# US 2023/0407458 A1 · Film formation apparatus

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- Number: US 2023/0407458 A1
- Document ID: US20230407458A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 18/337,764
- Filed: 2023-06-20
- Published: 2023-12-21
- Earliest claimed: 2022-06-20
- Assignees: Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation
- Applicants: Shibaura Mechatronics Corporation
- Inventors: Yoji TAKIZAWA; Masatoshi HIGUCHI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230407458A1

## CPC

- C23C 14/34: Sputtering
- C23C 14/0641: {Nitrides (C23C14/0617 takes precedence)}
- C23C 14/50: Substrate holders
- C23C 14/505: {for rotation of the substrates}
- C23C 14/541: {Heating or cooling of the substrates}
- C23C 14/586: {Nitriding}
- C23C 16/303: {Nitrides}
- H01J 37/32724: {Temperature}
- H01J 37/32733: {Means for moving the material to be treated}
- H01J 37/3411: {Constructional aspects of the reactor}
- C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04)
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

A film formation apparatus includes: a chamber which an interior thereof can be made vacuum; a rotary table provided inside the chamber, holding a workpiece, and circulating and transporting the workpiece in a circular trajectory; a film formation unit including a target formed of film formation material and a plasma generator which turns sputtering gas introduced between the target and the rotary table into plasma, the film formation unit depositing by sputtering film formation material on the workpiece; a film processing unit processing the film deposited by the film formation unit on the workpiece; holding regions each holding the workpiece and provided in a circular film formation region facing the film formation unit and the film processing unit that is a region other than the rotation axis in the rotary table; and a heater provided in the holding regions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A film formation apparatus comprising:
a chamber which an interior thereof can be made vacuum;
a rotary table provided inside the chamber, holding a workpiece, and circulating and transporting the workpiece in a circular trajectory;
a film formation unit including a target formed of film formation material containing and a plasma generator which turns sputtering gas introduced between the target and the rotary table into plasma, wherein the film formation unit deposits by sputtering particles of the film formation material on the workpiece circulated and transported by the rotary table;
a film processing unit processing the film deposited on the workpiece in the film formation unit circulated and transported by the rotary table in the film formation unit;
a plurality of holding regions which holds each workpiece and which is provided in a film formation region that is an annular region in the rotary table other than a rotary shaft facing the film formation unit and the film processing unit; and
a heater arranged in the plurality of the holding regions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The film formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heater is provided between the rotary table and the workpiece in the holding region.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The film formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the heater can control temperature so that temperature of the workpiece rises by stages to target temperature.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The film formation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heat shield arranged along the film formation region distantly from the rotary table at a side opposite the film formation region facing each processing unit of the rotary table.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The film formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the workpiece is held by the rotary table via a tray,
the film formation apparatus further comprising an absorption member which absorbs heat from the heater and generates electromagnetic wave is provided between the tray and the workpiece.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The film formation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a surface processing unit processing at least one of the surface of the workpiece and the surface of the film circulated and transported by the rotary table.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The film formation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
the film formation unit includes a GaN film formation unit depositing particles of the film formation material containing GaN, and
the film processing unit includes a nitriding processing unit nitriding the particles of the film formation material deposited in the GaN film formation processing unit.