KR102721678B1 - A Sputtering Device Applied Magnetic Fields Controlling Technique - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sputtering device, and more specifically, to a sputtering device to which a sputtering cathode technology is applied, which can control the magnetic hysteresis curve of the surface of a sputtering target by adjusting the distance between the sputtering target and a magnet.

Description

{A Sputtering Device Applied Magnetic Fields Controlling Technique}

The present invention relates to a sputtering device, and more specifically, to a sputtering device capable of controlling the intensity of a magnetic field applied to the surface of a sputtering target.

Sputtering technology is a technology that deposits a thin film on a substrate (silicon, glass, etc.) to manufacture devices such as semiconductors, organic light-emitting diode devices, solar cells, and LEDs.

A sputtering device is a device that places a magnet behind a sputtering target, applies a high voltage to the anode, causes plasma discharge, and deposits particles of the target on the surface of the substrate.

The above sputtering device manufactures and uses different sputtering cathodes that affect its performance depending on the application field and method.

In more detail, depending on the magnetic field strength (B-Fields) and structure of the magnet inside the sputtering cathode, it is divided into balanced (Balanced Magnetron Sputtering) and unbalanced (Unbalanced Magnetron Sputtering) structures, and the unbalanced structure can be further divided into a sparging type and a spraying type.

The above sputtering cathode butler type is mainly applied to a sputtering device of an in-line or rotation structure, and the spraying type is mainly applied to a moving (swing) structure in which the magnet set moves left and right.

Therefore, in the sputtering devices manufactured to date, the sputtering cathode can adopt only one of the types listed above, and there are limitations in controlling the sputtering equipment process (deposition speed, ionization rate, different magnetization rates depending on the type of target, Arc generated during deposition, etc.) and the physical properties of the thin film (deposition density, deposition energy, crystallinity, etc.) when manufacturing a thin film.

Korean Patent Publication No. [10-2011-0046074] discloses a magnetic field-controlled cathode gun for a sputtering deposition device.

Korean Patent Publication No. [10-2011-0046074] (Publication Date: 2011.05.04)

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering device to which a sputtering cathode technology is applied, which can control the magnetic hysteresis curve of the surface of a sputtering target by adjusting the distance between the sputtering target and a magnet.

The purposes of the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the purposes mentioned above, and other purposes not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

In order to achieve the above-described purpose, a sputtering device applied with a magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is a sputtering device that deposits a thin film on the surface of a target object by using plasma discharge, the sputtering device comprising: a sputtering target portion (100); a split magnet portion (200) provided at the rear of the sputtering target portion (100) and composed of a plurality of magnets such that N and S poles are alternately arranged in the forward direction; a split yoke portion (300) provided at the rear of the split magnet (200) and composed of a plurality of yokes that fix each of the magnets; and a driving portion (400) that independently moves each yoke of the split yoke portion (300) back and forth.

In addition, the sputtering device to which the magnetic field control technology is applied is characterized by including a control unit (500) that controls the magnetic hysteresis curve of the surface of the sputtering target unit (100) by controlling each of the driving units (400) to adjust the position of the magnet.

In addition, the above-mentioned split magnet part (200) is characterized by being provided in a concentric shape based on a center point.

In addition, the above-mentioned split magnet part (200) is implemented as one set with at least one S pole provided in the forward direction, and as one set with at least one N pole provided in the forward direction, so that movement is possible as a set unit.

In addition, the split yoke part (300) is characterized by including a magnet rotation part (350) that fixes the magnet and rotates the magnet around a horizontal axis.

In addition, the driving unit (400) is characterized by including a driving shaft (410) connected to each of the split yokes; a driving shaft support (420) provided at a predetermined distance from the back surface of the split yoke unit (300), having a sliding guide formed thereon to guide forward and backward movement of the driving shaft (410), and supporting the central axis of the driving shaft (410) so as not to move according to attractive force and repulsive force caused by a magnetic field; and an axis moving unit (430) connected to the driving shaft (410) to move the driving shaft (410) forward and backward.

According to a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, the sputtering device of the present invention has the effect of being able to use the magnetic field control technology as a process variable in manufacturing a thin film.

In addition, by changing the type of sputtering cathode (balanced, unbalanced, Type 1 (butler type), Type 2 (spray type)), it is possible to manufacture a thin film with more diverse physical properties than conventional techniques.

In addition, it is effective in improving the thin film material property control technology by applying magnetic field control technology.

In addition, when the sputtering device is operated, the magnetic field strength and area can be controlled on the target surface based on the phenomenon in which drift electrons are captured within the magnetic hysteresis curve (Flux) by the Lorenz force, thereby improving target utilization.

Figures 1 to 5 are conceptual diagrams of a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied.
Figures 6 and 7 are conceptual diagrams of a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technology according to another embodiment of the present invention is applied.
Figure 8 is a graph of the magnetic field strength at each location according to the distance between the magnet and the target.
Figure 9 is a graph showing the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement after depositing ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) by controlling the magnetic field strength.

The present invention can have various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

When it is said that a component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but there may also be other components present in between.

On the other hand, when it is said that a component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

The terminology used herein is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" and the like are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, process, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, processes, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries, such as those defined in common dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to their conventional or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted as meanings and concepts that conform to the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his or her own invention in the best way. In addition, if there is no other definition for the technical and scientific terms used, they have the meanings commonly understood by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which this invention belongs, and the description of well-known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention in the following description and the attached drawings will be omitted. The drawings introduced below are provided as examples so that those skilled in the art can sufficiently convey the idea of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the drawings presented below and may be embodied in other forms. In addition, the same reference numerals represent the same components throughout the specification. It should be noted that the same components in the drawings are represented by the same symbols wherever possible.

FIGS. 1 to 5 are conceptual diagrams of a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technology is applied according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 6 to 7 are conceptual diagrams of a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technology is applied according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a graph of the magnetic field intensity at each position according to the distance between a magnet and a target, and FIG. 9 is a graph of the results of measuring X-ray diffraction (XRD) after depositing ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) by controlling the magnetic field intensity.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technique according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied is a sputtering device that deposits a thin film on a surface of a target object using plasma discharge, and includes a sputtering target unit (100), a split magnet unit (200), a split yoke unit (300), a driving unit (400), and a control unit (500).

The vacuum chamber section, pump section, gas injection section, etc., which are basically required for sputtering operation, are omitted from the drawing.

The sputtering target portion (100) includes a sputtering target.

A sputtering target is a metal or compound used for sputtering deposition. It usually has a plate shape and can be formed into various shapes such as rectangles, squares, and disks, and its size also varies.

Deposition technology is a technology that coats various metals or compounds as thin films on a substrate, and is widely used for thin film coatings for various IT devices.

Sputtering targets are usually made of metal/alloy/compound materials with a purity of 99.99% or higher, and sputtering targets with a wide variety of components can exist depending on the user's needs, such as titanium targets, nickel targets, cobalt targets, molybdenum targets, tungsten targets, tantalum targets, niobium targets, niobium pentoxide targets, aluminum targets, molybdenum niobium alloy targets, stainless steel targets, nickel alloy targets, cobalt alloy targets, and ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) targets.

In a typical sputtering process, only about 30% of the total weight of the sputtering target is used, and when the deposition efficiency decreases, the remaining approximately 70% of the target waste is generated.

When sputtering in a vacuum chamber, the target particles fall off and stick to the material to be coated, forming a coating. When the target surface is discarded, it becomes sunken into a certain shape.

The split magnet section (200) is provided at the rear of the sputtering target section (100) and is composed of a plurality of magnets so that the N and S poles are arranged alternately in the forward direction.

The above magnet can use a permanent magnet, its driving force can move back and forth, and its material can include any material with magnetization properties such as NdFeB and ferrite.

The above split magnet part (200) may be composed of one or more cathodes.

The above cathodes can be arranged in multiple numbers with multiple polarities, such as N-S-N or S-N-S or N-S-N-S-N… …

Various implementations are possible, such as arranging the above cathodes in a single row or configuring them face to face.

The above one or more cathodes can move back and forth as a whole.

The above cathode can be installed in any direction, up, down, left, or right, when installed in a sputtering device.

Additionally, the magnet size and the pitch between magnets (Fitch) can be changed to be wider or narrower depending on the strength of the magnet.

The above split magnet part (200) can be manufactured using multiple polarities (multi-pole) such as N-S-N or S-N-S pole configuration, as well as N-S-N-S-N… …

The split yoke part (300) is provided on the back surface of the split magnet (200) and is composed of a plurality of yokes that fix each of the magnets.

The above yoke is connected to the driving unit (400) and may be bonded to a magnet (screw-connected) or a magnet may be attached to the yoke depending on the properties of the magnet.

The material of the above yoke can be manufactured from all ferromagnetic materials, such as SUS430, SUS420, and other ferrite series materials, and iron (Fe series).

The thickness of the above yoke may vary depending on the strength of the magnet.

If the above split yoke part (300) is configured with multiple polarities (multi-poles) such as N-S-N or S-N-S, N-S-N-S-N… …, the split yoke can be configured to have the same number of magnets.

In the above, an example of configuring the number of split yokes equal to the number of magnets was given, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various implementations are of course possible, such as configuring the number of yokes to be greater or the number of magnets to be greater.

The driving unit (400) independently moves each yoke of the split yoke unit (300) back and forth.

The above driving unit (400) is configured to individually adjust the height of the split yoke unit (300).

The above driving unit (400) can control the positions of the magnet and the split yoke by using any type of motor capable of vertical movement and a manually operable screw slider.

Additionally, the motor can be located anywhere inside or outside the vacuum chamber. The drive unit configuration can consist of one or more motors on one split yoke.

A sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied can control the position of the magnet of the sputtering cathode by controlling the position of each divided yoke, thereby controlling the magnetic hysteresis curve of the surface of the sputtering target portion (100).

As a result, a sputtering thin film deposition can be performed by changing the magnet position of the structure as in Fig. 1 (see Figs. 2 and 5).

The control method for allowing the target particles to be focused and deposited on the substrate with strong energy is as shown in the embodiment of Fig. 2.

That is, the magnetic hysteresis curve is concentrated so that the inner S pole is lower than the outer N pole, thereby creating a high magnetic field intensity (B-fields) at the center of the target.

At this time, a high plasma density is generated in the target area where the magnetic hysteresis curve is concentrated, which can increase the deposition rate at the center of the substrate.

This method can be applied to methods in which the substrate moves and deposition occurs, such as inline sputtering.

A control method for depositing a thin film with high uniformity characteristics on a large-area substrate and reducing the non-etched area of the target is as shown in the embodiment of Fig. 3.

The magnetic field is radiated outward by moving the inner S pole to a higher position than the outer N pole.

In the case of multi-cathode (or multi-gun) sputtering equipment and large-area deposition, it is also possible to control as in the embodiment of Fig. 4 or Fig. 5 to increase the deposition rate in a specific area. That is, the magnet can be moved to form a magnetic hysteresis curve in the direction requiring a high deposition rate, thereby performing deposition.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technique according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied may include a control unit (500) that controls the magnetic hysteresis curve (dotted line of FIGS. 1 to 5) of the surface of the sputtering target unit (100) by controlling each of the driving units (400) to adjust the position of the magnet.

It is possible to directly control the above driving unit (400) using a screw slider or the like that can be manually operated, but it is also possible to precisely control the motor by driving the control unit (500).

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, the split magnet section (200) of a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technique according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied may be characterized by being provided in a concentric shape with respect to a center point.

For example, when the sputtering target is in the shape of a disk, the split magnet part (200) may be provided with a cylindrical magnet in the center and ring-shaped magnets in the form of concentric cylinders around the center.

Alternatively, the split magnet part (200) may be provided in the form of a hollow square pillar with a cross-section having a square pillar shape and a similar outer shape with a certain distance spaced outward around the circumference.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, the split magnet part (200) of the sputtering device to which the magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied can be implemented by implementing at least one S pole provided in the forward direction as one set, and at least one N pole provided in the forward direction as one set, so that movement can be enabled in units of sets.

In FIGS. 1 to 5, examples are given in which one S pole constitutes one set and one N pole constitutes one set, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various implementations are of course possible, such as in which a plurality of S poles constitute one set and a plurality of N poles constitute one set.

That is, multiple magnets can be attached to one yoke.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, a split yoke part (300) of a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied may include a magnet rotation part (350) that fixes the magnet and rotates the magnet around a horizontal axis.

The above magnet rotation unit (350) can rotate the magnet around a horizontal axis at the request of the control unit (500).

For example, magnets arranged in an N-S-N configuration in the forward direction as in Fig. 6 can be rotated to change into an S-N-S configuration as in Fig. 7.

Although the above example involved a 180-degree rotation, the present invention is not limited thereto, and of course, it is possible to rotate at a desired angle, and of course, various other implementations are possible, such as rotating each magnet at a different angle.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5, a driving unit (400) of a sputtering device to which a magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied may include a driving shaft (410), a driving shaft support (420), and a shaft moving unit (430).

The drive shaft (410) is connected to each of the above split yokes.

The above driving shafts (410) are provided in multiple numbers, and each driving shaft (410) is connected to each yoke.

The method of connecting the above drive shaft (410) and the yoke can adopt various connection methods such as welding, bolt processing, etc.

The above-mentioned driving shaft is provided with one or more in one yoke, and can move the yoke. When connecting the above-mentioned driving shaft (410) to the shaft moving part (430), a coupling, linear feedthrough, etc. can be used.

The material of the drive shaft can be an austenitic material such as SUS304 or a non-magnetic material (diamagnetic, paramagnetic) such as aluminum.

The drive shaft support (420) is provided at a certain distance from the rear surface of the split yoke portion (300), and a sliding guide is formed to guide the forward and backward movement of the drive shaft (410), and supports the central axis of the drive shaft (410) so that it does not move due to attractive and repulsive forces caused by a magnetic field.

The above drive shaft support (420) is configured for the purpose of maintaining the magnet spacing due to attractive and repulsive forces when the magnet is driven, and is preferably configured of a non-magnetic material.

The above drive shaft support (420) can be fixed and used anywhere as long as it is insulated from the sputtering target portion (100) and the back plate (150).

The above back plate (150) serves to fix the sputtering target portion (100) on the back surface of the sputtering target portion (100).

The shaft moving part (430) is connected to the driving shaft (410) and moves the driving shaft (410) back and forth.

It goes without saying that the above-mentioned shaft moving part (430) can be implemented in various ways as long as it can move the above-mentioned driving shaft (410) such as a motor.

The following is a description of the results of material properties deposited using a sputtering device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a graph of the magnetic field intensity at each position according to the distance between the magnet and the target, and Figure 9 is a graph of the results of measuring X-ray diffraction (XRD) after depositing ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) by controlling the magnetic field intensity.

T-S(Target to Magnet Distance) 25mm = 1000 Gauss

T-S(Target to Magnet Distance) 40mm = 500 Gauss

T-S(Target to Magnet Distance) 60mm = 200 Gauss

In this evaluation, the stronger the magnetic field, the higher the crystallinity of ITO. This is expected to be due to the increase in energy of the particles deposited by sputtering, which caused micro-crystallization of the ITO thin film.

Accordingly, the thin film properties required depending on the field can be controlled and used by the user through a sputtering device to which the magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied, and the sputtering device to which the magnetic field control technology according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied can be applied to targets of all materials capable of sputtering.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of application is diverse, and various modifications can be implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims.

100: Sputtering target part
200: Split magnet section
300: Split yoke section
350: Magnet Rotating Part
400: Drive Unit
410: Drive shaft
420: Drive shaft support
430: Axis moving part
500: Control Unit

Claims (6)

In a sputtering device that deposits a thin film on the surface of a target object using plasma discharge,
Sputtering target part (100);
A split magnet section (200) provided at the rear of the above sputtering target section (100) and composed of a plurality of magnets in which the N and S poles are arranged alternately in the forward direction;
A split yoke part (300) provided on the back surface of the split magnet part (200) and composed of a plurality of yokes for fixing each of the magnets; and
A driving unit (400) that independently moves each yoke of the above split yoke unit (300) back and forth;
Including,
At least one S pole provided in the forward direction is implemented as a set with one yoke, and at least one N pole provided in the forward direction is implemented as a set with another yoke, so that movement is possible as a set unit, thereby enabling individual movement of a set composed of only S poles and a set composed of only N poles.
The above driving unit (400)
A drive shaft (410) connected to each of the above split yokes;
A drive shaft support (420) is provided at a certain distance from the back surface of the above-mentioned split yoke portion (300), and a sliding guide is formed to guide the forward and backward movement of the drive shaft (410), and supports the center axis of the drive shaft (410) so that it does not move due to the attractive force and repulsive force caused by the magnetic field; and,
An axis moving part (430) connected to the above driving shaft (410) and moving the driving shaft (410) back and forth;
A sputtering device having a magnetic field control technology including:
In the first paragraph,
The sputtering device to which the above magnetic field control technology is applied
A control unit (500) that controls the magnetic hysteresis curve of the surface of the sputtering target unit (100) by controlling each of the driving units (400) to adjust the position of the magnet;
A sputtering device having a magnetic field control technology including:
In the first paragraph,
The above split magnet part (200)
A sputtering device having a magnetic field control technology applied, characterized in that it is provided in a circular or square shape.
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