Abstract: A film thickness measurement apparatus includes: a stage that places a substrate having a film formed thereon and measures a thickness of the film in-situ in a film forming apparatus; a film thickness meter including a light emitter that emits light toward the substrate disposed on the stage and a light receiving sensor that receives the light reflected by the substrate for measuring the thickness of the film in-situ; a moving mechanism including a multi-joint arm that moves an irradiation point of the light on the substrate; a distance meter that measures a distance between the light receiving sensor and the irradiation point on the substrate; and a distance adjustor that adjusts the distance between the light receiving sensor and the irradiation point on the substrate.

Abstract: There is provided a film forming position misalignment correction method comprising: replacing a shielding member; loading a substrate into a film forming module by a transfer mechanism and forming a film on the substrate; detecting an amount of film forming position misalignment by transferring the substrate on which the film has been formed to a film thickness measuring device; correcting a transfer position of the substrate for the transfer mechanism; and checking the correction by transferring the substrate used for measuring the amount of film forming position misalignment to the film forming module by the transfer mechanism for which the transfer position has been corrected to form a film and determining the amount of film forming position misalignment by measuring a film thickness of the formed film by the film thickness measuring device in the same manner.

Abstract: There is provided a film thickness measurement method which measures a film thickness of a specific film to be measured in a multilayer film in situ in a film formation system that forms the multilayer film on a substrate, the method comprising: regarding a plurality of films located under the film to be measured as one underlayer film, measuring a film thickness of the underlayer film, and deriving an optical constant of the underlayer film by spectroscopic interferometry; and after the film to be measured is formed, deriving a film thickness of the film to be measured by spectroscopic interferometry using the film thickness and the optical constant of the underlayer film.

Abstract: A sputtering method including: performing a pre-sputtering by emitting sputter particles from a target provided in a sputtering apparatus in a state where the target is shielded by a shielding portion of a shutter provided closed to the target to be capable of opening/closing the target; and, after the pre-sputtering, performing a main-sputtering by emitting the sputter particles from the target in a state where an opening of the shutter is aligned with the target thereby depositing the sputter particles on a substrate. When the pre-sputtering and the main-sputtering are repeatedly performed, a shutter position is changed during the pre-sputtering so as to change a position of the shielding portion aligned with the target.

Abstract: A film forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a processing chamber; a substrate holder for holding a substrate within the processing chamber; a target electrode, disposed above the substrate holder, for holding a metal target and supplying electrical power from a power source to the target; an oxidizing gas introduction mechanism for supplying an oxidizing gas to the substrate; and a gas supply unit for supplying an inert gas to the space where the target is disposed. Constituent metal is discharged from the target in the form of sputter particles, whereby a metal film is deposited on the substrate, and the metal film is oxidized by the oxidizing gas introduced by the oxidizing gas introduction mechanism, thereby forming a metal oxide film. When the oxidizing gas is introduced, the gas supply unit supplies the inert gas to the space where the target is disposed so that the pressure therein is positive with respect to the pressure in a processing space.

Abstract: A film thickness measurement apparatus includes: a stage that places a substrate having a film formed thereon and measures a thickness of the film in-situ in a film forming apparatus; a film thickness meter including a light emitter that emits light toward the substrate disposed on the stage and a light receiving sensor that receives the light reflected by the substrate for measuring the thickness of the film in-situ; a moving mechanism including a multi-joint arm that moves an irradiation point of the light on the substrate; a distance meter that measures a distance between the light receiving sensor and the irradiation point on the substrate; and a distance adjustor that adjusts the distance between the light receiving sensor and the irradiation point on the substrate.

Abstract: A sputtering method including: performing a pre-sputtering by emitting sputter particles from a target provided in a sputtering apparatus in a state where the target is shielded by a shielding portion of a shutter provided closed to the target to be capable of opening/closing the target; and, after the pre-sputtering, performing a main-sputtering by emitting the sputter particles from the target in a state where an opening of the shutter is aligned with the target thereby depositing the sputter particles on a substrate. When the pre-sputtering and the main-sputtering are repeatedly performed, a shutter position is changed during the pre-sputtering so as to change a position of the shielding portion aligned with the target.

Abstract: In an oxidation processing module, a stage on which a substrate having a metal film is mounted is provided and a cooling mechanism is provided to cool the stage to cool the substrate mounted on the stage to a temperature of 25° C. or lower. Further, a head unit has a facing surface disposed to face an upper surface of the stage and an oxidizing gas supply unit configured to supply oxidizing gas for oxidizing the metal film toward a gap between the facing surface and the upper surface of the stage, and a rotation driving unit is configured to rotate the head unit about a rotation axis intersecting with the upper surface of the stage.

Abstract: A processing apparatus includes a processing chamber, a rotatable mounting table, a cooling mechanism and a driving mechanism. A sputtering target is provided in the processing chamber. The rotatable mounting table is provided in the processing chamber and configured to mount thereon an object to be processed. The cooling mechanism is configured to cool the mounting table. The driving mechanism is configured to change a relative position of the mounting table with respect to the cooling mechanism. The driving mechanism changes a conductivity of heat from the mounting table to the cooling mechanism at least by switching a first state in which the mounting table and the cooling mechanism are separated from each other and a second state in which the mounting table and the cooling mechanism become close to each other.

Abstract: A film forming apparatus includes a stage provided in the processing chamber; three or more targets uniformly arranged along a circle centering around a vertical axis line that passes through a center of the stage, each of the targets having a substantially rectangular shape; a shutter provided between the targets and the stage, the shutter including an opening which allows one of the targets to be selectively exposed to the stage; and a rotation shaft coupled to the shutter, the rotation shaft extending along the vertical axis line. A width of the opening in a tangent direction to the circle centering around the vertical axis line is set such that two adjacent targets in a circumferential direction of the circle among the targets are allowed to be partially and simultaneously exposed to the stage.

Abstract: A method for preparing a graphite nanofiber is herein provided, which comprises a raw gases are supplied on the surface of a substrate provided thereon with a catalyst layer for the growth of graphite nanofibers according to the CVD technique, wherein the method is characterized by forming a catalyst layer having a desired thickness and then forming, on the catalyst layer of the substrate, a graphite nanofiber whose overall thickness is controlled and which comprises a graphite nanofiber layer and a non-fibrous layer. The resulting graphite nanofibers can be used in an emitter or a field emission display element. The thickness of the catalyst layer formed on a substrate is controlled by the method and this in turn permits the control of the thickness of the non-fibrous layer formed on the catalyst layer and the control of the thickness of the graphite nanofibers likewise formed on the catalyst layer.