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

• US 8,673,396 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakamura, Toshihiro, Toda, Sadayuki, Koaizawa, Hisashi
• Primary Examiner(s): TUROCY, DAVID P
• Application Number:
  US12/232,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20100021727A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,014 Days
• Field of Search: 427164-167, 427/255.11, 427/255.18
• US Class Current: 427/255.27
• 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 steps of:

moving a glass substrate with a thin continuous strip shape having a constant db/2(d+b), where d is a thickness thereof in a range from 30 μ

m to 300 μ

m 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 higher than 1,050°

C., in a suspended state in the reaction gas for a period of time between 0.1 second and 0.25 second, so that the glass substrate is heated, and the reaction gas is a mixed gas of H₂ gas and DCS (SiH₂Cl₂, dichlorosilane) gas; and

moving continuously the glass substrate, immediately after the glass substrate passes through the film depositing region, to pass through a cooling region in which a temperature is lower than 900°

C. in a suspended state, so that the glass substrate is 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 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 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 DCS gas within a range from 2 mol % to 20 mol % relative to H₂ gas.

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

10. 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.

11. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of moving the glass substrate in the film depositing region, said film depositing region includes a susceptor for maintaining the temperature thereof.

12. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of moving the glass substrate in the film depositing region, said glass substrate is moved in the suspended state in the reaction gas so that the component of the reaction gas is deposited on both surfaces of the glass substrate.

13. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of moving the glass substrate in the film depositing region, said film depositing region is formed of a reaction tube heated at a temperature between 1,150°

C. and 1,400°

C., and said reaction tube has an inner diameter in a width direction of the glass substrate, said inner diameter being 1.2 to 10 times greater than the width of the glass substrate.

14. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of moving the glass substrate in the film depositing region, said film depositing region is formed of a reaction tube heated at a temperature between 1,150°

C. and 1,400°

C., and said film depositing region includes a susceptor disposed in the reaction tube.

15. The method of continuously forming a thin film according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of supplying the glass substrate from a supply drum before the glass substrate is moved into the film depositing region, and winding the glass substrate on a winding drum after the glass substrate passes through the cooling region.