JP4885903B2 - Support mechanism for film formation - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a support mechanism for an object to be formed in a film forming apparatus.

As a film forming apparatus for forming a film on an object to be formed such as a glass substrate or a silicon substrate, the object to be formed is supported with the film forming surface facing downward. A film forming apparatus having an apparatus layout for forming a film by attaching a film forming material such as ITO (indium tin oxide film) or SiON (silicon oxynitride) from below is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In such a film forming apparatus, a film forming region is secured by providing an opening having a width larger than a predetermined width inside a support mechanism such as a transfer tray or a holder that carries and transfers a film forming object to be formed. At the same time, a support portion formed of a step is provided on the entire portion surrounding the opening, and film formation is performed by reliably supporting the deposition target so as not to fall.
JP 2007-2111270 A

  However, in such a film forming apparatus, film formation is performed in a state in which the support portion formed of a step is in contact with the outer peripheral end portion of the film forming surface and supports the film to be formed, so that the outer peripheral end portion of the film forming surface is Remains as an undeposited portion, and this undeposited portion may reduce the deposition rate of the film-forming substance on the entire deposition surface. In addition, when a specific function is to be given to the outer peripheral edge of the deposition target (for example, a transparent electrode such as ITO is formed on the entire surface including the outer peripheral portion in order to make the outer peripheral portion of the glass substrate conductive. In the case), after the film formation process is completed, it is necessary to cut and remove the outer peripheral edge of the non-film formation part as described above, or to apply a conductive material or the like again to the non-film formation part by a method such as printing. was there. On the other hand, although there is a support mechanism that supports the film by adsorbing and supporting the back surface opposite to the film formation surface by vacuum suction so that the support portion does not come into contact with the film formation surface, such a mechanism does not support or Since it is difficult to ensure the stability of conveyance and the apparatus configuration is complicated, it is not realistic.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and provides a support mechanism for a film forming apparatus that can reduce an unfilmed portion in an object to be formed despite a simple configuration. Objective.

The support mechanism according to the present invention is a support mechanism for a film formation apparatus in a film formation apparatus that supports the film formation object in a state where the film formation surface is directed downward and deposits a film formation material on the film formation surface. A frame having an opening having a width equal to or larger than that of the film-forming surface, and an inner side of the frame, and at least a part of the opening in the circumferential direction has a longitudinal section above the opening. And a tapered support portion that narrows downward from the bottom . The tapered support portion is composed of a plurality of elastic support members, and is in line contact or point contact with the ridge line of the film forming object surrounding the film formation surface . The plurality of elastic support members are each elastic support member. Protrudes downward from the frame to the opening to support the film formation at a plurality of locations, and the center of gravity of the film formation is positioned within the region formed by connecting the plurality of locations. It is characterized by being arranged .

  In this support mechanism, the tapered support portion is in line contact or point contact with the ridge line of the deposition target surrounding the film formation surface. Since the deposition target is supported by contact with such a ridgeline, deposition can be performed without directly supporting the deposition surface, and almost the entire deposition surface of the deposition target can be deposited. Can be made. As a result, in spite of a simple configuration such as a tapered support portion, an undeposited portion in the deposition target can be reduced and the deposition rate of the deposition substance can be increased. In addition, since an undeposited portion that is likely to be formed on the outer peripheral edge of the film formation target can be reduced, a specific function can be provided to the outer peripheral edge of the film formation target in the film forming process. Furthermore, since the ridgeline of the film-forming object is supported from the obliquely lower side by the tapered support portion, the support and transport stability can be improved as compared with the support mechanism by vacuum suction on the back surface.

Further, in the support mechanism according to the present invention, the tapered support portion includes a plurality of elastic support members, and each of the plurality of elastic support members protrudes from the frame body toward the opening portion toward the opening to form a film. to support the object at a plurality of locations, the center of gravity of the deposition material is arranged to lie within a region formed by connecting the plurality of locations. By supporting the film formation with the elastic support member arranged in this way, the vibration transmitted from the outside to the film formation during the conveyance can be reduced while the stability of the support and the conveyance is increased.

  In addition, it is preferable that at least one of the plurality of elastic support members has a spiral shape or a wave shape. With such a shape, the elastic support member can be realized with a simple configuration.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce an undeposited portion in an object to be deposited with a simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a film forming apparatus according to this embodiment. 2 is a perspective view showing an arrangement relationship between the transport tray and the glass substrate, FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view when the glass substrate is placed on the transport tray, and FIG. 3B is a top view. (C) is a bottom view. As shown in FIG. 1, a film forming apparatus 1 is an apparatus that performs film formation based on an ion plating method, and heats a material rod M made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO with a plasma beam Pb. A film is generated by depositing and depositing particles evaporated from sublimation (or evaporation) (hereinafter referred to as “sublimation particles”) on a film formation surface Wa of a glass substrate (film formation object) W located above.

  The film forming apparatus 1 includes a vacuum container 3 that is a film forming chamber, an evacuation unit 5 that makes the inside of the vacuum container 3 in a decompressed state, a plasma gun 7 that supplies a plasma beam Pb into the vacuum container 3, An anode part 9 for guiding the plasma beam Pb, a material supply device 11 for supplying a material rod M to the anode part 9, and a glass substrate W on which sublimation particles sublimated by the anode part 9 are formed are provided. And a transport mechanism 13 for transporting in the horizontal direction.

  The plasma gun 7 is a pressure gradient type plasma gun, and is fixed to a cylindrical portion 3 a provided on the side wall of the vacuum vessel 3. The plasma gun 7 has a cathode tube 18 fixed thereto, and an intermediate electrode 17 composed of a first intermediate electrode 15 and a second intermediate electrode 16 each incorporating a permanent magnet 15a for converging the plasma beam Pb and an air-core coil 16a. A glass tube 20 that includes a cathode flange 19 and surrounds the cathode tube 18 is disposed between the intermediate electrode 17 and the cathode flange 19. A steering coil 21 that guides the plasma beam Pb into the vacuum vessel 3 is provided around the cylindrical portion 3a. The plasma gun 7 is connected to the gun driving device 22, and the gun driving device 22 switches the power supply to the cathode tube 18 and adjusts the power supply to the first intermediate electrode 15, the second intermediate electrode 16, or the steering coil 21. To do.

  The anode unit 9 includes a hearth 23 that is a main anode for guiding the plasma beam Pb downward, and an annular auxiliary anode 24 disposed around the hearth 23. The hearth 23 is fixed to the lower part of the vacuum vessel 3 through an insulator. The hearth 23 has a through hole inside, and the material rod M is supplied to the through hole from below by the material supply device 11. The auxiliary anode 24 includes an annular permanent magnet 24 a that forms a cusp-like magnetic field directly above the hearth 23 by controlling the plasma beam Pb and a coil 24 b, and is connected to an anode power supply device 25. The position and incidence range of the plasma beam Pb incident on the hearth 23 are finely adjusted by changing the current applied to the coil 24b by the anode power supply device 25.

  The material supply device 11 is provided in the lower part of the vacuum vessel 3 and supplies the material rod M by moving it upward in a through hole provided in the hearth 23. When the material rod M supplied in this way is a conductive substance such as ITO, the plasma beam Pb is directly incident on the material rod M, the tip portion of the material rod M is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than the sublimation point, and sublimation ( Or evaporation) to sublimation particles. The material rod M is formed into a columnar solid having a predetermined length, and is pushed up and raised by the material supply device 11 every predetermined time.

  The transport mechanism 13 includes a transport tray (support mechanism) 40 that holds the glass substrate W, and a roller unit 41 that includes a plurality of rollers that move the transport tray 40 in a horizontal direction from the upstream side to the downstream side at a constant speed. I have.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transport tray 40 includes a frame 43 having a rectangular opening 42 therein, and a tapered support 44 provided on the entire inner periphery of the frame 43. ing. The opening 42 is formed in a tapered shape so as to become narrower from the upper surface toward the lower surface by the tapered support portion 44, and the glass substrate W is accommodated inside the opening 42.

  The frame body 43 is composed of four side portions 43a, 43b, 43c, and 43d having a predetermined thickness, and ends of adjacent side portions are connected to each other by connecting portions 43e so as to surround the opening 42. Yes.

  The tapered support portion 44 is provided adjacent to the entire inner surface of the frame 43, and as shown in FIG. 3A, from the upper side to the lower side in the longitudinal section in the circumferential direction of the opening 42. In order to gradually narrow the width, the taper side surface 44b has a tapered shape with an angle (taper angle) of about 70 degrees with respect to the lower surface 44a of the tapered support portion 44. By such a tapered support portion 44, the opening 42 has an upper opening surface 42a wider than the film formation surface Wa (see FIG. 3B), while a lower opening surface 42b becomes narrower than the film formation surface Wa (FIG. 3). 3 (c)), and within the opening 42, the tapered side surface 44b of the tapered support portion 44 and the ridge line Wb of the glass substrate W surrounding the film-forming surface Wa are in line contact over the entire circumference. It has become. By such line contact, the glass substrate W is supported by the tapered support portion 44 from obliquely below. Note that the frame body 43 and the tapered support portion 44 may be integrally formed or may be formed separately and then bonded together to be integrated.

  Next, the operation procedure of the film forming apparatus 1 will be described.

  First, the inside of the vacuum vessel 3 is evacuated by the evacuation means 5 so that the material rod M is filled in the hearth 23 by the material supply device 11, and the material rod M is held in the through hole of the anode portion 9 ( First step). Subsequently, a discharge is generated between the cathode tube 18 of the plasma gun 7 and the hearth 23 by the gun driving device 22 and the anode power supply device 25, and the plasma beam Pb generated by the discharge is irradiated toward the hearth 23 (first). Step 2).

  Next, the current applied to the auxiliary anode 24 is adjusted by the anode power supply device 25, the incident range of the plasma beam Pb incident on the through hole of the hearth 23 is controlled, and the temperature of the tip portion of the material rod M is the sublimation point. Control is performed as described above (third step). When the material rod M is sufficiently heated, the material rod M sublimates (or evaporates) and vaporizes, and sublimated particles appear. Then, the sublimation particles are ionized by the plasma beam Pb and incident on the film formation surface Wa located on the lower surface of the glass substrate W supported by the transport tray 40 in a highly active state, and an ITO film is formed on the film formation surface Wa. Form (fourth step).

  Here, since the lower opening surface 42b of the tapered support portion 44 is formed so as to be narrower than the film formation surface Wa, direct film formation on the outer peripheral edge of the film formation surface Wa is not performed in part. Although there is a possibility, by using the tapered support portion 44 having a predetermined taper angle (for example, 65 degrees to 85 degrees, preferably 70 degrees), the sublimated particles are in the lower tip portion of the tapered support portion 44. A predetermined amount of ITO film is formed on the outer peripheral end of the film formation surface Wa.

  As described in detail above, in the film forming apparatus 1 having the transport tray 40 according to the present embodiment, the tapered side surface 44b of the tapered support portion 44 is in line contact with the ridge line Wb of the glass substrate W surrounding the film forming surface Wa. It is like that. Since the glass substrate W is supported by such line contact with the ridgeline, the film formation can be performed without directly supporting the film formation surface Wa, and the substantially entire film formation surface Wa of the glass substrate W is formed. Can be made into a membrane. As a result, in spite of a simple configuration such as the tapered support portion 44, an undeposited portion on the glass substrate W can be reduced and the adhesion rate of the ITO film can be increased. Moreover, since the non-film-forming part which is easy to be formed in the outer peripheral edge part etc. of the glass substrate W can be reduced, a specific function can be given to the outer peripheral edge part etc. of the glass substrate W by film-forming processing. Furthermore, since the ridge line Wb of the glass substrate W is supported from the diagonally lower side by the tapered side surface 44b of the tapered support portion 44, the stability of support and transport can be improved as compared with a support mechanism by vacuum suction on the back surface.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, a tapered tray is formed of a plurality of leaf springs, and a transport tray is used in which each leaf spring is disposed so as to protrude downward from each of the four sides.

  A transport tray 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the transport tray 50 includes a frame 53 having a rectangular opening 52 therein, and a tapered support 54 provided inside the frame 53 to support the glass substrate W. ing. The opening 52 is formed so as to be wider than the film formation surface Wa of the glass substrate W, and the glass substrate W is accommodated in the opening 52.

  The frame 53 includes four side portions 53a, 53b, 53c, and 53d having a predetermined thickness, and ends of adjacent side portions are connected to each other at each connecting portion so as to surround the opening 52. .

  The tapered support portion 54 includes four elastic leaf springs (elastic support members) 54a, 54b, 54c, and 54d. Each leaf spring 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d has a predetermined width, one end is fixed in the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of each side 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d, and the other end has a taper angle of about 70 degrees. It is formed so as to protrude downward from the opening 52. In addition, since the tip of the other end of each of the plate springs 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d formed to protrude and maintain the urging force upward and stably support the glass substrate W, the tip is the projection direction. It has a warping structure that returns to the contrary.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the frame 53 and the tapered support portion 54 described above have a longitudinal section at a predetermined location of the opening 52 where the leaf springs 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d are arranged. The width is gradually narrowed from the upper side to the lower side, and the lower side is narrower than the width of the glass substrate W. When the glass substrate W is accommodated in the opening 52, one of the ridge lines Wb of the glass substrate W surrounding the tapered side surfaces of the plate springs 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d constituting the tapered support portion 54 and the film formation surface Wa. Line contact with the part. Due to such line contact, the glass substrate W is supported obliquely from below at a plurality of locations by the leaf springs 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d. In this support, the center of gravity G of the glass substrate W is located in a region R1 formed by connecting a plurality of locations where the leaf springs 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d are in contact with the film formation surface Wa. The glass substrate W is stably supported by the transport tray 50.

  As described above, in the film forming apparatus 1 having the transfer tray 50 according to the present embodiment, the elastic leaf springs 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d are arranged so as to protrude downward into the opening 52, and are tapered. A support 54 is formed. For this reason, the glass substrate W can be supported by a plate spring having elasticity, and vibration transmitted from the outside to the film-forming object during conveyance can be reduced. Further, since the tapered support portion 54 is provided only on a part of the inner periphery of the frame body 53, the direct film formation on the outer peripheral end portion of the film formation surface Wa is performed as compared with the first embodiment. Locations that are not performed can be reduced, and the deposition rate of the film-forming substance can be increased.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, a taper-shaped support part is comprised with a some wire spring, and the conveyance tray arrange | positioned so that each line spring may protrude in an opening part toward the downward direction from each of four edge parts is used.

  A transport tray 60 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the transport tray 60 includes a frame 63 having a rectangular opening 62 therein, and a tapered support 64 provided inside the frame 63 and supporting the glass substrate W. ing. The opening 62 is formed so as to be wider than the film formation surface Wa of the glass substrate W, and the glass substrate W is accommodated in the opening 62.

  The frame 63 includes four side portions 63a, 63b, 63c, and 63d having a predetermined thickness, and ends of adjacent side portions are connected to each other by the connecting portions so as to surround the opening 62. .

  The tapered support portion 64 includes four wire springs (elastic support members) 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d having elasticity. Each of the wire springs 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d is a linear support member, and one end is fixed near the center in the longitudinal direction of each of the side portions 63a, 63b, 63c, and 63d, and the other end has a taper angle of about 70. It is formed so as to protrude downward from the opening 62 so as to have a degree. In addition, since the tip of the other end of each wire spring 64a, 64b, 64c, 64d formed in a protruding manner maintains the upward biasing force and stably supports the glass substrate W, the tip is opposite to the protruding direction. It has a warping structure that returns to.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, the frame 63 and the tapered support portion 64 described above have a vertical cross section at a predetermined position of the opening 62 where the line springs 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d are arranged. The width is gradually narrowed from the bottom to the bottom, and below the width of the glass substrate W. When the glass substrate W is accommodated in the opening 62, a part of the ridge line Wb of the glass substrate W surrounding the tapered side surfaces of the wire springs 64 a, 64 b, 64 c, 64 d constituting the tapered support portion 64 and the film formation surface Wa is formed. And point contact. By such point contact, the glass substrate W is supported from diagonally below at a plurality of locations by the wire springs 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d. In this support, the center of gravity G of the glass substrate W is located in a region R2 formed by connecting a plurality of locations where the wire springs 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d are in contact with the film formation surface Wa. The glass substrate W is stably supported by the transport tray 60.

  Thus, in the film forming apparatus having the transfer tray 60 according to the present embodiment, the elastic line springs 64a, 64b, 64c, and 64d are arranged so as to protrude downward into the opening 62, and are tapered. A support portion 64 is formed. For this reason, the glass substrate W can be supported by a wire spring having elasticity, and vibration transmitted from the outside to the film-forming object during conveyance can be reduced. Further, since the tapered support portion 64 is provided only on a part of the inner periphery of the frame 63, and is configured by a linear wire spring and is supported by point contact, the first and second portions are provided. Compared with the embodiment, the portion where direct film formation on the outer peripheral edge of the film formation surface Wa is not performed can be further reduced, and the deposition rate of the film formation material can be further increased.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the glass substrate supported as the deposition target is rectangular has been described. However, the supported glass substrate may be circular. In such a case, the opening is preferably circular. In this embodiment, the glass substrate is used as the film formation object. However, a silicon substrate, a plastic substrate, or the like may be used, and the film formation process needs to be performed with the film formation surface facing downward. If it is a thing. In the present embodiment, description has been made using ITO as a film forming material, but a film forming material such as SiON may be used as long as it is a film forming material.

  In the third embodiment, a linear elastic support member made of a wire spring is used. However, a spiral elastic support member shown in FIG. 6A may be used, or FIG. A wave-like elastic support member may be used. With such a shape, the elastic support member can be realized with a simple configuration.

It is sectional drawing which showed typically the film-forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship between the conveyance tray and board | substrate which concern on 1st Embodiment. When a glass substrate is arrange | positioned to the conveyance tray which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a bottom view. When a glass substrate is arrange | positioned to the conveyance tray which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a bottom view. When a glass substrate is arrange | positioned to the conveyance tray which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, (a) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view, (b) is a top view, (c) is a bottom view. It is an example of a change of an elastic support member, (a) is an example of change of a spiral shape, and (b) is an example of change of a wave shape.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Film-forming apparatus, 13 ... Conveyance mechanism, 40, 50, 60 ... Conveyance tray (support mechanism), 41 ... Roller part, 42, 52, 62 ... Opening part, 43, 53, 63 ... Frame, 43a, 43b , 43c, 43d, 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d, 63a, 63b, 63c, 63d ... sides, 43e ... connecting parts, 44,54,64 ... tapered support parts, 54a, 54b, 54c, 54d ... leaf springs (Elastic support member), 64a, 64b, 64c, 64d ... wire spring (elastic support member), R1, R2 ... region, W ... glass substrate, Wa ... film formation surface, Wb ... ridge line.

Claims (2)

A mechanism for supporting a film-forming object in a film-forming apparatus that supports the film-forming object in a state in which the film-forming surface is directed downward and deposits and deposits a film-forming substance on the film-forming surface;
A frame body having an opening having a width equal to or larger than that of the film-forming surface;
A taper-shaped support portion that is provided on the inner side of the frame body and narrows the longitudinal section of the opening portion from the upper side to the lower side at least in a part of the opening portion in the circumferential direction;
The tapered support portion is composed of a plurality of elastic support members, and is configured to be in line contact or point contact with a ridgeline of the film formation surrounding the film formation surface ,
The plurality of elastic support members are formed such that each elastic support member protrudes downward from the frame body to the opening to support the film-formed object at a plurality of locations and connects the plurality of locations. The support mechanism is arranged so that the center of gravity of the film-forming object is located in a region to be deposited . The support mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of elastic support members has a spiral shape or a wave shape.

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