Patent ID: 6274014
Filing Date: 2001-08-14
Classification: C23C

Abstract:
A film deposition apparatus comprising:a magnetron sputtering device;a film deposition process zone for depositing on a substrate a metallic ultra-thin film of a metal or an incompletely-reacted metal through magnetron sputtering;a reaction process zone for bringing the metallic ultra-thin film in contact with an electrically neutral activated species of a reactive gas so as to convert the metallic ultra-thin film to an ultra-thin film of a metal compound through the reaction of the metallic ultra-thin film with the activated species of the reactive gas;an activated-species generator for generating the activated species, said activated-species generator comprising a reactive gas plasma generation unit for generating a reactive gas plasma composed of reactive gas ions, electrons, and the electrically neutral activated species through the application of radio-frequency power to a reactive gas introduced thereinto;a grid for selectively trapping charged particles, electrons, and ions, from the reactive gas plasma and for selectively allowing the electrically neutral activated species to pass therethrough, to thereby feed the electrically neutral activated species into said reaction process zone;transfer means for transferring the substrate between said film deposition process zone and said reaction process zone; andshield means for separating said film deposition process zone from said reaction process zone in terms of space and pressure so as to prevent the reactive gas from entering said film deposition process zone;wherein the substrate is repeatedly transferred a plurality of times between said film deposition process zone and said reaction process zone so as to deposit on the substrate the ultra-thin film of the metal compound in a plurality of layers until a thin film of the metal compound having a desired thickness is formed on the substrate.