U.S. patent application number 12/368740 was filed with the patent office on 2009-06-11 for plasma cvd apparatus and method.
This patent application is currently assigned to ISHIKAWAJIMA-HARIMA HEAVY INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.. Invention is credited to Tomoko TAKAGI, Masashi Ueda.
Application Number | 20090148624 12/368740 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26592083 |
Filed Date | 2009-06-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090148624 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
TAKAGI; Tomoko ; et
al. |
June 11, 2009 |
PLASMA CVD APPARATUS AND METHOD
Abstract
A plasma CVD apparatus includes a an electrode array in a
reaction chamber, the electrode array including a plurality of
inductively coupled electrodes, each electrode being folded back at
the center so that each electrode is substantially U-shaped with
two parallel straight portions, the electrodes are arranged such
that all of the parallel straight portions are arranged parallel to
each other in a common plane, each of the electrodes having at
least a portion with a diameter of 10 mm or less, and a phase
controlled power supply for feeding high frequency power to the
feeding portions so as to establish a standing wave of a half
wavelength or natural number multiple of a half wavelength between
a feeding portion and a folded back portion and between a grounded
portion and the folded back portion, and is controlled to have a
phase difference between adjacent two feeding portions.
Inventors: |
TAKAGI; Tomoko;
(Yokohama-shi, JP) ; Ueda; Masashi; (Yokohama-shi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BUCHANAN, INGERSOLL & ROONEY PC
POST OFFICE BOX 1404
ALEXANDRIA
VA
22313-1404
US
|
Assignee: |
ISHIKAWAJIMA-HARIMA HEAVY
INDUSTRIES CO., LTD.
Chiyoda-ku
JP
|
Family ID: |
26592083 |
Appl. No.: |
12/368740 |
Filed: |
February 10, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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10276371 |
Nov 15, 2002 |
|
|
|
PCT/JP01/04113 |
May 17, 2001 |
|
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12368740 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
427/569 ;
118/723R |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01J 37/32128 20130101;
H01J 37/32146 20130101; H01J 37/32559 20130101; C23C 16/509
20130101; H01J 37/32137 20130101; H01J 37/32183 20130101; H01J
37/321 20130101; H01J 37/32155 20130101; H01J 37/32174 20130101;
H01J 37/32541 20130101; H01J 37/32165 20130101; H01J 37/3211
20130101; H01J 37/32119 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
427/569 ;
118/723.R |
International
Class: |
B01J 19/08 20060101
B01J019/08; C23C 16/54 20060101 C23C016/54 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 17, 2000 |
JP |
2000-145645 |
Aug 7, 2000 |
JP |
2000-239221 |
Claims
1. A plasma CVD apparatus comprising: a reaction chamber, an
electrode array in the reaction chamber, the electrode array
including a plurality of inductively coupled electrodes, each
electrode being folded back at the center so that each electrode is
substantially U-shaped with two parallel straight portions and
having a feeding portion at a first end and a grounded portion at a
second end, the electrodes are arranged such that all of the
parallel straight portions are arranged parallel to each other in a
common plane, each of said electrodes having at least a portion
with a diameter of 10mm or less, and a phase controlled power
supply for feeding high frequency power to said feeding portions so
as to establish a standing wave of a half wavelength or natural
number multiple of a half wavelength between said feeding portion
and said folded back portion and between said grounded portion and
said folded back portion, and is controlled to have a phase
difference between adjacent two feeding portions.
2. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said
phase difference is 180 degrees.
3. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a
plurality of said electrode arrays, and substrates are arranged on
both sides of each array.
4. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said
phase controlled power supply includes a phase shifter.
5. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
distance between the feeding portion and the folded back portion of
every other electrode is elongated by the half wavelength outside
said reaction chamber.
6. A plasma CVD apparatus comprising: a reaction chamber, an
electrode array in the reaction chamber, the electrode array
including a plurality of inductively coupled electrodes, each
electrode being folded back at the center so that each electrode is
substantially U-shaped with two parallel straight portions and
having a feeding portion at a first end and a grounded portion at a
second end, the electrodes are arranged such that all of the
parallel straight portions are arranged parallel to each other in a
common plane, at least a portion of each of said electrodes being
covered with a dielectric, and a phase controlled power supply for
feeding high frequency power to said feeding portions so as to
establish a standing wave of a half wavelength or natural number
multiple of a half wavelength between said feeding portion and said
folded back portion and between said grounded portion and said
folded back portion, and is controlled to have a phase difference
between adjacent two feeding portions.
7. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said
phase difference is 180 degrees.
8. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 6, comprising a
plurality of said electrode arrays, and substrates are arranged on
both sides of each array.
9. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of
said electrodes has at least a portion with a diameter of 10 mm or
less.
10. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 9, comprising a
plurality of said electrode arrays, and substrates are arranged on
both sides of each array.
11. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the
thickness of said dielectric is varied in the longitudinal
direction of each of the electrodes.
12. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 11, comprising a
plurality of said electrode arrays, and substrates are arranged on
both sides of each array.
13. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said
phase controlled power supply includes a phase shifter.
14. The plasma CVD apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the
distance between the feeding portion and the folded back portion of
every other electrode is elongated by the half wavelength outside
said reaction chamber.
15. A plasma CVD method comprising: arranging, in a reaction
chamber, an electrode array, the electrode array including a
plurality of inductively coupled electrodes, each electrode being
folded back at the center so that each electrode is substantially
U-shaped with two parallel straight portions and having a feeding
portion at a first end and a grounded portion at a second end, the
electrodes are arranged such that all of the parallel straight
portions are arranged parallel to each other in a common plane,
wherein each of said electrodes having at least a portion with a
diameter of 10 mm or less; feeding high frequency power so as to
establish a standing wave of a half wavelength or a natural number
multiple of a half wavelength between said feeding portions and
said folded back portions and between said grounded portions and
said folded back portions to generate a plasma of reactive gas
introduced in said reaction chamber to form a thin film including
at least one element constituting the reactive gas; and setting a
phase difference between adjacent two feeding portions of said
electrodes to a prescribed value.
16. The plasma CVD method according to claim 15, wherein the phase
difference between adjacent two feeding portions is set to 180
degrees.
17. The plasma CVD method according to claim 15, wherein a
plurality of said electrode arrays are arranged, and substrates are
arranged on both sides of each array.
18. A plasma CVD method comprising: arranging, in a reaction
chamber, an electrode array, the electrode array including a
plurality of inductively coupled electrodes, each electrode being
folded back at the center so that each electrode is substantially
U-shaped with two parallel straight portions and having a feeding
portion at a first end and a grounded portion at a second end, the
electrodes are arranged such that all of the parallel straight
portions are arranged parallel to each other in a common plane,
wherein at least a portion of each of said electrodes is covered
with a dielectric; feeding high frequency power so as to establish
a standing wave of a half wavelength or a natural number multiple
of a half wavelength between said feeding portions and said folded
back portions and between said grounded portions and said folded
back portions to generate a plasma of reactive gas introduced in
said reaction chamber to form a thin film including at least one
element constituting the reactive gas; and setting the phase
difference between adjacent two feeding portions of said
electrodes.
19. The plasma CVD method according to claim 18, wherein the phase
difference between the adjacent two feeding portions is 180
degrees.
20. The plasma CVD method according to claim 18, wherein a
plurality of said electrode arrays are arranged, and substrates are
arranged on both sides of each array.
21. The plasma CVD method according to claim 18, wherein said
electrode has at least a portion with a diameter of 10 mm or
less.
22. The plasma CVD method according to claim 18, wherein a
plurality of said electrode arrays are arranged in a plurality of
layers, and substrates are arranged on both sides of each
array.
23. The plasma CVD method according to claim 18, wherein the
frequency of said high frequency power is 60 MHz or higher.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.
10/276,371, filed Nov. 15, 2002, which is a national stage
application of International Application No. PCT/JP2001/04113,
filed May 17, 2001, which claims the priority of JP 2000-145645 and
JP 2000-239221, the contents of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a plasma CVD apparatus and
method and, more particularly, to the plasma CVD apparatus and
method for depositing thin films having excellent film thickness
uniformity by using inductively coupled electrodes.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0003] Solar cells have been noted and expected as a clean energy
source, but their cost reduction is indispensable for their spread.
It has, therefore, been earnestly desired to provide an apparatus
to deposit high quality a-Si film with uniform thickness
distribution over large-area substrate at a high throughput.
[0004] To deposit thin films such as a-Si film, a parallel-plate
(or capacitively coupled type plasma CVD apparatus has been widely
used. In this case, the film can be formed on only the surface of
one substrate facing the electrode plate. For this reason, to
simultaneously deposit films on two substrates in a deposition
chamber, the film can be formed at most on both substrates by
arranging two electrodes in the chamber forming two discharge
regions. There is also an idea of multi-zone deposition system
where the number of discharge regions is further increased.
However, it is practically very difficult to realize this system
because the system has disadvantages due to its complex structure
and low maintainability.
[0005] In addition, large area solar cells having a desired
characteristic can be hardly manufactured since the film thickness
uniformity is seriously lowered with the increase in the size of
the substrates.
[0006] A variety of investigations have been made to observe plasma
with uniform density over large area substrates in order to deposit
thin films with uniform thickness distribution. However, it is very
difficult for the parallel-plate type electrode system to generate
uniform plasma over a large area substrate as the electrode becomes
large with the substrate. This is attributed to the essential
difficulties of the parallel-plate type electrode system, as will
be mentioned below.
[0007] First, this system requires a precise arrangement of two
electrode plates with a prescribed distance all over the electrodes
to generate plasma with uniform density, which is practically
difficult as the substrate becomes large.
[0008] In addition, as the electrodes are enlarged, standing waves
tend to appear on the electrode surfaces, which causes
non-uniformity of plasma density. This non-uniform plasma
distribution becomes more noticeable when higher frequencies such
as in the VHF band is employed. For these reasons, the upper limit
of the substrate size has been thought to be, for example, 0.3
m.times.0.3 m when the high frequency of 80 MHz is employed (U.
Kroll et al. and Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 557 (1999),
p121-126).
[0009] Under such a circumstance, other type of plasma CVD method
using inductively coupled type electrodes has been proposed. This
method is absolutely different in the mechanism for maintaining the
discharge from the capacitively coupled type plasma CVD method.
This method does not require precise arrangement of electrodes, and
high-density plasma can be obtained using the excitation frequency
in the VHF band which is advantageous for depositing high quality
a-Si film at high deposition rate. The plasma CVD apparatus using
inductively coupled type electrodes are exemplified in Japanese
Patent Laid-Open 4-236781 that employs a ladder-shaped electrode
and in Japanese Patent No. 2785442 that employs a zigzagged-folded
electrode.
[0010] During the investigations on a variety of inductively
coupled electrodes including the above-mentioned electrodes, the
present inventors have found that as the inductively coupled
electrodes such as the ladder-shaped or zigzag-folded electrodes
become larger, the current flowing on the electrodes tends to vary
with the positions and standing waves appear at unexpected
positions. In short, it was found difficult to create uniform
plasma to cope with the large area substrates so far as the
electrode structures of the prior art are employed.
[0011] Accordingly, the present inventors carried out fundamental
investigations on the plasma homogenization using the inductively
coupled electrodes and developed several electrode structures that
positively utilize the standing waves which caused the uniformity
to deteriorate in the prior art inductively coupled electrodes.
Here, for instance, a U-shaped electrode was used, which had a
power feeding portion at one end and a grounded portion at the
other end. The distance from the turning portion to the feeding
portion and the grounded portion were set to be a half wavelength
of the high-frequency wave to establish the standing wave at
predetermined position over the electrode (Japanese Patent
Application No. 11-255219). When plasma was generated to form thin
film in this configuration, the film thickness distribution
obtained was such that the film thickness decreased from the
feeding portion toward the turning portion, then increased to show
a maximum, decreased again. This distribution is thought to
originate in the interaction of the attenuation of high frequency
power and the effect of standing waves. Since this film thickness
distribution is reproducible, the idea is to obtain thin films with
uniform thickness distribution by using only the region with
desired uniformity of film thickness of about the same size as the
substrate.
[0012] Since this film forming method utilizes the portion of the
electrode where the uniform plasma density is generated, the
electrode becomes longer than the substrate, and thus the apparatus
itself becomes larger. On the other hand, a smaller apparatus is
strongly requested from the viewpoints of the floor space to be
installed, the maintainability, and the cost. Accordingly, the
electrode structure and apparatus that can generate the uniform
plasma in longer region along the electrode are inevitable to
comply with the requests.
[0013] In addition, in order to continuously perform stable thin
film formation using a plasma CVD apparatus, it is necessary to
periodically carry out cleaning etc. to remove films deposited,
such as on the inner wall of chamber before the deposited films
peel off. However, since the plasma density in the vicinity of the
power feeding portion was very high in the case of the U-shaped
electrode structure, a large amount of the film deposited on the
wall near the power feeding portion. This necessitated more
frequent cleaning treatments.
[0014] Under such circumstances, the present invention aims at
providing a plasma CVD apparatus and method which can form high
quality thin films having an excellent film thickness uniformity on
larger substrates. That is, the objective of this invention is to
provide the electrode structure and the power supply method which
make it possible to expand the uniform plasma region in the
longitudinal direction of the electrode, and thereby, to realize a
plasma CVD apparatus and method which enable to form thin films
having an excellent uniformity on a larger substrate using the same
size apparatus as that of prior art. Another object of the
invention is to provide a plasma CVD apparatus and method that make
it possible to form such thin films at a high throughput. Still
another object of the invention is to provide a high-productive
plasma CVD apparatus and method by suppressing the film deposited,
such as on the inner wall of apparatus, to extend cleaning
cycle.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
[0015] In the process of attaining the above-mentioned purpose, the
present inventors have made various examination about the power
supply method of high frequency power, electrode structures, film
formation conditions and the like in order to expand the uniform
plasma density region and found that the discharge region is
expanded or shrinked, depending on the diameter of the U-shaped
electrode, and that the plasma density near the power feeding
portion is relatively changed. In addition, the experiments using
an electrode whose diameter is partially varied showed that the
plasma density has a tendency to vary along the electrode depending
on the diameter. Moreover, when the U-shaped electrode was covered
with a dielectric, a peculiar dependence of the film thickness
distribution on the manner of covering was observed. The present
invention has been accomplished by further examination on the
plasma homogeneity and film thickness uniformity on the basis of
such information.
[0016] That is, a plasma CVD apparatus of this invention comprises,
in a reaction chamber, an inductively coupled electrode which is
straight line or folded back at the center and has a feeding
portion at the first end and a grounded portion at the second end,
wherein the electrode has a diameter of 10 mm or less at least
partially between the feeding portion and grounded portion, and
whereby high frequency power is fed to the feeding portion so as to
establish a standing wave of a half wavelength or natural number
multiple of a half wavelength between the feeding portion and
grounded portion or between the feeding and grounded portions and
the turning portion.
[0017] Thus, by setting the excitation wavelength A of high
frequency power and the distance L between the feeding portion and
grounded portion or between the feeding( and grounded ) portion and
the turning portion so that the equation L=n.lamda./2 nearly holds
(n: a natural number), the plasma can be stably generated and
maintained, and, in addition, the plasma with uniform density can
be formed over a prescribed region of electrode.
[0018] Furthermore, as the diameter of the electrode is further
decreased in the range of less than 10 mm, the glow discharge
region can be expanded in the direction along the electrode with
less power, which makes it possible to deal with a larger
substrate. In addition, since the plasma density near the feeding
portion relatively becomes low, the amount of film deposited on the
inner wall near the feeding portion will decrease. As a result, a
cleaning cycle will be extended. Thus, there is especially no limit
on electrode diameter so far as it is less than 10 mm; however, the
diameter of 1 mm-10mm is preferable from a viewpoint of handling
and easy attachment. Moreover, the diameter can be changed along
the electrode.
[0019] Strictly speaking, in the relation between excitation
wavelength .lamda. and distance L, .lamda. is different from
.lamda. 0 in the vacuum that is determined by an excitation
frequency f and the propagation velocity c in the vacuum. According
to the inventors' examination, .lamda. is given by .lamda. 0 to
first approximation, but is changed by dielectric constants, the
geometric configuration, and the like of the dielectric and the
plasma surrounding the electrode, the geometric configuration, and
the like.
[0020] Further, plasma CVD apparatus of this invention comprises,
in a reaction chamber, an inductively coupled electrode which is
straight line or folded back at the center and has a feeding
portion at the first end and a grounded portion at the second end,
wherein the diameter of the electrode is varied, and whereby high
frequency power is fed to the feeding portion so as to establish a
standing wave of a half wavelength or natural number multiple of a
half wavelength between the feeding portion and the grounded
portion or between the feeding and grounded portions and the
turning portion.
[0021] When the diameter is varied within one electrode, the plasma
intensity is inclined to vary depending thereon. Therefore, uniform
plasma density can be attained by partially varying the diameter
corresponding to the plasma density distribution produced when the
electrode of the constant diameter is used. Further in this case,
the glow discharge region is expanded and the plasma is made
uniform by setting the electrode diameter to 10 mm or less,
Therefore, it becomes possible to form thin films having an
excellent thickness uniformity on larger substrates.
[0022] A plasma CVD apparatus of this invention comprises, in a
reaction chamber, an inductively coupled electrode which is
straight line or folded back at the center and has a feeding
portion at the first end and a grounded portion at the second end,
wherein the electrode surface is at least partially covered with a
dielectric, and whereby high frequency power is fed to the feeding
portion so as to establish a standing wave of a half wavelength or
natural number multiple of a half wavelength between the feeding
portion and the grounded portion or between the feeding and
grounded portions and the turning portion.
[0023] By covering the electrode surface with a dielectric, the
plasma density distribution can be homogenized in the longitudinal
direction of the electrode. That is, the same effect is acquired as
the case where the electrode diameter is varied, and it becomes
possible to form thin films having a uniform thickness distribution
on a larger substrate using the apparatus of the same dimension.
That is, the apparatus can be made compact.
[0024] Moreover, it is preferable to vary the thickness of
dielectric in the longitudinal direction of the electrode. For
example, in order to suppress the non-uniformity due to the thick
deposited film near the power feeding portion, the dielectrics is
preferably made thick near the feeding portion, and made gradually
thinner along the electrode. In order to suppress the thick
deposited film near the electrode center, it is desirable to cover
the center portion with a thick dielectric having tapered edges
which the thickness is decreased toward the ends. Thereby, a steep
impedance change at the edges of dielectric is avoided, which makes
it possible to form more uniform plasma. Instead, the dielectric
may be wound around the electrode to yield a helix. Thereby, the
plasma density distribution is flattened at the dielectric edge,
and thus is made more uniform along the electrode.
[0025] A plasma CVD apparatus of this invention comprises a
plurality of the inductively coupled electrodes which are arranged
in parallel in a common plane. By a simple configuration wherein a
plurality of electrodes are arranged in the widthwise direction of
a substrate, it becomes possible to form uniform thin films on the
substrate having any width.
[0026] Here, it is preferable to feed the power to the electrodes
so that the phases of power supplied to respective feeding portions
should have a prescribed relation. This is because, if the phase of
each electrode is not under control, the film thickness
distribution tends to become non-uniform and irreproducible in the
substrate widthwise direction. It is preferable to make the phase
in anti-phase between adjacent electrodes. Thereby, the film
thickness uniformity is further improved. That is, the film
thickness uniformity is remarkably improved not only in the
substrate widthwise direction but also in the longitudinal
direction of the electrode by the interaction of the high frequency
power between adjacent electrodes.
[0027] Furthermore, a plasma CVD apparatus of this invention is
characterized in that the inductively coupled electrodes are
arranged in a plurality of layers, and substrates are arranged on
both sides of each layer. By using the inductively coupled
electrodes, unlike the capacitively coupled electrode system, the
so-called "multi-zone deposition system" can be adopted without
inviting the enlargement of the apparatus or difficulties for
maintenance. Thus, a film deposition apparatus, which forms thin
films simultaneously on a number of substrates, can be constructed.
As a result, the throughput can be drastically improved to reduce
the cost of, for example, solar cells.
[0028] A plasma CVD apparatus of this invention is characterized in
that a plurality of inductively coupled electrodes, each of which
is straight line or folded back at the center and has a feeding
portion at the first end and a grounded portion at the second end,
are arranged in parallel to each other in a reaction chamber,
wherein the phase of high frequency power is made in anti-phase
between the feeding portions of adjacent electrodes, and whereby
high frequency power is fed to the feeding portions so as to
establish standing waves of a half wavelength or natural number
multiple of a half wavelength between the feeding portions and the
grounded portions or between the feeding and grounded portions and
the turning portions.
[0029] The supply of anti-phase power is also effective when the
electrode is not covered with a dielectric and can prevent the
thick film region near the electrode center.
[0030] A plasma CVD method of this invention comprises, arranging,
in a reaction chamber, an inductively coupled electrode which is
straight line or folded back at the center and has a feeding
portion at the first end and a grounded portion at the second end,
the electrode having a diameter of 10 mm or less at least partially
between the feeding portion and grounded portion, or having a
varying diameter, and feeding a high frequency power to the feeding
portion so as to establish a standing wave of a half wavelength or
natural number multiple of a half wavelength between the feeding
portion and the grounded portion or between the feeding and
grounded portions and the turning portion to generate a plasma of
reactive gas introduced in the reaction chamber to form a thin film
including at least one element constituting the reactive gas.
[0031] Moreover, a plasma CVD method of this invention comprises,
arranging, in a reaction chamber, an inductively coupled electrode
which is straight line or folded back at the center and has a
feeding portion at the first end and a grounded portion at the
second end, the electrode being at least partially covered with a
dielectric, and feeding high frequency power to the feeding portion
so as to establish a standing wave of a half wavelength or natural
number multiple of a half wavelength between the feeding portion
and the grounded portion or between the feeding and grounded
portions and the turning portion to generate a plasma of reactive
gas introduced in the reaction chamber to form a thin film
including at least one element constituting the reactive gas.
[0032] Furthermore, a plasma CVD method comprises arranging a
plurality of inductively coupled electrodes, each of which is
straight line or folded back at the center and has a feeding
portion at the first end and a grounded portion at the second end,
in parallel in a deposition chamber, and feeding a high frequency
power to the feeding portions to establish a standing wave of a
half wavelength or natural number multiple of a half wavelength
between the feeding portions and the grounded portions or between
the feeding and grounded portions and the turning portions to
generate a plasma of reactive gas introduced in the reaction
chamber to form a thin film including at least one element
constituting the reactive gas, wherein the phase of the
high-frequency power is made in anti-phase between the adjacent
feeding portions of the electrodes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0033] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the first
embodiment of a plasma CVD apparatus of this invention
[0034] FIG. 2 is an example of the structure of inductively coupled
electrode.
[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing the second
embodiment of a plasma CVD apparatus of this invention.
[0036] FIG. 4 shows examples of the dielectric's shape covering the
electrode.
[0037] FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view showing the third
embodiment of a plasma CVD apparatus of this invention
[0038] FIG. 6 a schematic sectional view showing the fourth
embodiment of a plasma CVD apparatus of this invention.
[0039] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the film thickness distribution
of the first example.
[0040] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the film thickness distribution
of the second example.
[0041] In these drawings, a numeral 1 denotes a deposition chamber;
2, an inductively coupled electrode; 3, a dielectric; 4, a turning
portion; 5, a gas inlet; 6, an exhaust port; 7, a high frequency
power source; 8, a coaxial cable; 9, a power feeding portion; 10, a
grounded portion; 11, a substrate; and 12, a substrate holder.
PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0042] The embodiments of this invention will be explained in
detail with reference to the drawings.
FIRST EMBODIMENT
[0043] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the first
embodiment of a plasma CVD apparatus of this invention. In the
plasma CVD apparatus, as shown in the drawing, a plurality of
inductively coupled electrode 2, folded into U-shape with a
diameter of 10 mm or less, is placed in a deposition chamber 1
having a gas inlet 5 and an exhaust port 6. One end of electrode, a
power feeding portion 9, is connected to a high-frequency power
source 7 by a coaxial cable 8, and the other end, the grounded
portion 10, The grounded portion 10 is connected to the wall of the
deposition.
[0044] Here, the distance from the feeding portion 9 and grounded
portion 10 to the turning portion 4 is preferably set to be nearly
n/2 times (n: a natural number) of the excitation wavelength of the
high-frequency power. By such setting, the plasma can be stably
generated and maintained. The turning portion is the semicircular
portion having a curvature in the case of the U-shape electrode
shown in FIG. 1.
[0045] The inductively coupled electrode of this embodiment
exemplified by FIG. 1 is constructed, for example, by bending a
conductive rod or pipe having an outer diameter of 10 mm or less,
made of stainless steel, Al, Cu or the like, into the U-shape. The
electrode having a turning portion in a rectangular shape is also
available. Moreover, the whole of electrode is not necessarily
conductive. Therefore, the structure in which an insulator is
covered with a conductor, for example, is also available. The
electrode of center-folded shape in this invention is not limited
to one that is constructed by bending, e.g., single rod or pipe.
That is, the electrode having a structure in which two straight
line electrodes are jointed and fixed with a metal plate or the
like is also employed. The turning portion in the case of the
rectangular shape is exemplified by a straight portion between the
two straight line electrodes.
[0046] In this embodiment, so far as the diameter of the electrode
is partially 10 mm or less, between the feeding portion and the
turning portion, the diameter of the rest of the electrode can be
larger than 10 mm. Therefore, the diameter may be constant over the
entire electrode, or may be varied in the longitudinal direction;
for example, the diameter can be gradually increased from the
feeding portion toward the turning portion. There is no limitation
in the lower limit of the electrode diameter. So far as the
electrode will not be broken down, enduring supplied power and
stable discharge can be maintained, an extremely thin electrode can
be employed. However, the electrode having a diameter of 1-10 mm is
preferably employed from a viewpoint of handling and easy
attachment.
[0047] For example, the glow discharge region can be expanded
toward the end (or the turning portion) with smaller power by
making the feeding side of the electrode thinner than 10 mm.
Consequently, a larger film formation region can be prepared, which
makes film deposition on a large-sized substrate possible.
[0048] Moreover, with the electrode having a smaller diameter on
the feeding side, the plasma density near the feeding portion is
relatively decreased. That is, since the ratio of plasma density in
the vicinity of power feeding portion to the film formation region
becomes small, the energy is efficiently used for film formation,
and therefore the amount of film deposited on inner wall near the
power feeding portion will be decreased. Thus, since the repetition
number of film deposition increases until the film deposited on the
inner wall becomes so thick as to start peeling off, the
maintenance cycle is remarkably extended and overall productivity
is improved.
[0049] Next, here will be described the method of forming a thin
film on a substrate using the plasma CVD apparatus of FIG. 1.
[0050] First, reactive gases for deposition are introduced at a
predetermined flow rate into deposition chamber 1 through gas inlet
5, and the pressure inside the deposition chamber is set to a
predetermined value by adjusting the main valve (not shown)
disposed in exhaust port 6. Then, high frequency power is fed to
power feeding portions 9 from high frequency power source 7. The
frequency of high frequency is adjusted to establish a standing
wave, resulting in the generation of the plasma along electrode 2.
The plasma is expanded toward the electrode end (or the turning
portion) along electrode 2 from the feeding portion and grounded
portion. The reactive gases are decomposed and activated by the
plasma to form a thin film with an excellent uniformity of film
thickness on substrate 11 disposed in the position facing the
electrodes 2. Here, the electric discharge is further expanded
toward the electrode end with smaller power by using the electrode
whose diameter on power feeding side is 10 mm or less. Moreover,
when the same power is fed, higher deposition rate is obtained for
thinner electrode. Furthermore, since the plasma density near the
power feeding portion becomes low, the amount of the film deposited
on the inner wall will decrease.
[0051] So far electrodes having a diameter of 10 mm or less on the
power feeding side have been described. In this embodiment,
electrodes having a diameter more than 10 mm can also be employed
if the diameter is varied in the longitudinal direction. That is,
although the light and dark non-uniformities are partially observed
in the plasma distribution when the electrode having a constant
diameter and a center-folded shape is employed, the ratio of light
and dark part of the plasma can be reduced to improve the
uniformity of film thickness by varying the diameter, corresponding
to the light and dark plasma position.
[0052] Therefore, by adopting electrodes having a varying diameter
and a diameter of 10 mm or less at least partially, both effects of
glow discharge region expansion and the plasma homogenization will
be acquired, Consequently, a uniform thin film can be formed on a
larger-sized substrate.
SECOND EMBODIMENT
[0053] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view showing the 2nd
embodiment of the plasma CVD apparatus of this invention. The
apparatus configuration is the same as that in FIG. 1, except for
the inductively coupled electrode 2. In this embodiment, the
surface of the electrode is covered with a dielectric 3 such as
Teflon.
[0054] The dielectric may be formed on entire surface of the
electrode as shown in FIG. 3, or partially. In any case, the film
thickness uniformity can be improved. The position and shape of the
dielectric are determined according to the pattern of plasma
density distribution (or film thickness distribution).
[0055] If the entire electrode surface, for example, is covered
with a dielectric, the peak in the film thickness distribution is
reduced in intensity, which is considered to appear as a result of
the interactive effect between the attenuation of high frequency
power with propagation and the standing wave, and therefore the
area having a prescribed uniformity of film thickness is expanded.
Furthermore, the film thickness uniformity of the thin film can be
further improved by changing the thickness of dielectric in the
longitudinal direction of the electrode.
[0056] Moreover, the dielectric can be formed only on the power
feeding side of the electrode as shown in FIG. 4 (a), instead of
the entire surface of electrode. In this configuration, the
increase of the plasma density is suppressed on the power feeding
portion side, which homogenizes the plasma density over the whole
electrode to improve the film thickness uniformity.
[0057] Furthermore, if the electrode is provided with the
dielectric only on the positions corresponding to high plasma
density, more uniform film can be deposited in the longitudinal
direction of the electrode. When the dielectric becomes too thick,
the plasma density may increase at the edge of dielectric,
resulting in peak of the film thickness at the corresponding
position of substrate. In this case, the dielectric preferably has
a tapered edge in the cross-section, as shown in FIG. 4 (b). That
is, the thickness of dielectric is gradually decreased towards the
end of dielectric. The uniformity of film thickness is further
improved since the peak is prevented from generating at the
position on the substrate corresponding to the edge. The dielectric
may be wounded spirally around the longitudinal direction of the
electrode as shown in FIG. 4 (c), which averages the plasma density
in the dielectric edge region and improves similarly the film
thickness distribution.
[0058] The thickness of dielectric is suitably determined,
depending on the dielectric constant of material and the degree of
plasma density distribution (film thickness distribution). In the
case of, for example, Teflon, the preferable thickness is 0.1 mm or
more. As the dielectric, any material that is stable to plasma and
heat is employed. That is, organic materials such as Teflon or
inorganic materials such as alumina and quartz are employed.
However, the material having a large dielectric loss should be
avoided.
[0059] In this embodiment, a straight line electrode can also be
employed in stead of the electrode which is folded back shown in
FIG. 1. In this case, the power feeding portion and the grounded
portion are fixed to the walls of the deposition chamber, facing to
each other. Then, the distance L between two portions and
excitation wavelength A are set so that the relation of
L=n.lamda./2 should approximately hold. Here, n is a natural
number.
[0060] As have been mentioned in the first and second embodiments,
it is possible to form thin films having an excellent uniformity of
thickness on large area substrates by adopting each or combination
of the following electrode configurations; 1) the electrode having
a diameter of 10 mm or less partially or entirely between the power
feeding portion and the grounded portion, 2) the electrode having a
varying diameter, and 3) the electrode covered with a
dielectric.
THIRD EMBODIMENT
[0061] The 3rd embodiment of the plasma CVD apparatus of this
invention is shown in FIG. 5.
[0062] Only one inductively coupled electrode is arranged in the
deposition chamber of PCVD apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. In
contrast, when the film is deposited on a wide substrate, a
plurality of electrodes are arranged in parallel so as to cover the
substrate width and a high frequency power is fed to each electrode
as shown in FIG. 5. Here, a numeral 12 denotes a substrate
holder.
[0063] It is desirable to feed high frequency power to the
electrodes in such a way that the phase thereof is controlled at
respective feeding portions. If the phase of each electrode is not
controlled, the film thickness distribution in the substrate
widthwise direction is apt not to be uniform or reproducible.
Furthermore, it is preferable to make anti-phase (that is, phase
difference of 180 degrees) between adjacent electrodes. By
reversing the phase of high frequency between adjacent electrodes,
the thin film having a uniform thickness and characteristic can be
formed over the entire substrate. These are also true for the case
where a plurality of straight line electrodes are employed instead
of the electrodes having a folded back configuration such as
U-shaped.
[0064] As a method for alternatively feeding anti-phase high
frequency power to a plurality of electrodes, for example, the
distance between the feeding portion and the turning portion (the
distance between the feeding portion and the grounded portion for
the straight line electrode) of alternate electrode may be
elongated by a half wavelength of the high-frequency wave, and
placing the feeding portions outside of the deposition chamber.
Alternatively, coaxial cables equivalent to the half wavelength may
be added to the feeding portions of alternate electrodes. Instead,
a phase shifter may also be equipped to a high frequency power
source to feed the high frequency power shifted by a
half-wavelength to the feeding portions of the adjacent electrodes.
By supplying the anti-phase high frequency power, the film
thickness uniformity is further improved not only in the substrate
widthwise direction but also in the longitudinal direction of the
electrode.
FOURTH EMBODIMENT
[0065] The 4th embodiment of the plasma CVD apparatus of this
invention is shown in FIG. 6.
[0066] A plasma CVD apparatus of this embodiment further is
characterized by arranging the electrode array, the plurality of
electrodes arranged so as to cover substrate width as shown in FIG.
5, in a plurality of layers with a predetermined interval, and that
substrates are arranged on both sides of each layer. With this
configuration, the simultaneous film formation on a number of
substrates (that is, six substrates in the case of drawing) is made
possible, which drastically increases a throughput. Moreover, since
the distance between the electrode array and the substrate can be
made as small as about 30 to 60 mm, it is possible to realize a
thin film deposition apparatus which has a high throughput per
floor space of the apparatus.
[0067] In this invention, the high frequency power source in a
30-300 MHz of VHF band is preferably employed.
EXAMPLES
[0068] Next, examples are given below to explain this invention
more concretely.
First Example
[0069] Straight rods or pipes having various outer diameters, bent
into U-shape or folded into rectangular shape were arranged in the
apparatus shown in FIG. 5. Then, plasma was generated under various
conditions in order to form thin films and to be observed
visually.
[0070] In the first example, stainless steel or Cu rods or pipes
having an outer diameter of 1, 4, 6 and 10 mm were bent into U
shape or folded into rectangular shape so as to have a distance of
30 mm between centers of rods or pipes and a length of 1570 mm.
Then, the feeding side surface of each electrode was covered with
Teflons tube as shown in FIG. 4 (a). Six electrodes were arranged
to have a distance between center of rods or pipes of 30 mm in a
common plane as shown in FIG. 5. A substrate 11 of 1200
mm.times.500 mm was placed 40 mm apart from the electrode surface.
The power feeding portions of the electrodes were connected to the
connecting points of the feed through inside the deposition chamber
and the grounded portions were connected to the inner wall of the
chamber.
[0071] After introducing SiH4 gas at a flow rate of 200 sccm into
the deposition chamber 1 and adjusting the pressure to be 1 Pa, the
high frequency power was fed so that the phase was made in
anti-phase between adjacent electrodes. The frequency was adjusted
to establish a standing wave, and a-Si thin film was deposited on
substrate 11. The frequency of the high frequency power employed
was 85 MHz which half wavelength (=1765 mm) in the vacuum is not
exactly identical with the distance L (=1570 mm) between the power
feeding portion 9 and the turning portion 4. This is due to
differences of the dielectric constant in plasma and in vacuum. As
a matter of fact, the stable discharge was generated at this
frequency.
[0072] The electrode having an outer diameter of 1 mm was
fabricated using a Cu wire and 2 mm thick Teflon. Stainless steel
rods were employed and covered with 1 mm thick Teflon for
fabricating electrodes having outer diameters of 4, 6, and 10 mm.
In addition, the U-shape configuration was adopted for 1 mm and 10
mm electrodes, and the rectangularly folded shape was adopted for 4
mm and 6 mm electrodes. The discharge region was visibly observed
for each electrode system with a variety of power supplied, which
is shown in Table 1. Moreover, the film thickness distributions
were exemplified in FIG. 7, which were measured in the longitudinal
direction of the electrode at the central part of substrate.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Supplied power per electrode (W) 3.13 6.25
12.5 18.75 25 Diameter 1 .largecircle. .circleincircle.
.circleincircle. .circleincircle. .circleincircle. of 4 .DELTA.
.largecircle. .circleincircle. .circleincircle. .circleincircle.
Electrode 6 -- .DELTA. .largecircle. .circleincircle.
.circleincircle. (mm) 10 -- -- .DELTA. .largecircle.
.circleincircle. .circleincircle.: Electric discharge was expanded
to the end of electrode .largecircle.: Electric discharge was
expanded to 3/4 of the electrode. .DELTA.: Electric discharge was
expanded to 1/2 of the electrode. --: Stable discharge was not
maintained
[0073] As is apparent from Table 1, as the electrode becomes thick,
the power required to expand the discharge region toward the
electrode end becomes higher. That is, there is observed a tendency
that the discharge region is not expanded or stable discharge is
not maintained when the supplied power is low. On the contrary,
when thinner electrode is employed, the stable discharge can be
maintained and discharge region can be expanded to increase the
film deposition area with low power. FIG. 7 shows the deposition
rates when electrodes having a variety of diameters were used. In
FIG. 7, power supplied to each electrode was 25W for the 6 mm and
10 mm electrode, and the power was 13.75 W for the 4 mm electrode.
As is apparent from the film thickness distribution of FIG. 7, the
uniform film thickness distribution can be obtained over a wide
range by using an electrode having a diameter of 10 mm or less and
by feeding a predetermined power. Moreover, it has been found that
higher deposition rate is obtained with the thinner electrode when
the same power is supplied. It is likely from this point that the
energy efficiency becomes higher as the electrode becomes
thinner.
[0074] Although not shown in Table 1, it was also observed that the
plasma near the power feeding portion becomes less bright and close
to the brightness of the plasma in the film deposition region as
the electrode becomes thinner. This is in good agreement with the
film thickness distribution in FIG. 7, where the deposition rate is
steeply increased toward the power feeding portion (the position
outsides the left end of the diagram) when the electrode is thick,
while the increasing degree of deposition rate is decreased as the
electrode becomes thinner.
Example 2
[0075] The film thickness distribution is changed by covering the
electrode with dielectric and by the power supply method, which
will be described in this example.
[0076] The film formation of a-Si was made on glass substrates
using the plasma CVD apparatus shown in FIG. 5. A stainless steel
pipe having a diameter of 10 mm was bent into U shape to have a
distance of 30 mm between centers of the pipes and a length of 1570
mm, and the entire surface was then covered with Teflon tube of 1
mm in thickness. Six electrodes were arranged to have a distance
between the center of the pipes of 30 mm in a common plane as shown
in FIG. 5. A substrate 11 of 1200 mm.times.500 mm was placed 40 mm
apart from the electrode surface.
[0077] After introducing SiH4 gas at a flow rate of 200 sccm into
deposition chamber 1 and adjusting the pressure to be 1 Pa, high
frequency power of 25 W was fed to each electrode to generate
plasma. The frequency was adjusted to establish a standing wave and
to form a-Si thin film on substrate 11. Here, the phase was made
in-phase or in anti-phase between adjacent electrodes. Other
conditions were the same as those of Example 1.
[0078] The film thickness distributions were measured in the
longitudinal direction of the electrode along the central part of
substrate, which are shown in FIG. 8. The film formations using
electrodes which were not covered with dielectric were also carried
out for comparison. These are also shown in FIG. 8.
[0079] The high frequency supply method and the electrode
configuration shown in the diagram are as follows; (a) in-phase
without dielectric, (b) anti-phase without dielectric, (c) in-phase
with Teflon, and (d) anti-phase with Teflon. The horizontal axis
denotes the position on the substrate in the longitudinal
direction, and the vertical axis denotes the normalized film
thickness.
[0080] As is apparent from FIG. 8, by using electrodes covered with
Teflon, the peak near the substrate position of 800 mm that
appeared as the result of the interactive effect of the attenuation
and a standing wave of high frequency disappears, remarkably
improving the film thickness uniformity. Moreover, by feeding
anti-phase high frequency power to adjacent electrodes, the film
thickness uniformity is further improved.
[0081] Thus, by uniformly covering the entire electrode with a 1 mm
thick Teflon, and supplying anti-phase high frequency power, the
film thickness distribution is greatly improved as compared with
the prior art. Furthermore, it becomes possible to form a more
uniform thin film even on a large-sized substrate having a size of
1200 mm or more by varying the thickness of dielectric in the
longitudinal direction of the electrode, or by partially covering
the electrode with a dielectric.
[0082] As mentioned in the examples, it becomes possible to further
expand a uniform plasma region by using an electrode having a
diameter of 10 mm or less, bent into U-shape or folded into
rectangular shape or by using an electrode covered with a
dielectric. It also becomes possible to reduce the film deposition
on the inner wall of the chamber near power feeding portions, which
can extend the maintenance cycle and improve the productivity.
APPLICATION TO INDUSTRY
[0083] The electric discharge region can be expanded in the
longitudinal direction of electrode to form thin films on a larger
substrate by a plasma CVD method of this invention; i.e., by
supplying high frequency power on an inductively coupled electrode
which has a diameter of 10 mm or less partially or entirely between
the power feeding portion and the grounded portion and by
generating the plasma so that a standing wave is established. The
plasma is maintained with smaller power by employing thinner
electrode. When the same power is supplied, higher deposition rate
is obtained with thinner electrodes. Furthermore, since the plasma
density near the power feeding portion can be reduced by using
thinner electrodes, the film deposition is decreased on the
apparatus inner wall near power feeding portions, which greatly
decreases cleaning frequency.
[0084] Furthermore, by varying the diameter of the electrode or by
covering the electrode with a dielectric, the plasma density
distribution can be partially adjusted in the longitudinal
direction of the electrode, which makes it possible to form thin
films with an excellent uniformity of film thickness.
[0085] It becomes also possible to further improve the film
thickness uniformity by arranging a plurality of inductively
coupled electrodes, and alternately supplying anti-phase high
frequency power.
[0086] Thus, it is possible to realize a plasma CVD apparatus which
requires low cleaning frequency, and can form thin films having an
excellent thickness uniformity on a large area substrate.
[0087] The arrangement of inductively coupled electrodes of this
invention in a plurality of layers, with substrates on both sides
of each layer can provide a plasma CVD apparatus and method of a
high throughput.
* * * * *