Single chamber for CVD and sputtering film manufacturing

• US 5,755,938 A
• Filed: 11/09/1995
• Issued: 05/26/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Koichi, Aihara, Masami, Miyazaki, Masanori, Fukui, Hirofumi, Kasama, Yasuhiko, Iwasaki, Chisato
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM X
• Application Number:
  US08/556,188
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 204/192.12, 204/298.06, 204/298.07, 204/298.08, 204/298.23, 204/298.25, 204/298.26, 118/723 R, 118/719, 118/723 E
• US Class Current: 204/298.23
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/34 Sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/0245 by etching with a plasma
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4405 Cleaning of reactor or parts inside the reactor by using reactive gases
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/5096 Flat-bed apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/32 Processing objects by plasma generation
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/34 operating with cathodic sputtering H01J37/36 takes precedence ; methods of cathodic sputtering C23C14/34
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67703 between different workstations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1214 comprising a plurality of TFTs formed on a non-semiconducting substrate, e.g. driving circuits for AMLCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66765 Lateral single gate single channel transistors with inverted structure, i.e. the channel layer is formed after the gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/202 including only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An apparatus which allows a first film to be formed on a substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and a second film to be formed on the substrate by sputtering, wherein the processes are performed sequentially in the same deposition chamber without exposing the substrate to an oxidative atmosphere. The deposition chamber includes a first electrode and a second electrode located under the first electrode. A transfer mechanism loads a dummy target onto the first electrode and the substrate onto the second electrode prior to a CVD process. The dummy target is resistant to sputtering and thus does not contaminate the film deposited on the substrate during CVD. After CVD and prior to sputtering, the transfer mechanism unloads the dummy target and replaces it with a sputtering target for film formation by sputtering. Both the dummy target and sputtering target can be loaded and unloaded from a single pressurized storage chamber. Thus, film formation by both sputtering and CVD can be accomplished by using a single deposition chamber without removing the substrate between processes.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming films on a substrate, comprising:

a deposition chamber capable of maintaining a pressure-reduced state,

a reactive gas supply mechanism for supplying reactive gases to said deposition chamber,

a first electrode disposed in said deposition chamber,

a second electrode disposed in said deposition chamber,

a first RF power supply for supplying an RF power to said first electrode,

a dc power supply for supplying a dc voltage to said first electrode,

a second RF power supply for supplying an RF power to said second electrode, and

a transfer mechanism for loading and unloading said substrate onto and off of said second electrode, for loading a sputter-resistant dummy target onto said first electrode prior to film formation by CVD, and for unloading said dummy target off of said first electrode and then loading a sputtering target onto said first electrode prior to film formation by sputtering.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stocker chamber for holding said dummy target and said sputtering target in a pressure-reduced state.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a transfer chamber located between said deposition chamber and said stocker chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said transfer mechanism further loads said dummy target prior to cleaning said deposition chamber or said substrate.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first electrode is located opposite said second electrode.