Abstract:
A film forming apparatus including a film forming chamber which forms a film, a jetting mechanism which jets aerosol containing material particles onto a substrate in the film forming chamber, a measuring chamber communicating with the film forming chamber, a measuring mechanism which measures a thickness of the film in the measuring chamber, a pressure adjusting mechanism which controls an internal pressure of the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber, a conveyor which transports the substrate between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber, and a blocking section which blocks a communication between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber. Accordingly, inside of the measuring chamber is maintained clean without being polluted with the aerosol, and the measurement precision can be maintained. In the film forming process, the film thickness can be easily and precisely measured, and fed back to the film forming condition.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     The present application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No, 2005-243130, filed on Aug. 24, 2005, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method, and particularly to formation of piezoelectric film in a piezoelectric actuator used in an ink jet head or the like.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     A so-called aerosol deposition method (AD method) is known as a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator used in an ink jet head or the like. For example, JP-A-2003-306762 discloses a method for generating aerosol by dispersing fine particles of piezoelectric material into gas in an aerosol chamber, guiding the generated aerosol to a jet nozzle in a film forming chamber by the difference in pressure between the aerosol chamber and the film forming chamber which is caused by reducing the internal pressure of the film forming chamber, thereby jetting the aerosol to the surface of a substrate. According to this method, the fine particles contained in the aerosol collide with and deposit onto the substrate, thereby forming piezoelectric film.  
         [0006]     When a thin film is formed, it is difficult to control the thickness of the film perfectly, and particularly, there is a tendency that the variation in the film thickness becomes larger as the film forming speed is increased. Therefore, it has been adopted to control the film thickness as needed by setting an initial condition experientially, measuring the film thickness during film formation and performing parameter control to some degree.  
         [0007]     However, as in the case of the AD method, in a case where a method for executing the film forming process in reduced pressure is adopted, and the film thickness is measured during the film formation, there must be taken an extremely complicated procedure in which the internal pressure of the film forming chamber is temporarily returned to normal pressure, a substrate placed in the film forming chamber is taken out to measure the film thickness, the substrate is returned to the inside of the film forming chamber again after the film thickness is measured, and then the internal pressure of the chamber is adjusted.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention has an object to provide a film forming apparatus and a film forming method that can easily control the film thickness in a film forming process.  
         [0009]     According to a first aspect of the present invention, a film forming apparatus is provided including: a film forming chamber which forms a film; a jetting mechanism which jets aerosol containing material particles onto a substrate in the film forming chamber to form a film formed of the material particles on the substrate; a measuring chamber communicating with the film forming chamber; a measuring mechanism which measures a thickness of the film in the measuring chamber; a pressure adjusting mechanism which is connected to the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber and which controls an internal pressure of the film forming chamber and an internal pressure of the measuring chamber; a conveyor which transports the substrate between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber; and a blocking section which blocks a communication between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber.  
         [0010]     The film forming apparatus according to the present invention may be used to form film of oxide ceramics such as alumina, zirconia, silica, mullite or the like. Particularly, the film forming apparatus may be suitably used to form piezoelectric film for a piezoelectric actuators which is formed of lead titanate zirconate (PZT), lead magnesium niobate (PMN) or the like. The substrate on which the film is formed is not limited to a specific one insofar as it is normally applicable to the film formation by the aerosol deposition method, and for example, stainless steel (SUS430, SUS304 or the like),  42 A alloy, alumina, zirconia, titan or the like may be used for the substrate.  
         [0011]     In this case, in a state that the internal pressure of the film forming chamber and the internal pressure of the measuring chamber are depressurized, the substrate can be transformed between both chambers and both the film formation and the measurement can be repeated. Furthermore, when the film is formed, the communication between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber can be broken. Therefore, even when these chambers are used for a long period of time, the inside of the measuring chamber can be prevented from being polluted by adherence of aerosol and thus the inside of the measuring chamber can be maintained clean, so that the measuring precision can be maintained.  
         [0012]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the measuring mechanism may be a non-contact type mechanism, and may be arranged at outside of the measuring chamber.  
         [0013]     Further, in the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the measuring mechanism may be an optical mechanism which is provided with a light emitting section which emits light to the substrate, and a light receiving section which receives light reflected from the substrate.  
         [0014]     According to the above-described construction, the thickness of the film on the substrate in the measuring chamber can be measured by operating the measuring mechanism at the outside of the measuring chamber. Accordingly, it is unnecessary for a worker to return the internal pressure of the measuring chamber to normal pressure in order to enter the measuring chamber every time the thickness of the film is measured. Therefore, the film forming process can be further simplified.  
         [0015]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, each of the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber may be connected to the pressure adjusting mechanism via a valve. In this case, even when the pressure adjusting mechanism is not provided in each of the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber, the internal pressure of each of the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber can be individually adjusted with only one pressure adjusting mechanism by opening/closing the valve. Therefore, the cost can be reduced.  
         [0016]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, a port for carrying the substrate in and out may be provided in the measuring chamber. In this case, when the substrate is carried in or carried out, only the internal pressure of the measuring chamber may be merely returned to normal pressure, and the inside of the film forming chamber can be kept at a depressurized state at all times, so that variation of the pressure of the film forming chamber which affects the film formation can be minimized.  
         [0017]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the conveyor may be provided as a plurality of conveyors. In this case, for example, at the same time when one substrate is subjected to film formation in the film forming chamber, the film thickness of another substrate is measured in the measurement chamber, and then both the substrates are exchanged with each other through the plurality of conveyors. Thereafter, at the same time when the film thickness of the one substrate is measured in the measurement chamber, the other substrate is subjected to the film formation in the film forming chamber, whereby the film forming processes for the plurality of substrates can be performed at the same time. Accordingly, the production efficiency can be enhanced.  
         [0018]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, an intermediate chamber may be provided between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber, through which the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber communicate with each other, and the intermediate chamber may be provided with a cleaner which removes contamination of the substrate. With the above construction, the material particles can be prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber when the substrate is transported, and thus the inside of the measuring chamber can be maintained clean. Accordingly, the measuring precision can be maintained.  
         [0019]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the cleaner may be a gas cleaner which removes the contamination of the substrate by spraying gas to the substrate, and the gas cleaner may serve also as a second pressure adjusting mechanism which adjusts a pressure of one of the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber communicating with the intermediate chamber by supplying gas to the intermediate chamber. In this case, the construction of the film forming apparatus can be simplified.  
         [0020]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the gas may be same as gas which forms the aerosol. In this case, removal of contaminants and measurement can be performed in an atmosphere approximate to an atmosphere in which the film formation is performed, and thus a newly prepared face occurred owing to crack of fine particles at the film formation time can be maintained in a nearly new state until the film reformation is carried out, so that the film reformation can be excellently performed.  
         [0021]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the blocking section may be formed as a plurality of blocking sections provided in the intermediate chamber at two locations on a side of the film forming chamber and a side of the measuring chamber. With this construction, the material particles floating in the film forming chamber can be prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber and polluting the inside of the measuring chamber owing to the difference in internal pressure between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber.  
         [0022]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the cleaner may be arranged in the intermediate chamber between the blocking sections at the two locations. In this case, when the work of removing excessive material particles, or the like, adhering to the substrate is carried out, it can be performed in a state that the blocking sections at two locations are closed. With this construction, the variation of the internal pressure in the intermediate chamber in the removing work and the material particles, or the like, removed from the substrate can be prevented from adversely affecting the film formation and the measurement.  
         [0023]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, an intermediate chamber-pressure adjusting mechanism, which controls an internal pressure of a space partitioned by the blocking sections at the two locations, may be arranged in the intermediate chamber.  
         [0024]     In this case, when the substrate is transported between the film forming chamber and the intermediate chamber, in a state that the blocking section on a side of the measuring chamber is closed, the internal pressure of the intermediate chamber is matched to that of the film forming chamber, and then the blocking section on a side of the film forming chamber is opened, and the substrate is transported. On the other hand, when the substrate is transported between the measuring chamber and the intermediate chamber, in a state that the blocking section on the side of the film forming chamber is closed, the internal pressure of the intermediate chamber is matched to that of the measuring chamber, and then the blocking section on the side of the measuring chamber is opened. As described above, when the substrate is transported, it is necessary only to change the internal pressure of the intermediate chamber which needs only a relatively narrower space than the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber and the internal pressure of which can easily be adjusted.  
         [0025]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, a pressure controller which controls one of the pressure adjusting mechanism and the valve may be provided such that the internal pressure of the measuring chamber is higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber when the substrate is transported by the conveyor.  
         [0026]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, an opening/closing portion which is provided in the measuring chamber and which opens/closes the port for carrying the substrate in and out, an open/close detector which detects an open/close state of the port by the opening/closing portion, and a blocking controller which closes the blocking section when an open/close detector detects that the port is in an open state, may be provided.  
         [0027]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, a position detector which is provided in the conveyor and which detects a position of the substrate on the conveyor: and a blocking controller which closes the blocking section on the side of the measuring chamber and opens the blocking section on the side of the film forming chamber when the position detector detects that the substrate is located between the film forming chamber and the intermediate chamber, and which closes the blocking section on the side of the film forming chamber and opens the blocking section on the side of the measuring chamber when the position detector detects that the substrate is located between the measuring chamber and the intermediate chamber, may be provided.  
         [0028]     In these cases, the pressure adjustment, or the like, between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber can be automated when the substrate is carried in/carried out and is transported between the film forming chamber and the measuring charter.  
         [0029]     In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, a judging section which judges whether or not the thickness of the film measured by the measuring mechanism is smaller than a predetermined reference thickness; a jet condition adjusting section which adjusts a jet condition of the jetting mechanism on the basis of the thickness of the film measured by the measuring mechanism; and an apparatus controller which controls, the conveyor to transport the substrate from the measuring chamber to the film forming chamber, which controls the jet condition adjusting section to adjust the jet condition of the jetting mechanism in accordance with the thickness of the film and controls the jetting mechanism to jet the aerosol to the substrate transported to the film forming chamber according to the adjusted jet condition when the judging section judges that the film thickness is smaller than the reference thickness, may be provided.  
         [0030]     In this case, when the thickness of the film measured by the measuring mechanism is smaller than a reference thickness, the film forming condition (the jet condition of the jetting mechanism) is adjusted in accordance with the measurement result of the thickness of the film, and then the film is reformed. Accordingly, the film formation to compensate for an insufficient thickness of the film can be performed with high precision.  
         [0031]     According to the second aspect of the present invention, a method for forming a film of material particles on a substrate by a film forming apparatus having a film forming chamber which forms a film, a jetting mechanism which jets aerosol containing the material particles in the film forming chamber, a measuring chamber communicating with the film forming chamber, a measuring mechanism which measures the thickness of the film formed in the measuring chamber, and a blocking section which blocks a space between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber is provided, and the method includes: a substrate carrying in step of carrying the substrate in the film forming chamber; a film forming step of forming the film on the substrate by jetting the aerosol from the jetting mechanism in a state that the film forming chamber is blocked from the measuring chamber; a first substrate transporting step of transporting the substrate from the film forming chamber to the measuring chamber in a state that the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber are depressurized; a film thickness measuring step of measuring the thickness of the film; a judging step of judging whether or not the thickness of the film reaches a predetermined reference thickness, on the basis of a measurement result in the film thickness measuring step; and a re-forming step of re-forming the film in case that the thickness of the film is judged to be smaller than the reference thickness in the judging step; and the re-forming step has a second substrate transporting step of transporting the substrate from the measuring chamber to the film forming chamber in a state that an internal pressure of the film forming chamber and an internal pressure of the measuring chamber are reduced, an adjusting step of adjusting a setting of a film forming condition in the film forming step on the basis of a measurement result in the film thickness measuring step, and a step of re-executing the film forming step, the first substrate transporting step, the film thickness measuring step and the judging step.  
         [0032]     In this case, inside of the measuring chamber can be prevented from being polluted with aerosol so as to be kept clean and the measuring precision is maintained. Furthermore, the thickness of the film is easily and precisely measured during the film forming process, and can be fed back to the film forming condition. Accordingly, a film having uniform thickness can be manufactured easily. In the present invention, the adjusting step may be set before or after the second substrate transporting step.  
         [0033]     In the film forming method for the present invention, after the judging step, a substrate carrying out step of carrying the substrate out the measuring chamber may be included, in place of the re-forming step when a judgment is made in the judging step that the thickness of the film is not less than the reference thickness. By doing this, when it is unnecessary to carry out film formation again like a case where a film having a desired film thickness has been formed or a case where a film having a thickness larger than a desired thickness has been formed and thus it is difficult to restore the film, the process can be shifted to the steps after the film formation without carrying out any extra step. Accordingly, the film formation can be rapidly performed.  
         [0034]     In the film forming method of the present invention, the internal pressure of the measuring chamber may be set to be higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber in the first substrate transporting step and the second substrate transporting step. By doing this, the material particles floating in the film forming chamber can be prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber and polluting inside of the measuring chamber. Accordingly, the inside of the measuring chamber can be kept clean, and the measuring precision can be maintained.  
         [0035]     In the film forming method of the present invention, the measuring chamber may be provided with a port for carrying the substrate in and out the apparatus; and in the substrate carrying in step, the substrate may be carried in from the port for carrying the substrate in and out in a state that the film forming chamber is blocked off from the measuring chamber, and further the substrate may be transported from the measuring chamber to the film forming chamber. In this case, the substrate can be carried in from outside into the apparatus in a state that the film forming chamber is kept depressurized. Accordingly, the process can be immediately shifted to the subsequent film forming step, and the film formation can be rapidly performed.  
         [0036]     In the film forming method of the present invention, an intermediate chamber, through which the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber communicate with each other, may be provided between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber, and blocking sections may be provided in the intermediate chamber at two locations on a side of the film forming chamber and on a side of the measuring chamber; and, after the substrate carrying in step, in the first substrate transporting step and the second substrate transporting step, the blocking section on the side of the film forming chamber may be opened in a state that the blocking section on the side of the measuring chamber is closed when the substrate is transported between the film forming chamber and the intermediate chamber, and the blocking section on the side of the measuring chamber may be opened in a state that the blocking section on the side of the film forming chamber is closed when the substrate is transported between the measuring chamber and the intermediate chamber. By doing this, the material particles floating in the film forming chamber can be prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber and polluting inside of the measuring chamber owing to the difference in internal pressure between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber.  
         [0037]     According to the third aspect of the present invention, a method of producing piezoelectric actuator for forming piezoelectric film of piezoelectric material particles on a substrate is provided by a film forming apparatus having a film forming chamber which forms a film, a jetting mechanism which jets aerosol containing the piezoelectric material particles in the film forming chamber, a measuring chamber communicating with the film forming chamber, a measuring mechanism which measures a thickness of the film formed in the measuring chamber, and a blocking section which blocks a space between the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber, and the method includes: a substrate carrying in step of carrying the substrate in the film forming chamber; a piezoelectric film forming step of forming the piezoelectric film on the substrate by jetting the aerosol from the jetting mechanism in a state that the film forming chamber is blocked from the measuring chamber; a first substrate transporting step of transporting the substrate from the film forming chamber to the measuring chamber in a state that the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber are depressurized; a film thickness measuring step of measuring the thickness of the film; a judging step of judging whether or not the thickness of the film reaches a predetermined reference thickness, on the basis of a measurement result in the film thickness measuring step; a re-forming step of re-forming the film in case that the thickness of the film is judged to be smaller than the reference thickness in the judging step; a substrate carrying out step of carrying the substrate out the measuring chamber in case that the thickness of the film is judged to be not less than the reference thickness in the judging step; and the re-forming step has a second substrate transporting step for transporting the substrate from the measuring chamber to the film forming chamber in a state that an internal pressure of the film forming chamber and an internal pressure of the measuring chamber are reduced; an adjusting step of adjusting a setting of a film forming condition in the film forming step on the basis of the measurement result in the film thickness measuring step; and a step of re-executing the film forming step, the first substrate transporting step, the film thickness measuring step and the judging step.  
         [0038]     According to this method, inside of the measuring chamber can be prevented from being polluted with aerosol so as to be kept clean, and the measuring precision can be maintained. Furthermore, the thickness of the piezoelectric film is simply and precisely measured during the film forming process and can be fed back to the film forming condition. Accordingly, a piezoelectric actuator having piezoelectric film which has uniform thickness of the film and an excellent piezoelectric characteristic can be manufactured easily. In the present invention, the adjusting step may be provided before or after the second substrate transporting step. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0039]      FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing a film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment.  
         [0040]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the construction of a film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment.  
         [0041]      FIG. 3  is a partially enlarged view showing a belt conveyor.  
         [0042]      FIG. 4A  is a diagram showing an aspect that a substrate is carried in the film forming apparatus in a film forming step of the first embodiment, and  FIG. 4B  is a diagram showing an aspect that the substrate is transported from a measuring chamber to the film forming chamber in the film forming step of the first embodiment.  
         [0043]      FIG. 5A  is a diagram showing an aspect that a film is formed in the film forming chamber in the film forming step of the first embodiment, and  FIG. 5B  is a diagram showing an aspect that the substrate is transported from the film forming chamber to the measuring chamber in the film forming step of the first embodiment.  
         [0044]      FIG. 6  is a diagram showing an aspect that thickness of the film is measured in the measuring chamber in the film forming step of the first embodiment,  
         [0045]      FIG. 7  is a flowchart showing the flow of the film formation in the first embodiment and a second embodiment.  
         [0046]      FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram showing a film forming apparatus according to the second embodiment.  
         [0047]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram showing the construction of the film forming apparatus according to the second embodiment.  
         [0048]      FIG. 10A  is a diagram showing an aspect that the substrate is carried in the film forming apparatus in the film forming step of the second embodiment, and  FIG. 10B  is a diagram showing an aspect that the substrate is transported from the measuring chamber to an intermediate chamber in the film forming step of the second embodiment.  
         [0049]      FIG. 11A  is a diagram showing an aspect that the substrate is transported from the intermediate chamber to the film forming chamber in the film forming step of the second embodiment, and  FIG. 11B  is a diagram showing an aspect that the film is formed in the film forming chamber in the film forming step of the second embodiment.  
         [0050]      FIG. 12A  is a diagram showing an aspect that the substrate is transported from the film forming chamber to the intermediate chamber in the film forming step of the second embodiment, and  FIG. 12B  is a diagram showing an aspect that the substrate is transported from the intermediate chamber to the measuring chamber in the film forming step of the second embodiment.  
         [0051]      FIG. 13  is a diagram showing an aspect that thickness of the film is measured in the measuring chamber in the film forming step of the second embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
     First Embodiment  
       [0052]     A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.  1  to  7 .  FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing the overall construction of a film forming apparatus  1  of the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is a block diagram showing the film forming apparatus  1 . The film forming apparatus  1  includes a film forming chamber  10  in which films are formed, a measuring chamber  20  in which thickness of the formed film is measured, an intermediate chamber  30  that is provided between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  so as to communicate with both of the chambers  10 ,  20  and a host computer C (a pressure controller, an blocking controller and an apparatus controller) to automatically control the operation of the film forming apparatus  1 .  
         [0053]     In the film forming chamber  10 , aerosol Z is sprayed onto a substrate B so that material particles M contained in the aerosol z adhere to the substrate B, thereby forming thin film of the material particles M on the substrate B. A stage  11  for mounting the substrate B thereon is arranged in the film forming chamber  10 . Furthermore, a jet nozzle  12  for jetting aerosol Z is arranged at the upper side of the stage  11  so that a nozzle hole of the jet nozzle faces a side of the stage  11 . The jet nozzle  12  is movable relatively to the stage  11  by a traverse mechanism (not shown), and the jet nozzle  12  can scan a desired route above the substrate B mounted on the stage  11 , whereby the jet nozzle  12  can jet aerosol Z to a desired position on the substrate B.  
         [0054]     The jet nozzle  12  is connected to an aerosol generator  13 . The aerosol generator  13  is provided with an aerosol chamber  14  in which the material particles M can be accommodated, and a vibrating device  15  that is secured to the aerosol chamber  14  and vibrates the aerosol chamber  14 . A gas cylinder G for introducing carrier gas is connected to the aerosol chamber  14  via an introducing pipe  16 . The tip of the introducing pipe  16  is located in the vicinity of the bottom surface in the aerosol chamber  14 , and embedded in the material particles M. As the carrier gas inert gas such as helium, argon, nitrogen or the like, air, oxygen or the like may be used.  
         [0055]     The aerosol chamber  14  is connected to the jet nozzle  12  via an aerosol supplying pipe  17 , and aerosol Z generated in the aerosol chamber  14  is passed through the aerosol supplying pipe  17  and jetted from the jet nozzle  12 . The jet nozzle  12 , the aerosol generator  13 , the gas cylinder G, the traverse mechanism, or the like, as described above, and a vacuum pump P for generating a difference in pressure between a film forming chamber  10  described later and the aerosol chamber  14  correspond to a jetting mechanism in the present invention.  
         [0056]     The measuring chamber  20  is provided to measure the unevenness in the thickness of the film formed on the substrate  10 B in the film forming chamber  10 , and it is connected to the film forming chamber  10  via an intermediate chamber  30  described later. A measuring table  21  on which the substrate B is mounted is arranged in the measuring chamber  20 . Furthermore, a window portion  22  is provided in the ceiling portion of the measuring chamber  20 , and a laser interferometer  23  as an optical measuring mechanism is arranged at the upper portion of the window portion  22 . A light transmissible glass plate is fitted in the window portion  22 , and light emitted from the laser interferometer  23  and light reflected from the substrate B are transmissible through the transmissible glass plate. Accordingly, the thickness of the film formed on the substrate B is measured by the laser interferometer  23  arranged at outside of the measuring chamber  20 .  
         [0057]     A slender intermediate chamber  30  having a square piped shape through which the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring charter  20  are connected to each other is provided between both chambers. A partition valve  31  (blocking section) is provided in the intermediate chamber  30 , and the communication between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  is allowed or blocked by opening/closing the partition valve  31 . Between a stage  11  arranged in the film forming chamber  10  and a measuring table  21  arranged in the measuring chamber  20 , a belt conveyor  32  (conveyor) is provided to pass the substrate B through the intermediate chamber  30  and transport the substrate B between the stage  11  and the measuring table  21 .  
         [0058]     With respect to the belt conveyor  32 , two lines of an upward belt conveyor for transporting the substrate B from a side of the measuring chamber  20  (the upper left side of  FIG. 3 ) to a side of the film forming chamber  10  (the lower right side of  FIG. 3 ), and a downward belt conveyor  32 B for transporting the substrate B from a side of the film forming chamber  10  side to a side of the measuring chamber  20  are provided parallel to each other as shown in  FIG. 3 , whereby two substrates can be exchanged with each other all at once between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20 . Accordingly, the film forming processes of the two substrates B can be formed at the same time, for example, by forming a film of one substrate B in the film forming chamber  10  while measuring a thickness of the film of the other substrate B in the measuring chamber  20 , exchanging both substrates at the same time by the belt conveyors  32 A and  32 B of two lines, and forming the film of the other substrate B in the film forming chamber  10  while measuring a thickness of the film of the one substrate B in the measuring chamber  20 , so as to enhance the production efficiency.  
         [0059]     Furthermore, the belt conveyors  32 A,  32 B of two lines are divided into a conveyor  33 A on a side of the film forming chamber and a conveyor  33 B on a side of measuring chamber by the partition valve  31  as a boundary therebetween, and when the partition valve  31  is closed, the valve plate (not shown) of the partition valve  31  is entered into the gap between both conveyors  33 A and  33 B. Accordingly, when the partition valve  31  is closed, the partition valve  31  does not interfere with the belt conveyor  32 , thereby ensuring the blocking between both chambers.  
         [0060]     Between the conveyor  33 A on the side of the film forming chamber and the conveyor  33 B on the side of the measuring chamber, a delivery mechanism  34  for delivering the substrate B between both conveyors  33 A and  33 B is provided. The delivery mechanism  34  includes a pair of cylinder portions  35  in the vicinity of an end portion of the upstream-side conveyors out of the conveyors  33 A and  33 B in the travel direction (the conveyor  33 B on the side of the measuring chamber in the upward belt conveyor  32 A and the conveyor  33 A on the side of the film forming chamber in the downward belt conveyor  32 B), the end portion concerned facing the other-side conveyor  33 A,  33 B. The cylinder portion  35  is provided with a cylinder tube  36 , a piston rod  37  that is accommodated in the cylinder tube  36  and projects to the other-side conveyors  33 A and  33 B, and the piston rod  37  is driven by a well-known method based on oil pressure or air pressure or the like.  
         [0061]     The substrate B is transported mounted on the working table  38  which is formed to be slightly wider than the belt width of the belt conveyor  32 . When the substrate B is delivered between both conveyors  33 A and  33 B, both the side edge portions of the working table  38 , that is, the portions overhanging sideward from the belt of the belt conveyor  32  are supported from the lower surface side by the piston rod  37  of the cylinder portion  35 . In this state, when the piston rod  37  is driven to the other-side conveyors  33 A and  33 B, the working table  38  supported by the piston rod  37  is delivered between both conveyors  33 A and  33 B.  
         [0062]     In the intermediate chamber  30 , a cleaner  39  (a cleaner and a second pressure adjusting mechanism) for removing dust from the substrate B is provided approximate to the measuring chamber  20  than the partition valve  31 . This cleaner  39  is an air blow type cleaner, and purge gas is sprayed from the spray nozzle  39 A provided at the upper side of the belt conveyor  32  onto the substrate B transported by the belt conveyor  32 . This purge gas is same gas as the carrier gas forming the aerosol Z, and it brushes off excess material particles M adhering to the substrate B during film formation.  
         [0063]     The film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  are, respectively, connected to a vacuum pump P via an exhaust pipe  40 . One end portion of the exhaust pipe  40  is connected to the vacuum pump P (pressure adjusting mechanism), and the other end portion thereof is forked and connected to the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20 , respectively. The forked branch pipe portions  40 A and  40 B are provided with pressure adjusting valves  41 A and  41 B (valves) respectively. By controlling the opening/closing operation of the pressure adjusting valves  41 A and  41 B and the partition valve  31  provided in the intermediate chamber  30 , the internal pressure of each of the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  can be individually adjusted by one vacuum pump P.  
         [0064]     The measuring chamber  20  is provided with a port  24  for carrying the substrate B in and out, and the substrate B is carried in and carried out the film forming apparatus  1  from the side of the measuring chamber  20 . A door portion  25  is provided in the port  24 , and the port  24  can be closed as occasion demands. The port  24  is provided with an opening/closing detecting sensor  26  (opening/closing detector) for detecting the opening/closing state of the port  24  by the door portion  25 . The information on the opening/closing state of the port  24  which is achieved by the opening/closing detecting sensor  26  is transmitted to a host computer C, and the host computer C controls the partition valve  31  so that the partition valve  31  is closed at all times when the port  24  is open. Accordingly, when the inside of the measuring chamber  20  is in normal pressure, the communication between the measuring chamber  20  and the film forming chamber  10  is blocked, and thus the inside of the film forming chamber  10  is kept depressurized at all times. The jetting speed of the aerosol Z is determined by the difference in pressure between the depressurized film forming chamber  10  and the pressurized aerosol chamber  14 , and thus by reducing the pressure variation in the film forming chamber  10  as much as possible, the efficiency of the film forming process is increased, and unintentional variation of the film forming condition is restrained.  
         [0065]     Next, a procedure for forming a film by using the film forming apparatus constructed as described above will be described with reference to film forming step diagrams of FIGS.  4  to  6  and a flowchart of  FIG. 7 . The operation of the film forming apparatus as described below is automatically controlled by a program stored in the host computer C.  
         [0066]     As shown in  FIG. 4A , the vacuum pump P is started in the state that the pressure adjusting valve  41 A on the side of the film forming chamber is opened and the pressure adjusting valve  41 B on the side of the measuring chamber and the partition valve  31  are closed, whereby the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10  is reduced until it is substantially set to the vacuum state.  
         [0067]     Subsequently, when the substrate B is transported to the port  24  of the measuring chamber  20  by an external feeding line L, the port  24  is opened. Then, the substrate B is carried in from the port  24  in the open state into the measuring chamber  20 . At this time, the opening/closing detecting sensor  26  detects that the port  24  is open, and transmits this information to the host computer C. On the basis of this information, the host computer C controls the partition valve  31  so as not to be opened while the port  24  is open, and the film forming chamber  10  is kept depressurized.  
         [0068]     After carrying in the substrate B, the port  24  is closed by the door portion  25 . Then, the pressure adjusting valve  41 B on the side of the measuring chamber side is opened, and the inside of the measuring chamber  20  is reduced until the internal pressure thereof is substantially equal to a vacuum. After the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is reduced, the pressure adjusting valve  413  is closed.  
         [0069]     Subsequently, the cleaner  39  is switched on to supply purge gas into the intermediate chamber  30 . In this state, as shown in  FIG. 4B , the partition valve  31  is opened, and the belt conveyor  32  is driven to transport the substrate B into the film forming chamber  10 . The step of transporting the substrate B carried in from the port  24  of the measuring chamber  20  to the film forming chamber  10  is referred to as a substrate carrying in step (S 1 ). At this time, the pressure adjusting valve  41 A is opened at the side of the film forming chamber  10 , and the gas supplied from the cleaner  39  is exhausted by the vacuum pump P. However, at the side of the measuring chamber  20 , the pressure adjusting valve  41 B is not opened, and thus no exhaust is carried out. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10 , and also the flow of atmospheric air in the film forming apparatus  1  always flows from the side of the measuring chamber  20  to the side of the film forming chamber  10 , whereby the aerosol and the material particles M in the film forming chamber  10  are prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber  20 .  
         [0070]     As a film is formed in the film forming chamber  10  is by spraying aerosol Z onto the substrate B so that the material particles contained in the aerosol Z adhere to the substrate B, inside of the film forming chamber  10  may be remarkably contaminated because of the floats of the remaining aerosol Z and the material particles M adhering to the inner wall portion. Therefore, in order to prevent the dust from flowing into the measuring chamber  20  and polluting the inside of the measuring chamber  20  and keep the inside of the measuring chamber  20  clean, the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is set to be higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10 , whereby the measuring precision can be maintained.  
         [0071]     The substrate B transported into the film forming chamber  10  is set onto the stage  11 . After transporting of the substrate B is finished, the partition valve  31  is closed, and the cleaner  39  is switched off. Furthermore, the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is set to be high during the transporting operation of the substrate B. Therefore, the pressure adjusting valve  41 B on the side of the measuring chamber is opened, and the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is reduced to a pressure substantially equal to the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10 . After the adjustment, the pressure adjusting valve  41 B is closed.  
         [0072]     Subsequently, a film is formed as shown in  FIG. 5A . First, the material particles M are poured into the aerosol chamber  14 . Then, the carrier gas is introduced from the gas cylinder G, and the material particles M are stirred up by the gas pressure of the carrier gas. In addition, the aerosol chamber  14  is vibrated by the vibrating device  15  to mix the material particles M and the carrier gas, thereby generating the aerosol Z. The aerosol Z in the aerosol chamber  14  is accelerated at high speed by the difference in pressure between the aerosol chamber  14  and the film forming chamber  10 , thereby jetting the aerosol Z from the jet nozzle  12 . The material particles M contained in the jetted aerosol Z collide against the substrate B and deposit thereon, thereby forming the film (the film forming step or the piezoelectric film forming step: S 2 ).  
         [0073]     After the film is formed, as shown in  FIG. 5B , the substrate B is transported from the film forming chamber  10  to the measuring chamber  20  (first substrate moving step: S 3 ). First, the cleaner  39  is switched on to supply purge gas into the intermediate chamber  30 . In this state, the partition valve  31  is opened, and the belt conveyor  32  is driven to transport the substrate B to the measuring chamber  20 . Then, when the substrate B passes over the lower side of the cleaner  39 , the purge gas supplied from the cleaner  39  is sprayed onto the substrate B to clean the substrate B. Accordingly, the excess material particles M are prevented from adhering to the substrate B, being transported to the measuring chamber  20  and then polluting the inside of the measuring chamber  20 .  
         [0074]     Furthermore, as in the case of the substrate carrying in step S 1  described above, at the side of the film forming chamber  10 , the pressure adjusting valve  41 A is opened, and the gas supplied from the cleaner  39  is exhausted by the vacuum pump P. However, at the side of the measuring chamber  20 , the pressure adjusting valve  41 B is not opened, and thus no exhaust is carried out. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10 , and also the flow of the atmospheric air in the film forming apparatus  1  always flows from the side of the measuring chamber  20  to the side of the film forming chamber  10 . Accordingly, the aerosol and the material particles M in the film forming chamber  10  are prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber  20 .  
         [0075]     Furthermore, at this time, the intermediate chamber  30  and the measuring chamber  20  are filled with the purge gas, and since the purge gas is same gas as the carrier gas forming the aerosol Z, the intermediate chamber  30  and the measuring chamber  20  are set to an atmosphere approximate to that of the film forming chamber  10  at the time when the film is formed. Accordingly, the transportation of the substrate B between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  and the film measurement in the measuring chamber  20  described later can be performed in an atmosphere which is approximate to the atmosphere in which the film is formed. As described later, when the film forming step S 2  is executed again, the film can be excellently formed again. That is, in the film forming step S 2 , cracks occur in the material particles M colliding against the substrate B, and a newly prepared face having high adhesion is exposed. However, the process to re-form the film can be executed in an atmosphere approximate to that in the film forming chamber  10 , so that the exposed newly prepared face can be maintained in a just newly prepared state.  
         [0076]     Furthermore, in the film forming apparatus  1  of this embodiment, the two lines of belt conveyors  32  are arranged. Accordingly, a substrate (not shown) to be treated next may be carried in the measuring chamber  20  in advance and then transported from the measuring chamber  20  to the film forming chamber  10  simultaneously with the transportation of the substrate B from the film forming chamber  10  to the measuring chamber  20  (see  FIG. 3  in combination). In this case, the film formation of the next substrate can be carried out while thickness distribution of the film formed on the previous substrate B is measured in the next film thickness measuring step. Accordingly, the two substrates can be treated at the same time, and the manufacturing process can be shortened,  
         [0077]     The substrate B transported to the measuring chamber  20  is set onto the measuring table  21 . After transporting of the substrate B is finished, the partition valve  31  is closed, and also the cleaner  39  is switched off. Furthermore, the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is increased in the first substrate transporting step  53 , and thus the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is adjusted to be substantially equal to the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10  by opening the pressure adjusting valve  41 B at the side of the measuring chamber.  
         [0078]     Subsequently, thickness distribution of the film formed in the film forming step is measured as shown in  FIG. 6  (film thickness measuring step: $ 4 ). When the laser interferometer  23  is actuated, light emitted from the light source (not shown) provided to a light emitting and receiving portion  23 A (a light emitting portion and a light receiving portion) is transmitted through a light transmissible glass plate fitted in the window portion  22  of the measuring chamber  20 , and reaches the surface of the substrate B transported into the measuring chamber  20 . The light reaching the substrate B is reflected by the film formed on the substrate B, transmitted through the glass plate fitted in the window portion  22  of the measuring chamber  20  again, and then received by a CCD camera (not shown) provided to the light emitting and receiving portion  23 A.  
         [0079]     As described above, the laser interferometer  23  serving as a non-contact type optical mechanism is used as the measuring mechanism, and the laser interferometer  23  is arranged at outside of the measuring chamber  20 . Furthermore, the window portion  22  in which a light-transmissible glass plate is fitted is provided in the ceiling portion of the measuring chamber  20 , and the light emitted from the laser interferometer  23  can be irradiated from the window portion  22  into the measuring chamber  20 . Accordingly, the thickness of the film on the substrate B in the measuring chamber  20  can be measured by operating the laser interferometer  23  from outside of the measuring chamber  20 . Accordingly, it is unnecessary to open/close the measuring chamber  20  for the adjustment of the measuring condition and the maintenance of the laser interferometer  23 , or the like, and the laser interferometer  23  can be operated while the internal pressure of the measuring chamber is maintained to be reduced.  
         [0080]     The film formation and the measurement are carried out in different chambers, and thus the communication between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  can be blocked when the film is formed. In addition, the cleaner  39  is provided between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20 , and also the substrate B transported from the film forming chamber  10  is transported into the measuring chamber  20  in the state that the substrate B is cleaned. Accordingly, the inside of the measuring chamber  20  can be prevented from being polluted with the aerosol Z and the measuring precision can be maintained. The data of the reflected light received by the CCD camera is transmitted to the host computer C and the surface state of the film is analyzed.  
         [0081]     When the substrate to be next treated is transported to the film forming chamber  10  in the previous first substrate transporting step S 3 , a film is formed on the substrate transported into the film forming chamber  10  while the film thickness measuring step S 4  is being executed.  
         [0082]     After the measurement is finished, the host computer C (judging section) judges on the basis of the transmitted data whether a film having a predetermined reference thickness is formed or not (judging step: S 5 ). If it is judged that the film has the reference thickness or if the film has a thickness larger than the reference thickness, the film formation is finished, and the port  24  is opened and the substrate B is carried out the measuring chamber  20  in the state that the partition valve  31  is closed (substrate carrying out step: S 6 ). At this time, the inside of the measuring chamber  20  is returned to a normal pressure state whose pressure is equal to the outside pressure, however, the inside of the film forming chamber  10  is kept depressurized because the partition valve  31  is closed. Furthermore, as in the case of the carrying operation of the substrate B into the measuring chamber  20 , the opening/closing detecting sensor  26  detects the open state of the port  24 , and transmits this information to the host computer C. On the basis of this information, the host computer C controls the partition valve  31  so as not to be opened while the port  24  is opened.  
         [0083]     As described above, the port  24  of the substrate B is provided in the measuring chamber  20 , and the communication between the measuring chamber  20  and the film forming chamber  10  is closed by the partition valve  31 . Therefore, only the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  may be returned to normal pressure when the substrate B is carried out, and the variation of the film forming condition can be minimized. At this time, a new substrate (not shown) may be carried in simultaneously with the carrying out the substrate B for which the film formation has been finished, and subsequently a film may be formed on the new substrate. The substrate B judged that the film formed thereon has the reference thickness in the judging step S 5  is treated as a normal completed article after the substrate carrying out step S 6 . On the other hand, the substrate B judged that the film formed thereon has a thickness larger than the reference thickness is treated as a defective substrate which fails in film formation.  
         [0084]     On the other hand, if it is judged that the film thickness is less than the reference thickness, the substrate B is transported to the film forming chamber  10  again (second substrate moving step; S 7 ). That is, as in the case of the substrate carrying in step S 1  described above, the cleaner  39  is switched on to supply purge gas into the intermediate chamber  30 . In this state, the partition valve  31  is opened, and the belt conveyor  32  is driven to transport the substrate B into the film forming chamber  10  ( FIG. 4B ). At this time, as in the case of the substrate carrying in step S 1  and the first substrate transporting step S 3 , the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is set to be higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10  by purge gas supplied from the cleaner  39 , whereby the inside of the measuring chamber  20  is prevented from being polluted.  
         [0085]     When the film formation is carried out on the next substrate in the film forming chamber  10  simultaneously with the film thickness measurement of the previous substrate, the substrate B after the film formation is finished is transported to the measuring chamber  20 .  
         [0086]     After transporting of the substrate B is finished, the partition valve  31  is closed, and the cleaner  39  is switched off. The substrate B transported into the film forming chamber  10  is set onto the stage  11 .  
         [0087]     When the substrate B is set onto the stage, the host computer C (jetting condition adjusting section) adjusts the film forming condition according to the analysis result in the previous film thickness measuring step S 4  (adjusting step; S 8 ). For example, the scan route of the jet nozzle  12  and the jet condition (film forming condition) such as the jet amount of the aerosol Z, or the like, are adjusted so that material particles M adhere to an area having a small film thickness so as to have a large thickness. Thereafter, the film forming step S 2  is executed again according to the adjusted film forming condition ( FIG. 5C ), whereby the variation in the film thickness in the first film forming step S 2  can be overcome.  
         [0088]     When the film formation is finished, the substrate B is transported to the measuring chamber  20  again ( FIG. 5B ), and the thickness of the film is measured ( FIG. 6 ). As described above, the substrate B is reciprocated between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  to repeat the film formation and the measurement until the thickness of the film reaches a desired thickness.  
         [0089]     When a piezoelectric actuator is manufactured by particles of piezoelectric material as the material particles M by using the film forming apparatus  1  of this embodiment, the substrate B may be formed of metal so that the substrate B is used as one electrode, for example, and another electrode may be formed on the piezoelectric film formed of the particles of the piezoelectric material. With this construction, there can easily be manufactured a piezoelectric actuator in which the thickness of the piezoelectric film is uniform and also the piezoelectric characteristic is excellent.  
         [0090]     In the substrate carrying in step (S 1 ), the first substrate transporting step (S 3 ) and the second substrate transporting step (S 7 ) of this embodiment, the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10  is maintained lower than the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  at all times, and thus the flow of atmospheric air in the film forming apparatus  1  directs from the side of the measuring chamber  20  to the side of the film forming chamber  10 . That is, the measuring chamber  20  is arranged at the upstream side of the film forming chamber  10  at all times.  
       Second Embodiment  
       [0091]     A second embodiment according to the present invention will be hereinafter described with reference to FIGS.  8  to  13 . The main difference in this embodiment from the first embodiment resides in that partition valves  61  are provided at two locations on a side of the film forming chamber and on a side of the measuring chamber in an intermediate chamber  60 . The same constituent elements as the first embodiment are represented by the same numeral references, and the description thereof is omitted.  
         [0092]      FIG. 8  is a schematic diagram showing the overall construction of the film forming apparatus  50 , and  FIG. 9  is a block diagram showing the film forming apparatus  50 . The film forming apparatus  50  is provided with a film forming chamber  10  for forming a film, a measuring chamber  20  for measuring the thickness of the formed film, and a host computer C for automatically controlling the operation of the film forming apparatus  50 , same as the first embodiment.  
         [0093]     A slender intermediate chamber  60  having a square piped shape, through which both the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  are connected to each other, is provided between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20 . Partition valves  61 A and  61 B are provided at two locations on a side of the film forming chamber and on a side of the measuring chamber in the intermediate chamber  60 . In the intermediate chamber  60 , the space defined between the two partition valves  61 A and  61 B is set as a cleaning chamber  60 A for cleaning dust on the substrate B, and a cleaner  39  having the same construction as the first embodiment is provided in the cleaning chamber  60 A. By opening/closing the two partition valves  61 A and  61 B, the communication between the film forming chamber  10  and the cleaning chamber  60 A and the communication between the cleaning chamber  60 A and the measuring chamber  20  can be allowed or blocked.  
         [0094]     Furthermore, as in the case of the first embodiment, a belt conveyor  62  is provided between the stage  11  arranged in the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring table  21  arranged in the measuring chamber  20  so that the substrate B is passed through the intermediate chamber  60  and transported between the stage  11  and the measuring table  21 .  
         [0095]     The belt conveyor  62  is divided into three conveyors of a conveyor  62 A on a side of the film forming chamber, a conveyor  62 B on a side of the intermediate chamber, and a conveyor  62 C on a side of the measuring chamber with the two partition valves  61 A and  61 B as boundaries. When the partition valves  61 A and  61 B are closed, the valve plates (not shown) of the partition valves  61 A and  61 B enter into the gap between the conveyor  62 A on the side of the film forming chamber and the conveyor  628  on the side of the intermediate chamber and the gap between the conveyor  62 B on the side of the intermediate chamber and the conveyor  62 C on the side of the measuring chamber. Accordingly, as in the case of the first embodiment, when the partition valves  61 A and  61 B are closed, the partition valves  61 A and  61 B do not interfere with belt conveyor  62 , thereby ensuring the blocking the chambers. Furthermore, a delivery mechanism  34  having the same construction as the first embodiment is provided between the conveyor  62 A on the side of the film forming chamber and the conveyor  62 B on the side of the intermediate chamber and between the conveyor  62 B on the side of the intermediate chamber and the conveyor  62 C on the side of the measuring chamber, and the delivery mechanism  34  enables the substrate B mounted on the work table  38  to be delivered among the conveyors  62 A,  62 B and  62 C.  
         [0096]     Furthermore, the intermediate chamber  60  is provided with a position detecting sensor  63  (position detector) for detecting the position of the substrate B on the belt conveyor  62 . A position information of the substrate B obtained by the position detecting sensor  63  is transmitted to the host computer C, and an opening/closing instruction of the partition valves  61 A and  61 B is output from the host computer C on the basis of the position information.  
         [0097]     The cleaning chamber  60 A is connected to a vacuum pump P 2  (intermediate chamber pressure adjusting mechanism) via an exhaust pipe  51 . A pressure adjusting valve  52  is provided in the exhaust pipe  51  to adjust the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A.  
         [0098]     Next, the procedure of forming a film by the film forming apparatus  50  constructed as described above will be described with reference to a flowchart of  FIG. 7  and FIGS.  10  to  13 . The operation of the film forming apparatus  50  described below is automatically controlled by a program stored in the host computer C as in the case of the first embodiment.  
         [0099]     First, as shown in  FIG. 10A , in the state that the pressure adjusting valve  41  on the side of the film forming chamber is opened and the pressure adjusting valve  41 B on the side of the measuring chamber and the partition valve  61 B on the side of the measuring chamber are closed, the vacuum pump P is started to reduce the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10  so that the inside of the film forming chamber  10  is set to a substantially vacuum state. At the same time, the pressure adjusting valve  52  on the side of the intermediate chamber is opened, and the vacuum pump P 2  is started to reduce the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A so that the inside of the cleaning chamber  60 A is set to a substantially vacuum state.  
         [0100]     Subsequently, the port  24  is opened, and the substrate B is carried in the measuring chamber  20 . After the substrate B is carried in, the port  24  is closed by the door portion  25 . Then, the pressure adjusting valve  41 B on the side of the measuring chamber is opened, and the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is reduced so that the inside of the measuring chamber  20  is set to a substantially vacuum state.  
         [0101]     Subsequently, as shown in  FIGS. 10B and 11A , the belt conveyor  62  is driven to transport the substrate B from the measuring chamber  20  to the film forming chamber  10  (substrate carrying in step S 1 ). When the belt conveyor  62  is driven, the position detecting sensor  63  first detects that the substrate B is being transported from the measuring chamber  20  to the cleaning chamber  60 A of the intermediate chamber  60 , and transmits this information to the host computer C. On the basis of this information, the host computer C opens the partition valve  61 B at the side of the measuring chamber. Then, the substrate B is delivered between the conveyor  62 C on the side of the measuring chamber and the conveyor  62 B on the side of the intermediate chamber, and carried in the cleaning chamber  60 A ( FIG. 10B ). At the same time, the partition valve  61 A at the side of the film forming chamber is controlled to be closed at all times while the partition valve  61 B at the side of the measuring chamber is opened, whereby the film forming chamber  10  is kept depressurized.  
         [0102]     Subsequently, the position detection sensor  63  detects that the substrate B is being transported from the cleaning chamber  60 A to the film forming chamber  10 , and transmits this information to the host computer c. On the basis of this information, the host computer C switches on the cleaner  39  to supply purge gas into the cleaning chamber  60 A. In this state, the partition valve  61 A on the side of the film forming chamber is opened. Then, the substrate B is delivered between the conveyor  62 B on the side of the intermediate chamber and the conveyor  62 A on the side of the film forming chamber and carried in the film forming chamber  10  ( FIG. 11A ). At the same time, the partition valve  61 B on the side of the measuring chamber is controlled to be closed at all times while the partition valve  61 A on the side of the film forming chamber is opened.  
         [0103]     At this time, at the side of the film forming chamber  10 , the pressure adjusting valve  41 A is opened, and the gas supplied from the cleaner  39  is exhausted by the vacuum pump P. However, at the side of the cleaning chamber  60 A of the intermediate chamber  60 , the pressure adjusting valve  52  is not opened, and thus no exhaust is carried out. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10 , and thus the flow of atmospheric air in the film forming apparatus  1  directs from the side of the cleaning chamber  60 A to the side of the film forming chamber  10 . With this construction, the aerosol and the material particles M in the film forming chamber  10  can be prevented from flowing into the cleaning chamber  60 A and thus flowing into the side of the measuring chamber  20 . That is, the inside of the measuring chamber  20  can be maintained clean, and the measuring precision can be maintained.  
         [0104]     When transporting of the substrate B is finished, the partition valve  61 A on the side of the film forming chamber is closed, and the cleaner  39  is switched off. Furthermore, the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is increased when the substrate B is transported, and thus the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is adjusted to be substantially equal to the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  by opening the pressure adjusting valve  52  on the side of the intermediate chamber. After the adjustment, the pressure adjusting valve  52  is closed.  
         [0105]     Subsequently, as shown in  FIG. 11B , a film formation is carried out (the film forming step or the piezoelectric film forming step S 2 ). The procedure of the film formation is same as the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.  
         [0106]     After the film formation, the substrate B is transported from the film forming chamber  10  to the measuring chamber  20  as shown in  FIGS. 12A and 12B  (first substrate transporting step S 3 ). When the belt conveyor  62  is driven, the position detecting sensor  63  detects that the substrate B is being transported from the film forming chamber  10  to the cleaning chamber  60 A of the intermediate chamber  60 , and transmits this information to the host computer C. On the basis of this information, the host computer C switches on the cleaner  39  to supply purge gas to the intermediate chamber  30 . In addition, the partition valve  61 A on the side of the film forming chamber is opened. The substrate B is delivered between the conveyor  62 A on the side of the film forming chamber and the conveyor  62 B on the side of the intermediate chamber, and then transported to the cleaning chamber  60 A ( FIG. 12A ). At the same time, the partition valve  61 B on the side of the measuring chamber side is controlled to be closed at all times while the partition valve  61 A on the side of the film forming chamber is opened, so that the film forming chamber  10  is kept depressurized.  
         [0107]     At this time, as in the case of the above-described substrate carrying in step S 1 , at the side of the film forming chamber  10 , the pressure adjusting valve  41 A is opened, and gas supplied from the cleaner  39  is exhausted by the vacuum pump P. However, at the side of the cleaning chamber  60 A of the intermediate chamber  60 , the pressure adjusting valve  52  is not opened, and thus no exhaust is carried out. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10 , and the flow of atmospheric air in the film forming apparatus  1  directs from the side of the cleaning chamber  60 A to the side of the film forming chamber  10  at all times. With this construction, the aerosol and the material particles M in the film forming device  10  can be prevented from flowing into the cleaning chamber  60 A, and thus prevented from flowing into the side of the measuring chamber  20 .  
         [0108]     In the cleaning chamber  60 A, purge gas is sprayed onto the substrate B by the cleaner  39  to clean the substrate B while the substrate B passes over the lower side of the cleaner  39 . Accordingly, the excess material particles M are prevented from adhering to the substrate B and being transported to the measuring chamber  20  and polluting the inside of the measuring chamber  20 . When the cleaning of the substrate B is finished, the cleaner  39  is stopped.  
         [0109]     Subsequently, the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is increased owing to the supply of purge gas from the cleaner  39 , and thus by opening the pressure adjusting valve  52  on the side of the intermediate chamber, the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is depressurized so as to be substantially equal to the internal pressure in the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20 . After the pressure is reduced, the pressure adjusting valve  52 B is closed.  
         [0110]     Subsequently, the substrate B is transported from the cleaning chamber  60 A to the measuring chamber  20 . When the belt conveyor  62  is driven, the position detecting sensor  63  detects that the substrate B is being transported from the cleaning chamber  60 A to the measuring chamber  20 , and transmits this information to the host computer C. On the basis of this information, the host computer C opens the partition valve  61 B on the side of the measuring chamber. The substrate B is delivered between the conveyor  62 B on the side of the intermediate chamber and the conveyor  62 C on the side of the measuring chamber and transported into the measuring chamber  20 . At the same time, the partition valve  61 A on the side of the film forming chamber is controlled to be closed at all times while the partition valve  61 B on the side of the measuring chamber is opened. Accordingly, the aerosol Z and the material particles M in the film forming chamber  10  are prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber  20  and polluting the inside of the measuring chamber  20 , thereby inside of the measuring chamber  20  is kept clean. Accordingly, the measuring precision can be maintained. After transporting of the substrate B is finished, the partition valve  31 B on the side of the measuring chamber is closed.  
         [0111]     Subsequently, thickness distribution of the film formed in the film forming step is measured (film thickness measuring step S 4 ) as shown in  FIG. 13 . The measuring procedure is same as the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.  
         [0112]     When the measurement is finished, the host computer C judges on the basis of the transmitted data whether film having a predetermined reference thickness is formed or not (judging step S 5 ). If it is judged that the film has the reference thickness or if it is judged that the film has a thickness larger than the reference thickness, the film formation is finished, and in the state that the partition valve  61 B is closed, the port  24  is opened and the substrate B is carried out the measuring chamber  20  (substrate carrying out step S 6 ). The details of the substrate carrying out step S 6  are same as the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.  
         [0113]     On the other hand, if it is judged that the film thickness is less than the reference thickness, the substrate B is transported to the film forming chamber  10  again (second substrate transporting step S 7 ). That is, as in the case of the carrying in operation of the substrate B, the partition valve  61 B on the side of the measuring chamber is first opened, and the substrate B is transported from the measuring chamber  20  to the cleaning chamber  60 A in the state that the partition valve  61 A on the side of the film forming chamber is closed ( FIG. 10B ). Subsequently, the partition valve  61 A on the side of the film forming chamber is opened while purge gas is supplied from the cleaner  39 , and the substrate B is transported from the cleaning chamber  60 A to the film forming chamber  10  in the state that the partition valve  61 B on the side of the measuring chamber is closed ( FIG. 11A ). At this time, as in the case of the first substrate transporting step, the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is set to be higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10  by the purge gas supplied from the cleaner  39 , whereby the aerosol and the material particles M in the film forming chamber  10  are prevented from flowing into the cleaning chamber  60 A.  
         [0114]     When the substrate B is set onto the stage, the host computer C adjusts the film forming condition according to the analysis result in the previous film thickness measuring step (adjusting step S 8 ) as in the case of the first embodiment. Thereafter, the film forming step S 2  is executed again ( FIG. 11B )  
         [0115]     When the film formation is finished, the substrate B is transported to the measuring chamber  20  again ( FIG. 12A ,  FIG. 12B ), thickness of the film is measured ( FIG. 13 ). As described above, the substrate B is reciprocated between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  to repeat the film formation and the measurement until thickness of the film reaches a desired thickness. When the film formation is completed, as in the case of the first embodiment, the port  24  is opened and the substrate B is carried out the measuring chamber  20  in a state that the partition valves  61 A and  61 B are closed.  
         [0116]     As described above, according to this embodiment, the same action and effect as the first embodiment can be achieved. In addition, the partition valves  61  are provided at the two locations on the side of the film forming chamber and on the side of the measuring chamber. When one of the two partition valves  61 A and  61 B is opened, the other valve is set to be closed. Accordingly, even when the inside of the film forming chamber  10  is remarkably polluted because the remaining aerosol Z floats in the film forming chamber  10  or the material particles M adhere to the inner wall portion, or the like, these materials can be prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber  20  and thus polluting inside of the measuring chamber  20 . Accordingly, the measuring precision in the measuring chamber  20  can be maintained.  
         [0117]     Furthermore, by using the film forming apparatus  1  of this embodiment, there can easily be manufactured a piezoelectric actuator in which thickness of the piezoelectric film is uniform and the piezoelectric characteristic is excellent. For example, the particles of the piezoelectric material are used as the material particles M, the substrate B is formed of metal so as to be usable as one electrode, and piezoelectric film is formed of the particles of the piezoelectric material on the metal substrate B. By forming the other electrode on the piezoelectric film according to the screen printing or the like, the piezoelectric element can be allowed to function. That is, it can be used as a piezoelectric actuator.  
         [0118]     The scope of the present invention is not limited by the above-described embodiments, and for example, the following descriptions are contained in the scope of the present invention. The scope of the present invention expands to an equivalent scope.  
         [0119]     In the substrate carrying in step (S 1 ), the first substrate transporting step (S 3 ) and the second substrate transporting step (S 7 ) of the first embodiment, at the side of the film forming chamber  10 , the pressure adjusting valve  41 A is opened, and the gas supplied from the cleaner  39  is exhausted by the vacuum pump P. On the other hand, at the side of the measuring chamber  20 , the pressure adjusting valve  41 B is not opened, and thus no exhaust is carried out. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10 , and also the flow of atmospheric air in the film forming apparatus  1  directs from the side of the measuring chamber  20  to the side of the film forming chamber  10 . That is, the measuring chamber  20  is arranged at the upstream of the film forming chamber  10  at all times relative to the vacuum pump P.  
         [0120]     In the substrate carrying in step (S 1 ), the first substrate transporting step (S 3 ) and the second substrate transporting step (S 7 ) of the second embodiment, at the side of the film forming chamber  10 , the pressure adjusting valve  41 A is opened, and the gas supplied from the cleaner  39  is exhausted by the vacuum pump P. On the other hand, at the side of the cleaning chamber  60 A, the pressure adjusting valve  52  is not opened, and thus no exhaust is carried out. Accordingly, the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is higher than the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10 , and also the flow of atmospheric air in the film forming apparatus  1  directs from the side of the cleaning chamber  60 A to the side of the film forming chamber  10  at all times. That is, the cleaning chamber  60 A is arranged at the upstream of the film forming chamber  10  at all times relative to the vacuum pump P, and further the measuring chamber  20  is arranged at the further upstream of the cleaning chamber  60 A.  
         [0121]     In the first embodiment, the cleaner  39  also serves as the second pressure adjusting mechanism. However, the second pressure adjusting mechanism may be provided separately from the cleaner  39 . For example, by connecting gas supply means such as a gas cylinder or the like to the measuring chamber  20  to supply gas only to the measuring chamber  20 , the difference in internal pressure between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  may be adjusted. Furthermore, the difference in internal pressure between the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  may be adjusted by setting a difference in the aperture between the two pressure adjusting valves  41 A and  41 B. Still furthermore, as in the case of the second embodiment, gas supply means may be separately provided in the cleaning chamber  60 A, and the difference in internal pressure between the film forming chamber  10  or the measuring chamber  20  and the cleaning chamber  60 A may be adjusted on the basis of the difference in the aperture among the pressure adjusting valves  41 A,  41 B and  52 .  
         [0122]     In the second embodiment, the partition valves  61 A and  61 B are opened and the substrate B is transported between the film forming chamber  10  or the measuring chamber  20  and the cleaning chamber  60 A while the purge gas is supplied from the cleaner  39 . However, when the cleaner  39  does not serve as the second pressure adjusting mechanism as described in the above description (1), the cleaner  39  is actuated and a cleaning work is carried out on the substrate B in the state that the partition valves  61 A and  61 B at the two locations are closed. After the cleaning is finished, the cleaner  39  is stopped, and the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is adjusted so as to be equal to the internal pressure of the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20 . Thereafter, the partition valves  61 A and  61 B are opened, and the substrate B is transported. Through this operation, the variation of the internal pressure of the intermediate chamber during the removing work, the material particles removed from the substrate, or the like, can be prevented from affecting the film formation and the measurement.  
         [0123]     In the second embodiment, in the state that all the film forming chamber  10 , the cleaning chamber  60 A and the measuring chamber  20  are depressurized, the partition valves  61 A and  61 B are opened, and the substrate B is transported between the film forming chamber  10  or the measuring chamber  20  and the cleaning chamber  60 A. However, by controlling the two partition valves  61 A and  61 B, the pressure adjusting valve  52  on the side of the intermediate chamber, the vacuum pump  50 , or the like, for example, the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is set to normal pressure at all times, the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is set to normal pressure when the substrate B is transported between the measuring chamber  20  and the cleaning chamber  60 A, and the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A is depressurized when the substrate B is transported between the film forming chamber  10  and the cleaning chamber  60 A. Through this operation, the substrate can be transported by merely changing the internal pressure of the intermediate chamber which needs only a relatively narrower space as compared with the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber and whose internal pressure can easily be adjusted.  
         [0124]     In the above embodiments, one vacuum pump P is connected to both the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  via the pressure adjusting valves  41 A and  41 B. However, the two pressure adjusting mechanisms may be connected to the film forming chamber and the measuring chamber, respectively, to adjust the pressure individually.  
         [0125]     In the above embodiments, the film forming chamber  10  and the measuring chamber  20  are connected to each other via the intermediate chambers  30  and  60 . However, according to this invention, the intermediate chamber is not necessarily required. For example, the measuring chamber may be directly connected to the film forming chamber, and both chambers may be partitioned by a shielding member such as a shutter or the like.  
         [0126]     In the above embodiments, the laser interferometer  23  is provided at outside of the measuring chamber  20 , and the film is measured through the window portion  22 . However, the measuring mechanism may be arranged in the measuring chamber.  
         [0127]     In the above embodiments, the belt conveyors  32  of two lines are provided, however, one line of the conveyor may be provided.  
         [0128]     In the above embodiments, the operation of the film forming apparatuses  1  and  50  are automatically controlled by the host computer C, however, a part or the whole of the operation of the film forming apparatus may be manually controlled by an operator or the like.  
         [0129]     In the second embodiment, when the substrate B is transported from the cleaning chamber to the measuring chamber, no difference in pressure is particularly provided between both the chambers. However, the pressure adjustment may be performed so that the internal pressure of the measuring chamber  20  is higher than the internal pressure of the cleaning chamber  60 A. With this operation, even when the aerosol Z flows from the film forming chamber into the cleaning chamber  60 A or the material particles M, or the like, removed from the substrate B by cleaning are floating in the cleaning chamber  60 A, these material particles can be prevented from flowing into the measuring chamber  20  and thus polluting inside of the measuring chamber  20 .  
         [0130]     In the above embodiments, the adjusting step S 8  is executed after the second substrate transporting step S 7 . However, the adjusting step S 8  may be executed at any time insofar as it is subsequent to the judging step S 5 . For example, it may be executed parallel to the second substrate transporting step S 7 .  
         [0131]     In the above embodiments in the substrate carrying in step S 1 , the substrate B carried in from the port  24  of the measuring chamber  20  is transported to the film forming chamber  10  via the belt conveyor  32 , however, the present invention is not limited to this mode. For example, the film forming chamber  10  may be provided with a carrying in port of the substrate B and a door for opening/closing the port so that the substrate B is directly carried in from outside.