JP2615223B2 - Continuous vacuum deposition equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for continuously performing vacuum evaporation on a band-shaped substrate such as a plastic film or paper.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, vacuum deposition on a substrate such as a plastic film or paper is performed by loading a substrate wound in a coil shape in a vacuum container, exhausting the vacuum container sufficiently, and then running the substrate while performing vapor deposition. It was a batch system in which vacuuming, heating, running, vapor deposition, and opening to the atmosphere were repeated. This batch method has low productivity, and the demand for continuous processing has been increasing.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating a known apparatus that has been proposed to continuously supply a substrate from the atmosphere to a vacuum. In this example, the seal rolls 015a, 015b, 015c,
., An inlet seal device 012 composed of differential pressure chambers 016a, 016b, 016c,... Connected to the exhaust pump unit 029, respectively, and an outlet seal device 013 having a similar configuration. Are connected to the front and rear of the chamber 02, and a pressure gradient is provided from the atmosphere side to the vapor deposition chamber 02 by the resistance of the seal rolls 015a, 015b, 015c,... To maintain the vapor deposition chamber 02 at a predetermined degree of vacuum. The substrate 01 is supplied from the atmosphere through the entrance sealing device 012 to the vapor deposition chamber 02.
After being vapor-deposited by the vapor deposition device 07 while being cooled by the cooling rolls 04 so as to reduce the temperature rise during vapor deposition, it is carried out to the atmosphere via the outlet seal device 013. Evaporator 0
7 includes a vapor deposition material 08, a storage container 09 for storing the vapor deposition material 08, and a heating device 010 for heating the container 09.
8 is evaporated toward the traveling substrate 01. 03 is a deflector roll.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

The continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 6 has not been put to practical use for the following reasons.

1) The amount of exhaust for generating a pressure gradient from the atmosphere side to the high vacuum side is enormous, and the exhaust pump system becomes very large. In a device for steel plates, the running substrate can be pinched by a seal roll to reduce the leak area between the differential pressure chambers.However, in the case of a soft thin substrate such as a plastic film or paper, This causes scratches, which are fatal defects in product quality.

2) When the traveling substrate passes through the differential pressure chamber, the airflow flowing from the gap between the differential pressure chambers causes the substrate to flutter, thereby causing damage or damage.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention is to continuously transfer a band-shaped substrate from the atmosphere to a vacuum deposition chamber through a differential pressure chamber divided into a plurality of stages by a sealing device formed by a plurality of seal rolls. After the substrate is vacuum-deposited in the vapor deposition chamber, the substrate is carried out to the atmosphere through a differential pressure chamber partitioned into a plurality of stages by a sealing device formed by a plurality of seal rolls. In the continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, a guide roll is provided in each of the differential pressure chambers on the introduction path of the substrate, and each of the differential pressure chambers serving as the unloading path of the substrate is a differential pressure chamber having a pressure of less than 5 Torr. A continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus characterized in that a tendon roll is provided in each of the differential pressure chambers having a pressure of 5 Torr or more, and a fluid floating support device for discharging a fluid in the differential pressure chamber is provided, and the substrate is wound around the seal roll. It is a suggestion.

[Action]

In the present invention, since the running substrate is wound around the seal roll, it is possible to prevent the substrate from fluttering due to the airflow flowing between the seal rolls, and to minimize the gap between the seal roll and the substrate.

Further, by using a tension roll to wind the substrate after vapor deposition on a seal roll, it is possible to follow a subtle change in the substrate speed. Furthermore, in a high-pressure region where the coefficient of friction is small and slipping is likely to occur, the use of a non-contact fluid levitation support device (hereinafter referred to as a floater) can prevent the deposition surface from being damaged.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 is an overall vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a tension roll, and FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing an example of a floater.

First, in FIG. 1, the band-shaped substrate 1 is mounted on a pay-out reel (not shown) and sent to the sealing device 14. The sealing device 14 includes a differential pressure chamber 16a, 16b, 16c, 16d, 16e, 16f partitioned by a set of three sealing rolls 15a, 15b, 15c, 15d, 15e, 15f arranged at intervals. Have. Then, a pressure gradient is generated stepwise from the atmosphere side to the vapor deposition chamber 2 by the exhaust pump unit 29 connected to the differential pressure chamber, and the vapor deposition chamber 2 is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum. Traveling board 1
Among the three rolls of the above-mentioned seal rolls 15a, 15b,..., 15f, are successively passed through the gap between two rolls on one side, are carried into the vapor deposition chamber 2, and are deposited on the cooling roll 4 by the vapor deposition device 7. After the vapor deposition, the sealing rolls 15a,..., And 15f again travel through the gap between the two opposite rolls of the three rolls and are carried out of the sealing device 14. As described above, in this embodiment, the distance between two roll gaps of a set of three rolls is one.
By passing the substrate from the atmosphere to the vacuum chamber in some places and the other from the vacuum chamber to the atmosphere, the number of rolls can be reduced, and the gap between the rolls can be reduced, thus reducing the capacity of the exhaust system. It can be significantly reduced.

Each differential pressure chamber has a stepwise pressure gradient from 760 Torr (atmospheric pressure) of the differential pressure chamber 16a to about 10 ^-4 Torr, which is a pressure suitable for vapor deposition in the vapor deposition chamber 2. The number and pressure of the differential pressure chambers during this time are set, for example, as follows in relation to the capacity of the exhaust pump.

Differential pressure chamber 16a: 760 Torr, 16b: 400 Torr, 16c: 150 Torr, 16d: 50 To
rr, 16e: 5 Torr, 16f: 10 ^-2 Torr, vapor deposition chamber 2: 10 ^-4 Torr 20a, 20b, ..., 20f are provided in each differential pressure chamber, and the substrate 1 before vapor deposition is fixed to a seal roll. It is a guide roll wound around an angle or more. 30a and 30b are pressure chambers 16 of less than 5 Torr.
f and the tension rolls provided in the vapor deposition chamber 2, 40a, 40
b,..., 40e are differential pressure chambers 16a, 16b,.
It is a floater provided in e. The tension roll and the floater are disposed on the vapor deposition surface side with respect to the substrate 1 after the vapor deposition, and wind the substrate 1 around the seal roll by a predetermined angle or more. This can prevent the substrate from fluttering due to the airflow flowing between the seal rolls.

, 50e are differential pressure chambers 16a, 16b,
・ ・ ・, Gas of 16e is sucked, pressurized and floaters 40a, 40b,
・ ・ It is a blower to supply to 40e. In FIG. 1, 3 is a deflector roll, 8 is a vapor deposition material, 9 is its storage container, 10
Is a heating device.

The guide rolls 20a, 20b,..., 20f are driven by a motor or the like in order to prevent the substrate from being damaged by slipping, and are rotated so that the peripheral speed thereof becomes the same as the traveling speed of the substrate 1. The number is controlled. However, when the substrate speed instantaneously and slightly changes due to some disturbance, or when accelerating or decelerating, it is unavoidable that there is a slight difference in speed between the two. Extremely difficult, scratches caused by slip. Although such flaws are allowed to some extent on the non-deposited surface, even a slight flaw on the vaporized surface is a fatal defect in product quality.

Tendency roll 30 installed in the low-pressure section on the evaporation side
The a and 30b follow the subtle substrate speed change and the speed deviation without controlling the rotation speed of a motor or the like. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the tension rolls 30a and 30b are, as exemplified in FIG. 2, a small-diameter roll 31 held by a bearing 33 and driven by a motor 35, and a hollow roll held on the outer periphery thereof through a bearing 34. And a roll 32. Therefore, the above-described subtle changes in the substrate speed and the deviation in the speed are followed by the slip between the small-diameter roll 31 and the hollow roll 32 without performing the extremely difficult fine control of the rotation speed. .

However, there is a limit to the follow-up by the tension rolls 30a and 30b, and when the friction coefficient between the hollow roll 32 and the substrate 1 is reduced, the follow-up range is narrowed, and the slip tends to occur. This coefficient of friction depends on the gas pressure. This is because the coefficient of friction depends on the amount of gas interposed between the roll and the substrate, and the smaller the amount, the larger the coefficient of friction. In other words, the lower the gas pressure, the leaner the gas and the smaller the amount of the intervening gas, resulting in a higher friction coefficient. Therefore, in a differential pressure chamber in a high pressure range where the coefficient of friction is small and slip is likely to occur even when the tendensil rolls 30a and 30b are used, the moving substrate 1
Floated by gas pressure and transported in a non-contact manner
By arranging 40a, 40b,..., 40e, scratches on the deposition surface are prevented.

As shown in FIG. 3, the floater has a large number of slit nozzles 41 opposed to the traveling substrate 1 and ejects gas from the slit nozzles 41 so that the outer peripheral surface of the floater and the traveling substrate 1 A pressure is generated between the substrate 1 and the substrate 1 to support the substrate 1 in a non-contact manner. The tension of the substrate 1 traveling in such an apparatus is 10 kg / m per unit width.
It has been confirmed that if the pressure P between the outer surface of the floater and the substrate is higher than the pressure of the differential pressure chamber by 15 Torr or more, the traveling substrate can be supported in a non-contact manner. Slit nozzle
Since the gas ejected from 41 is a gas which is suctioned and pressurized by the blowers 50a, 50b,..., 50e and supplied to the floater, the pressure P is relatively easily achieved. And has no effect on the exhaust pump unit 29.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the results of a test conducted by the inventors of the present invention on the relationship between the angle at which a running strip-shaped substrate is wound around a seal roll and the variation of the substrate. From this, it can be understood that the flapping of the traveling substrate is not a problem if it is wound at an angle of 10 degrees or more.

Next, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the results of a test conducted by the inventor of the present invention on the effect of the pressure in the differential pressure chamber on the coefficient of friction between the running substrate and the roll. According to this, the pressure
At around 5 Torr, the friction coefficient tends to change rapidly. That is, when the pressure becomes 5 Torr or more, the coefficient of friction becomes extremely small, and slip easily occurs between the roll and the traveling substrate. Therefore, in this embodiment, a tension roll is used in the differential pressure chamber and the evaporation chamber where the pressure is less than 5 Torr, and the pressure is 5 Torr.
A floater is used in the differential pressure chamber of r or more.

〔The invention's effect〕

In the present invention, since the running substrate is wound around the seal roll, the substrate does not flutter and there is no risk of wrinkling or cutting. Further, the leak gap of the seal roll portion is minimized, and the sealing performance is improved.

Further, when winding the traveling substrate around the seal roll, toward the deposition surface side with respect to the substrate after being subjected to vapor deposition,
Tendency rolls are installed in differential pressure chambers with a friction coefficient of less than 5 Torr and floaters are installed in differential pressure chambers with a friction coefficient of 5 Torr or more, so that the most important deposition surface in terms of product quality. Can prevent scratches.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a tension roll, and FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing an example of a floater. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the angle at which a running belt-shaped substrate is wound around a seal roll and the amount of flapping of the substrate, and FIG. 5 is a graph showing the friction coefficient between the running substrate and the roll when the pressure in the differential pressure chamber is changed. FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an example of a conventionally known known continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus. 01,1: Traveling substrate, 02, 2: Deposition chamber, 03,3: Deflector roll, 04,4: Cooling roll, 07, 7: Deposition device, 08, 8: Deposition material, 09, 9: Deposition material storage container 010,10: Heating device, 012,013,14: Sealing device, 15a, 15b, ..., 15f: Seal roll, 16a, 16b, ..., 16f: Differential pressure chamber, 20a, 20b, ..., 20f: Guide roll, 029 , 29: Exhaust pump unit, 30a, 30b: Tendency roll, 31: Small diameter roll, 32: Hollow roll, 33, 34: Bearing, 35: Motor, 40a, 40b,…, 40e: Fluid floating support device (Floater ), 41: slit nozzle, 50a, 50b, ..., 50e: blower.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A belt-like substrate is continuously introduced from the atmosphere into a vacuum deposition chamber through a differential pressure chamber divided into a plurality of stages by a sealing device formed by a plurality of seal rolls. After performing vacuum deposition on the substrate, in a continuous vacuum deposition apparatus such that the substrate is carried out to the atmosphere through a differential pressure chamber divided into a plurality of stages by a sealing device formed by a plurality of seal rolls, A guide roll is provided in each of the differential pressure chambers on the substrate introduction path, and a pressure of 5 T
A tension roll is provided in a differential pressure chamber less than orr, and a fluid floating support device for discharging fluid in the differential pressure chamber is provided in a differential pressure chamber having a pressure of 5 Torr or more, and the substrate is wound around the seal roll. And a continuous vacuum deposition apparatus.