Magnetron sputtering apparatus

Abstract

A magnetron sputtering apparatus for processing a substrate includes a target holding member for holding a target installed to face the substrate and a magnet installed at a side opposite to the substrate across the target. In the magnetron sputtering apparatus, plasma is confined on a surface of the target by forming a magnetic field on the target surface by the magnet, on the target surface, a plasma loop is formed around a region on a loop where a vertical magnetic field component perpendicular to the target does not substantially exist while a horizontal magnetic field component parallel to the target mainly exists, and the horizontal magnetic field component at all position on the loop where the horizontal magnetic field mainly exists is in a range of about 500 Gauss to 1200 Gauss.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A magnetron sputtering apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
 a target holding member for holding a target installed to face the substrate; and   a magnet installed at a side opposite to the substrate across the target,   wherein plasma is confined on a surface of the target by forming a magnetic field on the target surface by the magnet,   on the target surface, a plasma loop is formed around a region on a loop where a vertical magnetic field component perpendicular to the target does not substantially exist while a horizontal magnetic field component parallel to the target mainly exists, and   the horizontal magnetic field component at all position on the loop where the horizontal magnetic field mainly exists is in a range of about 500 Gauss to 1200 Gauss.   
     
     
         2 . A magnetron sputtering apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
 a target holding member for holding a target installed to face the substrate; and   a magnet installed at a side opposite to the substrate across the target,   wherein plasma is confined on a surface of the target by forming a magnetic field on the target surface by the magnet,   on the target surface, a plasma loop is formed around a region on a loop where a vertical magnetic field component perpendicular to the target does not substantially exist while a horizontal magnetic field component parallel to the target mainly exists, and   the horizontal magnetic field component at all position on the loop where the horizontal magnetic field mainly exists has a minimum value in a range of about 65% to 100% of a maximum value.   
     
     
         3 . A magnetron sputtering apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
 a target holding member for holding a target that is arranged to face the substrate when processing the substrate; and   a magnet installed at a side opposite to the substrate across the target,   wherein the magnet comprises:   a rotary magnet body installed around a column-shaped rotation shaft in a spiral shape; and   a stationary outer peripheral body installed in the vicinity of the rotary magnet body in parallel to a surface of the target,   wherein the rotary magnet body is formed by arranging a plurality of plate magnets on the column-shaped rotation shaft such that an N pole of a plate magnet of the plurality of plate magnets is substantially surrounded by S poles of other plate magnets of the plurality of plate magnets,   plasma is confined on the surface of the target by forming a magnetic field on the surface of the target by the magnet, and   the rotary magnet body rotates with the column-shaped rotation shaft, so that a pattern of the magnetic field on the surface of the target moves as time passes,   wherein a torque applied to the column-shaped rotation shaft due to an interaction between the rotary magnet body and the stationary outer peripheral body is in a range of about 0.1 N·m to 100 N·m,   the rotary magnet body includes a plurality of spiral bodies formed around the column-shaped rotation shaft, and forms a spiral-shaped magnet set in which adjacent spiral bodies in an axial direction of the column-shaped rotation shaft have opposite magnetic poles of an N pole and an S pole on an outer side of the column-shaped rotation shaft in its diametrical direction,   the stationary outer peripheral body is configured to surround the rotary magnet body, and forms magnetic poles of an N pole or an S pole on a side facing the target or it is not previously magnetized,   the rotary magnet body is a spiral-shaped plate magnet set having plate magnets installed on the column-shaped rotation shaft in a spiral shape to form 2 spirals,   adjacent spirals in an axial direction of the column-shaped rotation shaft have opposite magnetic poles of an N pole and an S pole on the outer side of the column-shaped rotation shaft in a diametrical direction of the column-shaped rotation shaft,   the column-shaped rotation shaft is made of a magnetic body having a hollow structure, and   a thickness of the magnetic body is set such that a magnetic flux density at an entire region in the magnetic body becomes equal to or less than about 65% of a saturated magnetic flux density of the magnetic body.   
     
     
         4 . The A magnetron sputtering apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
 a target holding member for holding a target that is arranged to face the substrate when processing the substrate; and   a magnet installed at a side opposite to the substrate across the target,   wherein the magnet comprises:   a rotary magnet body installed around a column-shaped rotation shaft in a spiral shape; and   a stationary outer peripheral body installed in the vicinity of the rotary magnet body in parallel to a surface of the target,   wherein the rotary magnet body is formed by arranging a plurality of plate magnets on the column-shaped rotation shaft such that an N pole of a plate magnet of the plurality of plate magnets is substantially surrounded by S poles of other plate magnets of the plurality of plate magnets,   plasma is confined on the surface of the target by forming a magnetic field on the surface of the target by the magnet, and   the rotary magnet body rotates with the column-shaped rotation shaft, so that a pattern of the magnetic field on the surface of the target moves as time passes,   wherein a torque applied to the column-shaped rotation shaft due to an interaction between the rotary magnet body and the stationary outer peripheral body is in a range of about 0.1 N·m to 100 N·m,   the rotary magnet body includes a plurality of spiral bodies formed around the column-shaped rotation shaft, and forms a spiral-shaped magnet set in which adjacent spiral bodies in an axial direction of the column-shaped rotation shaft have opposite magnetic poles of an N pole and an S pole on an outer side of the column-shaped rotation shaft in its diametrical direction,   the stationary outer peripheral body is configured to surround the rotary magnet body, and forms magnetic poles of an N pole or an S pole on a side facing the target or it is not previously magnetized,   the rotary magnet body is a spiral-shaped plate magnet set having plate magnets installed on the column-shaped rotation shaft in a spiral shape to form 2 spirals,   adjacent spirals in an axial direction of the column-shaped rotation shaft have opposite magnetic poles of an N pole and an S pole on the outer side of the column-shaped rotation shaft in a diametrical direction of the column-shaped rotation shaft,   the column-shaped rotation shaft is made of a paramagnetic body having a hollow structure, and   a thickness of the paramagnetic body is set such that a magnetic flux density at an entire region in the paramagnetic body becomes smaller than a residual magnetic flux density of the magnet forming the rotary magnet body.   
     
     
         5 . A magnetron sputtering apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
 a target holding member for holding a target installed to face the substrate; and   a magnet installed at a side opposite to the substrate across the target,   wherein plasma is confined on a surface of the target by forming a magnetic field on the target surface by the magnet,   a plurality of plasma loops is formed on the target surface,   a distance between the target surface and a surface of the substrate is set to be equal to or less than about 30 mm, and   a magnetic field on the substrate surface is set to be equal to or less than about 100 Gauss.   
     
     
         6 . A magnetron sputtering apparatus for processing a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
 a target holding unit installed at a side opposite to the substrate across a target installed to face the substrate; and   a magnet installed to face the target via the target holding unit,   wherein plasma is confined on a surface of the target by forming a magnetic field on the target surface by the magnet,   a plurality of plasma loops is formed on the target surface, and   a thickness of the target holding unit is set to be equal to or less than about 30% of an initial thickness of the target.   
     
     
         7 . The magnetron sputtering apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein a first space between the substrate and the target is capable of being depressurized,
 a second space between the target holding unit and the magnet is capable of being depressurized, and   a pressure in the first space is substantially the same as that in the second space.