Film forming apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025171889-A1
Application number	US-202418959678-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 26, 2024
Priority date	Nov 28, 2023
Publication date	May 29, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A film forming apparatus for forming a film forming material on an object, includes: a chamber; a plasma gun that generates a plasma in the chamber; an anode on which the film forming material is allowed to be disposed in the chamber and that guides the plasma; and a magnetic field generating unit that generates a magnetic field in the chamber. The magnetic field generating unit causes the plasma to be incident on a surface of the film forming material by maintaining the magnetic field such that a zero magnetic field position at which the magnetic field becomes zero is at a predetermined position. The magnetic field generating unit has a directional component in a first direction in which the object and the film forming material face each other, and sets the zero magnetic field position such that the plasma is incident on the surface of the film forming material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A film forming apparatus for forming a film forming material on an object using an RPD method, the film forming apparatus comprising:
a chamber; a plasma gun that generates a plasma in the chamber; an anode on which the film forming material is allowed to be disposed in the chamber and that guides the plasma; and a magnetic field generating unit that generates a magnetic field in the chamber, wherein the magnetic field generating unit causes the plasma to be incident on a surface of the film forming material by maintaining the magnetic field such that a zero magnetic field position at which the magnetic field in the chamber becomes zero is at a predetermined position, and the magnetic field generating unit has a directional component in a first direction in which the object and the film forming material face each other, and sets the zero magnetic field position such that the plasma is incident on the surface of the film forming material.

2 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit sets the zero magnetic field position such that the plasma is incident on an entire surface of the film forming material.

3 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit includes a ring hearth disposed around the anode.

4 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the ring hearth is an auxiliary anode having an electromagnet for inducing a plasma, and is disposed around a container of the anode that holds the film forming material.

5 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the ring hearth includes an annular coil, an annular permanent magnet portion, and an annular container, the annular coil and the annular permanent magnet portion are accommodated in the annular container, and the annular permanent magnet portion and the annular coil are installed in this order in a negative Z direction when viewed from a transport mechanism, or the annular coil and the annular permanent magnet portion are installed in this order in the negative Z direction.

6 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the ring hearth controls a direction of the plasma incident on the film forming material or a direction of the plasma incident on the anode according to a magnitude of a current flowing through the annular coil.

7 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a gas supply unit that supplies a carrier gas and an oxygen gas at flow rates based on a control signal from a control unit into the chamber.

8 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the gas supply unit is disposed outside the chamber, and supplies a raw material gas into the chamber through a gas supply port provided in a side wall of a film forming chamber.

9 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit sets the zero magnetic field position at a position that is at or below a center axis of the plasma gun with respect to the surface of the film forming material in the first direction.

10 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit sets the zero magnetic field position at a position that is equal to or greater than a width dimension of the film forming material with respect to the surface of the film forming material in the first direction.

11 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit sets the zero magnetic field position at a position inside an inner periphery of a ring hearth on a plasma gun side with respect to a center axis of the film forming material in a second direction in which a center axis of the plasma gun extends.

12 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit sets the zero magnetic field position at a position inside an inner periphery of the anode on a side opposite to the plasma gun with respect to a center axis of the film forming material in a second direction in which a center axis of the plasma gun extends.

13 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit sets the zero magnetic field position at a position where a distance from the surface of the film forming material in the first direction is 65 mm to 105 mm.

14 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit sets the zero magnetic field position at a position where a distance from a center axis of the film forming material toward a plasma gun side is 20 mm to 55 mm in a second direction in which a center axis of the plasma gun extends.

15 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit further includes at least one of an electrode of the plasma gun and a steering coil of the plasma gun.

16 . The film forming apparatus according to claim 15 ,
wherein the magnetic field generating unit is capable of adjusting a magnetic field on a plasma gun side.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Heavy Industries

Inventors

• OKADA Yugo
• Maehara Makoto
• Kinoshita Kimio

Classifications

• H01J37/3266

  Magnetic control means · CPC title

• C23C14/54

  Controlling or regulating the coating process · CPC title

• C23C14/32 Primary

  by explosion; by evaporation and subsequent ionisation of the vapours {, e.g. ion-plating}(C23C14/34 - C23C14/48 take precedence) · CPC title

• H01J37/32669

  Particular magnets or magnet arrangements for controlling the discharge · CPC title

• H01J37/32422

  Arrangement for selecting ions or species in the plasma · CPC title