WO2001044534A1

WO2001044534A1 - Method and apparatus for thin film deposition

Info

Publication number: WO2001044534A1
Application number: PCT/JP1999/007088
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hirokazu Noguchi; Mitsuhiro Kamei; Satoshi Umehara; Tomoyuki Seino
Original assignee: Hitachi, Ltd
Priority date: 1999-12-16
Filing date: 1999-12-16
Publication date: 2001-06-21

Abstract

An apparatus for thin film deposition comprises a vacuum chamber, a plurality of sputtering cathodes provided in the vacuum chamber, each including a cathode and a target, and a wafer holder adapted to support wafers in the vacuum chamber and including a shield for separating the target from the wafers. Particles sputtered from the target are deposited on the wafer to form thin film. For each target, a controller varies the distance (d) between the axes of the wafer and target and the distance (h) along the axes between the wafer and the target in accordance with the conditions of film deposition. The adjustment of the distance between the wafer and the target expands the range of film thickness distribution control and allows uniform film to be formed of various target materials.

Description

Specification

Thin film forming apparatus and thin film forming method using the same

The present invention relates to a film forming technique using a sputtering method, and in particular, to a thin film forming apparatus having a plurality of force sources having different materials or compositions and a thin film forming method using the same.

Background art

As a thin film forming method, a sputtering method, a CVD method, and the like are generally widely used. In the thin film forming apparatus, the following factors govern the film thickness uniformity: (1) power input to the target, (2) target erosion radius and width, (3) process gas pressure, (4) target The distance between the substrates, (5) the amount of deviation of the substrate central axis from the target central axis (hereinafter referred to as the offset amount), and the like, (5) is the ratio that affects the film thickness uniformity Is big.

Conventionally, in the case of a multi-sword type thin film forming apparatus, a method of forming a film by revolving the substrate on its own axis is the mainstream. This method does not take into account the control of the offset amount between the substrate and the gate, but aims at uniformity of the film thickness by depositing the particles randomly at night.

By the way, in recent years, in order to improve the film quality by eliminating impurities, a vacuum reaching degree of 1 X 10 " ⁷ Pa or less is required. To achieve such a vacuum degree, various mechanical parts must be used. It is necessary to reduce the number of components to reduce the amount of gas emitted from the surface of the components.In this regard, the conventional multi-cascade-type substrate self-revolving method has a complicated structure, and it is difficult to increase the degree of vacuum attainment. there were.

In a conventional thin film forming apparatus, as an example of adjusting the offset amount between a substrate and a target, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 11-1991 discloses that by changing the position of the target, the center axis of the substrate can be adjusted. A device that adjusts the relative position of the target center axis is disclosed. However, simply adjusting the relative position between the substrate and the target is not enough. The range of inner thickness distribution control is limited, and it has been difficult to form a uniform film on targets of various materials. Also, sufficient consideration was not given to the deposition rate.

Disclosure of the invention

An object of the present invention is to solve the inconveniences of the conventional apparatus described above, expand the range of in-plane film thickness distribution control by adjusting the distance between the substrate and the target, and form a uniform film on targets of various materials. It is to provide the technology to do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vacuum vessel, a plurality of sputtering cathodes provided in the vacuum vessel having a force source electrode and a target, a substrate held in the vacuum vessel, and A substrate holder having a shielding plate for shielding the target, wherein a thin film forming apparatus for depositing particles flying from the target on the substrate to form a thin film, comprising: a distance d between a substrate central axis / a target central axis; It is characterized by having a control device for changing the distance h between the substrate and the evening get in the direction of the central axis for each evening get according to the film forming conditions. As another feature of the present invention, the substrate holder comprises a substrate holder driving mechanism for rotating the substrate about a central axis of the substrate holder to revolve the substrate to adjust the distance d; And a substrate holder elevating mechanism for adjusting the distance h by elevating in the direction.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a thin film having desired film characteristics by controlling the parameters affecting the film growth, thereby improving the product characteristics and the productivity of the thin film manufacturing equipment. I do.

In the sputtering method, the direction in which the evaporating particles tend to fly out depends on the target material and the power applied to the target. According to the present invention, by adjusting the distance d between the substrate center axis and the center of the evening target and the distance h between the substrate and the target in the direction of the center axis, the film formation rate and the film formation difficult with the conventional apparatus are achieved. Simultaneous control of film thickness uniformity becomes possible. Therefore, even when targets made of materials having different emission angle characteristics are used, a uniform in-plane film thickness distribution can be obtained efficiently. In addition, since the distances h and d between the substrate and the target can be changed for each target, even when a single power supply is used to apply bias power to the target, such as when multiple targets are simultaneously formed. By controlling h, d, the film composition can be controlled.

Further, according to another feature of the present invention, it is possible to produce an alloy thin film having a desired composition by simultaneously controlling two or more targets and individually controlling the bias power applied to the targets and then simultaneously discharging. it can. Also, by alternately discharging two or more targets in the same vacuum vessel, a multilayer film having a clean interface can be produced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a longitudinal section of a thin film forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a shift amount between a target central axis and a substrate central axis in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an arrangement example of a magnet for applying a magnetic field to a substrate in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a vertical cross section of a target elevating mechanism in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing functions of a control device in the device shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the principle of magnetron sputtering and the configuration of the magnetron sputtering method.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method of adjusting the amount of deviation between the target central axis and the substrate central axis according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the emission angle characteristics of the magnetic material during spattering. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of emission angle characteristics of a nonmagnetic material in sputtering.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the optimal ranges of d and h when the material has the emission angle characteristics shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the optimum ranges of d and h when the material has the emission angle characteristics shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the distribution characteristics of the film forming speed when a magnetic material having the characteristics shown in FIG. 8 is formed.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a distribution characteristic of a film forming speed when a non-magnetic material having the characteristics shown in FIG. 9 is formed.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a processing procedure for forming the thin film layer shown in FIG. 15 by the method of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a thin film layer structure for explaining the procedure of the thin film forming process of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration example of a magnetic head to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a vacuum vessel in another embodiment of the present invention for adjusting a positional relationship between a substrate and a target.

FIG. 18 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a drawing showing the positional relationship between the substrate and the target based on the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a vacuum vessel according to another embodiment of the present invention for adjusting the amount of deviation between the target central axis and the substrate central axis.

FIG. 21 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration of a thin film forming apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. This thin film forming apparatus has a vacuum vessel 1, which is connected to a vacuum pump and is configured to keep the inside in a vacuum state. A substrate holder assembly 9 on which an electric motor 8 for rotating (spinning) the substrate 6 about an axis 7 is mounted at an upper portion in the vacuum vessel 1. Substrate 6 is held downward by the substrate holding mechanism. Retained in temple 9. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 6 can be moved (revolved) on the circular orbit 102 by rotating the substrate holder assembly 9 about the axis 10 by the electric motor 14. That is, the substrate holder assembly 9 can be rotated around the axis 1 °, and can be controlled by the control device 50 so as to move the substrate 6 to an arbitrary position in the rotation direction. Further, the substrate holder assembly 9 includes a shielding plate 11 for the substrate 6, and the shielding plate 11 is configured to be able to rotate about the axis 10 by the electric motor 12.

Further, Ri by the substrate holder lifting mechanism 1 8 comprising gear 1 6 and the motor 1 7 for lifting, up and down the substrate holder assembly 9, as shown in FIG. 2, the substrate 6 and the motor one g e t DOO 2 ₂ The vertical distance h (hl to h 4) between 2 and ₄ can be varied.

A heater for heating is provided in the substrate holder assembly 9 and above the substrate 6, and the substrate 6 can be cooled by cooling water. This makes it possible to control the substrate temperature during film formation and control the crystal growth.

Further, a magnet 13 is disposed on the outer periphery of the substrate 6 so that a film can be formed while applying a magnetic field in a direction parallel to the substrate. The magnet 13 is formed of a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, and is arranged outside the substrate 6 in the radial direction, for example, as shown in FIG. In the configuration example of FIG. 3, so as to surround the substrate 6, and place it it arrow 2 0 1 I～2◦ 1 ₄ permanent magnets which are magnetized about the direction 1 3 2〗 - 1 3 2 _4, A magnetic field is applied in the direction of the arrow 204 in parallel with the surface of the substrate 6.

Returning to FIG. 1, the bottom of the vacuum vessel 1, Chikarasoichido electrode 3 and the target _{_{2 i~ 2 4 (2 3,}} 2 4 are not shown. Hereinafter, the same) and is it it provided In addition, four sputtering force sources are installed, and each target is configured so that a bias can be applied during film formation by the RF power supply 20 or the DC power supply 22. Reference numeral 29 denotes the target central axis. Although the figure shows an example in which two types of power supplies are used as the bias power supply, both the RF power supply and the DC power supply are combined, or one of them is used, depending on the material of the target and the film forming conditions. It is desirable. Target _{2 i} to 2 ₄ is formed of a different material, it is arranged in parallel therewith therewith substrate 6. Each target is a target lift mechanism 3 1 (3! ~ 3 ₄₎ is configured to be moved up and down as a whole. In other words, the distance h between the substrate 6 and the evening one Gedzuto 2 ₂ 21 to ₂₄ can be adjusted to the substrate holder temperature descending mechanism 1 8 of the substrate holder assembly 9, either the target lift mechanism 3 1. In this embodiment, the distance h is controlled by combining both the substrate holder elevating mechanism 18 and the target elevating mechanism 31. For example, for a target whose distance hx is large and is outside the predetermined range h0, the adjustment distance h of the target lift mechanism 31 and the adjustment distance h0 of the substrate holder lift mechanism are shared by hx (= h0 + h)). With such a configuration, the distance h can be adjusted in advance by the target elevating mechanism 31, so that the distance control by the substrate holder elevating mechanism 18 can be suppressed to h0 or less during the film forming process. As a result, the time for adjusting the distance can be shortened, and the film forming speed can be improved.

Around each target gate, there are provided cylindrical walls 19 ₁ to 19 ₄ and shielding plates 4 to 4 ₄ , and shielding plates 4 to 4 ₄ have axes 3 2 i to 3 2. ₄ the shield plate driving device comprises an electric motor about a 3 4 I～3 4 ₄ makes it possible to rotate moved horizontally.

Although the number of targets is four in the thin film forming apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, it is needless to say that the number is set according to the conditions for forming the thin film.

Further, data one rodents preparative lifting mechanism 3 1! To 3 1 ₄ is controlled for each target by the control device 5 0 using a microcomputer, configured to allow for height adjustment section in the vertical direction of each target Have been. If it is necessary to simplify the device configuration, the evening get-up / down mechanism may be made up and down by manual operation. As mentioned earlier, the target 2 is the evening one gate Uz preparative lift mechanism 3 1 i~3 1 ₄ comprising lifting gear 3 0 and the motor 3 3, by moving up and down, evening one target and substrate It is configured so that the distance h can be adjusted. FIG. 4 shows the main configuration of the target elevating mechanism 31 i to 31 ₄ . Reference numeral 23 denotes a copper plate serving as an electrode, on which the target 2 is placed. Copper plate 2 3 bias evening gate 2 RF power supply or DC power supply is connected. A yoke 25 is located on the lower surface of the target 2 via a gap, and a ring-shaped magnetron magnet 5 is installed on the yoke, and a high-density plasma is generated on the surface of each target. Things come out. Further, an outer frame 28 and a shield ring 26 fixed to the outer frame 28 are arranged so as to surround the target 2 via a gap. Outer frame 28 is grounded. The magnetron magnet 5 is configured to be able to move up and down relative to the target 2 by a magnet lifting mechanism (not shown), and by moving the magnet 5 up and down, the magnetic field strength on the surface of the evening target 2 is increased. Can be changed.

The RF power supply 20 or the DC power supply 22 has a power supply control device for each power supply, and is configured such that the bias power applied to each target 2 can be individually controlled by the control device 50. In the thin film forming apparatus of the present embodiment, two or more targets can be discharged simultaneously by the power supply control device to form a film. Alternatively, a multilayer film having two or more materials can be manufactured by alternately discharging two or more targets.

Next, a configuration example of the control device 50 will be described. The control device 50 includes a microcomputer, a control program stored in a memory of the microcomputer, and a computer. Figure 5 shows these functionally. The control device 50 includes a main control unit 51 having a CPU and a memory and controlling the entire film forming process according to a control program stored in the memory, an input unit 52, a display unit 53, and a main control unit 5. A board controller 54 that controls the board according to the processing procedure given from 1, a main controller 51 A target controller 55 that controls the target according to the processing procedure given from 51, and an external storage device that holds various data Composed of 5 7 The control device 50 further includes a vacuum vessel controller that controls the supply of a discharge gas such as Ar gas into the vacuum vessel 1, the vacuum exhaustion and cleaning of the vacuum vessel 1, and the loading and unloading of substrates into and out of the vacuum vessel. It also has 5 6. The board controller 54 controls the board via the board holder motors 8, 12, 14, 17. Further, the target controller 55 includes a motor 33, 34 of the target elevating mechanism, a power control device 35, a power source 20 or Controls the target via 22. The vacuum vessel controller 56 is the same as that generally used in general, and a description of a portion irrelevant to the features of the present invention will be omitted.

The substrate controller 54 and the target controller 55 according to the present invention may be arranged such that the substrate center axis and the target are controlled in accordance with the film formed on the substrate, that is, the material of the target and the film forming conditions such as the film forming speed. The offset of the central axis (d) and the height of the target relative to the substrate (axial distance = h) can be varied.

Note that the main control unit 51, the board controller 54, the target controller 55, and the vacuum vessel controller 56 in FIG. 5 are functionally functional, and these controllers are integrated in the actual processing. Then, the thin film forming process is performed.

The present invention provides a method for controlling the distance d (offset amount) between the substrate central axis 10 and the target central axis 29 and the distance h between the substrate and the target in the central axis direction by using the thin film forming apparatus. The substrate is formed by a sputtering method. The processing procedure of the control device 50 in the thin film formation processing will be described later. First, the magnetron pump will be briefly described with reference to FIG. As shown in Fig. 6 (A), when particles (such as Ar + ions) collide with an object, the momentum exchange causes the atoms that constitute the solid to be released into space, which is called sputter evaporation. That is). By applying sputter evaporation and depositing the emitted constituent atoms on a substrate, a thin J3 layer can be produced. Figure 6 (B) shows the configuration diagram of the magnetron sputtering method. A magnetron magnetic field like the magnetic field lines shown in the figure is formed on the front surface of the target by the ring-shaped magnet arranged on the back surface of the target. On the other hand, a voltage is applied between the target 2 and the substrate 6 by the RF power supply or the DC power supply, and the excited and ionized Ar + ions are accelerated by the potential difference between the substrate and the target and collide with the target. Due to this collision, the Ar + ions and the constituent atoms in the evening exchange momentum, and the constituent atoms in the evening get released into space. As shown in Fig. 6 (B), a magnetron magnetic field is formed using a magnet. In this case, the Ar + ions are confined in the magnetron magnetic field and have a high density, so that sputtering can be performed efficiently in the magnetron magnetic field.

As described above, the present invention is characterized by a mechanism for changing the offset amount (d) and the height (h) according to the material of the evening getter. An example of control of the offset amount (relative position) between the substrate 6 and the target 2 in the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The substrate 6 can move on the circular orbit 102 by the rotation of the substrate holder assembly 9 about the axis 10. In this thin film forming apparatus, assuming that the radius of the circular orbit 102 is r, the distance d between the central axis 29 i of the evening get 2 and the central axis 10 of the substrate 6 is determined by the rotation of the substrate holder assembly 9. By operation, it can be changed continuously in the range of 0 to 2r. Figure 2 shows Target 2! A case the offset amount is 0, the height h of the target 2-2 ₄ has been changed according to the material of the target.

Next, FIG. 7A shows a case where the substrate 6 is moved along the circular orbit 102 and the offset amount (d) with respect to the target 2 is d l. FIG. 7B shows a case where the substrate 6 is moved along the circular orbit 102 and the offset amount (d) with respect to the target 2 is d 2.

Distance d is also continuously changed in a range of the upper as well as 0 to 2 r between evening and one target 2 ₂ 21 to ₂₄ the central axis 2 9 _2-2 9 ₄ between the center axis 1 0 of the substrate 6 Can be done.

As described above, the present invention is characterized by having a mechanism for changing the distance d (offset amount) between the substrate central axis and the target central axis and the distance h between the substrate and the target in the central axis direction according to the material of the target. I do.

Here, the reason for performing the offset film formation will be described. Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 show examples of emission angle characteristics in spatter. This figure shows the scattering distribution characteristics of sputtered particles, that is, when a certain object is sputtered, the sputtered particles fly in which direction and in what proportion. For example, when comparing the Θ _Α direction and the 0 _B direction shown in the figure, the ratio of the ratio of flight in the Θ _Α direction and the ratio of flight in the 0 _Β direction is expressed as the ratio of the absolute values of the vector OA and the vector OB. You. This emission angle characteristic differs for each material, and when deciding the arrangement of the substrate and the target of the thin film forming apparatus using sputtering, it is necessary to determine the optimum position for each target material. Conversely, by incorporating a mechanism for adjusting the relative position between the substrate and the target into the thin film forming apparatus, it is possible to easily control the uniformity of the film thickness distribution in the substrate surface.

As an example, in the case of a magnetic material having emission angle characteristics as shown in Fig. 8, what is the combination of the distance d between the substrate center axis and the target center axis and the distance h between the substrate and target in this center axis direction? Figure 10 shows whether a uniform distribution can be obtained within the range. Also, in the case of a non-magnetic material having emission angle characteristics as shown in Fig. 9, the combination of the distance d between the substrate center axis and the evening center axis and the distance h between the substrate and evening target in this central axis direction is Figure 11 shows whether a uniform distribution can be obtained within the range. If the combination of the distances d and h is within the shaded area shown in the figure, the value of the film thickness distribution Max.—Min. Can be kept within ± 3%. Note that Max.—Min. Is an index indicating the film thickness uniformity. If the maximum film thickness in the substrate surface is t _max and the minimum film thickness is t _min ,

Max.- Min. = One x 100.

Further, as is clear from the description of FIGS. 8 and 9, according to the present invention, the film thickness distribution can be controlled by adjusting the distances h and d. Therefore, even when a target made of a material having a different emission angle characteristic is used, a uniform in-plane film thickness distribution can be obtained by adjusting the distances h and d between the target and the substrate.

The control of the deposition rate in the sputtering method can be realized by controlling the power applied to the target at one time, but as described above, the direction in which the sputtered evaporating particles easily fly out depends on the power applied to the target. Therefore, the present invention enables simultaneous control of the film forming speed and the film thickness uniformity, which is difficult with the conventional apparatus. That is, in the sputtering method of the present invention, the direction in which the sputtered evaporating particles are likely to fly is determined by the target material and the Since the distance varies depending on the power applied to the wafer, the film thickness uniformity equal to or higher than that of the conventional multi-cathode-type revolving-type apparatus can be obtained by adjusting the distances h and d between the substrate and the target.

Further, by adjusting the distances h and d, a uniform film can be formed on a large substrate even with a small target, so that the cost can be reduced. Furthermore, even if the target erosion progresses and the film thickness distribution becomes worse than when the target is used, the thickness distribution can be adjusted by adjusting the distances h and d.

By the way, if the distance h between the substrate and the getter in the axial direction of the central axis is increased to a certain value or more, a uniform film thickness distribution can be obtained regardless of the distance d between the substrate central axis and the target central axis. However, when the distance h between the substrate and the target is increased, the film formation rate is reduced.

FIG. 12 shows the distribution characteristics of the film forming speed when the magnetic material having the characteristics shown in FIG. 8 is formed (the other process conditions are the same). The numbers in the figure indicate the relative values of the deposition rate V. Similarly, FIG. 13 shows the distribution characteristics of the deposition rate when the nonmagnetic material having the characteristics shown in FIG. 9 is deposited (the other process conditions are the same). As is clear from FIGS. 12 and 13, as the distance h between the substrate and the getter and the distance d between the center axis of the substrate and the center axis of the target increase, the deposition rate V decreases. For example, in Fig. 12, if the distance between the center axis of the substrate and the center axis of the evening gate is d = 100 (mm), V = 155 at h = 100 (mm) and V = 38 at h = 300 5, V = 18.4 at h = 450. That is, when h is changed from 100 to 300, the film forming speed ratio of the magnetic material becomes 1 55 / 38.5 = 4.0, and when h is changed to 450, the film forming speed ratio of the magnetic material becomes 1 55/18. 4 = 8.4. Similarly, when d = 100 (mm) in FIG. 13, V = 102 at h = 100 (mm), V = 38 at h = 300, and V = 20 at h = 450. In other words, when h is changed from 100 to 300, the film forming speed ratio of the non-magnetic material is 2.7, and when h is changed to 450, the film forming speed ratio of the non-magnetic material is 5.1. Reach.

Therefore, from the viewpoint of the deposition rate, the distance d between the central axis of the substrate and the central axis of the evening It is preferable that the distance h between the substrate and the evening gate in the direction of the central axis be as small as possible. Although depending on other film formation conditions, the distance h between the substrate and the gate is preferably, for example, 300 (mm) or less. Desirable ranges of such distances h and d are hatched portions in FIGS. 10 and 11. Such data of the desirable range of the distance d between the substrate center axis and the target center axis and the distance h between the substrate and the evening target in the direction of the center axis is obtained in advance by experiments for each target and mapped. And store it in the storage device.

Next, the procedure of the thin film forming process according to the method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, as shown in Fig. 15, a five-layer thin film layer consisting of target 1 (c 1 = non-magnetic material 8) to target 4 (T 4 = magnetic material D) is deposited on the substrate by sputtering. An example in which the substrate is formed will be described. The fourth layer is formed by discharging the non-magnetic material B and the magnetic material C at the same time.

Figure 14 shows the procedure of the thin film formation process when such a thin film is formed on a substrate. First, the operator inputs the data of the film forming conditions to the control device 50 by the input means 52 or the like (step 1401). For example, when a thin film layer having a five-layer structure as shown in FIG. 15 is formed on the substrate 6, a film material such as a non-magnetic material A or a non-magnetic material B, and one to five layers are formed. Enter data such as film order, thickness of each layer, film formation rate, etc. Next, control data of the substrate and each target based on the film forming conditions is read out from the storage device 57 (step 1402). For example, for each target material, it is necessary to control the data on the desirable range of the distance d between the substrate center axis and the center axis of the evening target and the distance h between the substrate and the target in the direction of the center axis, and to control the power supply for each evening target. It is important data. Then, the controller 50 determines a discharge start time and a discharge end time based on the film forming conditions (step 1403), and further determines a film forming time for each target (step 140). Four ).

Next, the substrate 6 carried into the vacuum vessel 1 is held in the substrate holder 9 by the transfer robot (Step 1405). At this stage, the inside of the vacuum vessel 1 is evacuated, and a discharge gas is introduced. In addition, the shutter of the substrate and all targets Close the shutter (Step 1406), adjust the height of each target (Step 14 7), start discharging all targets (Step 1408), and stabilize the discharge.

Then, the substrate is revolved and moved up and down by the substrate holder 9, and the substrate 6 is moved to the film formation position of the target T4 (Step 1409). Further, the shutter of the gate T4 and the shutter of the substrate are opened (step 1410), and the first layer is formed on the substrate by the target T4. During and before and after the film formation, the motor 6 rotates the substrate 6 around the central axis of the substrate. In the evening, when the deposition time of the target T4 is completed (step 141 1), the shutter of the target T4 and the shutter of the substrate are closed (step 141 2). Next, the substrate is revolved and moved up and down by the substrate holder, and the substrate 6 is moved to the film formation position of the get T3 in the evening, and a second layer is formed on the substrate (step 1413). Similarly, the substrate is revolved and raised and lowered by the substrate holder, and the substrate is moved to the film formation position of the target T2 in the evening, and a third layer is formed on the substrate (step 1414).

Next, the substrate is revolved and moved up and down by the substrate holder, and the substrate is moved to the intermediate film formation position between the evening gates T2 and T3 (step 1415). Then, the non-magnetic material Β and the magnetic material C are simultaneously discharged to form a film (step 1416).

In this case, an alloy thin film having a desired composition can be produced by simultaneously controlling the bias pulse applied to the evening target and simultaneously discharging the two targets. In addition, since the distance h between the substrate and the target can be changed for each target, even when multiple targets are simultaneously formed, even if only one power source is used to apply bias power to the target, h Can be controlled to control the film composition. In this way, when the deposition time of the fourth layer is completed (step 1417), the shutter of the substrate T2, No. 3 and the substrate is closed, and the deposition of the fourth layer is completed (step 1418). Similarly, the fifth layer is formed (Step 1419). When the fifth layer has been formed (Step 1420), the discharge of all targets is stopped (Step 1419). The board revolves and moves up and down using the board holder to move the board to the initial position (step 1442 2). Further, the discharge gas is exhausted, the substrate is shuffled (Step 1442 3), and the substrate is carried out of the vacuum vessel 1 by the transfer robot (Step 1442 4). Close and end the series of processing (steps 144, 25).

Further, in the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, an alloy thin film having a desired composition can be produced by simultaneously controlling two or more targets and individually controlling the bias power applied to the targets and then simultaneously discharging. Further, by alternately discharging two or more targets in the same vacuum vessel, a multilayer film having a clean interface can be produced. As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a thin film having desired film characteristics by controlling parameters affecting the film growth. Is improved. In particular, even when a multi-layered thin film layer having a large number of combinations of targets and including at least 10 layers is formed on a substrate by a sputtering method, an alloy thin film having a desired composition and thickness is quickly formed for each layer. be able to.

The thin film forming apparatus of the present invention having such features is suitable for forming a magnetic recording head, for example. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a magnetic head to which the present invention is applied. The magnetic recording head of the magnetic head assembly 150 is divided into a write head 1502 and a read head 1503. The write head 1502 mainly includes a thin-film coil 1504, an upper magnetic pole 1505, and a lower magnetic pole 1506. 1507 is a leakage magnetic field. The read head 1503 is mainly composed of an MR (magnetoresistive) film or a GMR (giant magnetoresistance) film, and changes in the electric resistance of the film due to the magnetic field from the track 1508. Is detected as data. When a current is applied to the thin-film coil, a leakage magnetic field is generated between the upper magnetic pole and the lower magnetic pole, and data is written by magnetizing the recording track using this magnetic field. By the thin film forming apparatus of the present invention, the read head 1503 and the upper magnetic pole 1505 and the lower magnetic pole 1506 of the write head 1502 are formed into a film. Forming a uniform film in a short time. Can be achieved.

In the thin film forming apparatus shown in FIG. 1, the amount of deviation d between the center axis of the substrate 6 and the center axis of the target is adjusted by rotating the substrate holder assembly 9. It is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. For example, the mounting method of the substrate 6 and the target 2 as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18 may be used. FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum vessel showing the positional relationship between the substrate 6 and the target 2, and FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. In this example, the backing plate ₄ 0 1 i~4 0 1 4 and the target 2丄21 _{to 24,} the bar Uz King plate holding plate ₄ 0 3 i~4 0 3 4 are fixed to each evening - Getting The center axis of the backing plate is not aligned with the center axis of the backing plate.

Backing Bed rate holding plate ₄ 0 3 i~4 0 3 4 has a plurality of holes for bolting to the vacuum chamber 1, taken by a plurality as shown in FIG. 1 9 (a) ~ (c ) It can be attached. In such a configuration, Ba Uz King plate holding plate 4 0 3〗 by changing to 4 0 3 Attaching of _4, the central axis 4 of the substrate 6 0 6 and the target 2! It is possible to change the distance d of the central axis 2 9 to 2 _4.

In the examples of FIGS. 17 and 18, the structure in which the central axis of the evening gate and the backing plate holding plate are shifted is used, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. A structure may be adopted in which the hole through which the fixing bolt of the backing plate holding plate passes is made into an elongated hole, and the amount of deviation d between the center axis of the substrate and the center axis of the target is adjusted. Further, the present invention is not limited to the structure for moving the target side, and as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the flange 503 fixing the center axis of the substrate 6 and the substrate holder 502 is fixed. May be shifted from each other. FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the vacuum vessel showing the positional relationship between the substrate 6 and the substrate holder 502, and FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. In this case, the amount of displacement d and the height h between the substrate central axis and the target central axis can be adjusted depending on the mounting direction of the flange 503. Further, a structure may be employed in which the position of the substrate can be adjusted by using a long hole as the hole for the flange fixing bolt on the substrate side.

Also, the number of targets may be one, in which case one target 2 A plurality of substrates may be arranged. By arranging the distance d and the height h between the center axis of the target and the center axis of each substrate so as to be the same, the same film quality can be obtained for all the substrates.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A vacuum vessel, a plurality of sputtering force sources provided in the vacuum vessel having a force source electrode and a target, and a shielding plate for holding the substrate in the vacuum vessel and shielding the substrate and the target A thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film by depositing particles flying from the target on the substrate.

A control device is provided for changing a distance d between the substrate center axis / target center axis and a distance h between the substrate / gap in the direction of the center axis for each gutter according to the film forming conditions. Thin film forming apparatus.

2. The substrate holder comprises a substrate holder driving mechanism that revolves the substrate by rotating about the central axis of the substrate holder to adjust the distance d, and raises and lowers the substrate in the central axis direction. 2. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a substrate holder elevating mechanism for adjusting the distance h.

3. The control device maps data of a desired range of the distance d between the substrate center axis / the evening center axis previously obtained for each target and the distance h between the substrate / target in the direction of the center axis, which is obtained in advance for each target. 3. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the thin film forming apparatus is held in a storage device.

4. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering force source includes a target raising / lowering mechanism that raises / lowers the target and changes the distance h.

5. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the distance h is adjusted by sharing the evening get elevating mechanism and the substrate holder elevating mechanism.

6. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device discharges a plurality of targets simultaneously.

7. The thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device discharges two or more targets alternately.

8. The thin film forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the distance h is equal to or less than 300 mm.

9. A vacuum vessel, a plurality of sputtering force sources provided in the vacuum vessel having a force source electrode and a target, and a shield for holding the substrate in the vacuum vessel and shielding the substrate and the target. A substrate holder having a plate, wherein the thin film forming method using a thin film forming apparatus for forming a thin film by depositing particles flying from the target on the substrate,

A thin film is formed by changing the distance d between the substrate central axis / target central axis and the distance h between the substrate / target in the central axis direction for each of the targets in accordance with the film forming conditions. Thin film formation method.