 3 is projected by the pressing unit. What is necessary is just to comprise so that it may contact | abut to 144 and may be pressed. Alternatively, the shutter 3 may be transported using the substrate transport paths 21 and 22 so that the rod-shaped member 33 can be pressed as a fulcrum in that state. In this case, if the substrate transport paths 21 and 22 have the same configuration as the shutter transport path 31 and the substrate carrier 2 has the same configuration as the shutter 3, it is not necessary to provide a substrate holder.

  In the present embodiment, the storage chamber 17 for storing the shutter 3 is provided. However, the shutter 3 is stored in a chamber in which no film formation is performed, such as the heating chamber 12 and the load lock chamber 11 without providing the storage chamber 17. In addition, the shutter 3 may be moved during maintenance.

  In the present embodiment, the shutter 3 is movable. However, a storage unit is provided on each of the film forming chambers 13 to 15, the shutter 3 is lowered from the upper part, and is brought into contact with the protruding part 144 in that state. You may comprise so that it can press and hold | maintain a vacuum. Further, the shutter 3 may be provided with two or more shutters. In this case, two or more shutter rails may be provided.

  In the present embodiment, the seal member 32 is provided on the shutter 3, but the seal member may be provided on the protruding portion 144 side.

  In the present embodiment, the third film formation chamber 15 is configured to function as a traverse chamber. However, the traverse chamber may be provided alone, and the shutter 3 is accommodated in the traverse chamber. Also good. The number of film forming chambers is not limited.

  In the present embodiment, the vertical substrate transfer type film forming apparatus that holds the substrate substantially perpendicular to the floor surface has been described. However, the so-called horizontal substrate transfer type device that holds the substrate horizontally with respect to the floor surface is described. You may apply to a membrane apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 In-line type film-forming apparatus 2 Substrate carrier 3 Shutter 11 Load lock chamber 12 Heating chamber 13 First film-forming chamber 14 Second film-forming chamber 15 Third film-forming chamber 16 Door valve 17 Storage chamber 21 First transfer path 22 Second transfer Path 31 Shutter conveyance path 32 Seal member 33 Rod-shaped member 34 Roller 35 Fixing member 131, 141, 151 Substrate installation part 132, 142, 152 Film formation means installation part 133, 143, 153 Film formation space 144 Projection part 145 Press means 146 Press means

Claims (7)

A plurality of processing chambers including at least one film forming processing chamber are connected in series, and the film forming processing chamber includes a substrate setting portion on which a substrate is set and a predetermined film forming on the set substrate. A film forming apparatus in which a film forming means for performing processing is installed, and the substrate installing section and the film forming means installing section are configured to be separable,
A shutter for isolating the substrate installation unit and the film forming unit installation unit and maintaining a vacuum in the substrate installation unit ;
The film forming apparatus characterized in that the shutter moves on a transfer means provided across the substrate installation portions of the plurality of film forming chambers . The shutter is provided with a seal member on one surface of the shutter over the circumferential direction,
The wall of the film formation chamber is provided between the substrate installation position and the film formation means installation section so as to protrude toward the inside of the film formation chamber and continuously provided in the circumferential direction. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a protruding portion with which the member abuts. A cylindrical rod-shaped member is provided on the bottom surface of the shutter along the longitudinal direction of the bottom surface, and the shutter is rotatably provided in the circumferential direction of the rod-shaped member,
A plurality of the conveying means are provided at predetermined intervals on the floor surface of each substrate installation portion, and a roller having a concave portion at the center so that the rod-shaped member engages, and the shutter is mounted on the roller by the rod-shaped member. the deposition apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that to move the. The conveying means, the deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a conveying path for the substrate transport provided over the plurality of process chamber. The shutter includes a carbon-based material, the film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it consists of a SUS plate covering the periphery of the carbon-based material. The shutter, film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that said sealing member has a rib on the other side provided. The substrate film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it is substantially vertically or vertically held within the film forming apparatus.

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