JPH108241A - Vacuum deposition equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To improve the quality of a strip by depositing a metal coating having a processing thickness with a constant film thickness on the strip. SOLUTION: By rotating a shutter shaft 2 at a minute rotation angle to finely adjust an opening area of a steam flow hole and a steam flow rate adjustment hole, a metal vapor 40a to be supplied to a band material deposition section.
Is finely adjusted to maintain a constant flow rate of the metal vapor 40a, and to deposit a metal film having a processing thickness with a constant film thickness on the steel strip 50, thereby improving the quality of the steel strip 50.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus for vapor-depositing a metal film on a running material to be deposited in a substantially vacuum state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional vacuum deposition apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a longitudinal section of a conventional vacuum deposition apparatus.

[0005] In FIG. 8, reference numeral 51 denotes a crucible, and an induction heater 52 is mounted around the crucible 51.
1 is housed in a vacuum chamber 61. The vacuum chamber 61 is provided with a steel strip carry-in path 63, a steel strip carry-out path 64, and an exhaust pipe 62. Further, a melting furnace 54 is provided below the outside of the vacuum chamber 61, and the melting furnace 54 is connected to the crucible 51 via a suction pipe 53 penetrating the vacuum chamber 61.

A heat insulation box 58 is provided with slits 58a through which a steel strip 50 passes, on the upper and lower surfaces of the heat insulation box 58, and a heater 59 is provided inside the heat insulation box 58. The heat insulation box 58 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 61.
Reference numeral 56 denotes a vapor deposition path. The vapor deposition path 56 is a traveling path of the steel strip 50 and is bifurcated so that the opening 56a is opposed to the vapor deposition path.
Reference numeral 30 denotes a shutter unit.
Is composed of a shutter block 31 and a shutter plate 32. The shutter unit 30 extends through the heat insulating box 58 and is connected to the supply pipe 5 connected above the metal evaporation surface 41 of the crucible 51.
5 and the vapor deposition path 56.

For example, while melting a metal such as Mg or Zn into a molten metal 40 by a melting furnace 54,
The inside of the vacuum chamber 8 is heated by the heater 59, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 61 is sucked from the exhaust pipe 62 to reduce the pressure to a substantially vacuum state of, for example, 10 ⁻³ torr. Due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the vacuum chamber 61, the molten metal 40 in the melting furnace
3, the molten metal 40 is heated to a required temperature by an induction heater 52 to evaporate the metal vapor 40a, and the shutter plate 32 is moved up and down in the shutter block 31 to adjust the opening thereof. While adjusting the flow rate of the vapor 40a, the vapor deposition path 5 is supplied from the supply pipe 55 and the shutter 57.
6 and discharged from both openings 56a. Then, the steel strip 50 having a lower temperature than the metal vapor 40a is caused to run between the two openings through the steel strip carrying path 63 and the slit 58a of the heat insulation box 58, and the metal vapor 40a is vapor-deposited on both surfaces thereof to carry the steel strip carrying path 64. Remove from

[0006]

In the conventional vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, the opening degree of the shutter unit 30 is adjusted by raising and lowering the shutter plate 32 as shown in FIG. It is difficult to adjust the flow rate. Therefore, fine adjustment of the metal film thickness of the steel strip 50 deposited between the openings 56a of both the vapor deposition paths 56 cannot be performed, so that the quality is deteriorated.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a structure in which a shaft rotation hole is formed in a direction perpendicular to a metal vapor flow direction, and a steam penetrates the shaft rotation hole in a direction perpendicular to the shaft rotation hole. A rotary shutter unit consisting of a shutter block having a flow hole formed therein and a shutter shaft rotatably fitted in the shaft rotation hole having a steam flow rate adjusting hole engageable with the steam flow hole is provided. It is characterized by being interposed between a metal vapor evaporation surface of a metal evaporation tank in a chamber and a band material deposition section.

A shutter shaft in which a large-diameter steam flow adjusting hole and a plurality of steam flow adjusting holes having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter steam flow adjusting hole and having different diameters are arranged in the shutter shaft in an axial direction; A rotary shutter unit comprising the shutter block is interposed between a metal vapor evaporation surface of a metal evaporation tank in a vacuum chamber and a band material vapor deposition section.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The inside of a vacuum chamber is depressurized to a substantially vacuum, metal vapor is evaporated from a molten metal evaporation surface in a metal evaporation tank, and the shutter shaft of a rotary shutter unit is rotated at a required rotation angle to produce the vapor. The flow rate adjustment hole is engaged with the steam flow hole of the shutter block and the opening area is adjusted, and the flow rate of the metal vapor is finely adjusted and supplied to the band material vapor deposition section, and the film is vapor-deposited on the traveling band material. Forms a metal film having a constant required thickness.

In addition, the shutter shaft is rotated at a required rotation angle so that the large-diameter steam flow adjusting hole, each steam flow adjusting hole provided on the shutter shaft, and each steam flow hole of the shutter block are engaged. At the same time, the opening area is finely adjusted, the flow rate of the metal vapor is further finely adjusted and supplied to the band material deposition section, and the metal film is deposited on the traveling band material to form a metal film having a required thickness with a constant film thickness. .

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section of a vacuum deposition apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section of a rotary shutter unit in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a view of the rotary shutter unit,
FIG. 5 is a graph showing the rotation angle of the shutter shaft and the flow rate of the metal vapor in the experiment. Note that the same members and portions as those of the conventional vacuum deposition apparatus are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

In FIG. 1, molten metal 4 in crucible 51
The supply path 55 is disposed above the metal evaporation surface 41 of the zero.
The rotary shutter unit 10 is interposed between the supply path 55 and the vapor deposition path 56.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a shutter block.
a is formed in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the metal vapor 40 a in the supply path 55 and the vapor deposition path 56. An entrance groove 1b and an exit groove 1c are engraved in the shutter block 1 in the horizontal direction, and a plurality of steam circulation holes 1d connecting the entrance groove 1b and the exit groove 1c are formed through the shaft rotation hole 1a. ing.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a shutter shaft. The shutter shaft 2 has an inner diameter of 30 mm, 28 mm, 24 mm, 20 mm, for example.
mm, the flow rate adjustment holes 2a, 2b, 2c,
2d is perforated in an arrangement as shown in FIG. 5 in which the flow rate can be continuously adjusted. The shutter shaft 2 is rotatably fitted in the shaft rotation hole 1a. The shutter block 1 and the shutter shaft 2 constitute a rotary shutter unit 10.

The other structure is the same as that of the vacuum evaporation apparatus shown in FIG. The operation of the above-described vacuum deposition apparatus will be described.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, heated by the heater 59 in the heat insulating box 58, sucks the vacuum chamber 61 by the vacuum suction device (not shown) from the exhaust pipe 62, the inside of the vacuum chamber 61 for example 10 ^-3 torr The pressure is reduced to a substantially vacuum state. The molten metal 40 in the melting furnace 54 is moved from the suction pipe 53 to the crucible 5 by the pressure difference between the inside and the outside of the vacuum chamber 61.
1 and heated by an induction heater 52 to evaporate the metal vapor 40a.
The gas is supplied from the supply pipe 55 to the bifurcated vapor deposition path 56 while adjusting the flow rate.

A strip 50 having a lower temperature than the metal vapor 40a is caused to travel between the two openings 56a discharging the metal vapor 40a. Form a metal coating.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a state in which the rotary shutter unit 10 is completely closed. When the shutter shaft 2 is rotated as shown by the two-dot chain line in the figure, the shutter openings 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d are fully opened. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the shutter shaft 2 is rotated from the fully open position at a rotation angle θ of, for example, 30 degrees, and the steam flow hole 1d and the flow rate adjustment holes 2a, 2b, 2c, 2 are rotated.
d is engaged with a required opening degree.

The opening area of each of the flow rate adjusting holes 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d is finely adjusted by rotating the shutter shaft 2 at a small angle depending on the thickness of the metal thin film of the strip 50 to be deposited. Fine adjustment of the flow rate of the vapor 40a
6 and vapor-deposited on the traveling steel strip 50 by discharging the metal vapor 40a from the opening. In this manner, by finely adjusting the flow rate of the metal vapor 40a by slightly rotating the shutter shaft 2, it is possible to form a metal film having a constant thickness and a required thickness.

FIG. 5 shows the experimental results when the shutter block 1 and the shutter shaft 2 are heated to room temperature and 700 ° C., and the opening area ratio of the rotary shutter unit 10 and the flow rate of the metal vapor 40a at each rotation angle θ. The rates are shown.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal section of a rotary shutter unit of a vacuum evaporation apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a view taken along line VII-VII in FIG.

In the illustrated example, the shaft rotation hole 11a is formed in a horizontal direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the metal vapor 40a in the supply path 55 and the vapor deposition path 56 of the shutter block 11, and the shaft rotation hole 11a is Each of the steam flow holes 11d penetrating through the hole is formed, and the structure is simplified by omitting the inlet groove 1b and the outlet groove 1c of the first embodiment. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

According to the above-described structure, the shutter shaft 2 is rotated to engage the respective flow rate adjusting holes 2a to 2d with the upper and lower flow holes 11d, and the shutter shaft 2 is slightly rotated to reduce the flow rate of the metal vapor 40a. Fine adjustment makes it possible to form a metal film having a required thickness with a constant film thickness.

[0024]

According to the vacuum evaporation apparatus of the present invention, the shutter shaft is rotated at a small rotation angle to finely adjust the opening area between the steam flow hole and the steam flow rate adjustment hole, so that the metal to be supplied to the band material evaporation section is adjusted. The flow rate of steam can be finely adjusted.
As a result, it is possible to maintain a constant flow rate of the metal vapor, and it is possible to improve the quality by depositing a metal coating having a constant processing thickness on the strip.

Further, in the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention, a large-diameter vapor flow rate adjustment hole and a plurality of vapor flow rate adjustment holes having a smaller diameter than the large-diameter vapor flow rate adjustment hole and having different diameters provided on the shutter shaft are provided. By rotating the shutter shaft provided at a small angle to finely adjust the opening area between the steam flow hole and the steam flow rate adjustment hole, the flow rate of the metal vapor is further finely adjusted to supply the metal to the band material deposition section. The flow rate of steam can be finely adjusted. As a result, it becomes possible to deposit a metal film of a required thickness with a more constant thickness on the strip, and the quality can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a vacuum evaporation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a rotary shutter unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the rotary shutter unit.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a rotation angle of a shutter shaft and a flow rate of metal vapor in an experiment.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a rotary shutter unit in a vacuum evaporation apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a view taken in the direction of arrows VII-VII in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional vacuum evaporation apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 11 Shutter block 1d, 11d Steam flow hole 2 Shutter shaft 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d Flow rate adjustment hole 10, 20 Rotary shutter unit 40 Molten metal 40a Metal vapor 41 Evaporation surface 50 Strip steel 51 Crucible 52 Induction heater 55 Supply Path 56 Evaporation path 56a Opening 61 Vacuum chamber θ Rotation angle

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Naohiko Matsuda 4-62-22 Kannonshinmachi, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima In the Hiroshima Research Laboratory of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A shutter block having a shaft rotation hole formed in a direction perpendicular to the metal vapor flow direction and a steam flow hole penetrating the shaft rotation hole perpendicular to the shaft rotation hole, and engaging with the steam flow hole. A rotary shutter unit comprising a shutter shaft rotatably fitted in the shaft rotation hole by drilling a possible steam flow rate adjustment hole, a metal vapor evaporation surface of a metal evaporation tank in a vacuum chamber, and a band material deposition section. A vacuum evaporation apparatus characterized by being interposed in a vacuum evaporation apparatus. 2. A steam flow adjusting hole having a large diameter and a plurality of steam flow adjusting holes having a smaller diameter than the large diameter steam flow adjusting hole and having different diameters in the shutter shaft. A rotary shutter unit comprising the shutter shaft described above and the shutter block, interposed between a metal vapor evaporation surface of a metal evaporation tank in a vacuum chamber and a band material vapor deposition section.