Method of forming continuous thin film and linear glass substrate with thin film

• US 20100021727A1
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Toda, Sadayuki, Koaizawa, Hisashi, Nakamura, Toshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,673,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 428/337
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/002 for flat glass, e.g. float glass
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/09 by deposition from the vapour phase
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2217/268 Other specific metals
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 2218/152 by cvd
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/24 Deposition of silicon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4583 the substrate being supported substantially horizontally
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/46 characterised by the method used for heating the substrate C23C16/48, C23C16/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/545 for coating elongated substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02422 Non-crystalline insulating materials, e.g. glass, polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02532 Silicon, silicon germanium, germanium
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/0262 Reduction or decomposition of gaseous compounds, e.g. CVD
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67109 mainly by convection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/266 of base or substrate

Abstract

A method of continuously forming a thin film includes the step of: moving a glass substrate with a thin strip shape having a constant db/2(d+b), where d is a thickness thereof and b is a width thereof in a cross section thereof, within a range from 0.015 to 0.15 through a film depositing region in which a reaction gas is supplied and a temperature is controlled to be high so that the glass substrate is rapidly heated; and moving continuously the glass substrate, immediately after the film depositing region, to pass through a cooling region in which a temperature is lower than that of the film depositing region, so that the glass substrate is rapidly cooled and the thin film formed of a component of the reaction gas is formed on the glass substrate.

Claims

1. A method of continuously forming a thin film comprising the step of:

moving a glass substrate with a thin strip shape having a constant db/2(d+b), where d is a thickness thereof and b is a width thereof in a cross section thereof, within a range from 0.015 to 0.15 through a film depositing region in which a reaction gas is supplied and a temperature is controlled to be high so that the glass substrate is rapidly heated; and

moving continuously the glass substrate, immediately after the film depositing region, to pass through a cooling region in which a temperature is lower than that of the film depositing region, so that the glass substrate is rapidly cooled and the thin film formed of a component of the reaction gas is formed on the glass substrate.

2. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein a moving speed of the glass substrate and the temperature of the film depositing region are adjusted according to a material, a thickness, and a heating length of the glass substrate, thereby adjusting a condition and a film thickness of the thin film formed on the glass substrate.

3. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 2, wherein a flow rate of the reaction gas is controlled to adjust the thickness of the thin film formed on the glass substrate.

4. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein the thin film is deposited in the film depositing region through a thermal CVD treatment.

5. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate is pre-heated prior to the film depositing region, and the thin film is deposited in the film depositing region through a plasma CVD.

6. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate is formed of a silica glass having a thickness within a range from 0.30 μ

m to 300 μ

m;

the film depositing region is heated at a temperature within a range from 1,150°

C. to 1,400°

C.;

the reaction gas is a mixed gas of H₂ gas and DCS (SiH₂Cl₂, dichlorosilane) gas;

the glass substrate is exposed in the film depositing region for a time period within a range from 0.1 second to 0.25 second; and

immediately after the exposure, the glass substrate is exposed in the cooling region at a temperature up to 900°

C. so that a silicon thin film is deposited on the glass substrate.

7. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 6, wherein the glass substrate is heated to a temperature of at least 1,175°

C. and maintained at a temperature of at least 1,050°

C. for a period of time less than 0.2 second in the film depositing region to which the mixed gas is supplied at a prescribed flow rate; and

, then, the glass substrate is cooled to a temperature less than 900°

C. at a cooling rate of at least 10,000°

C./second in the cooling region, thereby forming the silicon thin film.

8. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 7, wherein the mixed gas contains H₂ gas and DCS gas within a range from 2 mol % to 20 mol %.

9. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 8, wherein the mixed gas is supplied at an average flow rate of at least 0.5 m/second.

10. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein the glass substrate is formed of a silica glass.

11. A method of fabricating a glass substrate comprising the steps of cutting the glass substrate manufactured by the method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1 to a desired length;

and connecting the glass substrates in a width direction thereof to form the glass substrate in a plate shape with a thin film formed thereon.

12. A glass substrate manufactured by the method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1.

13. A glass substrate manufactured by the method of fabricating a glass substrate according to claim 11.

14. A semiconductor device fabricated on the glass substrate according to claim 12.