Sputter apparatus, control device for sputter apparatus and film formation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9175379-B2
Application number	US-201213721894-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2012
Priority date	Dec 22, 2011
Publication date	Nov 3, 2015
Grant date	Nov 3, 2015

Abstract

In an embodiment of the present invention, the following operations are performed while a substrate holder is being rotated at a fixed rotation speed with plasma being generated. Specifically, a first state where a substrate holding surface of the substrate holder is exposed to a target holder is formed to start a first deposition of divisional depositions, and a second state where the surface is shut off from the target holder is formed in T/X seconds after the start of the first divisional deposition. Moreover, the first state is formed to start an n-th deposition of the divisional depositions when a reference point set on the substrate holder arrived at a position rotated by (n−1)×360/X degrees from a position of the reference point located at the start of the targeted deposition, and the second state is formed in T/X seconds after the start of the n-th divisional deposition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sputter apparatus to generate plasma by applying a predetermined voltage to a target holder and to thereby form a film by sputtering a target held by the target holder comprising:
a process chamber;
a substrate holder provided inside the process chamber, having a substrate holding surface for holding a substrate, and configured to be capable of rotating the substrate holding surface about a predetermined rotation axis;
rotational drive means for controlling rotation of the substrate holder;
substrate rotation angle detection means for detecting a rotation angle of the substrate holder;
a target holder provided inside the process chamber and configured to be capable of holding the target, the target holder provided so that the rotation axis is located at a position different from a perpendicular line passing through the center point of the target;
a shutter configured to switch between a first state where the substrate holding surface is exposed to the target holder and a second state where the substrate holding surface is shut off from the target holder; and
control means for controlling the rotational drive means and the shutter, the control means being provided with a storage unit,
wherein, provided that T seconds denotes a deposition time required to form a film thickness to be obtained in a targeted deposition, the sputter apparatus is configured to be capable of performing X (X is an integer of 2 or larger) divisional depositions to complete the targeted deposition, and
wherein the storage unit of the control means stores a control program, the control program executing the steps of:
controlling the rotational drive means so that the substrate holder is rotated at a fixed rotation speed;
controlling the shutter so that the first state is formed to start a first deposition of the divisional depositions, while the substrate holder is being rotated at the rotation speed under a condition where the plasma is being generated;
controlling the shutter so that the second state is formed in T/X seconds after the start of the first divisional deposition, while the substrate holder is being rotated at the rotation speed under the condition where the plasma is being generated;
controlling the shutter so that the first state is formed to start an n-th deposition of the divisional depositions when a reference point set on the substrate holder arrives at a position rotated by (n−1)×360/X degrees (n is an integer of 2 to X) from a position of the reference point located at the start of the targeted deposition, on the basis of a detection result obtained by the substrate rotation angle detection means, while the substrate holder is being rotated at the rotation speed under the condition where the plasma is being generated; and
controlling the shutter so that the second state is formed in T/X seconds after the start of the n-th divisional deposition, while the substrate holder is being rotated at the rotation speed under the condition where the plasma is being generated.

2. The sputter apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the shutter is at least one of a target shutter provided in a way covering the target holder and being capable of switching between the first state and the second state, and a substrate shutter provided in a way covering the substrate holding surface and being capable of switching between the first state and the second state.

3. A control device of a sputter apparatus to generate plasma by applying a predetermined voltage to a target holder and to thereby form a film by sputtering a target held by the target holder, the sputter apparatus including:
a process chamber;
a substrate holder provided inside the process chamber, having a substrate holding surface for holding a substrate, and configured to be capable of rotating the substrate holding surface about a predetermined rotation axis;
rotational drive means for controlling rotation of the substrate holder;
substrate rotation angle detection means for detecting a rotation angle of the substrate holder;
a target holder provided inside the process chamber and configured to be capable of holding the target, the target holder provided so that the rotation axis is located at a position different from a perpendicular line passing through the center point of the target; and
a shutter configured to switch between a first state where the substrate holding surface is exposed to the target holder, and a second state where the substrate holding surface is shut off from the target holder,
wherein the control device is configured to control the sputter apparatus so that the sputter apparatus performs X (X is an integer of 2 or larger) divisional depositions to complete a targeted deposition, provided that T seconds denotes a deposition time required to form a film thickness to be obtained in the targeted deposition, and
wherein the control device includes a storage unit which stores a control program, the control program executing the steps of:
controlling the rotational drive means so that the substrate holder is rotated at a fixed rotation speed;
controlling the shutter so that the first state is formed to start a first deposition of the divisional depositions while the substrate holder is being rotated at the rotation speed under a condition where the plasma is being generated;
controlling the shutter so that the second state is formed in T/X seconds after the start of the first divisional deposition, while the substrate holder is being rotated at the rotation speed under the condition where the plasma is being generated;
controlling the shutter so that the first state is formed to start an n-th deposition of the divisional depositions when a reference point set on the substrate holder arrives at a position rotated by (n−1)×360/X degrees (n is an integer of 2 to X) from a position of the reference point located at the start of the targeted deposition, on the basis of a detection result obtained by the substrate rotation angle detection means, while the substrate holder is being rotated at the rotation speed under the condition where the plasma is being generated; and
controlling the shutter so that the second state is formed in T/X seconds after the start of the n-th divisional deposition, while the substrate holder is being rotated at the rotation speed under a condition where the plasma is being generated.

4. A sputter apparatus to generate plasma by applying a predetermined voltage to a target holder and to thereby form a film by sputtering a target held by the target holder comprising:
a process chamber;
a substrate holder provided inside the process chamber, having a substrate holding surface for holding a substrate, and configured to be capable of rotating the substrate holding surface about a predetermined rotation axis;
rotational drive means for controlling rotation of the substrate holder;
substrate rotation angle detection means for detecting a rotation angle of the substrate holder;
a target holder provided inside the process chamber and configured to be capable of holding the target, the target holder provided so that the rotation axis is located at a position different from a perpendicular line passing through the center point of the target;
a shutter configured to switch between a first state where the substrate holding surface is exposed to the target holder, and a second state where the substrate holding surface is shut off from the target holder; and
control means for controlling the rotational drive means and the shutter, the control means being provided with a storage unit,
wherein, provided that T seconds denotes a deposition time required to form a film thickness to be obtained in a targeted deposition, the sputter apparatus is configured to be capable of performing X (X is an integer of 2 or larger) divisio

Assignees

• Canon Anelva Corp

Inventors

• Nagamine Yoshinori
• Tsunematsu Hiroshi

Classifications

• C23C14/35 Primary

  by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering {(C23C14/3457 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• C23C14/505

  for rotation of the substrates · CPC title

• C23C14/54

  Controlling or regulating the coating process · CPC title

• C23C14/34 Primary

  Sputtering · CPC title