Chemistry: electrical and wave energy – Apparatus – Coating – forming or etching by sputtering
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-23
2002-07-02
McDonald, Rodney G. (Department: 1753)
Chemistry: electrical and wave energy
Apparatus
Coating, forming or etching by sputtering
C204S298060, C204S298110, C204S298120, C204S298140, C204S298170
Reexamination Certificate
active
06413392
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a sputtering device for manufacturing, for example, semiconductor devices or liquid crystal panels, and particularly to a sputtering device that uses a small target.
2. Related Art
Sputtering is the ejection of sputtering particles from a sputtering target (hereinafter referred to as a target) by causing, for example, argon gas ions generated by glow discharge to collide with the target.
Conventionally, with this type of sputtering device
101
, as shown for example in
FIG. 12
, a target
106
is located on an upper part of a vacuum chamber
102
, sputtering particles ejected from this target
106
are deposited on a substrate
104
provided at a lower part of the vacuum chamber
102
.
However, with sputtering, as shown in
FIG. 13
, when argon gas ions
100
are injected vertically into a target
106
, sputtering particles
120
can be considered to be ejected from the surface of the target
106
with a fixed angular distribution.
When, for example, the target is copper, as shown in
FIG. 14
, the sputtering particles
120
are ejected in various directions with a peak angle close to approximately 150° with respect to the surface of the target
106
.
As a result, with the conventional sputtering device
101
only some of the sputtering particles ejected from the target
106
reach the substrate and there is a problem whereby film deposition efficiency becomes unacceptable.
Also, as shown in
FIG. 12
, with respect to the conventional sputtering device
101
, a stick preventive member
112
is provided to prevent deposition of sputtering particles to the inside of the vacuum chamber
102
. However since, as described above, the direction in which the sputtering particles
120
are mainly ejected is towards the stick preventive member
112
, the majority of sputtering particles
120
ejected from the target
106
become deposited to the stick preventive member
112
and as a result, there is a problem whereby the stick preventive member
112
has to be replaced frequently.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been conceived in view of the above described drawbacks in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering device that efficiently guides sputtering particles ejected from a target to a substrate and prolongs the interval at which a stick preventive member requires replacement.
In order to achieve the above described object, the resent invention provides a sputtering device, having a vacuum chamber in which a specified sputtering target is placed with a substrate so as to face, for depositing a film on a surface of the substrate using sputtering particles ejected from the sputtering target, provided with particle ejection sections constructed so as to slope at a specified angle with respect to the surface of the substrate, and respectively facing each other.
According to the present invention, the particle ejection sections of a target are arranged at a specified angle &thgr; with respect to the surface of the substrate, which means that a lot of the sputtering particles ejected from the target are caused is to fly towards the substrate, and it is possible to make it difficult for particles to reach a stick preventive member.
Since the particle ejection surfaces are constructed facing each other, some of the sputtering particles ejected from the target become redeposited to the ejection sections of the target, which means that it is possible prolong the lifespan of the target by reducing the extent to which the target is eroded away.
The present invention enhances this effect by providing a sputtering device as described above, and by also having a first magnet arranged at the location of a rear surface side of the target, and a second magnet arranged surrounding the target.
According to the present invention, even more of the sputtering particles ejected from the target are caused to fly towards the substrate, and it is possible to make it difficult for particles to reach the stick preventive member.
According to the present invention, the object of the invention, is even more effectively achieved by having a slope angle &thgr; of particle ejection sections of the target with respect to a normal line of the substrate of 30°-60°.
According to the present invention, the sputtering device has a plurality of targets arranged next to each other, with the targets being capable of a rotation relative to a substrate.
According to the present invention, in a multi-cathode type sputtering device having a plurality of small targets, it is possible to significantly prolong the lifespan of each target.
The present invention has a shield plate with holes corresponding to the target or targets arranged between the target and the substrate.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since it is possible to allow injection of only sputtering particles having a small injection angle into the substrate, it is possible to deposit a thin film in microscopic holes and microscopic grooves having high aspect ratio.
According to the present invention, since sputtering particles that are deposited to the shield plate do not drop down, it is possible to prevent the generation of particulate that will cause sputtering particles to be deposited to the inside of the vacuum chamber.
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patent: 4100055 (1978-07-01), Rainey
patent: 4278528 (1981-07-01), Kuehnle et al.
patent: 4313815 (1982-02-01), Graves, Jr. et al.
patent: 4747926 (1988-05-01), Shimizu et al.
patent: 5334302 (1994-08-01), Kubo et al.
patent: 6042706 (2000-03-01), Fu
patent: 6066242 (2000-05-01), Glocker
patent: 6096180 (2000-08-01), Sichmann
patent: 63-255368 (1988-10-01), None
patent: WO 97/39161 (1997-10-01), None
Higuchi Yasushi
Kondo Tomoyasu
Nakajima Kuniaki
Sahoda Tsuyoshi
Uehigashi Toshimitsu
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
McDonald Rodney G.
Nihon Shinku Gijutsu Kabushiki Kaisha
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