JP2003253441A - Continuous vacuum processing equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an object of the present invention to minimize the inflow of air, transfer an object to be processed into a vacuum chamber without generating flutter or damage, and perform vacuum processing such as vacuum deposition. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a continuous vacuum processing apparatus. A pair of seal rolls are provided in the vacuum chamber in the vicinity of the transfer opening to hold the object to be transferred while preventing outside air from flowing in, and the transfer opening of the vacuum chamber is provided. The object to be processed is conveyed from the slit at the end toward the contact portion between the pair of seal rolls so that the tip portion at one end is in close contact with the outer peripheral portion from the contact portion of the pair of seal rolls to the vicinity thereof. A seal member adapted to be provided is provided, and both side surface portions of both ends of the pair of seal rolls and both side edge portions of a portion where the pair of seal rolls and the seal member are in close contact with each other are in close contact with these portions. A side seal is provided to prevent the inflow of outside air.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention carries in an object to be processed from an atmospheric pressure atmosphere into a vacuum atmosphere in a vacuum chamber,
A continuous vacuum processing apparatus for subjecting an object to be processed to vacuum processing such as film formation in a vacuum atmosphere, and then returning the object to be vacuum processed to atmospheric pressure atmosphere. The present invention relates to a continuous vacuum processing apparatus, which is capable of performing vacuum processing on an object to be processed while keeping the degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber at a high level by blocking the inflow with a pair of seal rolls or sealing members.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The following is a sealing mechanism used in a vacuum processing apparatus. (1) A mechanism in which a pair of seal rolls is provided between the atmospheric atmosphere and a vacuum atmosphere, an object to be processed is sandwiched between the pair of seal rolls, and the periphery of the pair of seal rolls is sealed. (2) The object to be processed is passed through the vacuum chamber through a slit whose width and height are set according to the dimensions of the belt-shaped object to be processed, and the inflow of air into the vacuum chamber is minimized. The mechanism that did. (3) A mechanism in which a liquid metal bath section is provided between the air atmosphere and the vacuum atmosphere, and an object to be processed is passed through the section to be transferred into the vacuum chamber to ensure the degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber.

The above-mentioned mechanism (1) is a mechanism in which an object to be treated is sandwiched between a pair of seal rolls and the periphery of the seal rolls is sealed by a seal member. If they are brought into close contact with each other to suppress the inflow of air, frictional resistance occurs between the seal member and the seal roll. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a certain amount of gap between the seal member and the seal roll so that the seal roll can be smoothly rotated and the conveyance of the object to be processed is not hindered. However, when such a gap is provided, the air flows into the vacuum atmosphere through the gap, so that the vacuum atmosphere in the vacuum chamber is currently maintained by using a large-capacity vacuum pump.

Further, in the mechanism (2), the width and height of the slit are set in accordance with the size of the object to be processed, and when the object to be processed is conveyed through the slit, the atmosphere is inside the vacuum chamber. Although it is a mechanism that minimizes the inflow into the chamber, the opening size of the slit must have a margin for passing the object to be processed, and the gap between the two cannot be completely eliminated. Therefore, the phenomenon that the inflow of air from the slit cannot be prevented and the object to be processed rocks occurs, and the object to be processed is damaged. In order to prevent this, it is necessary to apply a large tension to the object to be processed or to keep the pressure and flow velocity of the atmosphere flowing around the object to be processed constant. Since it is not possible to prevent the inflow of air into the vacuum atmosphere, it is necessary to attach a large-capacity vacuum pump and maintain the vacuum atmosphere with this pump.

Further, in the mechanism of the above (3), a liquid metal bath section is provided between the atmospheric atmosphere and the vacuum atmosphere, and the object to be treated is passed through the liquid metal in the liquid metal bath section to be treated in the vacuum chamber. Although it is a mechanism for conveying an object, since the liquid metal adheres to the object to be processed, the object to be processed is limited to a part of the metal plate. In addition, harmful gas may be generated from the liquid metal, which may adversely affect the subsequent steps.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in response to the above situation, and it is an object of the present invention to suppress the inflow of the atmosphere to an extremely low level and to prevent fluttering and scratching. Another object of the present invention is to provide a continuous vacuum processing apparatus capable of smoothly carrying an object to be processed into a vacuum chamber and performing vacuum processing such as vacuum deposition.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above objects, the invention according to claim 1 conveys an object to be treated into a vacuum chamber through an opening portion for conveying the object to be treated. On the other hand, it is an apparatus for continuously performing vacuum processing such as film formation, and holds an object to be processed conveyed near the transfer opening in a vacuum chamber while blocking the inflow of outside air. A pair of seal rolls is provided, and the leading end portion of one end of the transfer opening portion of the vacuum chamber is in close contact with the outer peripheral portion from the contact portion of the pair of seal rolls to the vicinity thereof, and from the slit of the leading end. A seal member is provided for transporting an object to be processed toward the contact portion of the pair of seal rolls, and both end side surfaces of the pair of seal rolls and the pair of seal rolls are provided. And a pair of side seals for preventing the inflow of the outside air by being provided in close contact with the respective end portions of both ends of the contact portion of the seal member and the seal member. .

The invention described in claim 2 is the same as claim 1.
In the continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, the pair of side seals are roll-shaped in outer shape, both end side surfaces of the pair of seal rolls, and both end edge portions of the pair of seal rolls and the seal member are in close contact with each other. Is provided in a pressure contact state, and is sealed so that the atmosphere does not flow into the vacuum chamber through a gap formed by the outer peripheral portions of the pair of seal rolls and the seal member not being in contact with each other.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 3 is the continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tip end portion of one end of the seal member is in pressure contact with the side surface portions on both ends of the pair of seal rolls. A pair of side seals are provided so as to be in close contact with each other, and are sealed so that the atmosphere does not flow into the vacuum chamber from the gap created by the contact between the outer peripheral portions of the pair of seal rolls and the tip portion of the seal member. It is characterized by being.

Still further, in the invention described in claim 4, in the continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, both ends of one seal roll of the pair of seal rolls are provided at both ends of the other seal roll. A pair of ring-shaped side seals that are in close contact with the side surface portion and the seal member in a pressure contact state are provided, and from the gap generated between the outer peripheral portion of the pair of seal rolls and the tip portion of the seal member without contact. It is characterized in that it is sealed so that the atmosphere does not flow into the vacuum chamber.

Still further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a vibration generator is attached to the seal member. Is characterized by.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory view showing an outline of a continuous vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention. This continuous vacuum processing apparatus is an apparatus for carrying the object to be processed 1 into the vacuum chamber 4 through the carrying opening and performing vacuum processing such as film formation on the object to be processed 1. 4, a pair of upper and lower seal rolls 6, 6 for sandwiching the conveyed object 1 to be conveyed while blocking the inflow of outside air are provided in the vicinity of the conveying opening portion of the vacuum chamber 4, and at the conveying opening portion of the vacuum chamber 4. Is a pair of seal rolls 6,
A seal in which the object to be processed 1 is conveyed so as to come into close contact with the outer peripheral portion from the contact portion of 6 to the vicinity thereof and from the slit at the tip thereof toward the contact portion of the pair of seal rolls 6, 6. The member 3 is provided, and both side portions of both ends of the pair of seal rolls 6 and 6 and the both end side edge portions of the portion where the pair of seal rolls 6 and 6 and the seal member 3 come into close contact with each of these portions to the outside air. There is provided a pair of side seals 2 (only one of the side seals 2 is shown in FIG. 1) for preventing the inflow of air. 10
Is a vacuum processing means for performing vacuum processing such as vapor deposition and sputtering on the object 1 to be processed set in the vacuum chamber 4. The vacuum processing means 10 installed in the vacuum chamber 4 is not particularly limited to its type, and a suitable one can be selected and installed from various known vacuum processing means according to the processing purpose. . Since the present invention can maintain a good degree of vacuum and can obtain a vacuum-processed product with a high production capacity and high quality, for example, the vacuum processing means 1 can be applied to an object to be processed such as a resin film, paper or cloth.
When 0 is set, a CVD, vapor deposition, or sputtering apparatus is applied, and a good thin film can be formed on the object to be processed.

Reference numeral 11 in the drawing denotes a seal portion, which is composed of at least the above-mentioned pair of seal rolls 6, 6, the seal member 3, and the pair of side seals 2, 2. In the continuous vacuum processing apparatus shown in the figure, this seal portion is set at two places. In short, the object to be processed 1 transferred from the air atmosphere to the vacuum atmosphere of the vacuum chamber 4 via the seal portion 11 shown on the right side of FIG. 1 is conveyed again to the atmosphere via the seal portion 11 shown on the left side of FIG. In FIG. 1, one seal portion 11 is provided in each of the place where the object to be processed is carried in and a place where the work is carried out in the vacuum chamber, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of seal portions may be set in other transfer opening portions of the vacuum chamber. Further, a structure in which vacuum chambers as shown in FIG.

Vacuum processing of an object to be processed using the continuous vacuum processing apparatus having the seal portion 11 is performed as follows. First, the object to be processed 1 is carried into the vacuum atmosphere from the air atmosphere. At this time, the object to be processed 1 passes through the seal member 3 forming the seal portion 11 located on the right side of the drawing, enters the vacuum chamber 4 through the slit 3-1 (see FIG. 2) at the tip thereof, and is further paired up and down. It is conveyed to the middle of the vacuum chamber 4 while being sandwiched between the seal rolls 6 and 6 contacting part. Then, when it is transported to the processing section in the vacuum processing means 10 in the vacuum chamber 4, the vacuum processing is performed there.

The object to be processed that can be applied to this continuous vacuum processing apparatus is not limited to one and may be plural. For example, a plurality of objects to be processed may be transported in a vacuum chamber in a laminated state, heated, compressed, and laminated to perform vacuum lamination.

The object 1 to be vacuum-processed in the vacuum chamber 4 is carried out in the reverse order to the atmosphere by way of the seal portion 11 located on the left side of FIG. That is, the object 1 to be processed in the vacuum chamber 4 passes between the pair of upper and lower seal rolls 6 and is discharged from the other end of the seal member to the atmosphere by way of the slit at the tip.

In the continuous vacuum processing apparatus of the present invention, a vibration generating device may be attached to the sealing member constituting the same, if necessary, and by vibrating the sealing member, the object to be processed can be transported more smoothly. You may do it. In this way, the seal member 3 is vibrated, particularly by vibrating the seal member 3 in the flow direction of the object 1, so that the seal rolls 6 and 6 and the seal member 3 and the side seals are further brought into pressure contact with each other, and the sealing property is improved. To improve
Since the frictional resistance between them is reduced by the vibration, the rotation of the seal rolls 6 does not slow down or stop. (See FIGS. 12 to 13)

In FIG. 2, the pair of seal rolls 6, 6 and the seal member 3 installed so that the tip portion of one end thereof is in pressure contact with the outer peripheral portion of the seal rolls 6 and 6 from their contact portions to the vicinity thereof. It is explanatory drawing which shows a combined state. As is clear from the drawing, the pair of seal rolls 6 and 6 are in contact with each other at a part of the contact portion, and the workpiece 1 sent from the slit 3-1 at the tip of the seal member 3 is sandwiched therebetween. The pair of seal rolls 6, 6 has a shape of a tip portion at one end thereof so as to be in close contact with the outer peripheral portion from the contact portion to the vicinity thereof. It has an arc shape that matches the shape. When the pair of seal rolls 6 and 6 and the seal member 3 are installed in such a relationship, a gap 9 is generated. The atmosphere flows into the vacuum chamber 4 through the gap 9, and the pair of side seals 2 prevent the inflow. (See FIG. 1) As the side seal having such a function, various types can be applied. 3, 4,
Reference numerals 12, 13, and 14 denote a pair of side seals 2-1 having a roll-shaped outer shape. Also, FIGS.
The one shown in Figure 2 is a pair of side seals with a plate-shaped outer shape 2-
2 and the one shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is a pair of ring-shaped side seals 2-3. As described above, the gap formed by the close contact portion of the seal roll and the seal member is closed by the pair of side seals, so that the dimensional accuracy of the seal roll and the seal member (the close contact between the seal roll and the seal member) A stable sealing effect is developed without much concern for the condition.

Here, the pair of side seals 2-1 shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 12, 13, and 14 are the side surfaces of both ends of the pair of seal rolls 6 and 6 and the pair of seal rolls 6 and 6.
It is designed to be installed in a pressure contact state between the outer peripheral portion and the end edge portions of one end of the seal member 3 to seal the gap, but a roll made of synthetic resin can be preferably used. Also, in FIG.
The pair of plate-shaped side seals 2-2 shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 seal the gaps at both side edge portions of one end of the seal member 3 with plate-shaped projections that are in contact with both side surface portions of the seal rolls 6 and 6. However, this pair of side seals 2-
As the constituent material of No. 2, metal can be preferably used. However, synthetic resin may be used as long as it has rigidity. Further, a pair of ring-shaped side seals 2 shown in FIGS.
-3 seals the gap on the circumferential circles on both ends of one seal roll with ring-shaped projections that are in contact with both end side surfaces of the other seal roll 6 and both side faces of the seal member 3. As a constituent material of the pair of side seals 2-3, a synthetic resin can be preferably used.

On the other hand, as the pair of seal rolls 6 and 6, synthetic resin rolls can be preferably used. This is because the elasticity of the roll makes it possible to eliminate the step between the place where the object is sandwiched and the place where the object is not sandwiched, and the sealing function is more satisfied. Further, even if the seal member vibrates by the vibration generator 5 attached thereto, if the amplitude is within the elastic range of the synthetic resin, no gap is generated and the sealing performance is not impaired.

On the other hand, metal can be preferably used as the constituent material of the seal member 3. This is because by using a rigid metal, it is possible to accurately transmit the vibration to the seal member 3 while ensuring a gap between the slits at the tips through which the object to be processed passes. However, synthetic resin may be used as long as it has rigidity.

The inside of the vacuum chamber 4 must be maintained in a vacuum state, but the outer periphery of the seal member 3 and the vacuum chamber 4 are installed at the transfer opening of the vacuum chamber 4 by an O-ring 7. The portion inside the slit 3-1 at the tip of the seal member 3 is in the atmosphere, but since it is sealed by the seal roll, the side seal, and the seal member having the above-described configuration, the seal roll 6,
The portion beyond the contact portion of 6 is kept in a vacuum atmosphere.

On the other hand, as the vibration generator 5, it is possible to use a known vibrating device using an electromagnet or another method or a vibrator such as an ultrasonic wave. Above all, a vibration generator using ultrasonic waves can be preferably used. This is because in the case of ultrasonic waves, if the amplitude is within the elastic range of the sea roll, there is no gap, and it is difficult to cause resonance with the components such as the vacuum chamber and the generation of noise is suppressed. .

As a method of vibrating the seal member, for example, as shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, a vibration generator 5 including a vibrator 5-1 such as a piezoelectric vibrator is connected to the seal member 3, and the vibrator 5-1 is connected. A method of generating ultrasonic vibrations by vibrating the seal member 3 by passing electricity through can be adopted.

[0025]

According to the present invention, the inflow of the atmosphere is minimized by sealing with the seal member, the pair of seal rolls and the pair of side seals at the position where the object to be processed of the vacuum chamber passes. The sealing effect is very good. Further, the vibration can reduce the coefficient of friction between the seal member, the seal roll, and the side seal, and the movement of the object to be processed while sealing can be smoothly performed. Therefore, without fluttering or damaging the object to be processed, it is possible to introduce from the air atmosphere to the vacuum atmosphere, the effect of further improving the quality of the vacuum processing, and the need for a large capacity vacuum pump, the initial cost,
It is possible to reduce running cost and space at the same time.

Further, there is no evacuation time for changing the inside of the vacuum chamber from the atmosphere to vacuum, and no leak time for returning from the vacuum to the atmosphere.
The production time is shortened and the production is effective. In addition, there is no contamination in the chamber due to returning to the atmosphere, and there is also a quality effect. In addition, because the vacuum can be maintained,
There is also an effect on quality and production capacity that uniform quality can be obtained without fluctuation of production conditions. The treatment in the vacuum chamber is not particularly limited, and known treatment means can be installed according to the purpose. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can obtain high production capacity and high quality, and therefore, especially for a processing object such as a resin film, paper, cloth, etc.
D, vapor deposition, sputtering equipment is installed and suitable for thin film formation. Further, the number of objects to be processed is not limited to one, and a plurality of sheets can be used in a continuous vacuum laminating apparatus by heating, compressing and laminating in a processing chamber.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration explanatory diagram of a continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view showing a close contact state between a pair of seal rolls and a seal member.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective configuration explanatory diagram of a seal portion including a side seal.

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan configuration explanatory diagram of a seal portion including a side seal.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration explanatory view of a seal portion including a side seal.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective configuration explanatory diagram of a seal portion including a side seal.

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan configuration explanatory diagram of a seal portion including a side seal.

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration explanatory view of a seal portion including a side seal.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective configuration explanatory diagram of a seal portion including a seal roll having ring-shaped side seals provided at both end peripheral portions.

FIG. 10 is a schematic plan configuration explanatory view of a seal portion including a seal roll having ring-shaped side seals provided on both peripheral portions.

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration explanatory view of a seal portion including a seal roll having ring-shaped side seals provided at both end peripheral portions.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective configuration explanatory diagram of a seal portion including a seal member provided with a vibration generator.

FIG. 13 is a schematic plan configuration explanatory diagram of a seal portion including a seal member provided with a vibration generator.

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional configuration explanatory view of a seal portion including a seal member provided with a vibration generator.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a configuration in a transfer opening portion of a vacuum chamber.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing still another example of the configuration of the transfer opening portion of the vacuum chamber.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Object to be processed 2 ... Side seal 2-1 ・ ・ ・ Side seal 2-2 ・ ・ ・ Side seal 2-3 ... Side seal 3 ・ ・ ・ Seal member 3-1 ... Slit 4 ... Vacuum chamber 5: Vibration generator 5-1 ... Transducer 6 ... Seal roll 7 ・ ・ ・ O-ring 8 ・ ・ ・ Nip roll 9 ... Gap 10 ... Vacuum processing means 11 ... Seal part

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for carrying an object to be processed into a vacuum chamber from an opening for carrying the object and continuously performing vacuum processing such as film formation on the object to be processed, the apparatus comprising: A pair of seal rolls for sandwiching the transported object to be processed while blocking the inflow of outside air is provided in the vicinity of the transfer opening portion, and a tip portion at one end is provided in the transfer opening portion of the vacuum chamber. In close contact with the outer peripheral portion from the contact portion of the pair of seal rolls to the vicinity thereof,
Further, a seal member is provided so that an object to be processed is conveyed from a slit at its tip toward a contact portion of the pair of seal rolls, and both side surface portions of the pair of seal rolls and the pair of seal rolls are provided. A continuous vacuum processing apparatus, wherein a pair of side seals are provided at both end side edge portions of a portion where the seal member is in close contact with each other to prevent inflow of outside air. 2. The side seal has a roll-shaped outer shape,
The pair of seal rolls are provided in a pressure contact state on both side surface portions and both side edge portions of a portion where the pair of seal rolls and the seal member are in close contact with each other, and the outer peripheral portion of the pair of seal rolls and the seal member do not contact each other. The continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the continuous vacuum processing apparatus is sealed so that the atmosphere does not flow into the vacuum chamber through the gap generated in (1). 3. A pair of side seals are provided at the tip of one end of the seal member so as to come into close contact with the side surface portions on both ends of the pair of seal rolls in a pressure contact state. The continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sealing member is sealed so that air does not flow into the vacuum chamber through a gap that is formed without the tip portions of the sealing member coming into contact with each other. 4. A pair of ring-shaped side seals, which are in contact with the side surfaces of both ends of the other seal roll and the seal member in a pressure contact state, are provided on the peripheral portions of both ends of one of the pair of seal rolls. The seal is provided so as to prevent atmospheric air from flowing into the vacuum chamber through a gap formed between the outer peripheral portions of the pair of seal rolls and the tip portion of the seal member, which are not in contact with each other. The continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to. 5. The continuous vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a vibration generator is attached to the seal member.