CN106480421B - Continuous film processing apparatus for erecting substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a continuous film treatment installation for standing up substrates, comprising a feed roll and a take-up roll for the substrates, at least one treatment section for treating the substrates, and a substrate transport device comprising guide rollers for transporting the substrates through the installation and holding the substrates substantially upright. The treatment section and the guide rollers are arranged opposite one another in such a way that the transport section of the substrate is formed in the form of a polygonal curve following the curve β, wherein the guide rollers are arranged on one side of the transport section and the treatment device is arranged on the other side. In addition, the emptying and collecting rollers are arranged horizontally, and the emptying and collecting sections each have a deflection device with at least one deflection roller for deflecting the substrates from flat to upright or vice versa.

Description

Continuous film processing apparatus for erecting substrate

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a continuous film processing apparatus, also referred to herein as an apparatus, for processing a flexible, ribbon-like substrate under vacuum, wherein the substrate is substantially upright.

Background

According to the preamble, such an apparatus has, at an apparatus inlet, which is referred to herein as an emptying section, an emptying roller for emptying the substrate and, at an apparatus outlet, which is referred to herein as a take-up section, a take-up roller for taking up the substrate, and at least one treatment chamber having one or more treatment sections for treating the substrate passing through the apparatus between the emptying section and the take-up section, and a substrate transport device for transporting the substrate through the apparatus and for keeping the substrate substantially upright during transport and treatment. At this time, the substrate moves past the guide rollers of the substrate conveying device, which define the substrate conveying section and on which the substrate is located.

Generally, a "chamber" refers to a space enclosed by chamber walls, which space is delimited with respect to the surrounding space and may also be generally closed. The processing tool may have one or more process chambers depending on the process scale and substrate size. The process chamber may comprise a single process section or may itself be divided into functionally distinguishable sections by being mounted within the chamber to define respective sections relative to adjacent sections. The boundary region depends in particular on the respective function of the segments and can also limit the pressure until the vacuum-tight design. In this regard, reference to "a segment" below may refer to either one of multiple segments within a chamber or a chamber having only one segment, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

As functional sections of a film processing installation or similar for processing substrates, in addition to processing sections, sections are also known which are not directly used for processing, but are required for the entire processing operation, such as, for example, sections required for evacuating one or more sections, gas separation sections or sections for changing the substrate transport mode or the substrate transport direction, wherein several functions thereof can also be implemented in one section.

Such thin film processing apparatuses are used for various additive, subtractive or modifying processes of the substrate surface, which may also include processes of the substrate itself within the apparatus such as heat treatment, pretreatment, and cleaning or activation processes. Various coatings pertain to additive processing. The subtractive treatment consists in the complete or partial removal of the surface film, whether concomitantly or previously coated, in particular by means of a physical or chemical process and also a mechanical treatment. As a modification, a structural change or a compositional change of the surface film is known, for example, by thermal action or plasma action or chemical treatment.

When the apparatus is divided into a plurality of stations and the substrate to be treated is moved through the apparatus along the transport section so that it passes successively through these stations which take part in the treatment in any way, such a treatment apparatus is generally referred to as a continuous apparatus or also as an in-line apparatus.

The strip-shaped substrate is called a film, the length of the strip is considerably greater than the transport section through the apparatus and is flexible, so that it can pass through the transport section of the elevations harmlessly. Not only metallic or dielectric plastic films or composite films, but also complex plastic films or composite films. Such a strip-like substrate is usually unwound at the inlet of the apparatus by an unwinding roller, transported through the apparatus and treated at the same time, and wound again at the outlet of the apparatus on an unwinding roller until the entire substrate has passed through the apparatus.

There are various thin film processing apparatuses, which are first divided according to the orientation of the substrate. When laid flat, the substrate is perpendicular to gravity. In this case, the substrate is usually guided by means of a large drum having a horizontal axis, the drum circumference and thus the substrate surface being situated opposite a treatment station, for example a coating or plasma source. In order to be able to pass through a plurality of work stations one after the other, large rollers are required and the entire circumferential surface is used for the work stations as far as possible. Accordingly, the processing direction gradually changes from horizontal to vertical between the processing source and the substrate, with the position of the processing station, i.e., its angular position relative to the drum. Such roll coaters are described, for example, in DE10157186C 1.

But the direction of processing affects the processing results. For example, in coating there is the risk that particles and flakes of the film fall onto the substrate. A disadvantage of this device concept is also the limited number of processing sections. Replacement or expansion can only be effected conditionally. Since the treatment sections are located next to one another, adjacent sections are also less separated in particular with respect to the process atmosphere.

It is also conceivable for such a roller device to be put into operation with the substrate standing, with the roller axis standing. Although contamination of the substrate with particles and film flakes is reduced, the process sections and interruptions are still limited. However, such equipment is mainly applied at laboratory scale or only for processing narrow substrates of less complexity.

A treatment plant with a linear transport section offers the possibility of arranging a plurality of treatment chambers and/or treatment sections one behind the other along the transport section. It is also possible to add a separating section between the two treatment sections. As is known from coating of plate-like substrates. Such a device can be quite long in the case of complex processes, in particular coatings. For strip-shaped substrates, there is a requirement in this type of apparatus that the substrate be transported in as many planes as possible over the entire apparatus length in order to achieve uniform treatment and coating results. This is achieved by guide roller systems before and/or after each treatment station, through which the substrate is guided and held in the plane, where the requirements become higher as the length of the apparatus increases. For this purpose, it must also be associated with the previously processed substrate side and is referred to collectively as the contact of the article side with the guide rollers.

A continuous coating installation for film webs is described in WO2007/108952a2, in which the substrate is also upright and its movement path is maintained by means of a magnetic guide and a substrate edge stabilization. Such an apparatus limits the substrate to be treated and the exposed substrate surface.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is based on the object of specifying a continuous treatment system using guide rollers, which allows a high throughput of substrates even in complex treatment processes and in particular in complex coating processes, while the substrates are standing up and are variable with respect to material and substrate size.

The film-like substrates should be positioned in such an apparatus at the positions specified for each processing device along the entire transport section for the same processing result. In this case, article-side contact of the substrate (gutsietenberguehrung) should be avoided at least further along the transport path through the continuous processing device. The device should preferably be able to operate completely without article-side contact.

In addition, the device should be scalable by further processing sections and/or functional sections.

The continuous film treatment installation is particularly suitable for producing multilayer coating systems, which are composed of a larger number of metal and oxide monolayers, by means of physical or chemical vacuum coating, which is also plasma-assisted.

The device should be adaptable to the production of a wide variety of different layer combinations with improved separation of adjacent treatment sections, and it should also be possible to integrate other non-coating devices, for example treatment sections for substrate pretreatment or substrate modification or layer modification.

In addition, the apparatus concept should allow for a versatile reduction of the apparatus volume and the process chamber volume, adapted to the membrane combination, to reduce the apparatus cost, energy consumption and time.

In order to accomplish the stated object, the treatment section of such continuous coating systems and the guide rollers located therein are arranged opposite one another in such a way that the transport section of the substantially upright substrate is formed in the form of a polygonal curve (Polygonzug) which follows a curve β, wherein the guide rollers are arranged on one side of the transport section and the treatment device on the other side thereof, and the delivery rollers and the take-up rollers are arranged horizontally. In addition, a deflection mechanism is arranged in the material feeding section and the material receiving section, and the deflection mechanism is provided with at least one deflection roller for deflecting the substrate from flat to vertical or vice versa.

The arrangement of the treatment section and the guide rollers located therein according to the invention comprises that the transport section is also a part of the polygonal curve through the section in the case of a plurality of treatment sections and/or other expansion sections.

A curve shall mean a line which runs non-linearly and which is defined by the point of contact of the point on the substrate with each guide roll on its section through the treatment section. The direction of curvature of the curve β preferably remains the same over the entire conveying section. For this reason, any article side contact can be avoided depending on the design of the continuous film processing apparatus. All guide rollers of the substrate transport device can thereby be arranged on the same side of the substrate.

However, the direction of curvature of the curve β can alternatively alternate. Polygonal curves, such as the following polygonal curves, which are freely designed and which according to the invention should not be consecutive straight lines, which follow circular arcs or elliptical arcs or combinations of these variants, are also included.

The axis of the guide roll is the corner point of a polygonal curve which lies on a curve β' running alongside the curve β. By the position of the guide rollers on the side of the transport section at least in the region of the same direction of curvature of the curves β, β', a transport section is created in which the substrate resting against all guide rollers acquires a mechanical stress which ensures that the substrate is fixed on the transport section and thus for each treatment section in the desired position relative to the treatment device. If the direction of curvature of the curve β should be changed alternately, two guide rollers, one on each substrate side, are required at the turning point, in order to also generate substrate stress via the guide rollers for the rear line segment of the polygonal curve. For this purpose, very variable polygonal curves and thus variable conveying sections can be realized.

The substrate stress can be designed to be variable by virtue of the guide rollers being pressed against the substrate by the guide rollers, as long as one or more guide rollers are movable perpendicular to the substrate surface according to one embodiment of the continuous film processing apparatus.

According to the invention, the treatment process zone and generally also the treatment device are located on the side of the transport section opposite the guide rollers, so that no guide rollers for tensioning or deflecting the substrate or other guides contacting the substrate article side are required along curved sections of the transport section with the same direction of curvature.

The arrangement of the guide rollers behind the substrate, as seen from the treatment process zone, has the additional advantage, in addition to a higher layer quality, that a longer service life can be achieved for the guide rollers, since the guide rollers are shielded as much as possible by the substrate with respect to the treatment process zone, since they do not touch the article side.

Even if the invention according to a preferred embodiment relates to a transport section in which all guide rollers are arranged on a substrate surface and all treatment process zones are arranged above the opposing substrate surface, the invention also encompasses the possibility of a change in the direction of curvature in the transport section due to the combination of two curves, as long as the article-side contact associated therewith is harmless to the already treated substrate surface after the change. It may, for example, follow the treatment of the appropriate substrate or just immediately precede the take-up roll.

The course of the conveying section is realized as described above by the arrangement of the guide rollers relative to one another. Since the transport path is defined by the guide rollers and the substrate moves without guidance from one guide roller to the next, it is easy to see that the transport path is not a curve, but rather is formed by a plurality of corner points of a polygonal curve, each guide roller defining one of the corner points. It is possible, but not necessary, for the bulge to form the treatment section or treatment section. They may be accompanied by polygonal curves made up of straight walls on both sides of the conveying section. For the purpose of illustrating the transport path and the course and the associated substrate stress and substrate fixation, a curve is used here.

The division of the transport section into several functional sections also brings the advantage that the volume in the treatment section can be kept small. This, in combination with the vacuum pump arrangement and the arrangement between the process sections, allows in particular a low base pressure, i.e. the minimum obtainable pressure without process gas input, and a short evacuation time.

It is known to provide gas separation systems between adjacent process sections, depending on the process requirements, which ensure an efficient separation of the process atmospheres. The design of the apparatus, which is more compact than the aforementioned drum apparatus, also has a positive effect on the gas separation of adjacent process sections, since at least one pump section can be set up between adjacent process sections. It can be formed in the form of special gas separation sections by other incorporated devices. By combining a plurality of gas separation sections with each other, a high gas separation ratio can be obtained. The small volume of the pump section or the gas separation section promotes the gas separation effect in conjunction with its large longitudinal extent in the transport direction of the substrate.

The position of the substrate in the "substantially upright" form also includes, in addition to the upright position, small deviations which do not counteract either the generation of the substrate stress required for fixing the substrate on the transport path or the smooth substrate treatment. The latter relates in particular to the abovementioned interfering particles and flakes, which, taking into account the distance of the substrate from the processing apparatus or the chamber wall, should not fall onto the surface to be processed of the substrate, nor onto the processing apparatus. This can be achieved with deviations of up to ± 15 ° from the vertical position for many coating processes and coating materials. The guide rollers of the apparatus of the invention which effect the substantial erection of the substrate are also referred to herein simply as vertical guide rollers.

According to the invention, the discharging roller and the receiving roller are horizontally arranged. Because of the weight of the film substrate, the wound roll can be stabilized during continuous operation of the device and during handling of the full roll. This has proven to be advantageous in relation to substantially vertical emptying and take-up rolls, in which case the winding layers drift apart and an undefined substrate layer arises when a vacuum is formed in the surroundings of the roll. In addition, when the transfer of the roll and its handling in the apparatus is carried out with the roll in a horizontal position, this makes it easier to transport large rolls, especially in the case of wide and long substrates. Obviously, deviations from the horizontal attitude for which the advantages described are still obtainable are included.

In order to divert the substrate into a substantially vertical orientation after it has been unwound from the lay-flat roller and/or into the opposite orientation at the outlet of the apparatus, the apparatus comprises, according to the invention, a diverting mechanism having at least one guide roller for diverting the substrate or a plurality of such guide rollers, which are used jointly for the substrate diversion. These guide rollers for turning the substrate fall in principle within the definition of guide rollers described above in connection with the prior art. For better differentiation, the guide rollers described below shall be referred to in the description of the invention as deflecting rollers, which together serve for the deflection of the substrate between its two basic orientations on the emptying roller and/or the receiving roller and the substantially vertical orientation.

The number of turning rolls may vary depending on, among other things, the type of substrate, its width and the position of the unwind roll or the take-up roll relative to the first vertical roll. The number and position of the deflecting rollers is determined in that each web section running parallel to the web transport direction is as long and thus is tensioned equally between the discharge roller or take-up roller and the next essentially vertical guide roller. By providing a deflecting roller adjacent to the emptying roller or the take-up roller and/or adjacent to the next vertical guide roller, it is also possible to ensure that the substrate is transferred to the roller as intended and/or that the substrate is handed off from the roller.

The deflection means are preferably located before the entry of the substrate into the first process chamber and/or connected to the last process chamber at such a distance that the substrate can be moved through the respective process chamber substantially unaffected.

With the same length of the web material strip as described above, the at least one deflecting roller is in one embodiment of the apparatus situated between the emptying or take-up roller and the next vertical guide roller in such a position that it is at a first angle α relative to the axis of the emptying or take-up roller and at a second angle γ relative to the next vertical guide roller. These two angles are in the range of 0 DEG.ltoreq.alpha.ltoreq.90 DEG, preferably 30 DEG to 60 DEG and at least one of the angles alpha, gamma is not 0 DEG and not 90 DEG depending on the conditions. The spatial position of the deflecting roller is defined by means of these two angles, since the substrate must be guided along its path and the angles α, γ must relate to a substantially horizontal line, i.e. the axis of the emptying roller or the take-up roller, and to a vertical line or a line deviating therefrom by a known angle, the latter being the axis of the next vertical roller. The above angular relationship allows for the position of the one or more turning rolls to be different from at least one of the planes in which the generally horizontal and discharge or take-up roll is located and the next guide roll is located, which is substantially vertical.

Since the rolls are spatially distributed without in any case an intersection of the axes forming the angle, the angle measurement is made between the axis of the turning roll and the plane. The angle α is thus between the axis of the deflecting roller and a projection of this axis onto a plane perpendicular to the axis passing horizontally through the emptying or take-up roller. The angle γ can be implemented unambiguously by an angular measurement between the deflecting roller axis and its perpendicular projection onto a plane passing through the axis of the next vertical guide roller, the axis of the emptying or take-up roller being perpendicular to this plane passing through the axis of the next vertical guide roller.

The attitude and angle γ of the rollers relative to each other are illustrated in a side view in fig. 1A. The reference numeral 7 designates a discharge roll, two deflecting rolls, indicated by 9,9', used by way of example and without limitation, the next substantially vertical guide roll being indicated by 3, the base material by 2 and the roll axis by 18. In addition, the direction of rotation of the rollers 3, 7, 9' and their axes 18 and the direction of movement of the substrate 2 are indicated by arrows. This view can be similarly used for the take-up roll considering the opposite direction of movement of the substrate 2 and the direction of rotation of the roll.

The band-shaped substrate 2 is unwound from the discharge roller 7 and discharged by means of a first diverting roller 9' whose axis 18 extends parallel to the discharge roller axis 18. The first turning roll 9' positions the substrate 2 to extend further past the turning roll 9, the turning roll 9 performing a true turning from horizontal to vertical by its inclined spatial attitude defined by the angles α and γ. For this purpose, the substrate 2 is guided further from the deflecting roller 9' past the deflecting roller 9 up to the first vertical roller 3. From there, the substrate is further transported with the transport path defined by the remaining guide rolls (only the next one is shown) to the last guide roll 3. There, the substrate is guided in a similar manner via deflecting rollers 9,9' to the take-up roller 8. The angle γ can be located directly between the two axes 18 of the diverting roller 9 and the first vertical roller 3 as shown in the drawing. Such diversion continuously avoids article-side contact.

Fig. 1B shows the steering mechanism of fig. 1A in a side view, the viewing direction of which corresponds to the direction in which the substrate 2 is unwound from the discharge roll 7. Since the axis 18 of the first turning roll 9' is located parallel to the axis 18 of the blowing roll 7, the angle α is indicated with respect to its two axes 18. Alternative spatial arrangements of the participating rollers are possible. The mirror image of fig. 1A and 1B at the vertical mirror axis (not shown) will represent an embodiment of the material receiving section at the end of the apparatus.

In one embodiment, the angles α and γ are variable, by which the turn roll can be pivoted at least one of said angles. Alternatively or additionally, the deflection roller can be moved relative to the next guide roller. For this purpose, the substrate turning can be coordinated with various apparatus-implementable substrate transport parameters, such as its actual orientation relative to the vertical, the substrate stress or the position of the delivery roller relative to the first guide roller. This embodiment also helps to avoid or at least reduce item side contact for the apparatus embodiments described herein. Such movability is also advantageous when more than one deflection roller is used, since the action of each deflection roller is variable. This movability can be designed for one or both deflecting rollers.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the angle between each two segments of the polygonal curve is defined by each two adjacent segments of the polygonal curve having an angle δ in the range 90 ° < δ <180 °. In this way, it is possible to impart a weakly curved shape to the course of the curve while maintaining the substrate stress, and it is thus possible to make the substrate processing conditions along the transport path similar to those of a linear apparatus of the type in which the angle δ is to be 180 ° as defined above. For example, excessive stress or stress alternation within the substrate is avoided.

In one embodiment, the device comprises additional functional sections in addition to the one or more processing sections, such as the sections described in the introduction. They shall be referred to herein as augmentation segments. Such an expansion section is, for example, a section for evacuation, gas insulation, adaptation of the device turning behavior to changes in the conveying direction or other functions, wherein more than one function can also be implemented in one expansion section.

For example, an expansion section for adapting the curvature of the installation to changes in the conveying direction can be provided that between two adjacent sections, i.e. the treatment section and/or the expansion section, an angle δ of different from 180 ° exists between adjacent polygonal curve segments of the conveying section in the two adjacent sections. With such an expansion section, the angle δ formed by two successive sections of the conveying section can be designed by means of plant engineering. Such an expansion between two segments with a preferably rectangular cross section in top view has for this purpose a trapezoidal or triangular cross section in top view, the end faces of which enclose an angle δ' of 180 ° - δ. With regard to the position of the angle δ', reference is made to the description of fig. 5A and 5B below.

Such an expansion section for adapting the bending conditions of the device to changes in the conveying direction can have different configuration levels. For example, it can be formed only as an intermediate flange, with the end faces that are at an angle δ' to one another being the sealing faces of the flange. These sealing surfaces are the sealing surfaces used to establish the connection with the adjacent segments. Higher configuration levels of such an expansion section can be formed by guide rollers which are added for the active transport direction change.

Alternatively, such an expansion section may be attached with components and fittings that are directly or indirectly required by the treatment process. It may for example be provided with a vacuum line connection and/or a suction opening to an adjacent section. Heating or cooling and more of the substrate may also be performed in such sections. It may have one or more guide rollers or be completely not equipped with guide rollers, when for example the following guide roller in the adjacent section is next to the respective channel.

In both alternatives, the end faces or sealing faces at the inlet and outlet of the expansion section, viewed in the substrate transport direction, are not parallel to one another. They enclose an angle δ', for which the above-mentioned relationship with δ preferably applies, i.e. in the adjacent sections of the relevant expansion section described here.

In an alternative embodiment of such an angular expansion section, the angle δ in the transport section can also be realized by means of equipment technology by means of adjacent treatment sections and/or expansion sections themselves located on the two sections of the transport section. For this purpose, the end faces thereof preferably each have an angle δ ═ δ/2 with respect to the segment of their conveying path. Other angles can also be designed in the case of an asymmetrical design.

By these embodiments, the segments can follow the segments of the curve β and their polygonal curves, without having curved walls. Device modularity is also supported since the polygonal curve can be adapted to varying segment lengths or chamber lengths or vice versa by means of the angular position of the end faces or sealing faces. By adapting the bending conditions of the apparatus to the changes in the transport direction by means of the described expansion section, it is also possible to use more modular treatment sections or expansion sections.

As long as the angle δ should be in the range of 90 ° to 180 ° according to the above-described embodiment, angles δ 'and δ "in the ranges of 0 ° < δ' <90 ° and 45 ° < δ" <90 ° are thereby obtained.

The versatility of the apparatus can also be used on either the discharge or take-up rolls. As mentioned above, the loading and unloading of the material receiving section or the material discharging section are realized in a flat posture. Obviously, such an orientation may also comprise slight deviations which are purely technically defined.

For the handling of these rolls, the emptying section and/or the collecting section can be arranged in their own chambers which can be closed in a vacuum-tight manner relative to the installation, so that the change of emptying roll or collecting roll can be carried out in the installation while maintaining the vacuum.

Alternatively, the emptying section and the collecting section can also be incorporated into a vacuum system, in that they are closed off in a vacuum-tight manner with respect to the environment and are connected to the respectively adjacent first or last treatment section by means of a slot gate. By means of the slit sluice, a pressure level between adjacent sections or chambers can be achieved. In both embodiments, the use of a belt gate can be dispensed with and article-side contact can also be avoided here.

In a further embodiment of the invention, the processing and/or expansion sections are modular in such a way that they are technically identical with respect to their shape and their interface with the adjacent outgoing or expansion section. The term "technically identical" refers to a chamber design in which one chamber may be replaced by one or more other chambers or vice versa without having to change the position or configuration of adjacent chambers. By shape is meant that the segment width and segment height are substantially uniform, and the segment length is subject to a line spacing (ratermass) consistent with the curvature of the curve β and/or with a meaningful number of smaller segments provided in place of one segment. Thus, for example, the expansion section may be shorter than the processing section in accordance with its function to reduce the size of the apparatus.

The modular structure should in particular be designed such that the conveying path through the installation can be lengthened or shortened by adding or removing at least one modular processing or expansion section between the emptying section and the collecting section. The shortening or lengthening is done in such a way that sections can be supplemented or removed at the beginning or end of the conveying section, wherein the emptying section and the collecting section are in turn always arranged at both ends of the conveying section. However, a change in the sequence of the segments in the central region of the transport section can also be achieved if the module segment is replaced by another segment and/or if the remaining segments are moved along the curve β, for example on a rail system.

The entire chamber may need to be replenished or removed, at least for the purpose of expanding and removing sections. A chamber can have one or more sections. The chambers have vacuum valves on the inlet side and/or outlet side for the vacuum-tight closing thereof, so that the chambers can be separated from one another in a vacuum-tight and/or physically separated manner. Such vacuum-technical isolation is also advantageous for non-modular designs of the apparatus, for example for maintenance, replacement of the processing device or for replacement of the entire processing chamber. The material feeding section and the material receiving section can also be incorporated into the modularity. Alternatively, the replacement may be segmented because of modularity.

For this reason, the device can be quickly adapted to be retrofitted for future use, depending on the modular structure. Depending on the module design concept, the same section module or chamber module, possibly technically, is used in the device together with the modified fittings and peripherals for the same, but in principle also different, processing. This allows high availability of the equipment and process stability to be achieved because of the use of process-technical co-operation. A uniform tool set or spare part set and efficient maintenance work can also be utilized and thus lower overall operating costs can be achieved.

In addition, the modularity of the apparatus is some advantages in terms of processing. The treatment section may be incorporated between and separate from the receiving section and the subsequent treatment section, thereby allowing the user a high degree of flexibility in performing different pre-treatment processes to optimize the quality of the treatment.

The apparatus can be used with various embodiments, in particular for PVD coating by sputtering or also plasma-assisted CVD coating. In such continuous apparatuses, increasingly complex layer systems comprising a plurality of film layers of different composition are deposited one after the other. The apparatus can also be used for plasma treatment of film-like substrates. Accordingly, the device is configured with its treatment section and most often also with its expansion section for the machining process. For example, one or more treatment devices, such as a sputter source or a plasma source, are provided in the treatment section.

Those skilled in the art will realize the features of the invention in each of the different embodiments before combining them appropriately in the other embodiments.

Drawings

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments, which are illustrated in the attached drawings:

figures 1A and 1B show an exemplary arrangement of the blowing roll, the diverting roll and the following guide roll relative to each other,

figure 2 is a plan view of the continuous thin film processing apparatus of the present invention,

figure 3 is a view of a section of the substrate transport section according to figure 2,

figure 4 shows the emptying section with the steering mechanism while the apparatus is in operation,

FIGS. 5A and 5B are views of an embodiment of an expansion section for adapting the turning conditions of the apparatus to the substrate transport direction, an

Fig. 6 is a view of a row of equipment sections, the end faces of which do not form a right angle with the conveying direction in a top view.

List of reference numerals

1 treatment section

2 base material

3 guide roller

4 conveying section

5 angular point

6,6' polygonal curve

7 discharging roller

8 receive material roller

9,9' turning roll

10 vacuum tube joint

11 processing device

12 coating device

13 pretreatment section

14 chamber cover

15 maintenance trolley

16 discharge section

17 receive material section

18 axes

19 gap

20 expansion section

21 expanding direction changing section

22 end face

23 sealing surface

24 suction port

Beta, beta' curve, arc

Angle between alpha discharging roller or receiving roller and steering roller

Angle between gamma steering roller and adjacent guide roller

Angle s between two sections of a delta-conveying section

Angle between end walls of delta' angle expansion section

Delta' angle between end wall of treatment or expansion section and conveying section

Detailed Description

The views of the figures are merely schematic to facilitate understanding of the invention. They do not require integrity or scale to size.

The basic structure of the continuous thin film processing apparatus of the present invention is schematically shown in fig. 2. The description should be in terms of a sputter coating apparatus for exemplary purposes and not by way of limitation.

A plurality of treatment sections 1 and expansion sections 20 are arranged next to one another in such a way that they form, for example but not by way of limitation, an arc of a circle. The apparatus is shown with an upwardly open chamber, so that a straight upright substrate 2, guide rollers 3 for conveying the substrate 2, which are also upright in the viewing direction, and a conveying path 4 for the substrate 2, which moves past the apparatus in the conveying direction, i.e. from left to right in fig. 2, are shown.

The treatment section 1 and the expansion section 20 (sections 1, 20 are referred to below and are not explicitly distinguished in this respect) are connected by means of a vacuum valve (not shown) or a slit-dividing wall provided with a slit 19, so that the substrate 2 can be moved through the open valve or slit 19 (not shown in fig. 2). It is not seen in fig. 2 that the apparatus is divided into a plurality of chambers. Accordingly, the chamber wall and the partition wall in the chamber are not distinguished in fig. 2. Both are configured according to conventional parameters.

The segments 1, 20 have vacuum connections 10, which are all arranged opposite the same side of the substrate 2 and are mounted in the chamber walls forming the chamber cover 14, for evacuating the installation or the vertical pretreatment device 13 and the treatment device 11. It can be, for example but not limited to, a plasma source for pretreatment and a sputtering source for coating. Some of the segments 1, 20 shown without the vacuum connection 10 and without the pretreatment or treatment devices 13, 11 can be used for gas separation and/or for pretreatment or aftertreatment of the substrate 2.

In the treatment sections 1, guide rollers 3 are provided which are adjacent to the side of the substrate 2 facing the treatment device 11. The substrate 2 is moved through the apparatus by means of guide rollers 3, at least some of which are driven by a motor with a drive. The contact line extending in the viewing direction between the circumferential surface of the guide rollers 3 and the base material 2 defines the corner points 5 of a polygonal curve 6 of the transport section 4, which curve in the exemplary embodiment shown, due to the arrangement of the sections 1, 20, at irregular distances between the guide rollers 3, deviates slightly to a circular arc, along which the polygonal curve 6 formed by the entire installation follows. Parallel to the curve (circular arc) β, but forming a smaller radius, the axis of the guide roller forms a second curve β', which is necessarily also a circular arc. In the following description of the embodiments, the curves β and β' should therefore be referred to as circular arcs.

In this embodiment, these guide rollers 3 are provided only in sections 1, 20 which are not provided with a sputter source. They are each located there immediately before the inlet of the treatment section 1, in this embodiment equipped with a sputter source as treatment device 11 and specifically referred to as coating device 12, and after its outlet, so that coating of the guide roll 3 can be avoided in the entire installation. The distance between the two guide rolls 3 thus obtained is different, but small enough to ensure a defined position of the substrate on the transport section 4 even in the coating device 12.

The segments 1, 20 are of modular design in that they all have the same width and a uniform interface (not shown) with the adjacent segments 1, 20. By means of the maintenance trolley 15, the chamber cover 14 can be opened for equipment and maintenance of the apparatus, for example for replacing the handling device 11, or for replacing a section 1, 20 for changing the apparatus.

The inlet side and the outlet side of the continuous film treatment device are provided with a discharge section and a receiving section 16, 17, respectively. They are simultaneously the loading station for the emptying roller 7 or the unloading station for the receiving roller 8 and are separated from all segments 1, 20 located between them by vacuum technology on the inlet side of the first segments 1, 20 or on the outlet side of the last segments 1, 20 by means of vacuum sealing valves (not shown).

Between the emptying or collecting sections 16, 17 and the vacuum sealing valve, in each case, a special expansion section is provided for the change in conveying direction, which shall also be referred to as an expansion and deflection section 21 for the sake of clarity. In this case, a first or last guide roller 3 is provided in the present exemplary embodiment. The substrates 2 are thereby deflected from their horizontal position on the feed roll 7 to their vertical position on the first guide roll 3, or vice versa at the end of the installation, by means of the deflecting rollers 9 arranged in the feed and take-up sections 16, 17. The above description of fig. 1A and 1B is referred to for relative deflection of the postures of the plurality of rollers.

Other service trolleys 15 are used to replace the full and empty film rolls 9 on the emptying section 16 and the collecting section 17 at the inlet or outlet of the installation. Fig. 2 shows only one on the emptying section 16.

In the embodiment according to fig. 2, between the receiving section 16 and in front of the first coating device 12 there is a first treatment zone comprising a plasma source for the surface treatment of the substrate. The working in this pretreatment zone serves for a high adhesion strength of the coating layers and for some methods ensures the cleaning and activation of the surface of the substrate 2 to be coated in the subsequent coating device 12. The chamber hood 14 is adapted to the respective requirements of the coating operation and is equipped with a magnetron as sputtering source. Also within this processing region are media supply mechanisms such as gas lines, water lines, electronics, and media interfaces as required by the magnetron source.

Fig. 3 shows a detail of the transport section 4 of the substrate 2 through the apparatus according to fig. 2, in order to show the arcs of a circle β and β 'associated with the guide roll 3, its polygonal curve 6' and the substrate 2. This view is also a top view, so that the guide roller 3 mounted upright is only visible as a circle, while the upright base material 2 is only visible as a straight line.

Only a pick-and-place of the continuous film processing apparatus shows that a plurality of guide rollers 3 of three thereof are arranged along the elongated circular arc β'. The axis 18 of the guide roll 3 forms the corner point 5 of a polygonal curve 6' following the arc β ' in such a way that the corner point 5 lies on the arc β '. The angle between adjacent segments of the conveying section 4 defined by the curvature of the arc of a circle β' is denoted by δ.

The peripheral surface of the guide roller 3 forms parallel long-strip-shaped circular arcs beta. Along this circular arc β the substrate 2 is guided between the guide rollers 3, so that the substrate forms a second polygonal curve 6, which is outer with respect to the polygonal curve 6' of the guide rollers 3. Because of its outer position, the polygonal curve 6 is adapted to produce, together with the pulling force in the direction of transport of the substrate and the positioning of special guide rollers (tensioning rollers) perpendicular to the substrate surface, the mechanical stress of the substrate 2 and the normal pressing force of the substrate 2 against the guide rollers 3. Thus, by bending the arcs β and β', a parameter for changing the stress intensity is provided for use. Here, it may be sufficient to obtain the transport path length to be determined by experiment or calculation by only moving the feed roller 7 (not shown) and the take-up roller 8 (not shown) toward the center of the circular arc and strongly bending the circular arcs β and β' only in the start area and the end area of the transport path of the base material 2.

Fig. 4 shows an exemplary emptying roller 7 in the emptying section 16, specifically during the transport. The view of fig. 4 can be used in a similar manner for the receiving roller 8 inserted into the receiving section 17.

Fig. 4 shows the front part of the continuous film treatment installation, including the part of the substrate transport device there with the yet to be emptied discharge roller 7. The emptying roller is placed horizontally in the emptying section 16. The deflecting device provided there has in the present exemplary embodiment two deflecting rollers 9,9', one deflecting roller 9' immediately after the feed roller 7 and the other deflecting roller 9 immediately after it being parallel thereto, the second deflecting roller effecting the actual deflection in the present exemplary embodiment. The substrate 2 is paid out (indicated by the arrow) from a pay-off roll 7 and guided over a first horizontal turning roll 9'. It is then guided to the first vertical guide roller 3 around a second, for example diagonally arranged, turning roller 9 as shown in fig. 1A. The first vertical guide roller is located in the first extended redirecting section 21 next to the emptying section or in one of the sections 1, 20. But it may also be located in the emptying section 16. From the first vertical guide roll 3 the substrate 2 is guided upright through the apparatus.

The first direction-changing expansion section 21 is connected with the emptying section 16. It comprises the guide roller 3 and is also provided with a vacuum line connection 10, as is the case with the following first expansion section 20. When the feed section 16 is inserted into a new feed roller 7, the feed section 16 is opened in the inlet region of the maintenance trolley 15 and is closed off by means of a vacuum valve relative to the extended deflecting section 21, wherein the trailing end of the leading substrate film is clamped in the vacuum valve in such a way that it projects into the feed section and the leading end of the trailing substrate film can be fixed to this trailing end. In this way, the region of the installation from the closed vacuum valve, in particular the high vacuum region of the treatment section, can be kept at vacuum during the change of the casting roll. This allows the duration of the plant stoppage due to the change of the emptying roller, i.e. the plant standstill from normal operation to putting it into normal operation again, to be significantly shortened. The normal operation is now characterized by transport and handling operations.

Alternatively, the expansion and deflection section 21 can be designed so as to be vacuum-tight with respect to the first, following expansion section 20, so that the following sections 1, 20 can be left under vacuum. With this embodiment it is possible to realize that a new roller is connected in the extension deviator section 21 instead of in the drop section 16 as described above. After the end of the change of the casting rolls, including the connection of the ends of the base film, the process vacuum in the previously ventilated section is set and the installation is ready for normal operation.

Such systems for conveying a web-like substrate to result in the apparatus are known. The unwinder (not shown) of the payout roller 7 is generally composed mainly of a pivot unit (not shown) and a film adjustment mechanism (not shown). The pivoting unit ensures frictionless payout and stable substrate unwind conditions. A substrate edge measuring device (not shown) continuously checks the substrate position and a control system (not shown) adjusts the position of the feed roll 7 relative to the pivot unit to ensure that the film strip is fed perfectly into the transport system.

Guiding the substrate in the sections 1, 20 is achieved as described above by contacting the guide rollers 3, which are all located on the side of the substrate 2 not to be treated, i.e. the article side, and do not contact it.

At the end of the conveying system (not shown), there is another diverting mechanism (not shown) in the receiving section for the substrate to be diverted from standing to lying on the receiving roll, as described above. In the receiving section there is also a winding device (not shown) which is mainly composed of a pivoting unit and a substrate adjusting mechanism. The film strip edge measuring device also here continuously checks the substrate position and the control system adjusts the position of the take-up roll 8 relative to the pivoting unit (not shown) to ensure perfect winding of the substrate into a roll.

Also in the take-up section, high vacuum conditions are present during the film treatment. After the winding has ended, the vacuum valve (not shown) arranged in front of the run-up deflecting section (not shown) adjoining it at the outlet of the last section 1, 20, similarly to the device inlet, is closed, the film end is clamped in, the take-up section is vented, and the vacuum valve is opened relative to the maintenance trolley to unload the take-up roll. The film web is then broken and the take-up roll, which is in the horizontal position, is taken up and transported away by the maintenance trolley.

Fig. 5A, 5B and 6 show a top view of an embodiment for the change of direction of the transport section 4 by an angle δ. The substrate 2 is transported along the transport path 4 defined by the polygonal curve 6 through the sections 1, 20, 21, wherein a plurality of gaps 19 are provided in the end faces and sealing faces 22, 23 thereof, which gaps are just large enough to ensure that the substrate 2 is transported through the gaps 19 without contact.

The embodiments of fig. 5A, 5B and 6 show symmetrical sections for changing the conveying direction. Alternatively, an asymmetric arrangement is also possible.

In the embodiment of fig. 5A and 5B, one augmentation diverting section 21 is arranged between two processing or augmentation sections 1, 20 each having a rectangular cross section in the viewing direction. The extended deflecting section 21, which in top view has a triangular or trapezoidal cross section, is in the form of an extended section with the vacuum pipe connection 10 and the guide roller 3 (fig. 5B) or in the form of an intermediate flange without fittings (fig. 5B). The end face 22 of the deflecting section 21 and the likewise sealing surface 23 are oriented at an angle δ 'relative to one another, which angle is logically linked to δ by the formula δ' ═ 180 ° - δ because of the perpendicular to the adjacent end face 22 of the conveying section 4.

The sections 1, 20, 21 shown in fig. 5A and 5B are partially provided with vacuum connections 10, by means of which the respective section can be evacuated and adjacent sections can also be evacuated via suction openings 24 in the end or sealing surfaces 22, 23. The arrangement of the vacuum fitting and the suction port is exemplary only and not limiting.

Fig. 6 shows an alternative, in which the treatment or expansion section itself has end faces 22 which are at an angle δ ″ of other than 90 ° relative to the transport section 4. One treatment section 1 between the two expansion sections 20 is shown for example and without limitation for evacuating adjacent sections through the suction holes 24 in the end face 22. All the illustrated end faces 22 of the segments 1, 20 are at an angle δ ″ relative to the conveying section 4, which angle is always equal to δ/2 because of the symmetrical arrangement. Two guide rolls 3 are provided in the treatment device 1, as in the other devices than the coating device.

Claims (8)

1. A continuous film processing apparatus for processing a flexible belt-like substrate (2) under vacuum conditions, wherein the continuous film processing apparatus comprises the following constituent elements:

-a discharge section (16) with a discharge roller (7) for transporting out the substrates (2),

-a receiving section (17) comprising a receiving roller (8) for receiving the substrate (2),

-at least one treatment section (1) for treating the substrates (2) travelling between an emptying section (16) and a take-up section (17) through the continuous film treatment apparatus,

-a substrate transport device having a plurality of guide rollers (3) for holding the substrate (2) substantially upright at least during transport in the treatment section (1) and for transporting the substrate (2) through the continuous film treatment apparatus,

-wherein the base material (2) is moved without being guided from one guide roll to the next guide roll (3), characterized in that,

-the treatment section (1) and the guide rollers (3) located therein are arranged relative to each other in such a way that the transport section (4) of the essentially upright base material (2) is formed in the form of a polygonal curve (6) following a curve beta,

-wherein the guide rolls (3) are arranged on one side of the transport section (4) and the treatment device (11) is arranged on the other side,

-wherein the emptying roll (7) and the receiving roll (8) are arranged horizontally,

-in each case one deflecting means is provided in the emptying section (16) and in the collecting section (17), which deflecting means each have at least one deflecting roller for the purpose of converting the substrate (2) from flat to upright or from upright to flat,

-the axis (18) of a first turning roll is arranged at an angle alpha in the range 0 DEG ≦ alpha ≦ 90 DEG in relation to the axis (18) of the emptying roll (7) or in relation to the axis (18) of the take-up roll (8), the axis (18) of the first turning roll being arranged at an angle gamma in the range 0 DEG ≦ gamma ≦ 90 DEG in relation to the axis (18) of the next substantially upright guide roll (3), wherein at least one of the angles alpha and gamma is different from 0 DEG and 90 DEG,

-the turning mechanism has a second turning roll, the axis (18) of which is arranged at an angle alpha in the range 0 DEG & lt alpha & lt 90 DEG relative to the axis (18) of the blowing roll (7) or relative to the axis (18) of the receiving roll (8) and at an angle gamma in the range 0 DEG & lt gamma & lt 90 DEG relative to the axis (18) of the next substantially upright guide roll (3),

-the turning roll and all guide rolls (3) of the substrate transport device are arranged on the same side of the substrate (2).

2. The continuous film processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one further turning roll is movable relative to the next guide roll (3) and/or pivotable to change at least one of said angles a or y.

3. The continuous thin film processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein adjacent segments of the polygonal curve (6) are oppositely arranged at an angle δ in a range of 90 ° < δ <180 °.

4. The continuous film processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one guide roll (3) is movable perpendicular to the substrate surface.

5. Continuous film processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one additional functional section which is not used for processing and which is hereinafter referred to as an expansion section (20).

6. Continuous film processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the angle δ between two adjacent segments of the polygonal curve (6) of the transport section (4) is formed by the end faces (22) of the adjacent processing segments (1) lying on both segments, and/or the angle δ is formed by an extension section (20) having an angle δ "with respect to the segment of its transport section (4), respectively, or the angle δ is formed by an extension redirection section (21) whose end faces (22) enclose an angle δ'.

7. The continuous type thin film processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

the transport section (4) of the continuous film treatment plant can be extended or shortened by adding or removing at least one modular treatment section (1) between the emptying section (16) and the receiving section (17), and the modules are formed by technically identical interfaces of the same shape and technically identical shape to the adjacent treatment section (1) or expansion section (20).

8. The continuous thin film processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the continuous thin film processing apparatus is configured for at least one of: namely physical vapor deposition, plasma chemical vapor deposition and plasma treatment.