JPS6033350A - Vacuum film forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simultaneously apply uniform vapor deposition treatment to a large number of objects to be processed, by recirculating an endless chain in horizontal upper and lower runs above the evaporation source in the vacuum container of a vacuum film forming apparatus, and attaching a support shaft having attachment jigs of the objects to be processed fixed thereto to the connection pins of the chain. CONSTITUTION:An endless chain 11 is recirculated in horizontal upper and lower runs above the vacuum container 5, in which an evaporation source 6 having an evaporation substance 7 received therein is placed, by sprockets 27, 28. Rollers 20 are attached to the connection pins 12 of the chain 11 and a support shaft 22, to which fitting jigs 3 having a large number of objects to be processed 4 fixed thereto, is attached to each roller 20. The chain 11 is rotated by rotating the sprockets 27, 28 and the rollers 20 are simultaneously revolved along with the chain 11 while contacted with upper and lower guide rails 41, 42. Therefore, the objects 4 to be processed 4 are rotated while move to directons B, C and uniformly receive vapor for vapor deposition from the evaporation substance 7 and uniform vapor deposition films are formed to a large number of objects to be processed at once.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention Technical Field This invention provides a method for forming a thin film by arranging an evaporation source and a workpiece in a vacuum container with a distance between them, and causing evaporated substances from the evaporation source to adhere to the workpiece. The present invention relates to vacuum thin film forming apparatuses for vapor deposition, sputtering, -(onblating, etc.), and particularly to improvements in jigs that support the workpiece.

Conventional vacuum thin film forming devices such as string and ion brating devices generally cost more as the capacity of the vacuum container increases;
Since the time required for evacuation is also long, in order to form a thin film efficiently at low cost, it is desirable to be able to charge as much material as possible in a vacuum container of limited capacity at one time.

Furthermore, in order to uniformly form a film over the entire surface of a workpiece having irregularities, such as the exterior parts of a watch, it is necessary to form a thin film while rotating the workpiece.

Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, workpiece mounts 3 for attaching a plurality of workpieces 4 are fixed at intervals to a rotating shaft 1 having a rotation transmission gear 2 fixed to one end. ,
This was placed in a vacuum container as shown in FIG. 2 or 6.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, 5 is a bell jar which is a vacuum container, and 6 is an evaporation source, which is supplied with power from a power source (not shown) and uses electron beam heating, resistance heating, etc. to evaporate the material 7 (
For example, TiN, Tic, etc.) are evaporated.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, five rotary shafts 1 are arranged in a plane above the evaporation source 6 at intervals with their axial directions horizontal, and rotation transmission gears 2 fixed to each rotary shaft are arranged. By meshing each gear through an idle gear 8 and rotating one of the rotating shafts 1, all the gears 2 and their rotating shafts 1 are rotated in the same direction as shown by the arrow.

However, if a plurality of rotating shafts equipped with workpiece fixtures are arranged in a plane above the evaporation source 6,
Since the distance from the evaporation source 6 is considerably different between the center and both ends, there is a difference in the quality and thickness of the thin film formed on the workpiece.

It's a moat, it's a waste of space in Bellja, 1
There are problems in that the number of charges of workpieces per batch cannot be sufficiently increased, and the evaporated material that evaporates outside the angle range shown by α in the figure is wasted, resulting in a large amount of loss.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, a large number of rotary shafts 1 are rotatably supported at intervals depending on the ring frame so as to surround the evaporation source 6, and internally toothed ring gears 10 are fixedly installed on the outside of the rotary shafts 1. By meshing the rotation transmission gears 2 of each rotating shaft 1 and rotating the ring frame 9 in, for example, the direction of arrow A, each gear 2 and the rotating shaft 1 integrated therewith are rotated in the same direction while respectively moving in the direction of arrow B. It is designed to rotate on its own axis.

In this way, the problems in the example shown in FIG. 2 can be solved to a certain extent, the distance from the evaporation source becomes uniform, the efficiency of utilization inside the bell jar is improved, and the loss of evaporated substances is reduced.

However, since the workpiece is arranged in a ring around the evaporation source 6, the selection range of the distance between the evaporation source and the workpiece is greatly restricted. Since there are cooling water pipes, etc., it is extremely difficult to install them, and it is also extremely difficult to place this thin film forming device in-line so that workpieces can be brought in and taken out in a continuous process. .

Furthermore, dust such as thin film pieces peeled off from the upper workpiece adheres to the lower workpiece (especially TiN).

Hard films such as TiC are prone to peeling off pieces), which causes problems such as the possibility of deterioration of the film quality.

- This invention solves these problems, makes it possible to use the space inside the vacuum container efficiently, allows the distance between the evaporation source and the workpiece to be set relatively freely, and allows the formation of To provide a vacuum thin film forming device equipped with a jig for supporting a workpiece, which does not cause unevenness or deterioration in the film quality and thickness of a thin film to be produced, and is also easy to use in-line. The purpose is to

Therefore, in the vacuum II film forming apparatus according to the present invention, a jig for supporting a workpiece is attached to a plurality of connecting pins of a chain endlessly stretched around at least one pair of sub-buttons 1, so that the rollers can be freely rotated. A support shaft with a workpiece pick-up tool fixed to each roller is mounted so as to rotate integrally, and each of the rollers is A guide rail is fixedly installed so that the rollers are in rolling contact, and the chain is rotated by a sprocket, so that each roller is moved by the chain together with the support shaft, and the rollers are rotated by rolling in contact with the guide rail. It is.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4 and subsequent drawings.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of a jig for supporting a workpiece in an embodiment of the present invention, in which a roller 20 is rotated by a connecting pin 12 of a chain 11 that is endlessly stretched around a pair of sprockets (not shown). The roller 20 is freely pivoted, and a clip 21 made of a plate spring is fixed to a notch groove 20b provided in a boss portion 20a formed on the side opposite to the chain 11 of the roller 20.

A support shaft 22 is inserted into the clip 21 along the axial direction of the roller 20 so that it rotates integrally with the roller 20, and a plurality of covers are attached to the support shaft 22 as in the example shown in FIG. Workpiece fixtures 3 are fixed at intervals.

Note that the end of the support shaft 22 that is held by the clip 21 is
As shown in FIG. 5, both sides 22a are chamfered to form a flat surface to prevent relative rotation with the roller 22.

The workpiece fixture 3 includes a cylindrical base 31 fitted into the support shaft 22, three rods 32 extending radially from the outer peripheral surface of the base, and a substantially triangular rod 32 fixed to the tip of each rod. The workpiece 4 is supported by point contact with the locking piece 33 made of a plate spring.

The chain 11 includes outer chain pieces 13 each shaped like a cocoon,
13 and inner chain pieces 14 and 14 are rotatably connected by a hollow connecting pin 12 (for example, a hollow chain made by Tsubakimoto Chain), as shown in FIG. A plurality of hollow holes 12a as required for
One end of the shaft 24 is inserted into the roller 20 via a ball bearing 23, and the other end of the shaft 24 is inserted and fixed by a stopper ring 25 and a nut 26.

In this way, the plurality of rollers 20 are rotatably supported by the plurality of connecting pins 12 of the chain 11 at intervals.

FIG. 7 schematically shows an example of the arrangement of jigs in the ion blating apparatus according to the present invention, and the workpiece mounting tool and the workpiece 4 are not shown.

In this example, above the evaporation source 6 in the bell jar 5, a pair of sprockets 27 and 28 are mounted on the shaft 27a, spaced apart in a direction that tends to cause a difference in the amount of evaporation material 7 from the evaporation source 6. , 28a, a chain 11 is endlessly stretched around the sprockets 1 to 27, and 11 rollers 2o are rotatably supported on the chain 11 as described above. ing.

Guide rails 41 and 42 are fixedly installed below the upper and lower running parts of the chain 11 over predetermined areas so as to roll the rollers 2o into contact with each other.

Therefore, when the sprockets 27 and 28 are rotated in the direction of arrow A, the upper running part of the chain 11 runs in the direction of arrow B, and the lower running part runs in the direction of arrow C, and each roller 20 is connected to the chain 11, respectively. While moving in the same direction, when it comes into contact with the guide rails 41 and 42, it rotates as shown by the arrow.

As a result, each support shaft 22 and the workpiece fixture 3 shown in FIG. 4 also rotate while moving in unison with the roller 2o.

This example shows an electron beam evaporation source (EB gun) as the evaporation source 6, in which an electron beam is emitted from a heater heated by an evaporation source power source 46, and is deflected by a magnet to evaporate on a grounded surface. Irradiate the substance 7,
It is heated and evaporated.

In this case, the angle range shown by α2 on the opposite side is approximately 30
The amount of evaporated substance 7 is large by about %.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the workpiece can be moved over the entire angle range in which the amount of evaporation varies.
It is desirable to tension the chain 11.

On the other hand, from the high-voltage DC power supply 44, all metal subblocks 1 to 27. Chain 11. Roller 20. Support shaft 22. A voltage having a polarity opposite to the ionization polarity of the evaporated material particles is applied to the workpiece 4 (FIG. 4) via the workpiece fixture 3.

Although not shown, an ionization electrode may be provided between the evaporation source S and the chain 11 if necessary to promote ionization of the evaporation material particles.

According to this embodiment, compared to the conventional example shown in FIG.
A large number of workpieces can be charged in the belljar S in two stages, upper and lower, and as the chain 11 rotates, each workpiece can be placed in different positions horizontally and vertically with respect to the evaporation source 6. Since it rotates while exchanging the parts, it is possible to form a thin film of substantially uniform quality and thickness on the entire surface of all the workpieces.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing another example of the arrangement of jigs in the ion blating apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG.
Parts corresponding to those in the figure are given the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, a pair of sprockets 27 and 28 are disposed on both sides of the evaporation source 6 at the bottom of the belljar 5 at the same level as the evaporation source 6 inside the belljar 5, and the chain 11 is inverted approximately along the inner wall of the belljar 5. An arc-shaped guide rail 41' centered on the evaporation center of the evaporation source 7 is provided on the upper part so as to be stretched in a U-shape.
42' are fixedly installed in two stages to rotate and simultaneously support the rollers 20 attached to the upper outer and inner chains 11.

In this case, the cross-sectional shape of the guide rails 41' and 42' is made into a channel shape as shown in FIG.
It is necessary to restrict the axial movement of the

Further, in this embodiment, power is supplied from the high voltage DC power supply 44 to the guide rails 41' and 42', and a voltage is applied to the workpiece 4 (FIG. 4) via the roller 20 and workpiece fixture 3. ing.

In this way, the power supply path can be shortened to reduce resistance loss, and if an insulator is interposed between the chain 11 and the rollers 20 or the chain 11 is made of an insulating material, the rollers 20 can be connected to the guide rail 41' or It is also possible to apply a voltage to the workpiece only when it is rotating in rolling contact with 42', so that ion blating can be performed.

According to this embodiment, a larger number of workpieces can be charged at one time than in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, and the quality and thickness of the formed thin film can be kept uniform.

In addition, since there is no workpiece below the evaporation source 6, the film quality is not deteriorated by debris such as flakes falling from above, as in the conventional example shown in FIG. Installation and in-line jig loading and unloading are easy, and the height of the evaporation source can be adjusted relatively freely.

Note that the arrangement of the jigs in the bell jar is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be changed in various ways depending on the method of tensioning the chain and the shape and position of the guide rail. In that case, depending on the tensioning shape of the chain, the required number of intermediate sprockets can be used.

Furthermore, although an example of an ion blating apparatus using an electron beam evaporation source as an evaporation source has been described, various types of evaporation sources such as those using resistance heating or high frequency heating can be used. In addition, the present invention can be applied to other vacuum thin film forming apparatuses such as evaporation and sputtering with sufficient effect.

By the way, as shown in FIG.
If the belljar can be attached and detached with one touch, the workpiece with a thin film formed and the unformed workpiece can be exchanged in a short time when the belljar is opened, which shortens the belljar opening time and prevents moisture. Since the amount of adsorption of substances such as the like is reduced, the next exhaust process is also shortened, greatly improving work efficiency.

End of the Soul As explained above, according to the present invention, it is possible to solve all the two problems of "workpiece support" in conventional vacuum thin film forming apparatuses, increase the efficiency of use of the inside of the vacuum container, and reduce the amount of work per batch. The number of charges to the workpiece can be increased, and there is no risk of unevenness in the quality or thickness of the formed thin film or deterioration due to dust, and it is possible to install evaporation sources and carry in jigs for in-line use. It can also be carried out easily.

Furthermore, in the case of ion brating, a chain or guide rail can be used as a power supply path.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a jig for supporting a workpiece in a vacuum container in a conventional vacuum thin film forming apparatus. FIGS. 2 and 6 are a first diagram in a conventional vacuum thin film forming apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing different arrangement examples of the jigs shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view along the axial direction showing the connected state of the chain and the rollers. FIGS. 7 and 8 are views of jigs according to different embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 9, which is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement, is a sectional view showing an example of the cross-sectional shape of the guide rail. 3...Workpiece attachment fixture 4...Workpiece 5...Belljar (vacuum container) 6...Evaporation source 7...Evaporation substance 11...Chain 12...Connection pin 20.・・・
Roller 21...Clip 22...Support shaft 27.2
8...Sprocket 41.42.41', 42'...Guide rail Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A vacuum thin film in which an evaporation source and a workpiece are arranged at a distance in a vacuum container, and evaporated substances from the evaporation source are attached to the workpiece to form a thin film. In the forming apparatus, the jig for supporting the workpiece is rotatably supported by a chain stretched endlessly around at least one pair of sprockets and a plurality of connecting pins of the chain, each of which is rotatably spaced apart. a plurality of rollers, a support shaft attached to each of the rollers and rotated together, a workpiece fixture fixed to the support shaft, and the vacuum so as to bring the rollers into contact with each other. 1. A vacuum thin film forming apparatus comprising a guide rail fixedly installed over a predetermined area within a container. 2. The vacuum thin film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support shaft is detachably attached to the row.