JP7336366B2 - Sealing device, vacuum device, film forming device and multilayer film manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a sealing device, a vacuum device, a film forming device, and a multilayer film manufacturing method.

For example, in the production of multilayer films such as vapor deposition films, a process is required in which the web is placed in a space with a pressure different from the atmospheric pressure and processed. Such a processing process is a batch process in which a reel on which a web is wound is carried into a processing chamber, a predetermined processing is performed while rewinding the web, and the reel on which the processed web is wound is carried out of the processing chamber. It was done. In order to keep the pressure in the processing chamber constant even when reels are loaded and unloaded, and to perform batch processing efficiently, a front chamber (load lock) is provided adjacent to the processing chamber, and the pressure in this front chamber is controlled by an external source. A film forming apparatus is known that fluctuates between the pressure and the pressure of the processing chamber.

However, even if an antechamber is provided, batch processing cannot sufficiently improve productivity. There is a demand for a continuous treatment that continuously discharges from the

When performing continuous web processing, an opening (slit) through which the web passes is required in the partition wall that separates the two spaces with different pressures. flow into Therefore, in order to efficiently maintain the pressure in each space at the required pressure, there is known a technique of disposing a sealing device for suppressing the movement of the atmospheric gas at the opening through which the web passes.

Such a sealing device includes a roller for guiding the web, a housing that accommodates the roller, is open to a space on the low pressure side and a space on the high pressure side, and forms a small gap with the roller, There is one configured to suck the gas in the gap between the roller and the housing toward the housing (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this configuration, the amount of gas flowing into the space on the low pressure side can be reduced by forcibly discharging the gas that tries to pass through the gap between the roller and the housing to the outside of the system.

JP-A-58-131470

In the sealing device described in Patent Document 1, the amount of gas passing through the gap between the peripheral surface of the roller and the housing can be reduced. It also flows from the high-pressure side space to the low-pressure side space. Therefore, in the sealing device described in Patent Document 1, in order to set the pressure of the low-pressure space low, the vacuum pump still requires a large capacity, so an expensive vacuum pump or a plurality of vacuum pumps are required. .

As a means for suppressing the gas from flowing into the space on the low pressure side from the gap between the end surface of the roller and the housing, it is conceivable to reduce the gap between the end surface of the roller and the housing. However, since bearings and structures that hold the bearings are placed on both sides of the roller in the axial direction, there is a limit to reducing the gap between the roller end face and the housing when considering the dimensional tolerance and positioning accuracy of these. be. It is also conceivable to provide a contact seal having, for example, a rubber seal member between the end surface of the roller and the housing. There are risks. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a sealing device and a vacuum device capable of forming a large differential pressure at a relatively low cost, and a film forming device and a multilayer film manufacturing method capable of forming a film at a relatively low cost.

A sealing device according to an aspect of the present invention is a sealing device capable of continuously conveying a web while separating a first space from a second space having a pressure lower than that of the first space, wherein the first space and the a frame that is disposed in a partition that separates the second space and has a transport opening through which the web passes; and a sealing roller that is disposed inside the transport opening and guides the web. The inner wall surface of the conveying opening includes a pair of peripheral sealing surfaces opposed to the peripheral surface of the sealing roller at a constant interval, and a pair of end sealing surfaces opposed to the end surfaces of the sealing roller. , wherein the frame body includes an exhaust flow path that opens to the peripheral sealing surface and is connected to a low pressure source; a suction groove communicating with the channel.

In the sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the suction groove may be formed continuously on the pair of peripheral sealing surfaces and the pair of end sealing surfaces so as to surround the sealing roller.

In the sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the exhaust flow path may open only on one of the circumferential sealing surfaces.

The sealing device according to an aspect of the present invention may further include a sealing member that seals between the frame and the peripheral surface of the sealing roller.

A vacuum apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes the sealing device and a decompression chamber defining the second space.

A film forming apparatus according to still another aspect of the present invention includes the vacuum apparatus, and a film forming mechanism provided in the decompression chamber for laminating different materials on the surface of the web.

A method for manufacturing a multilayer film according to still another aspect of the present invention includes the step of laminating different materials on the surface of the web using the film forming apparatus.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sealing apparatus and vacuum apparatus which can form a comparatively large differential pressure, the film-forming apparatus which can form a film comparatively cheaply, and a multilayer film manufacturing method can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic cross section which shows the film-forming apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 2 is an axis-perpendicular schematic cross-sectional view showing details of the sealing device of FIG. 1 ; 3 is an axial schematic cross-sectional view of the sealing device of FIG. 2; FIG. It is a schematic cross section showing a film forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an axis-perpendicular schematic cross-sectional view showing details of the sealing device of FIG. 4 ; FIG. 5 is an axial schematic cross-sectional view showing a modification of the sealing device of FIG. 4; 5 is an axial schematic cross-sectional view showing another modification of the sealing device of FIG. 4; FIG. FIG. 5 is an axial schematic cross-sectional view showing still another modification of the sealing device of FIG. 4 ;

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, suppose that the same code|symbol is attached|subjected to the part which is the same or equivalent in each drawing. Also, for the sake of convenience, hatching and member numbers may be omitted. In such cases, refer to other drawings.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a film forming apparatus M according to the first embodiment of the invention. The film forming apparatus M is an apparatus for laminating a film on the surface of the web W. As shown in FIG. The film forming apparatus M includes a vacuum apparatus U forming a second space having a pressure lower than that of the first space, which is a surrounding space, and a film forming mechanism F disposed inside the vacuum apparatus U. Vacuum device U is an embodiment of the vacuum device according to the present invention. It should be noted that the term "vacuum" is not limited to so-called high vacuum, but also includes low vacuum, and is a concept that broadly encompasses a state of pressure lower than atmospheric pressure.

In the film forming apparatus M, the web W is continuously conveyed so as to pass through the decompression chamber R. The web W is not particularly limited, but typically a resin film can be considered. Specific materials for the resin film include, for example, polycarbonate, polymethacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polymethyl methacrylate, polyacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyimide, polyamide, Polyetherketone, polyolefin, triacetyl cellulose and the like can be mentioned. Moreover, the resin film may be any film such as one having protective films on both sides, one having one side, and no protective film.

The vacuum device U is provided at a decompression chamber R defining a second space, and at a portion where the web W enters the decompression chamber R and a portion where the web W exits from the decompression chamber R, and separates the first space from the second space. and two sealing devices 1 capable of continuously conveying the web W. The sealing device 1 is one embodiment of the sealing device according to the present invention.

The decompression chamber R has a partition wall P that separates the first space and the second space. A low-pressure source V1 is connected to the decompression chamber R to discharge the gas inside the second space. Thereby, the pressure in the second space is reduced to a pressure lower than that in the first space, which is maintained at atmospheric pressure. The low pressure source V1 can be configured by an exhaust device such as a vacuum pump, an ejector, or the like. Vacuum pumps used as the low-pressure source V1 include, for example, diaphragm pumps, rotary pumps, dry pumps, cryopumps, mechanical booster pumps, turbomolecular pumps, ion pumps, getter pumps, and the like. may be used.

The film forming apparatus M also includes a low-pressure source V1 for discharging the gas inside the decompression chamber R, and a plurality of low-pressure sources V11, V12, and V13 respectively connected to the sealing device 1a. The low pressure sources V11, V12, V13 can be constructed by an evacuation device similar to the low pressure source V1.

The film forming mechanism F forms a film by laminating different materials on the surface of the web W. FIG. In the illustrated example, the film forming mechanism F has a drum D around which the web W is wound, and a sputtering device E that supplies and laminates another material on the surface of the web W wound around the drum D.

<Seal device>
The sealing device 1 of the film forming apparatus M will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 showing details. Although FIG. 2 shows the sealing device 1 on the upstream side, the sealing device 1 on the downstream side is arranged in a mirror image so that the upstream side and the downstream side are interchanged. From a different point of view, it can be considered that the conveying direction of the web W is reversed in FIG.

The sealing device 1 includes a frame 10 having a conveying opening 11 through which the web W passes, a sealing roller 20 disposed inside the conveying opening 11 for guiding the web W, and a sealing roller 20 for guiding the web W. and a pair of guide rollers 30 for guiding the

The frame 10 is arranged on the partition wall P and holds bearings (not shown) that support the sealing roller 20 . The frame 10 may be airtightly attached to the partition P, or may be formed integrally with the partition P.

A transport opening 11 of the frame 10 is formed so as to communicate with the first space and the second space. The inner wall surface of the conveying opening 11 is formed of a pair of peripheral sealing surfaces facing the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 at a constant interval (a web surface facing the area guiding the web W on the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20). A side peripheral sealing surface 111, a roller side peripheral sealing surface 112 facing a region of the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 that does not guide the web W, and a pair of end sealing surfaces facing the end surface of the sealing roller 20 113 and .

The peripheral sealing surfaces 111 and 112 are formed in the shape of a cylindrical surface concentric with the sealing roller 20 in order to keep the distance from the sealing roller 20 substantially constant. Moreover, it is preferable that the pair of end sealing surfaces 113 be formed in a plane shape parallel to each other.

In addition, the frame 10 opens to the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 and is connected to one of the corresponding low pressure sources V11, V12, V13, and discharges the gas in the space between the sealing roller 20 to the outside. a plurality of web-side exhaust flow paths (first web-side exhaust flow path 121, second web-side exhaust flow path 122, and third web-side exhaust flow path 123 in order from the first space side), and a roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112, connected to one of the corresponding low-pressure sources V11, V12, V13, and a plurality of roller-side exhaust passages (first space side 131, 132 and 133), and from the peripheral sealing surfaces 111 and 112 to the end sealing surface 113. , web-side exhaust flow paths 121, 122, 123 and roller-side exhaust flow paths 131, 132, 133 (in order from the first space side, a first suction groove 141, a second suction groove 142 and a 3 suction grooves 143). Although three suction grooves 141, 142, and 143 are formed in the transport opening 11, the number of suction grooves formed in the transport opening 11 and the number of exhaust flow paths are arbitrary.

The suction grooves 141 , 142 , 143 of this embodiment are formed on the inner surface of the transport opening 11 over the entire circumference. Specifically, the suction grooves 141 , 142 , 143 are formed over the entire length of the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 and the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 . A roller-side peripheral surface suction portion 147 is formed along the entire length of the pair of end sealing surfaces 113, and the end portions of the web-side peripheral surface suction portion 146 and the roller-side peripheral surface suction portion 147 are connected respectively. and a pair of end face suction portions 148 that are connected to each other. That is, the suction grooves 141 , 142 , 143 are formed in an endless rectangular shape along the entire circumference of the inner wall surface of the conveying opening 11 so as to surround the sealing roller 20 .

The web-side peripheral surface suction portion 146 and the roller-side peripheral surface suction portion 147 are preferably formed in a straight line parallel to the rotation axis of the sealing roller 20, but the end surface suction portion 148 is formed in the second direction shown in FIG. Like the suction groove 142, it can be formed to bypass the rotating shaft of the sealing roller 20 and the bearing structure or the like that supports the rotating shaft.

The distance between the sealing surfaces 111, 112, 113 (excluding the suction grooves 141, 142, 143) and the sealing roller 20 is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. As a result, the flow rate of gas passing between the frame 10 and the sealing roller 20 can be suppressed while preventing contact between the sealing roller 20 or the web W and the frame 10 .

The width of the suction grooves 141, 142, 143 can be, for example, 5 mm or more and 25 mm or less. By making the widths of the suction grooves 141, 142, and 143 relatively small in this manner, the sealing surfaces 111, 112, and 113 of the transfer opening 11, which serve as gas flow paths from the first space to the second space, are sealed. Since the flow path resistance of the clearance between the stop roller 20 and the stop roller 20 can be increased, the amount of gas flowing from the first space to the second space can be effectively suppressed.

Also, the depth of the suction grooves 141, 142, and 143 can be set to 1 to 3 times the width of each. By setting the depth of the suction grooves 141, 142, 143 within the above range, the suction efficiency can be significantly improved. More specifically, since the gas has the property of sticking to the wall surface, the gas is trapped between the sealing surfaces 111 , 112 , 113 and the sealing roller 20 in the narrow gaps between the sealing surfaces 111 , 112 , 113 and the sealing roller 20 . easy to move along the surface of The gas clinging to the wall is easily released from clinging to the wall the moment it spreads from a narrow space to a wide space. Therefore, by increasing the cross-sectional areas of the suction grooves 141, 142, 143, the gas is released from sticking to the sealing surfaces 111, 112, 113 and the sealing roller 20, and the exhaust flow paths 121, 122, 123, . It can be made easier to move to 131, 132, and 133. Note that the width and depth of the suction grooves 141, 142, and 143 may not be constant.

In the sealing device 1, the gas inside the suction grooves 141, 142, 143 is discharged to the outside through the exhaust passages 121, 122, 123, 131, 132, 133, so that the suction grooves 141, 142, 143 are extended to the entire length. The gas in the space between the sealing rollers 20 facing each other is sucked. As a result, in the sealing device 1, the low-pressure sources V11, V12, and V13 cause gas to pass through the gaps between the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 and the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 of the conveying opening 11 and the sealing roller 20. In addition, the gas that tries to pass through the gap between the pair of end sealing surfaces 113 of the conveying opening 11 and the sealing roller 20 can be discharged to the outside. can be increased relatively easily.

In order to decrease the pressure in order from the first space toward the second space, the pressure inside the suction grooves 141, 142, 143 and further the exhaust passages 121, 122, 123, 131, 132, 133 is increased toward the second space. need to be low. Therefore, the exhaust passages 121, 122, 123, 131, 132, 133 are preferably connected to low pressure sources V11, V12, V13 suitable for achieving desired pressures, respectively. Also, in order to reduce the exhaust resistance, as shown in FIG. 131, 132, 133 may be provided in parallel.

Even a slight leak between the exhaust passages 121, 122, 123, 131, 132, 133 and the low-pressure sources V11, V12, V13 significantly reduces the exhaust performance. , 132, 133 and the low pressure sources V11, V12, V13. Specifically, pipes, flexible hoses, or the like, for example, may be arranged between the exhaust passages 121, 122, 123, 131, 132, 133 and the low pressure sources V11, V12, V13. These flow paths may be connected using pipe joints such as flanges. As materials for pipes and the like that constitute these flow paths, stainless steel such as SUS304 and SUS316, carbon steel, titanium, nickel, and the like can be used.

The sealing roller 20 is arranged in the conveying opening 11 and seals the conveying opening 11 leaving a small gap around it. In other words, one radial side of the sealing roller 20 is exposed to the first space, and the other radial side is exposed to the second space. The diameter of the sealing roller 20 is preferably larger than the thickness of the frame 10 at the transport opening 11 .

The sealing roller 20 positions the web W as it passes through the transport opening 11 by supporting the web W within a predetermined angular range of its peripheral surface. As a result, the sealing roller 20 keeps the gap between the web W and the inner wall of the conveying opening 11 constant and minimal. That is, the web W enters the conveying opening 11 in close contact with the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 and exits the conveying opening 11 in close contact with the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 .

The sealing roller 20 may be configured to be heated or cooled to regulate the temperature of the web W. Specifically, the sealing roller 20 may have a heater inside for heating, may have a resistance heating element pattern formed near the surface, and may have an exciting coil arranged adjacently. It may have a metal layer that generates heat due to the high frequency magnetic field applied by the. By preheating the web W in the first space to remove moisture, it is possible to prevent the web W from slipping on the sealing roller 20 due to evaporation of the moisture due to reduced pressure. Further, the sealing roller 20 may have a flow path through which a coolant is inserted for cooling. When the web W containing moisture enters the second space where the pressure is low, the sealing roller 20 cools the web W, thereby reducing the saturated vapor pressure. As a result, it is possible to suppress evaporation of water from the web W due to a decrease in pressure, and prevent the web W from slipping on the sealing roller 20 due to being lifted by the water vapor.

The guide rollers 30 are arranged in front of and behind the sealing roller 20 in order to bring the web W into close contact with the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 within a certain angular range by its tension.

Since the film forming apparatus M having the above configuration includes the sealing device 1 capable of forming a large differential pressure at a relatively low cost and further the vacuum device U, the film can be formed on the web W at a relatively low cost.

In the sealing device 1, air can be discharged from the four gaps of the sealing roller 20 without providing complicated flow paths. Therefore, the sealing device 1 can achieve a large differential pressure while having a relatively simple device configuration. For this reason, the vacuum device U can sufficiently reduce the pressure inside the decompression chamber R with a small number of sealing devices 1, so that it is relatively inexpensive and occupies a small area.

<Multilayer film manufacturing method>
An embodiment of the multilayer film manufacturing method according to the present invention comprises a step of laminating different materials on the surface of the web W using the film forming apparatus M of FIG. The web W can be continuously supplied to the first buffer chamber R1 of the film forming apparatus M from a reel (not shown) on which the web W is wound. Further, the processed web W (manufactured multilayer film) continuously discharged from the sixth buffer chamber R6 can be wound on another reel (not shown) and collected.

According to this multilayer film manufacturing method, since the degree of vacuum in the decompression chamber Rf can be easily increased by the sealing device 1, a high-quality multilayer film can be manufactured by forming a film on the web W serving as a base material at a relatively low cost. can do.

In addition, by manufacturing a multilayer film using the film forming apparatus M, on the upstream and downstream sides of the film forming apparatus M, that is, under atmospheric pressure, the oven drying process, coating process, appearance inspection process, slit (film division ) step can be performed. In other words, in the film forming apparatus M, only the processes that need to be performed under vacuum can be performed. Films can be produced continuously at a lower cost.

[Second embodiment]
A film forming apparatus Ma according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. A film forming apparatus Ma shown in FIG. 4 is an apparatus for laminating a film on the surface of a web W, like the film forming apparatus M shown in FIG. In addition, about the film-forming apparatus Ma of FIG. 4, the same code|symbol may be attached|subjected to the same component as the film-forming apparatus Ma of FIG. 1, and the overlapping description may be abbreviate|omitted.

The film forming apparatus Ma includes a decompression chamber Ra that defines a second space having a pressure lower than that of the first space that is open to the atmosphere, two sealing devices 1a that are arranged in a single partition Pa of the decompression chamber Ra, and a film forming mechanism F disposed inside the decompression chamber Ra of the vacuum apparatus Ua. The vacuum device Ua is another embodiment of the vacuum device according to the invention, and the sealing device 1a is another embodiment of the sealing device according to the invention.

In this embodiment, the web W enters the decompression chamber Ra through one sealing device 1a, is folded back in the decompression chamber Ra, and exits the other sealing device 1a in the opposite direction. Since the film forming apparatus Ma transports the web W in the decompression chamber Ra by folding it, the area occupied by the entire apparatus is relatively small.

<Seal device>
The sealing device 1a of the film forming apparatus Ma will be described below with reference to FIGS.

The sealing device 1a includes a frame body 10a disposed in the partition wall Pa, communicating with the first space and the second space, and having a transport opening 11 through which the web W passes; and a pair of guide rollers 30 for guiding the web W before and after the sealing roller 20 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the frame body 10a has a plurality of roller-side exhaust flow paths 131, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 132, 131, 132 from, 133 is formed continuously from the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 to the end sealing surfaces 113 on both sides, and further to the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 on the opposite side of the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112, and the roller-side exhaust flow is formed. and a plurality of suction grooves 141 , 142 , 143 communicating with the channels 131 , 132 , 133 . That is, in the frame 10a of the present embodiment, the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 of the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20, which faces the web W guiding side, is not provided with an exhaust flow path.

The suction grooves 141 , 142 , 143 are a web-side peripheral surface suction portion 146 formed over the entire length of the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 and a roller-side peripheral surface suction portion 146 formed over the entire length of the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 . A pair of end surface suction portions formed along the entire length of the pair of end sealing surfaces 113 and connecting the ends of the web side peripheral surface suction portion 146 and the roller side peripheral surface suction portion 147 respectively. and , respectively.

In this embodiment, the entire suction grooves 141, 142, 143 formed so as to surround the sealing roller 20 by only the roller-side exhaust passages 131, 132, 133 provided on the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 side are negative. By increasing the pressure, gas is discharged from the gaps between the sealing rollers 20 and the conveying openings 11 on the four sides. Since the sealing device 1a of this embodiment is provided with the exhaust passages 121, 122, 123 only on the side of the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111, connection with the low-pressure sources V11, V12, V13 is easier.

Since the roller-side peripheral surface suction portion 147 sucks air coming into contact with the web W, if the suction force of the roller-side peripheral surface suction portion 147 is too large, the web W will be lifted from the sealing roller 20 and misaligned with the frame 10a. There is a risk of damage due to contact. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the suction force of the web side peripheral surface suction portion 146 far from the roller side exhaust passages 131 , 132 , 133 is smaller than the suction force of the roller side peripheral surface suction portion 147 . That is, in the sealing device 1a, more gas is discharged from the roller-side peripheral surface suction portion 147 and the end surface suction portion 148 while suppressing the amount of gas discharged from the web-side peripheral sealing surface 112. The amount of gas flowing from the first space to the second space can be significantly reduced. Also in the present embodiment, by sufficiently increasing the cross-sectional areas of the suction grooves 141, 142, 143, the suction grooves 141, 142, 143, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142, 142 can be It is possible to prevent the suction force of 143 from becoming too small.

[Third embodiment]
Furthermore, a sealing device 1b according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The sealing device 1b of FIG. 7 can be used in place of the sealing device 1 of the film forming apparatus M of FIG. 1 and the sealing device 1a of the film forming apparatus Ma of FIG.

The sealing device 1b includes a frame body 10b disposed in a partition separating a first space and a second space, communicating with the first space and the second space, and having a conveying opening 11 through which the web W passes; A sealing roller 20 disposed inside the conveying opening 11 for guiding the web W, a pair of guide rollers 30 for guiding the web W before and after the sealing roller 20, and a web of the frame 10b and the sealing roller 20. and a shutter portion 40 for sealing a gap from the side on which W is not guided.

The frame body 10b includes a plurality of web-side exhaust passages 121, 122, and 123 opening in a web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 facing the web W guiding side of the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20, and a web-side peripheral sealing surface. It is formed continuously from the stop surface 111 to the end sealing surfaces 113 on both sides, and further to the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 on the side opposite to the web-side exhaust flow paths 121, 122, 123. , 123 and a second suction groove 142 formed continuously from the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 to both side end sealing surfaces 113 without extending to the second sealing surface 112 to provide web-side exhaust air. It has a first suction groove 141 b and a third suction groove 143 b that communicate with the flow paths 121 , 122 and 123 . In the frame 10b of the present embodiment, the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 facing the side of the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 on which the web W is not guided is not provided with an exhaust flow path.

In this embodiment, the second suction grooves 142 are formed over the entire length of the web side peripheral surface suction portion 146 and the roller side peripheral sealing surface 112 formed over the entire length of the web side peripheral sealing surface 111 . and a pair of roller-side peripheral surface suction portions 147 formed over the entire length of the pair of end sealing surfaces 113 and connecting the ends of the web-side peripheral surface suction portion 146 and the roller-side peripheral surface suction portions 147 respectively. and an end face suction portion 148 of . However, the first suction groove 141b and the third suction groove 143b of this embodiment do not have a roller-side peripheral surface suction portion.

The shutter part 40 is arranged on the first space side of the frame 10 so as to face the part of the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 that does not guide the web W.

The shutter section 40 includes a sealing member 41 that brings the leading end edge close to the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 and a holding mechanism 42 that holds the sealing member 41 so that the gap between the sealing roller 20 and the sealing roller 20 is adjustable.

It is preferable that at least the tip portion of the sealing member 41 that is close to the sealing roller 20 is formed in the shape of a square bar or in the shape of a band plate. It is preferable that the sealing member 41 is oriented such that its tip end surface is substantially parallel to the facing portion of the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 when viewed in the rotation axis direction of the sealing roller 20 . This makes it easier to increase the flow path resistance of the gas passing through the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 and increase the differential pressure between the first space and the second space. Further, the tip edge of the seal member 41 is curved convexly or concavely toward the sealing roller 20 side according to the deflection of the sealing roller 20 during the steady operation of the film forming apparatus M.

The sealing roller 20 bends due to its own weight and the differential pressure between the first space and the second space. For this reason, the tip edge of the seal member 41 is preferably curved convexly or concavely toward the sealing roller 20 side in accordance with the deflection of the sealing roller 20 during steady operation of the film forming apparatus Mb.

Although it varies depending on the structure of the sealing roller 20 and the set pressures of the first space and the second space, the force acting on the sealing roller 20 is predominantly due to the differential pressure between the first space and the second space. There are many things. Therefore, the resultant force that bends the sealing roller 20 can be substantially in the penetrating direction of the conveying opening 11 . For this reason, the tip edge of the seal member 41 of the shutter portion 40 disposed on the first space side is convexly curved toward the sealing roller 20 side.

The amount of radial deflection of the sealing roller 20 at the angular position where the shutter part 40 is arranged (maximum displacement observed at the central part in the length direction) during steady operation of the film forming apparatus Mb is, for example, a length of 1200 mm. is about 30 μm at the sealing roller 20 of . Further, under the same conditions, if there is no differential pressure between the first space and the second space and the sealing roller 20 is bent only by its own weight, the bending amount of the sealing roller 20 is about 5μ.

The gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 during steady operation of the film forming apparatus M may be, for example, 100 μm or less, depending on the differential pressure between the first space and the second space to be obtained. can be necessary. When the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 increases, the gas in the first space flows into the second space through the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20, which can increase the internal pressure of the second space. . Also, if the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 come into contact with each other, the sealing member 41 or the sealing roller 20 may be worn, and abrasion powder may adhere to the web W. must try not to.

Since the tip edge of the sealing member 41 of the shutter section 40 is curved, the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 can be reduced as a whole. Conversely, if the tip edge of the sealing member 41 is linear, the difference in the distance between the sealing roller 20 and the sealing member 41 between the end portion and the center portion of the sealing roller 20 due to bending of the sealing roller 20 may cause an assembly error. If mechanical vibration or the like is applied, the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 cannot be kept within the above range over the entire length of the sealing roller 20 . Since the sealing device 1 having the sealing member 41 with a curved tip edge can reduce the amount of gas flowing from the first space into the second space, even if the ability of the low-pressure source to discharge the gas from the second space is small, A differential pressure between the first space and the second space can be made relatively large.

The sealing member 41 can be made of steel, stainless steel, or the like. Also, the sealing member 41 may come into contact with the sealing roller 20 due to unforeseen circumstances such as when the vacuum pump suddenly stops due to a power outage or the like and the pressure on the low pressure side suddenly rises, or when a large vibration is received for some reason. In order not to damage the sealing roller 20, it is preferable that the tip is coated with resin or the like. As the resin that covers the tip of the seal member 41, it is preferable to use urethane resin, acrylic resin, styrene-acrylic resin, epoxy resin, vinyl ester resin, polyurea resin, NBR resin, etc., which have high hardness and excellent abrasion resistance. The thickness of the resin covering the tip portion of the seal member 41 is preferably about several tens of μm in order to suppress errors in the shape of the tip edge of the seal member 41 .

The holding mechanism 42 brings the leading edge of the sealing member 41 closer to the sealing roller 20 during steady operation of the film forming apparatus M, and moves the leading edge of the sealing member 41 closer to the sealing roller 20 when the film forming apparatus M is stopped or during unsteady operation. 20 can be spaced apart.

The holding mechanism 42 holds a base member 43 disposed on the frame 10 and the sealing member 41 so as to be able to protrude in the radial direction of the sealing roller 20 . a movable support member 44 mounted movably in a direction; an adjusting portion 45 for positioning the seal member 41 on the movable support member 44; and an elastic member 46 for biasing.

The holding mechanism 42 reduces the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 by causing the movable support member 44 to protrude toward the sealing roller 20 using the adjusting portion 45 so that the shutter portion 40 exhibits a sealing effect. do. In addition, when the bending of the sealing roller 20 is reduced due to some unforeseen circumstances and the sealing roller 20 comes into contact with the sealing member 41 , the holding mechanism 42 holds the sealing member 41 against the biasing force of the elastic member 46 . can be retracted, the sealing roller 20 and the sealing member 41 are prevented from being damaged.

The base member 43 may be formed integrally with the frame 10 or may be airtightly attached to the frame 10 . The movable support member 44 is preferably hermetically attached to the base member 43 and holds the seal member 41 hermetically. The adjustment unit 45 can be configured by, for example, a micrometer head. The elastic member 46 is normally disposed so as to press the movable support member 44 against the moving end on the side of the sealing roller, and can be constituted by, for example, a helical spring.

The adjusting unit 45 may be configured to automatically adjust the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 according to the operating state of the vacuum device U, or may be configured to be manually adjusted. good. If the control section 45 is configured to be manually operated, the shutter section 40 is preferably provided outside the first space, i.e., the decompression chamber R, so that it can be easily accessed while the device is in operation.

Further, in order to quickly reduce the pressure in the second space when the vacuum device U is started, the seal roller 20 is bent according to the differential pressure between the first space and the second space. It is desired to change the position of the member 41 every moment. In this case, when the shutter portion 40 is arranged on the first space side, even if the adjustment of the position of the sealing member 41 is delayed, the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 increases. The risk of accidentally contacting sealing roller 20 with 41 is small.

The sealing device 1b of the present embodiment is configured so that the web-side exhaust passages 121, 122, and 123 provided on the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 side are connected to the four sides of the sealing roller 20 through the suction grooves 141b, 142, and 143b. The gas is discharged from the gap with the conveying opening 11 of . Therefore, when the flow path resistance of the suction grooves 141b, 142, and 143b cannot be ignored, the pressure of the roller-side peripheral surface suction portion 147 becomes higher than the pressure of the web-side peripheral surface suction portion 146. FIG. In this case, the ability to discharge gas from the gap between the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 and the sealing roller 20 is compared with the ability to discharge gas from the gap between the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 and the sealing roller 20. It is likely to become smaller. However, since the sealing device 1b is provided with the shutter portion 40 on the side of the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111, the amount of gas flowing into the gap between the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 and the sealing roller 20 is reduced. The amount of gas flowing into the second space through the gap between the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 and the sealing roller 20 can also be sufficiently suppressed.

Further, in the sealing device 1b of the present embodiment, the first suction groove 141b and the third suction groove 143b do not have a roller-side peripheral surface suction portion, so that the gap between the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 and the sealing roller 20 is reduced. Also, the effect of suppressing the amount of gas flowing into the second space through the gap between the end sealing surface 113 and the sealing roller 20 is relatively large compared to the sealing device 1 and the sealing device 1a.

[Fourth embodiment]
Furthermore, a sealing device 1c according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The sealing device 1c of FIG. 8 can be used in place of the sealing device 1 of the film forming apparatus M of FIG. 1 and the sealing device 1a of the film forming apparatus Ma of FIG.

The sealing device 1c includes a frame body 10c disposed in a partition separating the first space and the second space, communicating with the first space and the second space, and having a conveying opening 11 through which the web W passes; A sealing roller 20 disposed inside the conveying opening 11 for guiding the web W, a pair of guide rollers 30 for guiding the web W before and after the sealing roller 20, and a web of the frame 10b and the sealing roller 20. and a shutter portion 40c that seals a gap with the side that does not guide W.

The frame body 10c includes a plurality of web-side exhaust passages 121, 122, and 123 opening in a web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 facing the web W guiding side of the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20, and a web-side peripheral sealing surface. It is formed continuously from the stop surface 111 to the end sealing surfaces 113 on both sides, and further to the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 on the side opposite to the web-side exhaust flow paths 121, 122, 123. , 123, and a third suction groove 143 formed continuously from the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 to both side sealing surfaces 113, not extending to the second sealing surface 112, and web-side exhaust. It has a first suction groove 141 b and a second suction groove 142 c communicating with the flow paths 121 , 122 and 123 . In the frame body 10c of this embodiment, the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 facing the side of the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20 on which the web W is not guided is not provided with an exhaust flow path.

In this embodiment, the third suction groove 143 is formed over the entire length of the web-side peripheral surface suction portion 146 and the roller-side peripheral sealing surface 112 formed over the entire length of the web-side peripheral sealing surface 111 . and a pair of roller-side peripheral surface suction portions 147 formed over the entire length of the pair of end sealing surfaces 113 and connecting the ends of the web-side peripheral surface suction portion 146 and the roller-side peripheral surface suction portions 147 respectively. and an end face suction portion 148 of . However, the first suction groove 141b and the second suction groove 142c of this embodiment do not have a roller-side peripheral surface suction portion.

The shutter portion 40c includes a sealing member 41 that brings the leading end edge close to the peripheral surface of the sealing roller 20, and a holding mechanism 42c that holds the sealing member 41 so that the gap between the sealing roller 20 and the sealing roller 20 is adjustable.

The holding mechanism 42c holds a base member 43c disposed on the frame 10c and the sealing member 41, and tilts the sealing roller 20 in a direction inclined between the circumferential direction and the radial direction of the sealing roller 20 with respect to the base member 43c. It can be configured to have a movable support member 44c that is movably attached, and a press contact portion 47 that presses the movable support member 44c against the base member 43 and fixes it by frictional force. The holding mechanism 42c can adjust the gap between the sealing member 41 and the sealing roller 20 according to the fixed position of the movable support member 44c with respect to the base member 43c. By using such a holding mechanism 42c, the gap between the seal member 41 and the sealing roller 20 can be controlled by changing the mounting position of the movable support member 44c, so that the seal member 41 can be easily and stably fixed.

The pressure contact portion 47 can be configured to have an adjusting screw 48 screwed into the base member 43c and an elastic member 49 sandwiched between the head of the adjusting screw 48 and the movable support member 44c. The elastic member 49 presses against the base member 43c of the movable support member 44c. In other words, the elastic member 49 urges the sealing member 41 in a direction to protrude toward the sealing roller 20, and when the sealing member 41 contacts the sealing roller 20 for some reason, the sealing member 41 is moved. It can be retracted with the support member 44c.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications are possible.

In the sealing device according to the present invention, the frame has at least one suction groove having at least one peripheral suction portion communicating with the exhaust flow path and a pair of end face suction portions continuing from the peripheral suction portion. It's fine if you do. In other words, in the sealing device according to the present invention, the number of exhaust passages and suction grooves provided in the frame is arbitrary as long as it is one or more.

In the sealing device according to the present invention, some or all of the plurality of exhaust flow paths may be connected to the same low pressure source via pressure adjusting means such as control valves.

In the film forming apparatus according to the present invention, the shutter section may be arranged on the side of the second space. As a result, when the film forming apparatus is stopped and the bending of the sealing roller is reduced, the central portion of the sealing roller moves away from the sealing member, so that the driving section of the sealing device can be omitted.

In the sealing device according to the present invention, the means for preventing damage due to contact between the sealing member and the sealing roller is not limited to the configuration in which the sealing member is biased by an elastic member. A mechanism for separating the sealing member from the sealing roller by detecting the contact of the sealing member may be provided.

Reference Signs List 1, 1a, 1b, 1c sealing device 10, 10a, 10b, 10c frame 11 transport opening 111 web-side peripheral sealing surface 112 roller-side peripheral sealing surface 113 end sealing surface 121, 122, 123 web-side exhaust flow path 131, 132, 133 roller-side exhaust flow path 141, 141b, 142, 142c, 143, 143b suction groove 146 web-side peripheral surface suction portion 147 web-side peripheral surface suction portion 148 end surface suction portion 20 sealing roller 30 guide roller 40, 40c shutter portion 41 sealing member 42, 42c structure 43, 43c base member 44, 44c movable support member 45 driving portion 46 elastic member pressure contact portion 47
adjustment screw 48
Elastic member 49
D Drum E Sputtering Device F Film Formation Mechanism M, Ma Film Formation Apparatus P, Pa Partition R, Ra Decompression Chamber U, Ua Vacuum Apparatus V1, V11, V12, V13 Low Pressure Source W Web

Claims (7)

A sealing device capable of continuously conveying a web while isolating a first space from a second space having a lower pressure than the first space,
a frame disposed in a partition separating the first space and the second space and having a transport opening through which the web passes;
a sealing roller disposed inside the conveying opening for guiding the web;
with
The inner wall surface of the conveying opening includes a pair of peripheral sealing surfaces facing the peripheral surface of the sealing roller at a constant interval and a pair of end sealing surfaces facing the end surfaces of the sealing roller. have
The frame has an opening in the peripheral sealing surface and is connected to a low pressure source, and is formed continuously from the peripheral sealing surface to the end sealing surface and communicates with the exhaust channel. a suction groove;
A sealing device. 2. The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein said suction groove is continuously formed on said pair of peripheral sealing surfaces and said pair of end sealing surfaces so as to surround said sealing roller. 3. The sealing device according to claim 2, wherein the exhaust flow path opens only on one of the peripheral sealing surfaces. The sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a sealing member that seals between the frame and the peripheral surface of the sealing roller. A vacuum apparatus comprising: the sealing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4; and a decompression chamber defining the second space. a vacuum apparatus according to claim 5;
a film forming mechanism provided in the decompression chamber for laminating different materials on the surface of the web;
A film forming apparatus. A multilayer film manufacturing method comprising the step of laminating different materials on the surface of the web using the film forming apparatus according to claim 6 .

Images