JP2001002806A - Method and apparatus for plasma surface treatment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for a plasma surface treatment that enhance flexibility in surface treatment by providing in a plasma treatment chamber two continuous constructions each of which includes a drum electrode rotatably mounted to adapt a film sheet-like material to be treated to follow the outer periphery surface thereof and a plurality of arranged electrodes disposed to confront the drum electrode and bringing one surface of the material to be treated in contact with one of the two drum electrodes and the other surface of the material to be treated in contact with the other one thereof. SOLUTION: A material W to be treated is continuously passed and traveled into a plasma treatment chamber 1 under an atmosphere displaced with a gas for plasma excitation. A voltage is applied between each of two drum electrodes 7 and 7 rotatably mounted to adapt the material W to be treated to follow the outer periphery surface thereof and a plurality of arranged electrodes 8... disposed to confront the respective drum electrodes so as to provide a gap R for the passage of the material W along the outer periphery surface thereof. Then, the surface treatment of the material W to be treated is carried out with a plasma generated between the electrodes 7 and 8 while the material W is being passed and traveled through the gap R. Each surface of the material W to be treated is continuously subjected one after the other to the surface treatment through one drum electrode 7 which one surface of the material W to be treated is adapted to follow and the other drum electrode 7 which the other surface thereof is adapted to follow.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plasma surface treatment method and apparatus used for performing surface treatment such as surface modification on a film-sheet-like workpiece by plasma discharge under atmospheric pressure or minute pressure. Things.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art This type of plasma surface treatment includes, for example,
It is used for a surface modification treatment such as improving the adhesiveness, printability or hydrophilicity of the surface of a film-sheet-like processed object such as a plastic film.

Conventionally, as a plasma surface treatment apparatus of this type, a processing chamber is formed by a wall in the middle of a transfer path of a film-sheet-like workpiece, and a rotatable processing chamber is provided along the outer peripheral surface in the processing chamber. A drum electrode and a plurality of arrayed electrodes arranged side by side on the outer peripheral surface of the drum electrode facing each other with a passage gap of the object to be processed are provided, and the processing chamber is formed in a vacuum atmosphere,
In the vacuum atmosphere, a voltage is applied between the opposing drum electrode and the array electrode, and the object is continuously passed and transferred along the drum electrode in the passage gap. There is proposed a structure having a structure in which the surface of an object to be processed is treated by plasma generated between the two electrodes due to the passage and transfer of the object.

[0004]

However, in the case of the above proposed structure, the vacuum atmosphere is created, so that the size of the apparatus is increased and the equipment cost is liable to increase. In addition, this structure has only one surface of the object to be treated. The surface cannot be continuously treated on both sides, and of course, it is not possible to respond to the demand for the surface treatment of varying the degree of modification of each surface.
Furthermore, since the electrodes are integrally disposed in the processing chamber, there is a disadvantage that the workability of maintenance such as cleaning around the processing chamber and internal inspection may be reduced.

[0005]

The object of the present invention is to solve such a problem.
In the method according to the first aspect of the present invention, an object to be processed in the form of a film sheet is continuously passed and transferred into a processing chamber in an atmosphere replaced with a plasma excitation gas, and the object to be processed is placed on the outer peripheral surface in the processing chamber. A voltage is applied between the rotatable drum electrode to be extended and a plurality of arrayed electrodes which are arranged side by side facing each other with a passage gap for the object to be processed on the outer peripheral surface of the drum electrode. In performing the surface treatment of the object to be processed by the plasma generated between the two electrodes due to the transfer of the object to be processed, the object to be processed is treated by the drum electrode along one surface of the object and the drum electrode along the other surface. There is provided a plasma surface treatment method characterized in that surface treatment is performed continuously on each side.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a processing chamber is formed by a wall in the middle of a transfer path of a film-sheet-like object to be processed, and a rotating member is provided in the processing chamber so that the object to be processed follows the outer peripheral surface. A possible drum electrode and a plurality of arrayed electrodes which are arranged side by side on the outer peripheral surface of the drum electrode so as to face each other with a passage gap for the object to be processed, and the processing chamber is replaced with a plasma excitation gas. In the atmosphere, a voltage is applied between the opposing drum electrode and the array electrode under the atmosphere, and the object to be processed is continuously passed and transferred in the passage gap along the drum electrode. In an apparatus for performing surface treatment of an object to be processed by plasma generated between both electrodes due to the passage and transfer of the object to be processed, the drum electrode is formed so that one surface of the object is aligned with the other surface as the drum electrode. With the drum electrode Formed, in a plasma surface treatment apparatus characterized by being configured to face juxtaposed a plurality of sequences electrode by presence passage gaps of the workpiece on the outer peripheral surface of each of the drum electrode.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a movable wall in which the fixed wall on which the respective drum electrodes are disposed and the respective array electrodes are disposed, and the wall is separable from the fixed wall. The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that a spare gas supply nozzle capable of supplying a plasma excitation gas is provided on the surface of the object to be processed. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a plurality of the processing chambers are formed in the middle of a transfer path of the film-sheet-like workpiece, and one side of the workpiece is provided in each of the processing chambers. And a plurality of array electrodes are arranged in opposition to each other with a passage gap for the object to be processed on the outer peripheral surface of each drum electrode. It is a feature.

[0008]

1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment and FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment.

In the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a processing chamber, in this case, a fixed wall 2a and two movable walls 2b, 2b which can be separated from the fixed wall. The movable wall 2b is provided in the apparatus body 3 so as to be horizontally slidable by a linear sliding mechanism 4, and the two rotating shafts 5 are horizontally mounted on the fixed wall 2a. A rotating motor 6 is connected to the rotating shaft 5, and one drum electrode 7 along which one side of the film-sheet-shaped workpiece W is arranged along each rotating shaft 5, and the other drum electrode 7 along which the remaining one side extends. Are fixed to each other, and a plurality of arrayed electrodes 8 are arranged opposite to each other on the movable wall bodies 2b, 2b so as to have a passage gap R of the workpiece W on the outer peripheral surface of each of the drum electrodes 7, 7. I have.

In this case, cooling water connection ports 9 and 10 for supplying cooling water are formed in the drum electrodes 7 and the array electrodes 8 and helium gas or helium gas is supplied to the wall 2 of the processing chamber 1. A gas supply port 11 for supplying a mixed gas as a main component, another inert gas for plasma excitation, or an active gas such as oxygen is formed, whereby a gas supply port 11 between the drum electrode 7 and the array electrode 8 in the processing chamber 1 is formed. Is defined as an atmosphere filled with an inert gas or an active gas. Under this atmosphere, a power supply (not shown) is provided between the opposing drum electrode 7 as a low-voltage electrode and a plurality of array electrodes 8 as high-voltage electrodes. Is configured to apply a voltage.

In this case, an inlet 12 for the workpiece W is formed in the lower part of the processing chamber 1 and the workpiece W is formed in the upper part.
Is formed, and a seal mechanism 14 including a seal roll and a seal sheet is disposed at the inlet 12 and the outlet 13, and the workpiece W is guided from the inlet 12 through the guide roll 15 into the processing chamber 1. After being folded back along the outer peripheral surface of the lower drum electrode 7 via the insulating roll 16, it is folded back along the outer peripheral surface of the upper drum electrode 7, and the outlet 13 is provided via the insulating roll 17. And is guided out by a guide roll 18.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a preliminary gas supply nozzle, which is provided at a position where the object to be processed W starts along the outer peripheral surface of the drum electrode 7, and which can supply a plasma excitation gas to the surface of the object to be processed W. Is configured.

Since the first embodiment of the present invention has the above-described structure, the object W to be processed in the form of a film sheet enters the processing chamber 1 through the inlet 12 at the lower portion of the processing chamber 1 and is processed in the processing chamber 1. It is led out from the outlet 13 at the upper part of the processing chamber 1 through the outer peripheral surface of one drum electrode 7 along one side of the object W and the other drum electrode 7 along the other side, and continuously from below to above. In the processing chamber 1, helium gas, a mixed gas containing helium gas as a main component, an inert gas for plasma excitation, or an active gas such as oxygen is supplied from the gas supply port 11. The passage gap R between the drum electrodes 7, 7 and the array electrode 8 in the processing chamber 1 is formed as an atmosphere filled with an inert gas or an active gas, and under this atmosphere, the opposed drum electrode 7, 7 and the array electrode Power supply not shown during 8 Applying more voltage, one of the drum electrode 7 by passing the transfer of the workpiece W at the passage gap R
One surface, which is the surface of the workpiece W on the side of the array electrode 8, is modified and surface-treated by plasma generated in the gap R between the array electrode 8 and the gap between the drum electrode 7 and the array electrode 8. The remaining one surface, which is the surface on the array electrode 8 side, of the object to be processed W is continuously subjected to the modified surface treatment by the plasma generated in the R, whereby the both surfaces of the object to be processed W are continuously surface-treated one by one. become.

Therefore, the workpiece W is continuously transferred with one surface of the workpiece W along the outer peripheral surface of one of the drum electrodes 7 and the other one surface along the other drum electrode 7.
The workpiece W can be continuously surface-treated one surface at a time by plasma generated between the array electrodes 8 opposed to the respective drum electrodes 7. Therefore, one surface of the workpiece W and the remaining one surface can be treated. Not only surface treatment of the same specifications as above, but also one surface can be strongly modified, and one surface can be subjected to different surface treatments such as no modification treatment. Flexibility, and
Plasma processing can be performed under atmospheric pressure or under micro-pressurization accompanying the supply of plasma excitation gas, and the entire structure of the apparatus can be simplified without using a vacuum atmosphere and a strict sealing structure, thus reducing equipment costs. Reduction can be achieved.

In this case, the wall 2 is provided with a fixed wall 2a on which the respective drum electrodes 7, 7 are disposed and the respective array electrodes 8, and is movable so as to be separable from the fixed wall 2a. The drum electrode 7 is formed by the wall 2b.
7, for maintenance and internal inspection such as cleaning of the arrangement electrode 8, the vicinity of the passage gap R and the periphery of the inside of the processing chamber 1, and the hanging of the workpiece W, the movable wall 2b is straightened as shown in FIG. The sliding mechanism 4 can be horizontally moved to separate and move, so that workability such as maintenance and inspection can be improved. In this case, the surface of the workpiece W on the side of the array electrode 8 on which the plasma surface treatment is performed. Since the preliminary gas supply nozzle 19 capable of supplying the plasma excitation gas is provided on the surface of the substrate, the plasma processing can be reliably performed, and the workability can be improved accordingly.

The second embodiment shown in FIG. 4 shows another structure. In this case, two processing chambers 1 are provided in the middle of the transfer path of the film-sheet-like workpiece W, and each of the processing chambers 1 is provided. A drum electrode 7 extending along one side of the workpiece W and a drum electrode 7 extending along the remaining one side are provided therein, and the passage gap R of the workpiece W is formed on the outer peripheral surface of each of the drum electrodes 7. A plurality of arrayed electrodes 8 are arranged facing each other, and a guide roll 20 for transporting and guiding the workpiece W is disposed between the processing chambers 1.

In the second embodiment, the surface treatments having different treatment contents can be successively and continuously applied to one side in each of the processing chambers 1, thereby increasing the flexibility of the surface treatment. be able to.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and the processing chamber 1, the drum electrodes 7, 7, the array electrodes 8, and other structures are designed with appropriate modifications. The present invention is not limited to the surface modification treatment, but is also applicable to other surface treatments using plasma treatment technology under atmospheric pressure or minute pressure, such as removal of a resist pattern after etching of the surface of an integrated circuit substrate and surface coating. .

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, one surface of the object to be processed is arranged along the outer peripheral surface of one of the drum electrodes, and the other surface is connected to the other drum. The object to be processed is continuously transferred along the electrodes, and the surface of the object to be processed can be continuously surface-treated one by one by plasma generated between the array electrodes facing each of the drum electrodes. Not only the surface treatment of the same specifications of the one side of the product and the other side, but also one side strongly modified,
One side can be subjected to different surface treatments such as no modification treatment, which can increase the flexibility of the surface treatment specifications of the object to be treated, and perform the plasma treatment under atmospheric pressure or minute pressure The structure of the entire apparatus can be simplified without using a vacuum atmosphere and a strict sealing structure, and equipment costs can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the wall is provided with the fixed wall on which the drum electrodes are arranged and the array electrodes, and can be separated from the fixed wall. Since the movable wall is formed by the movable wall, the movable wall is separated and moved for maintenance such as cleaning of the drum electrode, the array electrode, the vicinity of the passage gap and the periphery of the processing chamber, internal inspection, and hanging of the workpiece. In addition, in the invention according to the fourth aspect, a spare gas supply nozzle capable of supplying a plasma excitation gas to the surface of the workpiece is provided. Since it is provided, the plasma processing can be reliably performed, and the workability can be improved accordingly.

Further, in the invention according to claim 5, a plurality of the processing chambers are arranged in the middle of a transfer path of the film-sheet-like workpiece, and one side of the workpiece is provided in each of the processing chambers. And a plurality of arrayed electrodes are arranged side by side facing each other with a passage gap for the object to be processed on the outer peripheral surface of each drum electrode. Therefore, the surface treatments having different processing contents can be sequentially and continuously processed on one side in each processing chamber, so that the flexibility of the surface treatment can be improved accordingly.

As described above, the intended purpose can be sufficiently achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory front view of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory front view of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory front view of a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 W Workpiece R Passage gap 1 Processing chamber 2 Wall 2a Fixed wall 2b Movable wall 7 Drum electrode 8 Array electrode 19 Spare gas supply nozzle

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Kenichi Kani 7396-10, Kakizaki, Kakizaki-cho, Nakakubiki-jo, Niigata F-term in Unotex Co., Ltd. (reference) 4F073 AA01 BB01 CA01 CA07 CA08 CA09

Claims (5)

[Claims] An object to be processed in the form of a film sheet is continuously passed through and transferred into a processing chamber in an atmosphere replaced with a plasma excitation gas, and a rotatable object is provided along the outer peripheral surface in the processing chamber. A voltage is applied between the drum electrode and a plurality of electrodes arranged side by side facing each other with a passage gap for the workpiece on the outer peripheral surface of the drum electrode, and the passage of the workpiece in the passage gap is performed. In performing the surface treatment of the object to be processed by the plasma generated between the two electrodes, the object to be processed is continuously formed one by one by the drum electrode extending along one side of the object and the drum electrode extending along the other side of the object. A plasma surface treatment method comprising performing a surface treatment. 2. A rotatable drum electrode for forming a processing chamber with a wall in the middle of a transfer path of a film-sheet-shaped object to be processed, and a rotatable drum electrode for moving the object along an outer peripheral surface in the processing chamber, and an outer periphery of the drum electrode A plurality of arrayed electrodes arranged side by side facing each other with a passage gap for the object to be processed are provided on the surface, and the processing chamber is formed in an atmosphere replaced with a plasma excitation gas. A voltage is applied between the drum electrode and the array electrode to be processed, and the object to be processed is continuously passed and transported along the drum electrode in the passage gap. In an apparatus for performing a surface treatment of an object to be processed by plasma generated therebetween, the drum electrode is formed by a drum electrode extending along one surface of the object and a drum electrode extending along the other surface. Outer surface of electrode Characterized in that a plurality of arrayed electrodes are arranged in opposition to each other with a passage gap for the object to be processed. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wall is formed by a fixed wall on which the drum electrodes are arranged and a movable wall on which the array electrodes are arranged and which can be separated from the fixed wall. The plasma surface treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein 4. The plasma surface treatment apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a preliminary gas supply nozzle capable of supplying a plasma excitation gas is provided on a surface of the workpiece. 5. A plurality of the processing chambers are formed in the middle of a transfer path of the film-sheet-like object to be processed, and a drum electrode that extends along one surface of the object and a remaining surface along each of the processing chambers. 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of arrayed electrodes are arranged in opposition to each other with a passage space for the object to be processed on the outer peripheral surface of each of the drum electrodes.
5. The plasma surface treatment apparatus according to 3 or 4.