Ulvac, Inc.

Sadayuki Ukishima

Satoru Ishibashi

Noriaki Tani

Satoru Takasawa

Hirohisa Takahashi

Kyuzo Nakamura

Tadashi Masuda

Haruhiko Yamamoto

Masaki Takei

Hiroaki Katagiri

Satoshi Okabe

Masahide Matsubara

A sputtering apparatus with high usage efficiency of a target is provided. A sputtering apparatus of the present invention includes first and second ring magnets, first and second magnet members arranged inside a ring of the first and second ring magnets, wherein in the first and second ring magnets and the first and second magnet members, magnetic poles with the same magnetism are faced toward the rear surface of a first and a second targets. Thus, in the rear surface of the first and second targets, the magnetic poles with the same polarity are adjacently arranged, and the absolute value of the strength of horizontal magnetic field components formed in the surfaces of the first and second targets becomes small and the strength distribution becomes narrow, and the strength of vertical magnetic field components becomes uniform; and consequently, a non-erosion portion is not produced in the first and second targets.

Sputtering apparatus

A sputtering apparatus for ensuring high target utilization efficiency is provided. The sputtering apparatusof the present invention comprises a moving meansso that first and second magnet memberscan be moved by the moving meansin planes parallel to the surfaces of first and second targets. When the first and second magnet membersmove, magnetic field lines as well as deeply eroded regions on the surfaces of the first and second targetsalso move, whereby large areas on the surfaces of the first and second targetsare sputtered.

Sputtering apparatus and film-forming processes

A solar cell manufacturing method according to the present invention is a solar cell manufacturing method that forms a transparent conductive film of ZnO as an electric power extracting electrode on a light incident side, the method comprises at least in a following order: a process A forming the transparent conductive film on a substrate by applying a sputtering voltage to sputter a target made of a film formation material for the transparent conductive film; a process B forming a texture on a surface of the transparent conductive film; a process C cleaning the surface of the transparent conductive film on which the texture has been formed using an UV/ozone; and a process D forming an electric power generation layer on the transparent conductive film.

Method for manufacturing solar cell, etching device, and CVD device

A wiring film having excellent adhesion and barrier property and a low resistance value is formed. An oxygen gas is introduced into a vacuum chamber in which an object to be film formed is disposed; a sputtering target is sputtered in a vacuum ambience containing oxygen; and a first metallic film is formed on a surface of the object to be film formed. The first sputtering target includes copper as a major component and at least one kind of additive elements selected from an additive element group consisting of Mg, Al, Si, Be, Ca, Sr, Ba, Ra, Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb and Dy. Thereafter, a second metallic film is formed on a surface of the first metallic film by sputtering the sputtering target in a state in which the introduction of the oxygen gas into a vacuum ambience is stopped, and then a wiring film is formed by etching the first and second metallic films.

Method for forming wiring film, transistor and electronic device

A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.

Touch panel

A sputtering apparatus according to the present invention is provided with first to fourth targets. The first and the second targets are disposed so that their surfaces face each other. The third and the fourth targets are also disposed so that their surfaces face each other. When a dielectric film is formed, sputtering is alternately performed on the first and the second targets and on the third and the fourth targets. When sputtering is performed on two of the targets having surfaces that face each other, the remaining two targets function as a ground. As a result, abnormal discharges are inhibited.

Sputtering device and film forming method

A conductive film having high adhesion and low specific resistance is formed. A target containing copper as a main component is sputtered in vacuum ambience while an oxygen gas introduced, and then, a conductive film containing copper as a main component and additive metals, such as Ti or Zr, is formed. Such a conductive film has high adhesion to a silicon layer and a glass substrate and is hardly peeled off from the substrate. Furthermore, the specific resistance is low and the contact resistance to a transparent conductive film is also low. Thus, no deterioration in the electric characteristics occurs even when the conductive film is used for an electrode film. Accordingly, the conductive film formed by the present invention suited for TFT, and electrode films and barrier films of semiconductor elements, in particular.

Growing community of inventors

Sammu, Japan

Sadayuki Ukishima