JP3672949B2 - Vapor deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus for forming a vapor deposition film of metal, ceramics, or the like on the surface of a belt-shaped substrate while traveling.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in the manufacture of a metallized film capacitor film, a packaging vapor deposition film, a magnetic recording vapor deposition tape, and the like, a step of depositing various metals on the surface of a plastic film is provided.
When manufacturing this type of deposited film, conventionally, a cooling drum having a cooling means built therein and rotating around an axis, and a film (hereinafter referred to as a base material) are wound around a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cooling drum. The uncoiler and recoiler that run the substrate in a rotated state, the vapor deposition material holding unit that holds the vapor deposition material disposed facing the substrate winding unit, and the vapor deposition material held in the vapor deposition material holding unit evaporates. The vapor deposition apparatus provided with the heating mechanism for making it and the vacuum vessel which accommodates each said component is used.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, since the high-temperature material vapor is directly applied to the base material positioned in the base material winding part, not only the heat transferred from the steam but also the radiant heat from the material holding part and further the material vapor are based on it. The surface of the substrate is heated to a high temperature by the latent heat released when it adheres to the material. If the base material is heated to a temperature higher than the allowable temperature by the heat at this time, the base material is deformed such as slack and wrinkles, which causes defective products. This is a particular problem when using a material sensitive to heat influence such as an ultra-thin polymer film.
[0004]
Therefore, conventionally, the cooling efficiency of the cooling drum is increased, or the surface smoothness of the cooling drum and the substrate is adjusted or added to the substrate so that the substrate is in close contact with the cooling drum at the substrate winding part without gaps. Various measures have been taken with a focus on improving heat dissipation from the base material, such as providing a mechanism for adjusting the tension distribution with high accuracy.
However, with the measures described above, the structure of the apparatus becomes complicated and the equipment cost increases, and if the substrate peels even slightly from the cooling drum in the substrate winding part, the cooling efficiency of the substrate at the peeling portion However, the temperature rapidly increases and the peeling of the base material progresses easily, and once peeled, there is a problem that wrinkles and slacks occur over a relatively large area. In addition, when the substrate surface is rapidly heated to a high temperature by radiant heat or latent heat after the substrate is cooled by the cooling drum, there is a problem that wrinkles are generated due to a temperature difference between the front and back surfaces of the substrate.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a vapor deposition apparatus that can prevent wrinkles and slack of the base material and reduce the equipment cost by effectively reducing the peak temperature of the base material in the vapor deposition process. It is an issue.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention has a cooling means for cooling the outer peripheral surface thereof, a cooling drum that rotates around its axis, and a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cooling drum. A base material traveling mechanism for traveling the base material in a state where the belt-shaped base material is wound, a vapor deposition material holding portion that is disposed to face the base material winding portion of the cooling drum, and holds the vapor deposition material; A heating mechanism for evaporating the vapor deposition material held in the vapor deposition material holding part toward the substrate winding part, a mask mechanism arranged between the cooling drum and the vapor deposition material holding part, A vacuum vessel that houses each component, and the mask mechanism partially shields the vapor from the vapor deposition material holding part toward the base material winding part, and thereby on the base material winding part. 2 or more lines up the material deposition area in the substrate running direction A mask portion that is divided into upper regions, each of the mask portions extending in parallel with the axis of the cooling drum, and the mask portion being kept equidistant from the outer peripheral surface of the substrate winding portion of the cooling drum It is supported so that the position can be changed in the base material traveling direction, and each of the mask portions is provided with a cooling mechanism for cooling the mask portions .
[0007]
A cooling water channel may be formed in the mask plate, and a cooling water supply mechanism for supplying cooling water to each cooling water channel may be provided.
[0008]
[Action]
In the vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention, the vapor directed from the vapor deposition material holding part to the base material winding part is partially shielded by the mask part of the mask mechanism so that the vapor deposition area on the base material winding part is in the base material traveling direction. Therefore, in the non-deposition region between the respective vapor deposition regions, the heating of the base material is temporarily stopped, and only the heat radiation from the base material to the cooling drum proceeds to lower the base material temperature. Thus, since the substrate temperature rises in the vapor deposition region and repeats a cycle in which it falls in the non-deposition region, the temperature change of the substrate in the vapor deposition process is averaged, and even when the same vapor deposition film thickness is obtained. It is possible to reduce the peak temperature of the substrate and reduce the occurrence of wrinkles and slackness of the base material due to thermal deformation. In addition, by providing a cooling region between the respective vapor deposition regions, even if a localized peeling portion occurs, the peeling portion does not continue to be heated, so that peeling is accelerated and accelerated to a large area. There are few inconveniences such as generating flaws.
[0009]
【Example】
FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of a vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention.
Reference numeral 1 in the figure denotes a cylindrical cooling drum made of metal or the like, and is driven to rotate in the direction of the arrow in the figure by a driving device (not shown). On a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cooling drum 1 (the lower surface side in this example), a strip-shaped base material F having a constant width is wound in a semicircular shape toward the drum circumferential direction, and is fed out from the uncoiler 2 to be recoiler 4. It is designed to be continuously run by being wound on. As the substrate F, any material such as a plastic film or a metal foil may be used.
[0010]
A vapor deposition material holding portion 6 is disposed opposite to the substrate winding portion of the cooling drum 1, and a vapor deposition material 8 such as metal or ceramics is accommodated therein. Any material may be used as the vapor deposition material 8 as long as it has been conventionally used as a vapor deposition material, such as ceramics or metal. The vapor deposition material holding unit 6 is provided with a heating mechanism (not shown). The type of the heating mechanism is not limited. For example, when a vacuum vapor deposition method is adopted, various heaters are provided, and when an electron beam vapor deposition method is adopted, an electron beam generating mechanism is provided. Is heated so that the vapor is radiated from the vapor deposition material holding part 6 toward the cooling drum 1. The structure of the heating mechanism may be well known and will not be described in detail here.
[0011]
All the above configurations are accommodated in the vacuum vessel 9. A vacuum pump and an inert gas supply source (not shown) are connected to the vacuum container 9 so that the atmosphere in the vacuum container 9 can be adjusted to desired conditions. In the vacuum vessel 9, a horizontal partition wall 10 is attached so as to substantially coincide with the height of the central axis of the cooling drum 1, and the space inside the vacuum vessel 9 is partitioned vertically by the partition wall 10 around the cooling drum 1. Yes. A slight gap is formed between the partition wall 10 and the periphery of the cooling drum 1, and the base material winding portion of the cooling drum 1 is surrounded by a certain gap around the periphery of the partition wall 10 on the cooling drum 1 side. Thus, the mask support 12 is attached.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 2, the mask support 12 has a rectangular frame shape including a pair of parallel rail portions 16 and a pair of fixed mask portions 14 that connect the end portions of the rail portions 16 at a right angle. Yes. Each rail portion 16 is curved in a semicircular shape, and is disposed so as to face each other in parallel with the outer peripheral surfaces of both end portions in the axial direction of the cooling drum 1. Further, the fixed mask portion 14 has an elongated plate shape slightly curved along the same plane as the rail portion 16, and is constant with each of the constant width portion on the winding start side and the constant width portion on the winding end side of the substrate F. Opposite parallel with a gap. The total length of the fixed mask portion 14 is set to be larger than the axial length of the cooling drum 1 as shown in FIG.
[0013]
Each rail portion 16 is formed with a slit 22 extending along the center line thereof over almost the entire length of the rail portion 16. In addition, the first mask plate 18, the second mask plate 20, the second mask plate 20, and the first mask plate 18 are arranged in order from the winding start side of the base material F along the outer peripheral surface of the rail portion 16, respectively. The bolts 24 that are arranged in the axial direction of the mask plates 18 and pass through both ends of the mask plates 18 and 20 are respectively passed through the slits 22 and fixed by nuts (not shown). Thus, each mask plate 18, 20 can be repositioned in the circumferential direction along the outer peripheral surface of the rail portion 16 when the bolts 24 at both ends are loosened, and can be removed from the rail portion 16 by removing the bolt 24. It has become.
[0014]
The width and thickness of the mask plates 18 and 20 should be appropriately set according to the required deposition conditions. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, in a state where vapor deposition regions P where the vapor from the vapor deposition material holding unit 6 reaches the base material F and non-deposition regions Q that do not reach are alternately formed, The peak temperature of the substrate F should be determined by performing experiments so that the peak temperature of the substrate F is sufficiently lower than the allowable limit temperature at which the substrate F is wrinkled or slackened. The number of mask plates 18 and 20 is not limited to four, and may be appropriately changed according to the required substrate cooling effect.
[0015]
The material of the mask plates 18 and 20 is preferably a heat-resistant material such as ceramics, metal material, or a composite material thereof because it becomes high temperature during vapor deposition. More preferably, the mask plates 18 and 20 are formed of a metal having a high thermal conductivity or a composite material containing these metals as a main composition, a cooling water channel is formed therein, and a cooling water supply mechanism is provided to these cooling water channels. It is advisable to circulate cooling water. FIG. 3 shows the mask plates 18 and 20 on which such cooling water channels 26 are formed. The cooling water passage 26 communicates between the pipes 28 attached to both ends of the mask plate 18 (20), and meanders inside the mask plate 18 (20). Further, each of the pipes 28 is connected to a cooling water supply mechanism (not shown) via a tube. The shape of the cooling water channel 26 is not limited to the illustrated shape, and may be changed as appropriate. It is more preferable that the same cooling water channel 26 is formed in the fixed mask portion 14 and the rail portion 16 of the mask support 12 and is cooled together with the mask plates 18 and 20.
[0016]
When the cooling water channel 26 is formed inside the mask plates 18 and 20, the temperature rise of the mask plates 18 and 20 during vapor deposition is suppressed. Therefore, the base material F at a position facing the mask plates 18 and 20 is suppressed. The cooling efficiency can be further increased. Thereby, the maximum temperature of the base material F can be further lowered, and the effect of preventing wrinkles and slack can be further enhanced.
[0017]
According to the vapor deposition apparatus having the above-described configuration, the vapor directed from the vapor deposition material holding unit 6 to the base material winding part is partially shielded by the mask plates 18 and 20, and as shown in FIG. In the non-deposition region Q between the respective vapor deposition regions P, the heating of the substrate F is stopped and the substrate F is transferred from the substrate F to the cooling drum 1. Only heat dissipation proceeds and the substrate temperature decreases. For this reason, since the temperature of the base material F repeats the cycle of rising in the vapor deposition region P and falling in the non-deposition region Q as shown in FIG. 4, the temperature change of the base material F in the vapor deposition process is averaged and the same Even when the deposited film thickness is obtained, the peak temperature of the base material F can be lowered, and it is possible to prevent the base material F from wrinkling or loosening due to thermal deformation. Moreover, since it is a simple structure which only arrange | positions the mask support body 12 and the mask plates 18 and 20, a reliable effect can be acquired at low cost.
[0018]
Moreover, even if the location where the base material F peeled from the cooling drum 1 locally arises by providing the cooling region Q between each vapor deposition zone P, this peeling location does not continue to be heated, but peeling However, there is little inconvenience that a defect over a large area is caused by acceleration. On the other hand, in the conventional apparatus, since the substrate temperature continues to rise rapidly as shown in FIG. 5 over the entire surface of the vapor deposition region, the cooling efficiency of the substrate is slightly lowered due to peeling from the cooling drum, etc. The maximum temperature of the part easily exceeds the allowable range, and the problem of wrinkles and slack is likely to occur.
[0019]
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the widths of the vapor deposition region P and the non-vapor deposition region Q can be freely adjusted by individually adjusting the positions of the mask plates 18 and 20, so that, for example, three peak temperatures shown in FIG. It is easy to make adjustments so that the values are almost the same, and it is possible to minimize the risk of wrinkles and slacking and to obtain sufficient vapor deposition efficiency.
In addition, this invention is not limited only to the said Example, Other various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the mask plates 18 and 20 are slid along the outer peripheral surface of the rail portion 16, but the mask plates 18 and 20 are slid along the inner peripheral surface of the rail portion 16. In addition, the distance between the mask plates 18 and 20 and the base material F may be reduced to enhance the cooling effect of the base material F by the mask plates 18 and 20. Further, the position of the mask portion is not necessarily adjustable, and may be fixed integrally with the mask support 12.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention, the mask part of the mask mechanism partially shields the vapor from the vapor deposition material holding part to the base material winding part, and thus on the base material winding part. In order to divide the vapor deposition region in the substrate into two or more regions in the direction of travel of the base material, in the non-deposition region between the respective vapor deposition regions, heating to the base material is stopped, and only heat radiation from the base material to the cooling drum proceeds. As a result, the substrate temperature decreases. Thus, since the substrate temperature rises in the vapor deposition region and repeats a cycle in which it falls in the non-deposition region, the temperature change of the substrate in the vapor deposition process is averaged, and even when the same vapor deposition film thickness is obtained. The peak temperature can be lowered. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of wrinkles and slack of the base material due to thermal deformation. In addition, by providing a cooling region between the respective vapor deposition regions, even if a localized peeling portion occurs, the peeling portion does not continue to be heated, so that peeling is accelerated and accelerated to a large area. There are few inconveniences such as generating flaws. In spite of obtaining such an excellent effect, since the structure is simple, there is an advantage that the equipment cost is low.
[0021]
In addition, a mask portion extending in parallel with the cooling drum axis is provided, and these are supported so that the position can be changed in the substrate running direction while maintaining an equal distance from the outer peripheral surface of the substrate winding portion of the cooling drum. Since each has a cooling mechanism for cooling the mask part, the width of each vapor deposition area is adjusted by moving the mask part, and the peak temperature of the substrate in each vapor deposition area is adjusted to be approximately the same value. In addition to minimizing the risk of wrinkles and slacking, it is possible to obtain sufficient vapor deposition efficiency. In addition, since the position of the mask portion can be changed while maintaining an equal distance from the outer peripheral surface of the base material winding portion of the cooling drum, the cooling effect on the base material winding portion is kept substantially constant before and after the position change. By the position change, the cooling effect on the substrate winding part is always kept good.
[0022]
In addition, when a cooling water channel is formed inside the mask plate to flow the cooling water, the temperature rise of the mask plate during vapor deposition is suppressed, and the cooling efficiency of the base material at a position facing the mask plate is further increased. Can be increased. Thereby, the maximum temperature of the base material can be further lowered, and the effect of preventing wrinkles and slack can be further enhanced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a front sectional view showing an embodiment of a vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view of the mask support (mask mechanism) of the same embodiment as viewed from below.
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an example of a mask plate of the same embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a graph of substrate temperature showing the effect of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a graph of a substrate temperature for showing a problem of a conventional apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Cooling drum 2 Uncoiler (base material travel mechanism)
4 Recoiler (base material travel mechanism)
6 Vapor deposition material holding portion 8 Vapor deposition material 9 Vacuum container 10 Partition 12 Mask support (mask mechanism)
14 Fixed mask portion 16 Rail portion 18 First mask plate (mask portion)
20 Second mask plate (mask part)
22 Slit 24 Bolt 26 Cooling channel P Deposition area Q Non-deposition area

Claims (2)

Built-in cooling means for cooling the outer peripheral surface, and a cooling drum rotated around the axis,
A base material traveling mechanism for traveling the base material in a state in which a belt-shaped base material is wound around a part of the outer peripheral surface of the cooling drum;
A vapor deposition material holding unit that is disposed to face the substrate winding part of the cooling drum and holds the vapor deposition material;
A heating mechanism for evaporating the vapor deposition material held in the vapor deposition material holding portion toward the substrate winding portion;
A mask mechanism disposed between the cooling drum and the vapor deposition material holder;
Comprising a vacuum vessel containing each of the above components,
The mask mechanism partially shields the vapor from the vapor deposition material holding part toward the base material winding part, so that the material vapor deposition region on the base material winding part is aligned in the base material traveling direction. Comprising a mask part to be divided into regions;
Each of the mask portions extends parallel to the axis of the cooling drum, and the mask portion is supported so that the position of the mask portion can be changed in the base material traveling direction while maintaining an equal distance from the outer peripheral surface of the base material winding portion of the cooling drum. And
The vapor deposition apparatus, wherein each of the mask portions is provided with a cooling mechanism for cooling the mask portions . The vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a cooling water channel is formed in the mask plate, and a cooling water supply mechanism for supplying cooling water to each cooling water channel is provided.

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