JPH0438774B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention is applicable to processing objects such as plastic molded products such as PET films, natural or synthetic fibers, painted steel plates, etc. in a continuous vacuum state, such as plasma processing, It relates to an apparatus that performs processes such as vapor deposition.

[Conventional technology]

This type of vacuum continuous processing equipment is
As described in No. 195739, roll-type sealing devices have become common, and sealing is performed by pressing the object to be processed with a pair of rolls. Additionally, there are some that have a slit-like sealing device as in US Pat. No. 3,057,792.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the above-mentioned conventional technology, since the object to be processed is sealed while being crimped with a pair of rolls, the object to be processed is crimped as a result, which has an adverse effect on the properties of the object after being processed. Additionally, as a seal between the rotating roll and the case, a ripple member that is slanted in the roll axis direction is used, but lubricants such as oil cannot be used because it does not have a negative effect on the processed material. There was a problem that abrasion powder of the ripple part or the roll was generated and it adhered to the object to be processed. Further, in the case where the seal is simply performed using a slit-shaped sealing device, there is a problem in that the object to be processed comes into contact with the sealed portion and is damaged. Therefore, it was unsuitable for high-grade objects to be treated such as transparent conductive films.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that performs continuous vacuum processing without compressing the workpiece and without adhering dust such as abrasion powder to the workpiece.

[Means for solving problems]

The above purpose has a slit-shaped sealing part,
In addition, this can be achieved by providing guide rolls for guiding the processed material in front of or on one side of this sealing part, and conveying the processed material while applying tension to the processed material by other means between the guide rolls. Ru.

[Effect]

Guide rolls are disposed at the front and back or on one side so that the workpiece does not come into contact with the slit-shaped seal portion, and the seal interval can be adjusted according to the thickness of the workpiece. Thereby, by applying tension to the workpiece by other means, the workpiece can be transported without coming into contact with the sealed portion. Furthermore, since there are no parts that slide against each other in the seal portion, there is no possibility that abrasion powder will be generated and the object to be treated will adhere to it.

〔Example〕

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a vacuum processing chamber in which a flexible workpiece F such as a plastic film, for example, a PET film, is subjected to continuous plasma processing in a vacuum state, and 2 is the front side of the vacuum processing chamber 1. A preliminary vacuum chamber 3 is located at the rear of the vacuum processing chamber 1, and the vacuum processing chamber is maintained at a vacuum pressure of about 10 ^-3 Torr by a vacuum pump 4 connected to it. It is evacuated via the exhaust conduit 5.

The preliminary vacuum chambers 2 and 3 are connected to the vacuum pump 6 through an exhaust conduit 7 so as to maintain a vacuum that is slightly higher than the vacuum pressure in the vacuum processing chamber 1 and gradually lower than atmospheric pressure. and evacuated.

The workpiece F to be processed is sent out from an unwinding shaft 8, passes through a guide roll 9 that controls the tension of the workpiece F in the front preliminary vacuum chamber, passes through the front preliminary vacuum chamber 2, and enters the vacuum processing chamber. 1 and undergoes plasma treatment there. After that, the preliminary vacuum chamber 3 on the rear side
The film passes through a guide roll 10 that controls the tension in the rear preliminary vacuum chamber, and then is wound up on a winding shaft 11. Reference numerals 12a and 12b are driving DC motors for transporting the workpiece F, and by detecting the tension of the guide rolls 9 and 10, the workpiece F is transported without wrinkles and the transport speed is appropriately adjusted.

3, 4 and 5 show the preliminary vacuum chamber 2.
and 3, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3. 13 is an upper case, 14 is a lower case, and 15 is a seal block guided and supported by the upper case 13. The workpiece F is conveyed between the slit formed by the lower case 14 and the seal block 15 without contacting them. Ru. 1
Reference numeral 6 denotes a handle, and by rotating the handle, the column 21 and the seal block 15, which are integrally formed with the seal block 15, can be adjusted to the thickness of the workpiece F by rotating the handle. Move it up and down depending on the situation. 2
2 is an LM guide, which guides the vertical movement of the seal block 15. 23 is an O-ring, which seals between the upper case 13 and the seal block 15. O-ring 23 is seal block 15
In order to provide a seal between the upper case 13 and the seal block 15 despite vertical movement (up to 2 mm), a sufficiently elastic material is used. The gap 24 between the upper case 13 and the side of the seal block 15 is made as small as possible (for example, 30 microns) so that the seal block 15 can move up and down smoothly and the amount of air leakage is small. Reference numeral 25 denotes a guide roll that guides the workpiece F, and the height of the outer circumferential surface of the guide roll 25 is made higher than the lower case 14 so that the sealing surface of the lower case 14 and the workpiece F do not come into contact. In normal use, the distance between the workpiece F and the seal block 15 and the workpiece F
The positions of the guide roll 25 and the seal block 15 are determined so that the distance between the lower case 14 and the lower case 14 is 0.1 mm. Reference numeral 26 denotes a tension applying roll that increases the winding angle around the workpiece F guide roll 25 and applies tension to the workpiece F, and the workpiece F vibrates at the sealing part and comes into contact with the wall surface of the sealing part. It prevents The pre-vacuum chamber 2 or 3 is composed of sealing devices facing each other and is evacuated by a vacuum pump 6 via an evacuation conduit 7.

According to the above embodiment, the object to be processed can be transported without coming into contact with the sealing device. Therefore, it does not adversely affect the properties of the processed object (for example, film quality in sputtering treatment) after processing, and there is no possibility that abrasion powder will adhere to the processed object.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment in which a guide plate 27 with an arc-shaped guide surface is provided in place of the guide roll, and when the workpiece F is thin, the load on the workpiece F at the start of conveyance is reduced. The load is small, and therefore there is an effect of preventing cutting and damage to the object F to be processed.

FIG. 7 shows yet another embodiment in which a guide rod 28 with a circular cross section is provided in place of the guide roll, and similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. This has the effect of preventing the object F from being cut or damaged.

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 show still other embodiments in which the tension applying roll can be moved up and down. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. A partial side view and FIG. 10 are detailed views of the tensioning roll.

In the figure, 29 is an air cylinder, 30 is an air piston 31 is an arm for rotating an arm shaft, 3
2 is the oil seal for the arm shaft, 33, 34
35 is a bearing housing, 35 is an arm shaft, and 36 is an arm for moving the tension applying roll 26 attached to the arm shaft 35. To explain its action, the air cylinder 2
The piston 30 associated with 9 is moved, thereby causing the arm 31 to move. This movement of the arm 31 is transmitted to the arm shaft 35, and the arm shaft 35 rotates about the center in the radial direction of the arm shaft 35. Note that the arm shaft 35 is connected to the bearing housings 33, 3 through bearings.
4, and an oil seal 32 seals between the atmosphere and vacuum.

Next, as the arm shaft 35 rotates, the arm 36 rotates around the radial center of the arm shaft 35. As a result, the guide roll 26 supported at the end of the arm 36 is
Move according to the rotation of 6. This guide roll 2
6 is located higher than the lower surface of the seal block 15 in FIG. 3 during the initial transport of the workpiece, and does not prevent the workpiece from being transported. Therefore, initial transportation becomes easy. Further, when the workpiece is being transported, the lowermost part of the tension applying roll 26 is located lower than the upper surface of the slit portion of the lower case 14, and an appropriate tension is applied to the workpiece F. As a result, there is no damage to the processed object due to contact with the slit portion of the sealing device.

According to the above embodiment, the object to be processed can be easily transported to the sealing device during initial transport. Further, by applying an appropriate tension to the object to be processed, it is possible to prevent damage caused by contact between the seal portion and the object to be processed.

Next, an embodiment will be described in which a tension detection means is provided to apply an optimum tension to the object to be processed.

1. First, a case will be described in which the tension detection means is provided outside the preliminary vacuum chamber 2 and the preliminary vacuum chamber 3. The tension detection means is provided on the front guide roll 9 and the rear guide roll 10. The tension of the workpiece on the front side is detected by a detection means via the guide roll 7, and the unwinding shaft 8 is controlled by a signal from the detection means so that the tension of the workpiece F is optimized. In addition, the tension of the workpiece F on the rear side is
It is detected by the detection means via the guide roll 10, and the winding shaft 11 is controlled by a signal from the detection means so that the tension of the workpiece F is optimized. The front side detection means and control means and the rear side detection means and control means maintain the optimal tension on the workpiece F, so that the workpiece F does not sag or wrinkle. It becomes possible to transport the workpiece F without contacting the seal block 15, and damage to the workpiece F can be prevented.

When the tension detection means is provided inside the preliminary vacuum chamber 2 and the preliminary vacuum chamber 3, the tension detection means is provided in one of the guide rolls 26 in the sealing device constituting the preliminary vacuum chambers 2 and 3. The tension of the front side workpiece F is detected via the guide roll 26 in the front side sealing device, and the unwinding shaft 8 is controlled by the signal from the detection means so that the tension of the workpiece F is optimized. receive. Further, the tension of the workpiece F on the rear side is detected via the guide roll 26 in the rear side sealing device, and the tension on the winding shaft 11 is detected by the signal from the detection means.
is controlled so that the tension of the workpiece is optimized. The front side detection means, the control means, and the rear side detection means and control means keep the workpiece F at an optimal tension, and the lower case 14 and the seal block 1
It becomes possible to transport the workpiece without contacting the workpiece 5, and damage to the workpiece can be prevented.

Next, FIGS. 11 and 12 show an example of means for detecting the tension of the object to be processed. FIG. 11 shows a case in which the detection means is provided outside the preliminary vacuum chambers 2 and 3, and FIG. 12 shows a case in which the detection means is provided inside the preliminary vacuum chambers 2 and 3. The tension detector 37 is connected to the guide rollers 9 and 10 for the workpiece F in the case of FIG. 11, and the guide roller 26 in the case of FIG.
, a bearing unit 38 that supports both ends of the guide roll 9, 10, or 26, a differential transformer 39 and a spring 40 connected to the bearing unit 38, and a tension detector 37.
In the case of FIG. 11, there are two guide rolls 41a,
41b, in the case of Fig. 12, two guide rolls 2
It is provided between 5 and 25. For example, when the tension of the workpiece F increases, the guide rolls 9, 10, or 26 move against the spring 40, and when the tension decreases, the guide rolls 9, 10, or 26 move. , are moved by the stretching force of the spring 40. Further, the differential transformer 39 is configured to generate an output voltage depending on the amount of movement of the guide rolls 9, 10, and 26.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the control system of the tension detection means.

In FIG. 13, 42 is a comparator, and this comparator 42 receives a setting signal A corresponding to the optimum tension of the workpiece F, that is, a set tension, and a detection signal corresponding to the actual tension detected by the tension detector 37. B is compared, and the deviation signal C of both signals A and B is used to drive the unwinding shaft.
It is supplied to the DC motor 12a or the DC motor 12b for driving the winding shaft. The tension setting signal A is set in advance depending on the material, thickness, etc. of the object to be processed.

In the above configuration, when the tension of the workpiece F increases, the guide rolls 9 and 10 of the tension detector 37
Alternatively, the guide roll 26 moves against the spring 39 and the guide roll 9, 10 or 26 moves against the spring 39.
The amount of movement is converted into voltage by the differential transformer 39. The comparator 42 compares the detection signal B and the setting signal A, and sends the deviation signal C to the unwinding shaft 8 and the winding shaft 1.
Supply to 1. Thereby, the tension is controlled to be the set tension. Further, even when the tension of the workpiece F decreases, the tension of the workpiece F can be brought to the set tension by the same detection and control as described above.

In this way, by detecting the tension of the workpiece being transported and optimally controlling the tension of the workpiece using this detection signal, the workpiece will not sag or wrinkle, and the lower case will be removed. It becomes possible to transport the workpiece without contacting the workpiece and the seal block, and damage to the workpiece can be prevented.

According to the above embodiment, the object to be processed can be transported without coming into contact with the sealing device. This makes it possible to prevent damage to the object to be processed.

14, 15, and 16 are cross-sectional views of still other embodiments in which the position of the guide roll is movable up and down, and FIG. 14 shows the third embodiment.
15 is a detailed view of section G in FIG. 14, and FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along line HH in FIG. 14.
The guide roll 25 has a shaft 43 of the guide roll 25.
The end of the cartridge is supported by an eccentric bearing cartridge 44 via a bearing. This eccentric bearing 44 can be rotated manually or automatically.
The shaft 43 of the guide roll, whose center is eccentric by a distance L, rotates and moves about the rotation axis of the eccentric bearing cartridge 44 in accordance with the rotation of the eccentric bearing cartridge 44. As a result, the guide roll 25 rotates as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 16, and the top of the guide roll 25 moves by an arbitrary displacement I before and after the guide roll 25 rotates. The moving mechanism at the top of the guide roll 25 allows the workpiece guided by the guide roll 25 to be set at an optimal transport position between the lower case 14 and the seal block.
In other words, the object to be processed is not damaged due to contact between the object and the lower case 14. Furthermore, by changing the position of the workpiece depending on the type of workpiece, the position of the seal block can be changed accordingly, eliminating the need for contact between the workpiece and the seal block. The minimum distance between the lower case 14 and the seal block 15 can be set. This allows an optimal sealing condition to be maintained.

According to the above embodiment, the position of the object to be processed can be set at the optimum position, so that by preventing contact between the object to be processed and the slit-shaped seal portion, the object to be processed is not damaged, and You can set the slit gap.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the object to be processed can be transported without coming into contact with the sealing device. Therefore, it does not adversely affect the properties of the processed object (for example, film quality in sputtering treatment) after processing, and there is no possibility that abrasion powder will adhere to the processed object.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings are explanatory diagrams of an embodiment of the vacuum continuous processing apparatus according to the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the vacuum continuous processing apparatus, Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a sealing device. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along A-A in FIG. 3.
5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view of another embodiment, FIG. 7 is a sectional view of yet another embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view of still another embodiment. In the example illustration,
Figure 8 is a sectional view, Figure 9 is a partial side view of Figure 8,
FIG. 10 is a detailed diagram of the tension applying roll, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the tension detection means for the object to be processed, FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the tension detection means, and FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the tension detection means. A block diagram of the control system, Fig. 14,
Fig. 15 and Fig. 16 are explanatory views of still other embodiments, Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along line DD in Fig. 3, Fig. 15 is an enlarged view of section G in Fig. 14, and Fig. 16 is an eccentric FIG. 1... Vacuum processing chamber, 2, 3... Preliminary vacuum chamber, 4, 6
...Vacuum pump, 5, 7...Exhaust pipe, 8...Unwinding shaft,
9, 10, 25, 41a, 41b...Guide roll, 11...Take-up shaft, 13...Upper case, 14...Lower case, 15...Seal block, 17...Reducer, 1
8... Gear, 19... Ball screw, 26... Tension imparting roll, 27... Guide plate, 28... Guide rod, 29... Air cylinder, 30... Air piston, 31... Arm, 32... Oil seal, 33, 34... Bearing housing , 35... arm shaft, 36... arm, 37... tension detector, 38... bearing unit,
39...Differential transformer, 40...Spring, 42...
Comparator, 44... Eccentric bearing cartridge, F... Object to be processed.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a vacuum continuous processing apparatus in which at least one pre-vacuum chamber is arranged at the front and rear sides of a vacuum processing chamber, the pre-vacuum chamber transports the workpiece and also serves as a vacuum processing chamber. 1. A continuous vacuum processing apparatus, comprising a slit-shaped sealing device for sealing from the outside of a processing chamber, and a guide member for guiding a processed object at either the front or rear of the sealing device, or one side thereof. 2. The vacuum continuous processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is a roller. 3. The vacuum continuous processing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the roller is rotatably provided. 4. The vacuum continuous processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is a guide plate having an arcuate guide surface. 5. In a continuous vacuum processing apparatus in which at least one preliminary vacuum chamber is arranged at the front and rear sides of a vacuum processing chamber, the preliminary vacuum chamber allows the object to be processed to pass through and seals the vacuum processing chamber from the outside of the processing chamber. The sealing device has a slit-shaped sealing device, and a guide member for guiding the object to be processed is provided at the front and back or on one side of the sealing device, and the sealing device is capable of moving the member forming the slit in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the object to be processed. 1. A vacuum continuous processing apparatus characterized in that the vacuum continuous processing apparatus is configured such that the gap is adjustable. 6. The sealing device includes one plate-shaped member, the other member having a concave facing surface facing the one member, and a sealing device that is housed in the recess of the other member and has a surface facing the one member. Claim 5, characterized in that it is comprised of a flat plate member forming a slit through which the object to be processed passes, and means for moving the flat plate member in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the object to be processed. Vacuum continuous processing equipment. 7. The vacuum continuous processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the guide member is provided movably in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the workpiece. 8. In a continuous vacuum processing apparatus, in which at least one preliminary vacuum chamber is arranged at the front and rear sides of a vacuum processing chamber, the preliminary vacuum chamber has a slit that allows the object to be processed to pass therethrough and seals the vacuum processing chamber from the outside of the processing chamber. The sealing device has a sealing device having a shape, and a guide member for guiding the workpiece is provided at the front and rear of the sealing device or on one side thereof, and the guide member is configured to transport the workpiece according to the tension of the workpiece detected by a tension detection means. 1. A continuous vacuum processing apparatus, characterized in that the sealing device has a member forming a slit movable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of conveyance of the workpiece.