# US 9,752,226 B2 · Manufacturing apparatus

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- Number: US 9,752,226 B2
- Document ID: US9752226B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/389,259
- Filed: 2016-12-22
- Published: 2017-04-13
- Granted: 2017-09-05
- Earliest claimed: 2010-12-28
- Assignees: Canon Anelva Corporation
- Applicants: Canon Anelva Corporation
- Inventors: Koji Tsunekawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9752226B2

## CPC

- C23C 14/14: Metallic material, boron or silicon
- C23C 14/067: {Borides}
- C23C 14/081: {of aluminium, magnesium or beryllium}
- C23C 14/34: Sputtering
- C23C 14/3407: {Cathode assembly for sputtering apparatus, e.g. Target}
- C23C 14/345: {using substrate bias}
- C23C 14/3464: {using more than one target (C23C14/56 takes precedence)}
- C23C 14/505: {for rotation of the substrates}
- C23C 14/568: {Transferring the substrates through a series of coating stations (C23C14/562 takes precedence)}
- C23C 14/5806: {Thermal treatment}
- C23C 14/5853: {Oxidation}
- C23C 28/321: {with at least one metal alloy layer}
- C23C 28/322: {only coatings of metal elements only}
- C23C 28/34: {including at least one inorganic non-metallic material layer, e.g. metal carbide, nitride, boride, silicide layer and their mixtures, enamels, phosphates and sulphates}
- C23C 28/345: {with at least one oxide layer}
- H01F 41/18: by cathode sputtering
- H01J 37/32899: {Multiple chambers, e.g. cluster tools}
- H01J 37/3405: {Magnetron sputtering}
- H01J 37/3411: {Constructional aspects of the reactor}
- H01J 37/3417: {Arrangements}
- H10N 50/01: Manufacture or treatment
- H10N 50/10: Magnetoresistive devices
- H10P 72/0468: {comprising a chamber adapted to a particular process}
- 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)
- H01F: MAGNETS; INDUCTANCES; TRANSFORMERS; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR MAGNETIC PROPERTIES
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10

## Abstract

The present invention provides a manufacturing apparatus which can realize so-called sequential substrate transfer and can improve throughput, even when one multi-layered thin film includes plural layers of the same film type. A manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transfer chamber, three sputtering deposition chambers each including one sputtering cathode, two sputtering deposition chambers each including two or more sputtering cathodes, and a process chamber for performing a process other than sputtering, and the three sputtering deposition chambers, the two sputtering deposition chambers, and the process chamber are arranged around the transfer chamber so that each is able to perform delivery and receipt of the substrate with the transfer chamber.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A manufacturing method of growing a multi-layered film as a magneto-resistance element including:
a first film that includes a metal film having a thickness not smaller than 10 nm;
a second film that includes a metal film having a thickness not smaller than 10 nm;
a third film that includes at least one layer of an oxide film, a nitride film, and a semiconductor film deposited between the first film and the second film;
a magnetization fixing layer including a plurality of films; and
a magnetization free layer,
the method comprising:
forming the first film in a first sputtering deposition chamber including one sputtering cathode;
forming the second film in a second sputtering deposition chamber including one sputtering cathode;
forming the third film in a third sputtering deposition chamber including one sputtering cathode;
depositing at least the magnetization fixing layer in a fourth sputtering deposition chamber including two or more sputtering cathodes; and
forming a plurality of films including the magnetization free layer in a fifth sputtering deposition chamber including two or more sputtering cathodes,
wherein each of the sputtering cathodes in the first sputtering deposition chamber, the second sputtering deposition chamber, and the third sputtering deposition chamber is larger than each of the sputtering cathodes in the fourth sputtering deposition chamber and the fifth sputtering deposition chamber.

### Claim 2

A manufacturing method of growing a multi-layered film as a magneto-resistance element over a substrate, wherein the multi-layered film includes:
a first film that includes a metal film having a thickness larger in a different order of magnitude than the thinnest film in the multi-layered film;
a second film that includes a metal film having a thickness larger in a different order of magnitude than the thinnest film;
a third film that includes at least one layer of an oxide film, a nitride film, and a semiconductor film;
a magnetization fixing layer including a plurality of films; and
a magnetization free layer,
the method comprising:
forming the first film in a first sputtering deposition chamber including one sputtering cathode;
forming the second film in a second sputtering deposition chamber including one sputtering cathode;
forming the third film in a third sputtering deposition chamber including one sputtering cathode;
depositing at least the magnetization fixing layer in a fourth sputtering deposition chamber including two or more sputtering cathodes; and
forming a plurality of films including the magnetization free layer in a fifth sputtering deposition chamber including two or more sputtering cathodes,
wherein each of the sputtering cathodes in the first sputtering deposition chamber, the second sputtering deposition chamber, and the third sputtering deposition chamber is larger than each of the sputtering cathodes in the fourth sputtering deposition chamber and the fifth sputtering deposition chamber.