DIAPHRAGM ASSEMBLY FOR DELIMITING THE COATING REGION OF A SPUTTER SOURCE, AND SPUTTERING DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a diaphragm assembly of an aperture diaphragm for delimiting the coating region which is operative in the deposition of a layer and to a sputtering device which uses the diaphragm assembly. The diaphragm assembly comprises a main part (13) which has a passage (14) delimited by a passage edge. The aim of the invention is to design the diaphragm opening to be temporally and geometrically variable in situ. This is achieved in that the diaphragm assembly has at least one diaphragm plate (17, 17, 17) which is assembled on the main part (13) so as to be movable in front of the passage (14) and back. The diaphragm assembly additionally comprises a movement device which is operatively connected to the diaphragm plate (17, 17, 17) in order to carry out the movement thereof.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A diaphragm assembly of an aperture diaphragm for delimiting the coating area active for a layer deposition, the diaphragm assembly comprising: a main body comprising a passage delimited by a passage edge; a diaphragm plate installed on the main body, wherein the diaphragm plate is movable in front of the passage and back; and a movement device operationally connected to the diaphragm plate to execute movement of the diaphragm plate.

17. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein the diaphragm plate is installed pivotably in front of the passage and back around a pivot point lying on the main body.

18. The diaphragm assembly of claim 17, wherein the diaphragm plate is displaceable with the pivot point relative to the passage.

19. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein the diaphragm plate comprises an inner edge movable in the passage and comprises a convex curve or a concave curve at least in sections.

20. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein the diaphragm plate comprises two partial diaphragms lying one on top of another and installed movably in relation to one another.

21. The diaphragm assembly of claim 20, wherein the two partial diaphragms are pivotable independently of one another by the movement device.

22. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein the diaphragm plate is a first diaphragm plate, wherein the diaphragm assembly further comprises a second diaphragm plate, and wherein the first diaphragm plate and the second diaphragm plate are pivotable independently of one another by the movement device.

23. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein an outline of the passage essentially has a shape of a polygon, or wherein the outline of the passage is bounded by a free-form curve.

24. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein an outline of the passage essentially has a shape of a polygon, wherein the polygon has greater than two sides and less than ten sides, and wherein a pivot point of the diaphragm plate lies at a corner point or on a side of the polygon.

25. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein an outline of the passage essentially has a shape of a polygon, wherein the polygon has greater than two sides and less than ten sides, wherein the diaphragm assembly comprises two diaphragm plates, and wherein pivot points of the two diaphragm plates lie at two adjacent or at two diagonally opposing corner points or side edges of the polygon.

26. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein an outline of the passage is bounded by a free-form curve, and wherein a pivot point of the diaphragm plate lies on the main body.

27. The diaphragm assembly of claim 16, wherein an outline of the passage is bounded by a free-form curve, wherein the diaphragm assembly comprises two diaphragm plates, and wherein pivot points of the two diaphragm plates lie on the main body at two adjacent or two diagonally opposing points of the passage.

28. A sputtering device for sputtering a layer on a substrate, the sputtering device comprising: a vacuum chamber; a source holder in the vacuum chamber; a sputter source held by the source holder; a substrate holder configured to hold the substrate relative to the sputter source and move the substrate during the sputtering; and the diaphragm assembly of claim 16 arranged between the sputter source and the substrate, wherein the diaphragm assembly is operable from outside the vacuum chamber.

29. The sputtering device claim 28, wherein the substrate holder is configured to execute a circular or rotating movement of the substrate around a central axis of rotation of the substrate holder.

30. The sputtering device of claim 28, wherein the sputtering device comprises a measuring unit for measuring a layer thickness of the layer.

31. The sputtering device of claim 30, wherein the measuring unit is configured such that a measurement of the layer thickness of the layer takes place at two, three, or more measurement points on the layer.

Description

[0067] The invention is to be explained in more detail hereinafter on the basis of an exemplary embodiment. In the associated drawing

[0068] FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B show a sputtering device having turntable and double tube magnetron according to the prior art in a perspective view and a sectional view,

[0069] FIG. 2A-FIG. 2C show embodiments of a diaphragm assembly according to the prior art,

[0070] FIG. 3A-FIG. 3D show embodiments of the diaphragm assembly according to the invention having diaphragm plates arranged on one side looking toward the sputter sources,

[0071] FIG. 4A-FIG. 4D show embodiments of the diaphragm assembly according to the invention having diaphragm plates arranged on two sides looking toward the sputter sources, and

[0072] FIG. 5 show schematic illustrations of a sputtering device according to the invention.

[0073] The exemplary embodiments of the invention (FIGS. 2 to 5) are to explain the invention only by way of example and not restrictively. A person skilled in the art would combine and modify the features implemented above in the various embodiments of the invention and hereinafter in the exemplary embodiment in further embodiments if it appears expedient and reasonable to them.

[0074] The drawings show the device or components thereof only schematically to the extent as required to explain the invention. They make no claim of completeness or dimensional accuracy.

[0075] FIGS. 3A to 3C and 4A to 4D show the diaphragm assembly 6 according to the invention as such in the course of the coating of rotating substrates (not shown) with a selection of settings of the diaphragm opening 11. In the illustrations, the view looks through the diaphragm opening 11 at the sputter sources 12 located behind it. Double tube magnetrons are used by way of example, but not restrictively.

[0076] The diaphragm assembly 6 comprises in each case a main body 13, which includes a passage 14. The passage 14 has an essentially trapezoidal footprint, wherein, by way of example but not restrictively, the two (inner and outer) base sides 15, 15 are in the form of a circular arc, in a minor deviation from a regular trapezoid shape. The inner base side 15, i.e., the one located closer to the axis of rotation (not shown) of the substrate holder, is the shorter one here.

[0077] The aperture diaphragms are each arranged in front of the respective sputter source 12 so that both components are symmetrical to one another and the height of the trapezoid is parallel to the axes of the tube magnetron. This location of the two components is also only given by way of example, but is not restrictive.

[0078] In the simplest embodiment, a diaphragm plate 17, which is movable relative to the main body, is installed on one of the two legs 16, 16. The type of the movement can be any of those mentioned above and is symbolized in the figures by corresponding double arrows.

[0079] In the situation illustrated in FIG. 3A, the diaphragm plate 17 protrudes into the passage 14 along one of the two legs 16, over nearly its entire length, and constricts it. The inner edge 18 of the diaphragm plate 17 includes a convex curve, at least in the visible area, so that the passage is constricted most in the middle, but not at all adjoining the legs 15, 15.

[0080] The further exemplary embodiments of FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C and also FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D have the same fundamental structure of the diaphragm assembly, solely for better illustration of the differences and comparability thereof, with regard to main body, shape of the passage, and embodiment of the sputter source. These components are obviously not restricted to the illustrated embodiments.

[0081] The diaphragm assembly of FIG. 3B includes a two-part diaphragm plate 17, which only protrudes at one leg 16 into the passage 14, as described for FIG. 3A. Both partial diaphragms 19, 19 overlap in a section, so that one of them protrudes further into the passage 14 in the outer section of the passage 14 than the other. The two partial diaphragms 19, 19 again include by way of example, but not restrictively, a convex curve at least in the visible area, wherein the curve of one partial diaphragm 19 has a curve becoming stronger toward the outer base side 15.

[0082] The movement executable using the diaphragm plate 17 in this exemplary embodiment is a pivot movement of both partial diaphragms jointly (shown by only one double arrow) around a pivot point D (shown by a cross), which is arranged adjacent to that corner of the passage 14 which the leg 16 covered by the diaphragm plate 17 adjoins. Due to the pivoting of the partial diaphragms 19, 19, their inner edges 18, 18 can be positioned further into or out of the passage 14. Alternatively, both partial diaphragms 19, 19 can pivot around the same pivot point D independently of one another.

[0083] The exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3C is a modification of the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3B. The pivot point D of the two partial diaphragms 19, 19 is arranged here approximately in the middle of the leg 16, which is to be modified by means of the diaphragm plate 17. By pivoting both partial diaphragms 19, 19 in one or the other direction (shown by two double arrows), the outer and the inner section of this leg 16 can be modified significantly differently from one another.

[0084] The exemplary embodiments of FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D differ in particular from those described above in that both legs 16, 16 of the essentially trapezoidal passage 14 each include a movable diaphragm plate 17, 17, as described for FIG. 3A. Reference can thus be made to the descriptions there.

[0085] In a comparable manner, in FIG. 4B a two-part diaphragm plate 17, 17 is likewise installed pivotably around a pivot point D in each case at both legs 16, 16. The partial diaphragms 19, 19 also have curves differing from one another here, so that the setting options for the ultimately effective diaphragm opening 11 can be further diversified. Reference is made to the descriptions of FIG. 3B with regard to the locations of the partial diaphragms and their pivot points and the settings resulting therefrom.

[0086] The embodiment of FIG. 4C differs from that of FIG. 4B in that the pivot points D are arranged at the corner points between one of the legs 16, 16 and outer base side 15. This has the result that due to the pivoting of the diaphragm plates 17, 17, the inner section of the diaphragm opening 11, which has a greater distance to the pivot points D, is modifiable significantly more sensitively. In that the pivot points D are positioned differently at both legs 16, 16, the two sides of the passage can be modified with different sensitivities (FIG. 4D).

[0087] An extraordinary variety of setting options is available by further combinations of the features described with respect to FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C and FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D and by further modifications of the inner edges of the diaphragm plates and partial diaphragms connected to modifications of the passage and its movements, in order to compensate for local variations of the deposition rate in a locally differentiated manner or, vice versa, to deliberately induce them.

[0088] FIG. 5 schematically shows the essential components of a sputtering device 40 according to the invention, which uses one of the above-described diaphragm assemblies 6 in its diaphragm assemblies.

[0089] The sputtering device 40 has an essentially circular structure and includes multiple stations distributed on its circumference, which are used directly or indirectly for coating substrates 41 with a layer which shows the desired distribution of the layer thickness and/or layer properties.

[0090] The substrates 41 are arranged in carrier segment 42 of the substrate holder (not shown) and are introduced by means of a loading station 43, which is separated by a vacuum airlock 44 from the area of the sputtering device under vacuum, into a handling station 45.

[0091] The substrates 41 are placed there on the turntable 46 rotating clockwise (shown by arrow), for example. Due to a step-by-step rotation of the turntable 46 by means of a suitable rotation unit (not shown), the substrates 41 gradually pass through the individual stations of the sputtering device 40 including the coating station(s), so that the carrier segments 42 having coated substrates 41 can be removed at the handling station 45.

[0092] FIG. 5 shows a first process chamber 47, in the rotational direction, having a sputter source 48 for coating the substrates 41. In a following monitoring chamber 49 in the clockwise direction, which shows the required measurement technology, the layer thicknesses and possibly further properties, such as the transparency or the surface resistance, are measured at multiple measurement points 53 known to be significant on the substrate 41. For example, two, three (FIG. 5), or more measurement points can be adjacent to one another in the radial direction, so that the desired homogenization of the layer thickness in the radial direction using the diaphragm assembly according to the invention is to be determined. Alternatively or additionally, measurement points 53 can also be positioned differently to obtain further information. Preferably, n measuring channels (not shown) are assigned to the m (mN with m>0) measurement points 53.

[0093] The measured values 54 are transferred to a control unit 50 for the comparison to the target values 55, so that the correction settings for the diaphragm assembly provided in one or possibly multiple subsequent process chambers 47, 47 are to be determined therefrom by means of a suitable algorithm.

[0094] A drive unit 52 is activated by means of the control unit 50 in order to pivot and/or display the diaphragm plates (not shown) and possibly partial diaphragms (also not shown) of the diaphragm assembly 51 in such a way that the desired coating result is achieved.

[0095] In the illustrated sputtering device, the diaphragm opening is completely closed by way of example, but not restrictively, in the third process chamber 47.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0096] 1 substrate holder, turntable [0097] 2 substrate [0098] 3 axis of rotation [0099] 4 sputter source [0100] 5 axis of rotation [0101] 6 diaphragm assembly [0102] 7 diaphragm opening [0103] 8 radial direction [0104] 11 diaphragm opening [0105] 12 sputter source [0106] 13 main body [0107] 14 passage [0108] 15 inner base side [0109] 15 outer base side [0110] 16, 16 leg [0111] 17, 17, 17 diaphragm plate [0112] 18, 18, 18 inner edge [0113] 19, 19 partial diaphragms [0114] 40 sputtering device [0115] 41 substrate [0116] 42 segment [0117] 43 loading station [0118] 44 vacuum airlock [0119] 45 handling station [0120] 46 turntable [0121] 47, 47, 47 process station [0122] 48 sputter source [0123] 49 monitoring chamber [0124] 50 control unit [0125] 52 drive unit [0126] 53 measurement point [0127] 54 measured values [0128] 55 target values [0129] D pivot point