JP2011017033A - Sputtering system and production device for liquid crystal apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A sputtering apparatus and a liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus capable of forming a film by sputtering particles reaching a substrate with good directivity are provided.
A film forming chamber having a substrate holder capable of holding and transporting a substrate and a pair of a first target and a second target arranged in parallel to each other are connected to the film forming chamber. And a control plate unit 30 having control plates 31 a to 31 e arranged between the substrate holder 6 and the sputtering particle emitting unit 3, and a pair of the sputtering particle emitting unit 3. The target is disposed obliquely with respect to the transport path of the substrate holder 6, the sputtered particles 5 </ b> P are generated from the pair of targets by plasma, and the sputtered particles 5 </ b> P are emitted toward the transported substrate holder 6. The control plates 31a to 31e are arranged in parallel with the pair of targets, and selectively allow the sputtered particles 5P to pass therethrough.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a sputtering apparatus and a liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus.

Conventionally, a liquid crystal device in which an alignment film for controlling the alignment of liquid crystal is arranged between substrates provided with electrodes and the liquid crystal is sealed is known. This alignment film has a function of aligning the alignment direction of the liquid crystal molecules and a function of giving the liquid crystal molecules a tilt angle that regulates the direction in which the liquid crystal molecules rise. In general, an alignment film obtained by rubbing the surface of an organic material such as polyimide is used.
When a liquid crystal device using an alignment film made of such an organic material is used in a device equipped with a high-output light source such as a liquid crystal projector, the alignment film of the organic material is damaged by light energy and the function of the alignment film is deteriorated. There are things to do.

  In order to solve this problem, alignment films made of inorganic materials have been studied. In order to create this inorganic alignment film, a sputtering apparatus is formed so that the sputtering particles emitted from the targets arranged opposite to each other are incident on the substrate obliquely, and an alignment film having a columnar structure in which crystals are grown in an oblique direction is formed. Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). According to such a sputtering apparatus, the obtained inorganic alignment film is not damaged by light energy and is expected to have high reliability.

JP 2007-286401 A

In the sputtering apparatus of the target facing arrangement type according to Patent Document 1 described above, the incident angle of the sputtering particles (target atoms of the target) emitted by sputtering to the substrate is determined to some extent by the arrangement of the target. Difficult to reach on board. For this reason, the inorganic alignment film formed on the substrate cannot sufficiently obtain a columnar structure in which crystals grow in an oblique direction with respect to the substrate, and it is difficult to obtain good characteristics as the inorganic alignment film.
For this reason, a sputtering apparatus that can form a film with sputtered particles reaching the substrate with good directivity and improve the properties of the inorganic alignment film is desired.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  [Application Example 1] A sputtering apparatus according to this application example includes a film formation chamber having a substrate holder for holding a substrate, the substrate holder being transportable, a first target and a first target communicating with the film formation chamber. A sputtering particle emitting part having a pair of targets arranged so as to face each other in parallel; and a control plate arranged between the substrate holder and the sputtering particle emitting part and extending toward a transport path of the substrate holder A control plate unit, and the pair of targets of the sputtered particle emitting portion are disposed in an inclined state with respect to the transport path of the substrate holder, and sputtered particles are generated from the pair of targets by plasma. And letting out the sputtered particles toward the substrate holder to be transported, and the control plate Arranged in parallel with the pair of targets, characterized in that for selectively passing the sputtering particles.

According to this configuration, the control plate unit is provided between the film forming chamber and the sputtered particle emitting unit. For this reason, the sputtered particles with a significantly different incident angle emitted from the sputtered particle emitting part are captured by the control plate of the control plate unit.
That is, the incident angles of the sputtered particles incident on the substrate are aligned, and the incident angle has high directivity. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a sputtering apparatus that can form highly directional sputtering particles on a substrate.

  Application Example 2 In the sputtering apparatus according to the application example described above, the surface of the substrate holder that holds the substrate is parallel to the surface that connects the end of the control plate of the control plate unit facing the surface. Is desirable.

  According to this configuration, the surface of the substrate holder that holds the substrate is parallel to the surface that connects the end portions of the control plate of the control plate unit from which the sputtered particles are released. That is, the distance between the emission surface of the sputtered particles and the substrate is equal, that is, the flight distance of the sputtered particles contributing to the film formation in the film forming chamber space is made equal so that the sputtered particles and the film forming chamber in the film forming chamber are equal. The reaction with the gas can be made uniform. Thereby, a film having a uniform chemical composition in the thickness direction and a target chemical composition can be formed.

  Application Example 3 In the sputtering apparatus according to the application example, the pair of targets are inclined toward the end point direction side of the substrate holder transport, and compared to the control plate positioned on the side closer to the start point of the substrate holder transport, It is desirable that the control plate located on the side closer to the end point of conveyance of the substrate holder has a longer length toward the conveyance path of the substrate holder.

According to this configuration, the control plate located closer to the end point of the substrate holder conveyance has a longer length toward the substrate holder conveyance path than the control plate located closer to the substrate holder conveyance start point. long. That is, the sputtered particles with a different incident angle passing between the control plates are captured by the control plate while passing. The range of incident angles that can pass between the control plates is smaller as the length of the control plates is longer.
For this reason, the film is formed by sputtering particles with less variation in incident angle on the end point side than on the start point side through which the substrate passes. In this manner, the upper layer portion of the sputtering film formed on the substrate can be formed with highly directional sputtering particles. If this film is used as an inorganic alignment film, an inorganic alignment film with good characteristics can be obtained.

  Application Example 4 In the sputtering apparatus according to the application example described above, the distance between the control plates adjacent to each other is larger than the distance between the control plates positioned closer to the starting point of the substrate holder conveyance. It is desirable that the interval between the control plates located on the side closer to the end point is narrower.

According to this configuration, the interval between the control plates located on the side closer to the end point of conveyance of the substrate holder is smaller than the interval between the control plates located on the side closer to the start point of conveyance of the substrate holder. Narrower. That is, the sputtered particles with a different incident angle passing between the control plates are captured by the control plate while passing. The range of incident angles that can pass between the control plates is smaller when the interval between adjacent control plates is narrower.
For this reason, the film is formed by sputtering particles with less variation in incident angle on the end point side than on the start point side through which the substrate passes. In this manner, the upper layer portion of the sputtering film formed on the substrate can be formed with highly directional sputtering particles. If this film is used as an inorganic alignment film, an inorganic alignment film with good characteristics can be obtained.

  Application Example 5 In the sputtering apparatus according to the application example described above, it is preferable that the sputtering particle emitting unit has a third target facing the film formation chamber.

  According to this configuration, the film formation rate, which is reduced by arranging the control plate unit, can be improved by adding the third target facing the film formation chamber and performing sputtering.

  [Application Example 6] In the sputtering apparatus according to the application example described above, an inert gas is introduced into the sputtering particle emitting unit, and a reaction gas is introduced into the film forming chamber to react the sputtering particles with the reaction gas. Thus, it is desirable to form a film of the reaction product.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to prevent the reaction gas from flowing into the sputtered particle emitting portion by the control plate unit, and to prevent the reaction product from being deposited on the target surface and the sputtered particle emitting portion wall surface. For this reason, a stable discharge can be maintained in the sputtered particle emitting part for a long period of time, and the maintainability of the reactive sputtering apparatus can be improved.

  Application Example 7 In a liquid crystal device manufacturing apparatus according to this application example, a liquid crystal device including a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of opposing substrates and having an inorganic alignment film formed on the inner surface side of at least one of the substrates. A device manufacturing apparatus comprising the sputtering apparatus according to any one of the application examples, wherein the inorganic alignment film is formed by the sputtering apparatus.

  According to the manufacturing apparatus of the liquid crystal device of this application example, since the sputtering apparatus capable of forming a film by causing sputtering particles having high directivity to reach the substrate is provided, an inorganic alignment film having a good columnar structure and good characteristics Can be manufactured.

The schematic block diagram which shows an example of the sputtering device of 1st Embodiment. The side surface block diagram which observed the sputtered particle discharge | release part of 1st Embodiment from the Xa direction. The top view which looked at the control board unit of 1st Embodiment from the upper surface. The schematic diagram explaining the state which the sputtered particle of 1st Embodiment passes a control board unit. The schematic fragmentary sectional view which shows the modification of the control board unit of 1st Embodiment. The schematic fragmentary sectional view which shows the other modification of the control board unit of 1st Embodiment. The schematic block diagram which shows an example of the sputtering device of 2nd Embodiment. The top view of the TFT array substrate which comprises a liquid crystal device. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal device illustrating a liquid crystal device.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used for the following description, the ratio of dimensions of each member is appropriately changed for the description. In the following drawings, the transport direction of the substrate (substrate holder) in the film formation chamber is the X direction, the thickness direction of the substrate is the Z direction, the direction perpendicular to the X and Z directions is the Y direction, and the target thickness. The vertical direction is the Za direction, and the emission direction of the sputtered particles is the Xa direction.
(First embodiment)

(Sputtering device and liquid crystal device manufacturing device)
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the sputtering apparatus of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side configuration diagram of the sputtered particle emitting portion of FIG. 1 observed from the Za direction. The sputtering apparatus constitutes an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device, and forms an inorganic alignment film on a substrate that is a constituent member of the liquid crystal device.
As shown in FIG. 1, a sputtering apparatus 1 includes a film forming chamber 2 that accommodates a substrate W, a sputtering particle emitting unit 3 that generates plasma and emits sputtering particles from a target, and a direction in which the sputtering particles are emitted. And a control plate unit 30 to be controlled. Note that the sputtered particles refer to constituent atoms of the target that pop out due to a sputtering phenomenon.

The film forming chamber 2 is connected to an exhaust control device 20 including a rotary pump and a cryopump for controlling the internal pressure and obtaining a desired degree of vacuum via a pipe 20a.
Then, a reactive gas supply means 22 for supplying oxygen gas as a reactive gas that reacts with the sputtered particles 5P flying on the substrate W accommodated in the film forming chamber 2 to form an inorganic alignment film is provided.
The reactive gas supply means 22 is connected to the opposite side of the exhaust control device 20, and the oxygen gas supplied from the reactive gas supply means 22 flows from the −X side to the + X side of the film forming chamber 2 and will be described later. It flows to the exhaust control device 20 side via the upper part of the sputtered particle emitting part 3.

  The film formation chamber 2 has a substrate holder 6 that holds the surface to be processed (film formation surface) of the substrate W so that it is parallel (horizontal) to the XY plane. The substrate holder 6 is connected to a moving means 6 a that conveys the substrate holder 6. The transport of the substrate W by the moving means 6a can be transported at a constant speed parallel to the X-axis direction in FIG. 1, and on the substrate W by the sputtered particles 5P emitted from the sputtered particle ejecting portion 3 as will be described later. A high-quality inorganic alignment film can be formed.

  Further, the substrate holder 6 is provided with a heater (heating means) 7 for heating the held substrate W, and further provided with a cooling means 8c for cooling the held substrate W. The heater 7 is configured to heat the substrate holder 6 to a desired temperature. On the other hand, the cooling means 8c is connected to the refrigerant circulation means 18c, and is configured to cool the substrate holder 6 to a desired temperature by circulating the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant circulation means 18c. Yes.

  Although not shown, a load lock chamber capable of carrying in and out the substrate W with the vacuum degree of the film forming chamber 2 maintained is provided on one side or both sides of the film forming chamber 2 in the X-axis direction. Yes. The load lock chamber is also connected to an exhaust control device that independently adjusts it to a vacuum atmosphere, and the load lock chamber and the film forming chamber 2 are connected via a gate valve that hermetically closes the chamber. . In this way, the substrate W can be taken in and out without releasing the film formation chamber 2 to the atmosphere when the substrate W is carried into and out of the film formation chamber 2.

  The sputtered particle emitting unit 3 has a first target 5a and a second target 5b arranged to face each other, and constitutes a counter target type sputtering apparatus. The sputtering particle emitting unit 3 has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape in which only the connection surface with the film forming chamber 2 is opened, and is attached so that the film forming chamber 2 and the sputtered particle emitting unit 3 communicate with each other through the connecting unit 25. ing.

A pair of first target 5a and second target 5b are provided in the sputtered particle emitting portion 3 so as to face each other in substantially parallel.
The sputtered particle emitting unit 3 includes the first target 5a and the first target 5a held in the sputtered particle emitting unit 3 with respect to the normal direction (Z direction) of the film forming surface of the substrate W accommodated in the film forming chamber 2. The two targets 5b are formed so that the surface direction (Xa direction) is a predetermined angle θ. In other words, the angle formed by the surface direction (Xa direction) of the first target 5a and the second target 5b held in the sputtered particle emitting unit 3 and the transport direction (X direction) of the substrate holder 6 is a predetermined angle. It is formed to make.

  More specifically, the first target 5a and the second target 5b are preferably held in a state where the predetermined angle θ is inclined by 10 ° to 60 ° with respect to the normal direction of the substrate W. By setting the inclination angle of the first target 5a and the second target 5b with respect to the substrate W within the above range, a desired inorganic alignment film can be formed.

  In this embodiment, the substrate holder 6 is transported in the transport direction from −X to the end point in the + X direction at the time of film formation, and the pair of targets 5 a and 5 b are inclined to the end point side of transport of the substrate holder 6. . The first target 5a is provided closer to the starting point of the transport of the substrate holder 6, and the second target 5b is provided closer to the end of the transport of the substrate holder 6.

  The first target 5a is attached to the substantially flat plate-like first electrode 9a, and the second target 5b is attached to the substantially flat plate-like second electrode 9b. The first target 5a and the second target 5b are made of a material containing a constituent material of the inorganic alignment film formed on the substrate W, for example, silicon. Moreover, the 1st target 5a and the 2nd target 5b use the elongate plate-shaped thing extended in the illustration Y direction (refer FIG. 2).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first electrode 9 a and the second electrode 9 b are composed of a side wall member 19 a connected to one end thereof (end on the −Xa side), the first electrode 9 a and the second electrode 9 b. Together with the side wall members 19b and 19c respectively connected to both ends in the Y-axis direction, a box-shaped housing serving as a vacuum chamber of the sputtered particle emitting unit 3 is configured. However, the first electrode 9a, the second electrode 9b, and the side wall members (19a, 19b, 19c) constituting the box-shaped housing are insulated from each other. Further, the sputtering particle emitting portion 3 is provided with a sputtering gas supply means 21 for flowing a discharge argon gas in the vicinity of the side wall member 19a. Thereby, sputtering gas is comprised so that it may flow into the film-forming chamber 2 through a pair of opposing target 5a, 5b from the bottom face part of a box-shaped housing | casing.

  The first electrode 9a is connected to a power source 4a composed of a DC power source or a high frequency power source, and the second electrode 9b is connected to a power source 4b composed of a DC power source or a high frequency power source. In the state where the sputtering gas is supplied, plasma Pz is generated in the space (plasma generation region) where the targets 5a and 5b face with the power supplied from the power sources 4a and 4b.

A cooling means 8a for cooling the first target 5a is provided on the opposite side of the first electrode 9a from the first target 5a, and a refrigerant circulation means 18a is connected to the cooling means 8a.
A cooling means 8b for cooling the second target 5b is provided on the opposite side of the second electrode 9b from the second target 5b, and a refrigerant circulation means 18b is connected to the cooling means 8b.
The cooling means 8a and 8b are provided with a refrigerant flow path for circulating the refrigerant therein, and the first target 5a and the second target 5a are circulated by circulating the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant circulation means 18a and 18b through the refrigerant flow path. The target 5b is cooled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a magnetic field generating means 16a made of a rectangular frame-shaped permanent magnet, an electromagnet, or a combination of these is provided so as to surround the cooling means 8a. The magnetic field generating means 16b surrounding the cooling means 8b has the same shape.
The cooling means 8a and 8b may be made of a conductive member and electrically connected to the electrodes 9a and 9b, respectively. In this case, the power supplies 4a and 4b are electrically connected to the cooling means 8a and 8b, respectively. Can be connected. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which the electrodes 9a and 9b serve as a cooling means by forming a refrigerant | coolant flow path inside the electrodes 9a and 9b.

  The magnetic field generation means 16a and the magnetic field generation means 16b are arranged to face each other at the outer peripheral portions of the first target 5a and the second target 5b that are arranged to face each other. Then, these magnetic field generating means 16a, 16b generate a magnetic field in the Za direction surrounding the targets 5a, 5b in the sputtered particle emitting portion 3, and electrons contained in the plasma Pz are constrained in the plasma generation region by this magnetic field. Constraining means is configured.

  Furthermore, the sputtering apparatus 1 according to this embodiment selectively selects the sputtered particles 5P emitted from the sputtered particle emitting unit 3 onto the substrate W in order to improve the characteristics of the inorganic alignment film formed on the substrate W. A control plate unit 30 is provided. The control plate unit 30 is disposed inside the film forming chamber 2 and between the sputtering particle emitting unit 3 and the substrate W (substrate holder 6).

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the control plate unit as viewed from the top (Xa direction in FIG. 1).
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the control plate unit 30 is provided with control plates 31a to 31e made of a plate material in a rectangular shape in parallel to the surface direction (Xa direction) of the first target 5a and the second target 5b. Yes. In addition, control plates 32a and 32b are provided to connect both ends of the control plates 31a to 31e in a direction orthogonal to the control plates 31a to 31e (Za direction), and a configuration in which a large number of control plates are provided in a frame shape. It has become. A flange portion 38 is provided on the outer periphery of the frame-shaped control plate unit 30 and can be attached to the film forming chamber 2.
In this way, by tightly fixing the control plate unit 30 to the wall of the film forming chamber 2, the reaction gas such as oxygen supplied from the reaction gas supply means 22 is supplied from the path other than the upper surface of the control plate unit 30 to the control plate unit 30. It is possible to prevent the intrusion into the inside and the sputtered particle emitting unit 3 and to control the reaction only in the film forming chamber 2.

The control plates 31 a to 31 e are arranged at equal intervals in the Za direction, and are formed to extend in the Xa direction toward the transport path of the substrate holder 6. The length of the control plates 31a to 31e extending in the Xa direction is formed so as to increase in order from the control plate 31a close to the conveyance start point side of the substrate holder 6 toward the control plate 31e close to the end point side.
Furthermore, the upper surface 30 a that connects the end portions of the control plates 31 a to 31 e in the control plate unit 30 and the holding surface 6 b that holds the substrate W of the substrate holder 6 are arranged in parallel. With such an arrangement, the distance between the emission surface of the sputtered particles 5P and the substrate W becomes equal. That is, the reaction between the sputtering particles 5P and the gas in the film forming chamber 2 in the film forming chamber 2 is made uniform by equalizing the flight distance of the sputtering particles 5P contributing to the film formation in the space of the film forming chamber 2. I can do it. Thereby, a film having a uniform chemical composition in the thickness direction and a target chemical composition can be formed.

  In order to form an inorganic alignment film on the substrate W using the sputtering apparatus 1 having the above configuration, first, while introducing argon gas from the sputtering gas supply means 21, a direct or high voltage is applied to the electrodes 9 a and 9 b. As a result, plasma Pz is generated in a space between the first target 5a and the second target 5b. By causing argon ions in the plasma atmosphere to collide with the first target 5a and the second target 5b, the alignment film material (silicon) is knocked out as the sputtered particles 5P from the first target 5a and the second target 5b. Further, among the sputtered particles 5P included in the plasma Pz, only the sputtered particles 5P flying from the plasma Pz to the opening are discharged to the film forming chamber 2 side.

Then, the sputtered particles 5P pass through the control plate unit 30.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the sputtered particles pass through the control plate unit.
Of the sputtered particles 5P that are about to pass between the control plates 31a to 31e in the control plate unit 30, the sputtered particles with a greatly different incident angle are caught by the control plate of the control plate unit. That is, the sputtered particles 5P emitted from the upper surface of the control plate unit 30 have the same incident angle and become sputtered particles 5P with high directivity.
Then, an alignment film made of silicon oxide is formed on the substrate W by causing the sputtered particles 5P flying from the oblique direction on the surface of the substrate W to react with the oxygen gas flowing through the film forming chamber 2 on the substrate W. Form.
As described above, according to the sputtering apparatus 1, the inorganic alignment film having the columnar structure oriented in one direction is formed on the substrate W by supplying the sputtering particles 5 </ b> P having high directivity to the substrate and reacting with the reaction gas. Can do.

Further, the lengths of the control plates 31a to 31e in the Xa direction are formed so as to increase in order from the control plate 31a near the starting point side of the transport of the substrate W toward the control plate 31e near the end point side.
When the spacing between adjacent control plates is equal, the sputtered particles 5P that have passed through a long path have smaller incident angle variations and higher directivity than the sputtered particles 5P that have passed through a short path. From this, the film formed on the substrate W is initially formed by the sputtered particles 5P that have passed through the short path, and then formed by the sputtered particles 5P that have passed through the long path in order. That is, the upper layer portion of the film formed on the substrate W becomes an inorganic alignment film formed by the sputtered particles 5P having high directivity, and an inorganic alignment film with good characteristics can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the case where silicon as a sputtered particle 5P is reacted with oxygen gas to form a silicon oxide film on the substrate W has been described. For example, silicon oxide (SiOx) is used as a target. An inorganic alignment film made of silicon oxide or aluminum oxide can be formed on the substrate W using aluminum oxide (such as AlOy).

(Modification of control plate unit)
The control plate unit described above can employ the following configuration.
FIG. 5 is a schematic partial sectional view showing a modification of the control plate unit. In this modification, only the interval at which the control plates are arranged is different from that in the first embodiment, and the arrangement will be described.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the control plate unit 33 includes control plates 33a, 33b, 33c, and 33d having XaY planes. In addition, a control plate (not shown) that connects both ends of the control plates 33a to 33d is provided in a direction (Za direction) orthogonal to the surfaces of the control plates 33a to 33d, and a plurality of control plates are provided in a frame shape. It is in the form provided.
The lengths of the control plates 33a to 33d in the Xa direction are formed so as to increase in order from the control plate 33a close to the substrate transfer start point to the control plate 33d close to the end point. Further, when the interval between the control plate 33a and the control plate 33b is E1, the interval between the control plate 33b and the control plate 33c is E2, and the interval between the control plate 33c and the control plate 33d is E3, the relationship is E1>E2> E3. . That is, in the control plate unit 33, the path through which the sputtered particles pass becomes longer as the end point of substrate transport approaches, and the interval between adjacent control plates becomes narrower as the end point of substrate transport approaches.

Thus, in order to increase the directivity of the sputtered particles passing through the control plate unit 33, there are a method of lengthening the path through which the sputtered particles pass and a method of narrowing the gap through which the sputtered particles pass. Both are adopted.
Since the control plate unit 33 has such a structure, the film formed by transporting the substrate becomes an inorganic alignment film formed by sputtering particles whose directivity gradually increases from the lower layer to the upper layer. A good inorganic alignment film can be obtained.

  In the control plate unit 34 shown in FIG. 5B, the control plate 34b is disposed between the control plate 34a and the control plate 34c. Further, the lengths of the control plates 34a to 34c in the Xa direction are formed so as to increase in order from the control plate 34a close to the substrate transfer start point to the control plate 34c close to the end point. Further, if the interval between the control plate 34a and the control plate 34b is F1, and the interval between the control plate 34b and the control plate 34c is F2, the interval F1 is sufficiently large with respect to the interval F2.

  Since the control plate unit 34 has such a structure, a film formed by transporting the substrate is formed in the lower layer portion, that is, in the portion formed between the control plate 34a and the control plate 34b, adjacent control plates. Therefore, a thick film having a high sputtering rate can be formed. And since the upper layer part of the film formed on the substrate has a narrow distance between adjacent control plates and a long path, it is formed by sputtering particles having high directivity, and an inorganic alignment film having good characteristics can be obtained. .

Furthermore, a control plate unit having a configuration as shown in FIG. 6 can be employed.
In this modification of the control plate unit, the length of the control plate is formed substantially the same, which is different from the control plate unit in the first embodiment.
As shown to Fig.6 (a), the control board unit 35 is provided with the control boards 35a-35e which have a XaY plane, and is provided in parallel with the surface direction (Xa direction) of a 1st target and a 2nd target. In addition, a control plate (not shown) that connects both ends of the control plates 35a to 35e is provided in a direction (Za direction) orthogonal to the surfaces of the control plates 35a to 35e, and a plurality of control plates are provided in a frame shape. It is in the form provided.

The control plates 35a to 35e are arranged at the same interval G in the Za direction, and are formed to extend in the Xa direction toward the transport path of the substrate holder. And the length of the Xa direction of the control boards 35a-35e is formed by the same length.
The control plate unit 35 is attached to the connection portion 25 and is disposed so that a part of the control plates 35 a to 35 e is fitted into the connection portion 25.
Then, the length of the projection is sequentially increased from the control plate 35a close to the substrate start point to the control plate 35e close to the end point.
Furthermore, the surface which connects the edge part of each control board 35a-35e of the upper surface in the control board unit 35 and the surface which hold | maintains the board | substrate (not shown) of a board | substrate holder are arrange | positioned so that it may become parallel.

  Since the control plate unit 35 has such a structure, the film formed by transporting the substrate is an inorganic alignment film formed by sputtering particles with high directivity from the lower layer to the upper layer, An inorganic alignment film having good characteristics can be obtained.

The control plate unit 36 shown in FIG. 6B is different from the control plate unit 35 in the interval between adjacent control plates.
The control plate unit 36 includes control plates 36a, 36b, 36c, and 36d having XaY planes. When the interval between the control plate 36a and the control plate 36b is H1, the interval between the control plate 36b and the control plate 36c is H2, and the interval between the control plate 36c and the control plate 36d is H3, the relationship is H1>H2> H3. That is, the interval between adjacent control plates in the control plate unit 36 becomes narrower as it approaches the end point of substrate transport.

  Since the control plate unit 36 has such a structure, the film formed by transporting the substrate becomes an inorganic alignment film formed by sputtered particles whose directivity gradually increases from the lower layer portion to the upper layer portion. A good inorganic alignment film can be obtained.

The control plate unit 37 shown in FIG. 6C is obtained by reducing the number of control plates with respect to the control plate unit 35 described above.
In the control plate unit 37, a control plate 37b is disposed between the control plate 37a and the control plate 37c. If the interval between the control plate 37a and the control plate 37b is J1, and the interval between the control plate 37b and the control plate 37c is J2, the interval J1 is sufficiently large with respect to the interval J2.

Since the control plate unit 37 has such a structure, a film formed by transporting the substrate is formed in a lower layer portion, that is, in a portion formed between the control plate 37a and the control plate 37b, adjacent control plates. Therefore, a thick film having a high sputtering rate can be formed. And since the upper layer part of the film | membrane formed into a film | membrane on the board | substrate has a narrow space | interval of an adjacent control board, it forms into a film with sputtering particles with high directivity, and can obtain the inorganic alignment film with a favorable characteristic.
(Second Embodiment)

Next, as a second embodiment, a sputtering apparatus in which the configuration of the sputtering particle emitting unit is different from the sputtering apparatus of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of the sputtering apparatus of the present embodiment. In addition, since this embodiment differs only in the structure of a sputtered particle emission part, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol as 1st Embodiment is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the sputtering apparatus 50 includes a film forming chamber 2 that accommodates the substrate W, a sputtering particle emitting unit 60 that generates plasma and emits sputtering particles from the target, and a direction in which the sputtering particles are emitted. And a control plate unit 30 to be controlled.
The sputtered particle emitting unit 60 includes a first target 5 a and a second target 5 b that are arranged to face each other, and constitutes a counter target type sputtering apparatus 50. The sputtering particle emitting unit 60 has a rectangular parallelepiped box shape in which only the connection surface with the film forming chamber 2 is opened, and is attached so that the film forming chamber 2 and the sputtered particle emitting unit 60 communicate with each other through the connecting unit 25. ing.
Furthermore, a third target 5 c is provided on the bottom surface of the rectangular parallelepiped box so as to face the film formation chamber 2. The third target 5c is long in the Y direction. The third target 5c is mounted on a substantially flat third electrode 9c, and is made of a material containing a constituent material of an inorganic alignment film formed on the substrate W, for example, silicon.

  The sputtered particle emitting unit 60 has the first target 5a and the first target held in the sputtered particle emitting unit 60 with respect to the normal direction (Z direction) of the film forming surface of the substrate W accommodated in the film forming chamber 2. The two targets 5b are formed so that the surface direction (Xa direction) is a predetermined angle θ. In other words, the angle formed by the surface direction (Xa direction) of the first target 5a and the second target 5b held in the sputtered particle emitting unit 60 and the transport direction (X direction) of the substrate holder 6 is a predetermined angle. It is formed to make.

The third electrode 5c of the third target 5c is connected to a power source 4c composed of a DC power source or a high frequency power source. A magnetic field generating means 16c made of a rectangular frame-shaped permanent magnet, an electromagnet, a combination of these, or the like is disposed on the opposite side of the third electrode 9c from the third target 5c.
A cooling means 8c for cooling the third target 5c is provided on the opposite side of the third electrode 9c from the third target 5c, and a refrigerant circulation means 18c is connected to the cooling means 8c.
The cooling means 8c includes a refrigerant flow path for circulating the refrigerant therein, and the third target 5c is cooled by circulating the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant circulation means 18c through the refrigerant flow path. ing.

With the sputtering gas (argon gas) supplied, the plasma Pz is generated in the space (plasma generation region) above the third target 5c by the power supplied from the power source 4c, and the sputtered particles 5P are emitted from the third target 5c. can do.
The sputtering particles 5P can be discharged into the film forming chamber 2 by discharging the first target 5a, the second target 5b, and the third target 5c simultaneously or alternately.

As described above, with the sputtering apparatus 50 having such a configuration, an inorganic alignment film made of sputtered particles with high directivity can be formed, and the film formation rate that is reduced by arranging the control plate unit 30 is reduced to the film formation chamber 2. The deposition rate on the substrate can be improved by adding and sputtering the third target 5c facing the substrate.
(Liquid crystal device)

Hereinafter, an example of a liquid crystal device that can be manufactured using the sputtering apparatus 1 described above will be described with reference to the drawings.
The liquid crystal device according to the present embodiment is a TFT active matrix type transmissive liquid crystal device having a configuration in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a TFT array substrate arranged opposite to each other and a counter substrate.
FIG. 8 is a plan view of a TFT array substrate constituting the liquid crystal device according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal device.

As shown in FIG. 8, the TFT array substrate 110 has an image display area 101 formed at the center. A sealing material 102 is disposed on the peripheral edge of the image display area 101, and the TFT array substrate 110 and the counter substrate 120 are bonded together by the sealing material 102, and the area surrounded by both the substrates 110, 120 and the sealing material 102. A liquid crystal layer (not shown) is sealed.
A scanning line driving circuit 103 that supplies a scanning signal to the scanning lines and a data line driving circuit 104 that supplies an image signal to the data lines are mounted outside the sealing material 102. A plurality of connection terminals 106 connected to an external circuit are provided at the end of the TFT array substrate 110, and wirings extending from the drive circuits 103 and 104 are connected to the connection terminals 106. In addition, inter-substrate conduction portions 105 that electrically connect the TFT array substrate 110 and the counter substrate 120 are provided at the four corners of the sealing material 102, and are electrically connected to the connection terminals 106 through wiring. .

As shown in FIG. 9, the liquid crystal device 100 includes a TFT array substrate 110, a counter substrate 120 disposed so as to face the TFT array substrate 110, and a liquid crystal layer 130 sandwiched therebetween.
The TFT array substrate 110 covers a substrate body 111 made of a light-transmitting material such as glass or quartz, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) 118 formed on the inner side (the liquid crystal layer 130 side), a pixel electrode 112, and further covers this. An alignment base film 113, an inorganic alignment film 114, and the like are provided.
The counter substrate 120 includes a substrate body 121 made of a light-transmitting material such as glass or quartz, a common electrode 122 made of a transparent conductive material formed on the inner side (the liquid crystal layer 130 side), and an alignment base film 123 covering this. In addition, an inorganic alignment film 124 and the like are provided.
The inorganic alignment films 114 and 124 are made of silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ), but are not limited to silicon oxide, but include aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, indium tin oxide, or silicon nitride, It may be formed of titanium nitride or the like.
Note that polarizing plates 115 and 125 are arranged on the outer sides of the substrate bodies 111 and 121 (on the side opposite to the liquid crystal layer 130) in a state where the transmission axes thereof are orthogonal to each other (crossed Nicols).

In the liquid crystal device 100 described above, the inorganic alignment films 114 and 124 include the inorganic alignment films with good alignment that can be formed by the sputtering apparatus 1 described above. With 124, the alignment state such as the pretilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules can be controlled better. In addition, a highly reliable liquid crystal device 100 which can display with high luminance and high contrast and has excellent heat resistance and light resistance is obtained.
In addition, the liquid crystal device 100 can be used for a projector equipped with light modulation means.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Sputtering apparatus, 2 ... Film-forming chamber, 3 ... Sputtering particle emission part, 4a, 4b, 4c ... Power supply, 5a ... 1st target, 5b ... 2nd target, 5c ... 3rd target, 5P ... Sputtering particle, 6 ... substrate holder, 6a ... moving means, 6b ... holding surface, 7 ... heating means, 8a, 8b, 8c ... cooling means, 9a, 9b, 9c ... electrodes, 16a, 16b, 16c ... magnetic field generating means, 18a, 18b, 18c ... Refrigerant circulation means, 19a, 19b, 19c ... Side wall member, 20 ... Exhaust control device, 20a ... Piping, 21 ... Sputtering gas supply means, 22 ... Reactive gas supply means, 25 ... Connection, 30 ... Control plate unit, 30a ... upper surface, 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 31e ... control plate, 32a, 32b ... control plate, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 ... control plate unit, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Flange part, 50 ... Sputtering apparatus, 60 ... Sputtering particle emission part, 100 ... Liquid crystal device, 101 ... Image display area, 102 ... Sealing material, 103 ... Scanning line drive circuit, 104 ... Data line drive circuit, 105 ... Substrate Conductive part 106 ... Connection terminal 110 ... TFT array substrate 111 ... Substrate body 112 ... Pixel electrode 113 ... Orientation base film 114 ... Inorganic orientation film 115 ... Polarizing plate 118 ... TFT 120 ... Counter substrate , 121 ... substrate body, 122 ... common electrode, 123 ... orientation underlayer film, 124 ... inorganic orientation film, 125 ... polarizing plate, 130 ... liquid crystal layer, Pz ... plasma, W ... substrate.

Claims (7)

A film forming chamber having a substrate holder for holding the substrate and provided so that the substrate holder can be transported;
A sputtered particle emitting unit having a pair of targets that are in communication with the film forming chamber and in which a first target and a second target are arranged to face each other in parallel;
A control plate unit having a control plate disposed between the substrate holder and the sputtered particle emitting portion and extending toward a transport path of the substrate holder,
The pair of targets of the sputtered particle emitting unit are disposed in an inclined state with respect to the transport path of the substrate holder, and sputtered particles are generated from the pair of targets by plasma, and are transported to the transported substrate holder. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sputtering particles are emitted toward the surface, the control plate is arranged in parallel with the pair of targets, and the sputtering particles are selectively passed therethrough. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1,
The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the substrate holder that holds the substrate and a surface that connects the end of the control plate of the control plate unit facing the surface are parallel to each other. The sputtering apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The pair of targets are inclined toward the end point direction side of the conveyance of the substrate holder,
Compared with the control plate located on the side closer to the transfer start point of the substrate holder, the control plate located closer to the transfer end point of the substrate holder has a longer length toward the transfer path of the substrate holder. A sputtering apparatus characterized by that. In the sputtering apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 3,
The interval between the adjacent control plates is closer to the end of transfer of the substrate holder than the interval between the control plates positioned closer to the start of transfer of the substrate holder. A sputtering apparatus characterized by being narrow. In the sputtering device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A sputtering apparatus comprising a third target facing the film formation chamber in the sputtering particle emitting portion. In the sputtering apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5,
Sputtering characterized in that an inert gas is introduced into the sputtered particle emitting portion, a reactive gas is introduced into the film forming chamber, and a reaction product is formed by reacting the sputtered particles with the reactive gas. apparatus. An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device comprising a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of opposing substrates, wherein an inorganic alignment film is formed on the inner surface side of at least one of the substrates,
An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal device comprising the sputtering apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inorganic alignment film is formed by the sputtering apparatus.

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