JP2007054734A - Powder recovery device and film forming system with powder recovery device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a powder recovery device capable of performing recovery and reuse of a material particle easily and efficiently. <P>SOLUTION: The film forming system is provide in which a powder recovery device 30 is connected to a system body 10, and a recovery wall portion 32 is provided in a separation tank 31, and a material particle M that is contained in an aerosol Z hits on the recovery wall portion 32 and adheres thereon, and is thereby separated from a gas, at the time when since a collision surface of the material particle M with the aerosol Z is made to be an inclined surface 33 in the recovery wall portion 32, collision energy of the material particle M on the inclined surface 33 becomes small and the material particle M adheres on the recovery wall portion 32 with weak adhesion, whereby the material particle M can be easily stripped from the recovery wall portion 32 and provided for reuse. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a powder recovery apparatus and a film forming apparatus with a powder recovery apparatus.

  For example, there is a method called an aerosol deposition method (AD method) as a method for manufacturing a piezoelectric actuator or the like used for a printer head or the like of an ink jet printer. In this method, a piezoelectric film is formed by spraying fine particles of a piezoelectric material dispersed in a gas (aerosol) toward a substrate surface and colliding and depositing the fine particles on the substrate.

By the way, in the film formation by this AD method, at most about 10% of the injected fine particles adhere to the substrate and contribute to the formation of the film, and the utilization rate of the material is extremely low. For this reason, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an attempt has been made to collect a fine particle from an aerosol after use by connecting a powder collecting device to a film forming device and to reuse it.
JP 2003-119573 A

  However, various problems arise if the conventional powder recovery method is used as it is because the aerosol deposition method forms a film under reduced pressure and the characteristics of the material particles. For example, in a method using an electrostatic precipitator, ceramic particles as a material are difficult to be polarized, so that efficient collection is difficult. Further, in the method of collecting material particles using a filter or a collision plate, the material particles exposed with a new active surface due to collision with the substrate during film formation adhere firmly to the filter or the collision plate. . For this reason, there is a problem that a lot of time and labor are required for maintenance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a powder recovery apparatus that can easily and efficiently recover and reuse material particles in film formation by the aerosol deposition method. Is to provide.

  A powder recovery apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 for solving the above-mentioned problem is a film formation in which an aerosol in which material particles are dispersed in a gas is sprayed on a substrate to form the film by adhering the particles. A powder recovery device that is connected to a device and recovers the material particles from the aerosol, wherein the separation tank is connected to the film forming device and flows the aerosol after spraying on the substrate; and A recovery wall portion provided in the separation tank relative to the aerosol flow and having an inclined surface inclined with respect to the flow path direction of the aerosol, an exhaust path communicating with the separation tank, and the exhaust path And an exhaust means for exhausting the gas separated from the material particles to the outside of the separation tank.

  Here, “separated from the material particles” does not mean that the material particles are completely removed from the gas, but only a part of the material particles is removed and the particle concentration is low. Is meant to include.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the powder recovery apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein an inclination angle of the inclined surface with respect to a plane perpendicular to a flow direction of the aerosol is 30 ° or more. is there.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the powder recovery apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the inclined surface has a Vickers hardness of HV400 or more.

  Invention of Claim 4 is a powder collection | recovery apparatus in any one of Claims 1-3, Comprising: The said inclined surface is a downward gradient toward the downstream of the flow path of the said aerosol in the said separation tank. This is a downward inclined surface.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the powder recovery apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the inclined surface is provided so as to block the flow path of the aerosol, and the exhaust gas is provided. A path communicates with the separation tank on the upstream side of the inclined surface.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the powder recovery apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the separation tank has a cross-sectional area at a communication position where an opening area at a connection position connected to the film forming apparatus communicates with the exhaust passage. It is made larger than.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the powder recovery apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a powder discharge path for discharging the material particles is provided at the bottom of the separation tank. At the same time, the recovery wall portion is slidable in the separation tank along the inner wall surface of the separation tank.

  The invention of claim 8 is the powder recovery apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the exhaust passage communicates with the separation tank upstream of the movable region of the recovery wall portion in the separation tank. It is what.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the powder recovery apparatus according to the eighth aspect, wherein the exhaust passage is connected to a ceiling portion of the separation tank.

  A tenth aspect of the present invention is the powder recovery apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the exhaust path is connected with an inclination with respect to the flow path direction of the aerosol. .

  An eleventh aspect of the invention is the powder recovery apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, wherein a plurality of the separation tanks are provided via the exhaust passage.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a film forming chamber provided with an injection nozzle for injecting an aerosol, in which material particles are dispersed in a gas, toward the substrate, and a substrate is disposed therein, and communicates with the film forming chamber. A separation tank in which the aerosol after being sprayed on the substrate flows, and an inclined surface which is provided in the separation tank so as to be opposed to the flow path of the aerosol and which is inclined with respect to the flow path direction of the aerosol A powder comprising: a recovery wall provided with: an exhaust passage communicating with the separation tank; and an exhaust means provided in the exhaust passage and exhausting the gas separated from the material particles to the outside of the separation tank. A film forming apparatus with a body recovery apparatus.

  According to the first and twelfth aspects of the present invention, in the powder recovery apparatus, the separation wall is provided in the separation tank. Then, the material particles contained in the aerosol collide with and adhere to the recovery wall portion, whereby the material particles are separated from the gas. However, if the material particles are in close contact with the collision surface as in the case of film formation, it takes a lot of trouble to peel off the material particles from the collection wall and reuse them. Therefore, in the present invention, the collision surface is an inclined surface. By doing so, the material particles collide with the inclined surface from an oblique direction, and the incident angle to the inclined surface becomes small, so that the collision energy becomes smaller than that when colliding from the vertical direction. For this reason, since the adhesion force of the adhering material particles to the recovery wall portion becomes weak, the material particles can be easily peeled off from the recovery wall portion and reused. Thereby, the material particles can be easily collected and reused.

  According to invention of Claim 2, the inclination angle of an inclined surface shall be 30 degrees or more. In this way, by making the incident angle of the material particles on the inclined surface below a certain angle, the collision energy of the material particles on the inclined surface does not cause crushing of the material particles or sinking into the inclined surface, and the intermolecular It can be reduced to such an extent that it adheres to the inclined surface only by force (Van der Waals force or electrostatic force). As a result, the material particles can be easily peeled off from the collection wall and reused.

  According to invention of Claim 3, the Vickers hardness of an inclined surface is HV400 or more. Thus, if the inclined surface has a hardness of a predetermined level or more, the material particles cannot sink into the inclined surface, so that the anchor effect at the interface with the inclined surface of the deposited material particle layer can be reduced. it can. Therefore, the material particles can be easily peeled off from the collection wall and reused.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the inclined surface is directed downward. According to such a configuration, the material particles once adhered and deposited on the inclined surface are peeled off from the inclined surface by their own weight and fall. Therefore, the trouble of peeling off the material particles from the recovery wall portion can be saved, and the recovery work can be saved.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the inclined surface is provided so as to block the flow path of the aerosol. According to such a configuration, the aerosol bypasses the inclined surface and does not escape to the back side, and all the aerosol flowing in the separation tank is received by the inclined surface. In addition, because the aerosol hits the inclined surface, it will suddenly change direction and flow toward the exhaust path, so in the vicinity of the corner formed by the inner peripheral surface of the separation tank and the inclined surface Aerosol stagnation occurs and material particles with a relatively small particle size accumulate as a puddle. Thereby, the collection rate of material particles can be increased.

  According to the invention of claim 6, in the separation tank, the opening area at the connection port connected to the film forming apparatus is made larger than the cross-sectional area in the communication region communicating with the exhaust passage. According to such a configuration, the flow velocity of the aerosol is increased when passing through the vicinity of the communication port with the exhaust passage, that is, through a region having a narrow cross-sectional area. For this reason, the material particles contained in the aerosol enter the depth of the separation tank at once without leaking to the exhaust path side. Then, only the gas separated from the material particles is U-turned and sucked into the exhaust passage while the flow is slowed by colliding with the recovery wall portion. Thereby, even if the exhaust path is provided on the upstream side of the recovery wall portion, the outflow of the material particles to the exhaust path side can be reduced, and the recovery rate of the material particles can be increased.

  According to the invention of claim 7, by sliding the recovery wall portion, scraping the material particles that once adhered to the inclined surface and then dropped to the bottom surface of the separation tank, or the material particles adhered to the inner peripheral surface of the separation tank, It can be carried to a powder discharge passage provided at the bottom of the separation tank. Thereby, the material particles in the separation tank can be discharged out of the apparatus without going through the complicated procedure of stopping the operation of the apparatus and removing the collection wall portion, which is convenient.

  According to invention of Claim 8, the exhaust path is provided in the upstream from the movable area | region of the said collection | recovery wall part in a separation tank. According to such a configuration, even if the recovery wall portion is driven to the maximum upstream side, the exhaust path is not blocked, so that the airflow from the film forming apparatus to the exhaust path through the separation tank is not hindered. . For this reason, it is possible to drive the recovery wall portion and discharge the material particles to the outside of the apparatus without stopping the operation of the apparatus.

  According to the invention of claim 9, the exhaust passage is connected to the ceiling portion of the separation tank. According to such a configuration, for example, compared with a case where the exhaust path is connected to the side surface or the lower surface of the separation tank, the material particles scraped to the bottom surface of the separation tank by sliding of the recovery wall portion enter the exhaust path. Since there is less fear, the recovery rate of material particles can be increased.

  According to the invention of claim 10, the exhaust path is connected with an inclination with respect to the flow path direction of the aerosol. According to such a configuration, when the aerosol enters the exhaust path from the separation tank, the traveling direction can be rapidly changed. At this time, the inertial force acts on the particles in the aerosol, so that the flow of the gas staying in the separation tank is easier to follow than the flow of the gas redirected to the exhaust path. As a result, the kinetic energy of the material particles is reduced, and adhesion to the wall surface and scumming are likely to occur, so that the recovery rate of the material particles can be increased.

  According to invention of Claim 11, the separation tank is provided in multistage. According to such a configuration, material particles that could not be recovered in one separation tank can be recovered in a separation tank connected downstream thereof, so that the recovery rate of the material particles as a whole apparatus is increased. Can do.

<First Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a film forming apparatus 1 with a powder recovery apparatus of the present embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as “film forming apparatus 1”). The film forming apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 10 and a powder recovery apparatus 30 connected to the apparatus main body 10.

  The apparatus main body 10 includes an aerosol generator 11 that forms an aerosol Z by dispersing material particles M in a carrier gas, and a film forming chamber 15 that ejects the aerosol Z from an injection nozzle 17 and adheres it to the substrate B. Yes.

  The aerosol generator 11 includes an aerosol chamber 12 that can accommodate material particles M therein, and a vibration device 13 that is attached to the aerosol chamber 12 and vibrates the aerosol chamber 12. A gas cylinder G for introducing a carrier gas is connected to the aerosol chamber 12 via an introduction pipe 14. The distal end of the introduction tube 14 is located near the bottom surface in the aerosol chamber 12 and is embedded in the material particles M. As the carrier gas, for example, an inert gas such as helium, argon, or nitrogen, air, oxygen, or the like can be used.

  The film forming chamber 15 is formed in a rectangular box shape, and a stage 16 for mounting a substrate B on which a film is to be formed and an injection nozzle 17 provided below the stage 16 are installed. The injection nozzle 17 is connected to the aerosol chamber 12 through an aerosol supply pipe 18, and the aerosol Z in the aerosol chamber 12 is supplied to the injection nozzle 17 through the aerosol supply pipe 18. The aerosol Z supplied to the spray nozzle 17 is sprayed toward the substrate B set on the stage 16. Further, a vacuum pump P (corresponding to the exhaust means of the present invention) is connected to the film forming chamber 15 via a powder recovery device 30 described later so that the inside thereof can be decompressed.

  A squeegee 19 for scraping off the material particles M adhering to the inner wall surface is provided inside the film forming chamber 15. One squeegee 19 is provided along each of four inner walls of the film forming chamber 15. Each squeegee 19 is fixed to a support frame 20 formed in a rectangular frame shape with each side along the four inner walls of the film forming chamber 15. When the support frame 20 is driven in the vertical direction by a driving device (not shown), the squeegee 19 is driven in the vertical direction along the inner wall of the film forming chamber 15 to scrape the material particles M. Since the support frame 20 is formed in a frame shape, the stage 16 and the injection nozzle 17 can pass through the frame without colliding with the support frame 20 when the support frame 20 moves up and down. It has become.

  A chamber-side hopper 21 is provided at the bottom of the film forming chamber 15 so that the material particles M scraped off by the squeegee 19 can be discharged from here. Although not shown in detail, the chamber-side hopper 21 has a lock hopper mechanism having upper and lower two-stage valves. By alternately opening the upper and lower valves, the inside of the film forming chamber 15 is decompressed. The material particles M can be discharged while being maintained. That is, the film formation is performed in a state where the inside of the film forming chamber 15 is depressurized (details will be described later). However, according to this lock hopper mechanism, the material particles M can be obtained without stopping the operation of the film forming apparatus 1. Can be discharged to the outside.

  A powder recovery device 30 is connected to the side wall of the film forming chamber 15. The powder recovery apparatus 30 includes a separation tank 31 for separating the material particles M from the carrier gas, a collection wall 32 provided in the separation tank 31, and an exhaust pipe 36 ( Corresponding to the exhaust passage of the present invention).

  The separation tank 31 is formed in a large-diameter cylindrical shape whose both ends are open, and one end of the separation tank 31 is connected to the side wall of the film forming chamber 15 so that the extending direction becomes a horizontal direction. It is attached to the film forming chamber 15 in a posture. A discharge port 22 having the same size as the opening of the separation tank 31 is provided at a position where the separation tank 31 is connected to the side wall of the film formation chamber 15, and sprayed onto the substrate B in the film formation chamber 15. The aerosol Z that has been formed enters the separation tank 31 through the discharge port 22 (see also FIG. 2). Hereinafter, the side connected to the film forming chamber 15 in the separation tank 31 will be described as the upstream side of the flow path of the aerosol Z (the direction along the extending direction of the separation tank 31; indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2).

  Inside the separation tank 31, there is provided a recovery wall portion 32 made of, for example, stainless steel having a Vickers hardness of HV400 or higher. The collection wall 32 is formed to have a size substantially equal to the inner diameter of the separation tank 31, and is near the end of the separation tank 31 on the downstream side (the side opposite to the side connected to the film forming chamber 15). It is fitted so as to close the opening.

  The wall surface on the upstream side (film formation chamber 15 side) of the recovery wall portion 32 is an inclined surface 33 that is opposed to the flow of the aerosol Z flowing from the film formation chamber 15 and is inclined obliquely with respect to the flow path direction. ing. The inclined surface 33 is a downward inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the downstream side in the flow path direction of the aerosol Z, and the inclination angle θ is the flow path direction of the aerosol Z, that is, the extending direction of the separation tank 31. And about 45 ° with respect to a plane perpendicular to

  Although not shown in detail in the downstream wall surface of the recovery wall 32, a piston 34 of a cylinder is connected. When the piston 34 is driven, the recovery wall 32 is separated from the separation tank 31. It is made slidable along the extending direction.

  A separation tank side hopper 35 (corresponding to the powder discharge path of the present invention) is connected to a position slightly upstream from the downstream end at the bottom of the separation tank 31, from which the separation tank The material particles M separated from the aerosol Z within 31 can be discharged. The separation tank side hopper 35 is provided with upper and lower two-stage valves like the chamber side hopper 21 described above. By alternately opening the upper and lower valves, the separation tank side hopper 35 is made of a material while keeping the inside of the separation tank 31 under reduced pressure. The particles M can be discharged.

  Further, an exhaust pipe 36 is provided at a position slightly upstream from the separation tank side hopper 35 in the ceiling portion of the separation tank 31. The exhaust pipe 36 is connected so that the axial direction is at an angle of about 90 ° with respect to the extending direction of the separation tank 31, that is, the flow direction of the aerosol Z in the separation tank 31. A vacuum pump P (exhaust means of the present invention) is provided at the tip of the exhaust pipe 36, and the vacuum pump P depressurizes the inside of the film forming chamber 15 and the separation tank 31, and in the separation tank 31. The carrier gas separated from the material particles M is exhausted to the outside. The exhaust pipe 36 communicates with the separation tank 31 on the upstream side of the movable region R of the recovery wall portion 32 (see also FIG. 4), and moves the recovery wall portion 32 to the maximum upstream side. However, the exhaust is not hindered.

  Next, a method of performing film formation using the film forming apparatus 1 and recovering the material particles M from the used aerosol Z by the powder recovery apparatus 30 will be described.

  First, the substrate B is set on the stage 16 of the film forming apparatus 1 and the recovery wall portion 32 in the separation tank 31 is lowered to the vicinity of the downstream end, and the lower end of the recovery wall portion 32 and the separation tank 31 are separated. The position in contact with the bottom surface is set downstream of the separation tank side hopper 35. In this state, the vacuum pump P is operated to depressurize the film forming chamber 15. Next, for example, PZT (lead zirconate titanate) particles, which are piezoelectric ceramic materials, are charged as material particles M into the aerosol chamber 12. Then, a carrier gas is introduced from the gas cylinder G, and the material particles M are caused to rise by the gas pressure. At the same time, the aerosol chamber 12 is vibrated by the vibration device 13, thereby mixing the material particles M and the carrier gas to generate the aerosol Z. Then, due to the differential pressure between the aerosol chamber 12 and the film forming chamber 15, the aerosol Z in the aerosol chamber 12 is ejected from the ejection nozzle 17 while being accelerated at a high speed. The material particles M contained in the ejected aerosol Z collide with the substrate B and deposit, and form a film on the substrate B.

  The aerosol Z after colliding with the substrate B flows into the separation tank 31 from the discharge port 22 on the side surface of the film forming chamber 15 as indicated by an arrow in FIG. Then, it is sucked into the exhaust pipe 36 by the suction force of the vacuum pump P. At this time, the exhaust pipe 36 is connected at an angle of about 90 ° with respect to the extending direction of the separation tank 31, that is, the flow path direction of the aerosol Z in the separation tank 31. For this reason, since the direction of the aerosol Z is rapidly changed in the vicinity of the exhaust pipe 36, a turbulent flow is generated in the vicinity of the exhaust pipe 36 (indicated by a thick arrow in FIG. 3), and the flow of the aerosol Z is slowed. For this reason, the material particles M in the aerosol Z adhere to the inner peripheral surface by electrostatic attraction with the inner peripheral surface of the separation tank 31.

  Further, among the material particles M contained in the aerosol, relatively large particles travel straight without being subjected to turbulent flow due to inertial force, collide with the collection wall portion 32, and accumulate. Thereby, the material particles M are separated from the carrier gas. At this time, the material particles M adhere to the collection wall 32 with an adhesive force that is not difficult to peel off later. That is, the colliding surface with the aerosol Z in the recovery wall portion 32 is an inclined surface 33, and the material particles M collide with the inclined surface 33 from an oblique direction. Therefore, the incident angle of the material particles M on the collision surface is reduced, and the collision energy is smaller than that in the case of collision from the vertical direction. Further, the turbulent flow generated in the vicinity of the exhaust pipe 36 reduces the flow velocity of the aerosol Z, and this also reduces the collision energy of the material particles M to the inclined surface 33. Furthermore, since the recovery wall portion 32 is formed of a hard material having a Vickers hardness of HV400 or more, the material particles M cannot sink into the inclined surface 33, and the deposited material particle layer is formed at the interface with the inclined surface 33. Anchor effect is reduced. Thus, by adhering the material particles M to the recovery wall portion 32 with a weak adhesion, the material particles M can be easily peeled off from the recovery wall portion 32 and reused.

  Further, the inclined surface 33 is a downward inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the downstream side of the flow path of the aerosol Z. For this reason, when the layer of the material particles M adhering and depositing on the inclined surface gradually increases, the material particle layer is naturally peeled off from the inclined surface 33 by its own weight. Therefore, it is possible to save the trouble of peeling the material particles M from the collection wall portion 32, and the collection work can be saved.

  Furthermore, turbulent flow also occurs when the aerosol Z collides with the recovery wall portion 32 and bounces back (thick arrow in FIG. 3), and in particular, an acute corner portion formed by the bottom surface of the separation tank 31 and the inclined surface 33. C has a region where the aerosol Z stays. Therefore, material particles M are accumulated in the corners C, and the material particles M are also separated from the carrier gas.

  The carrier gas after separating the material particles M is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust pipe 36.

  Now, as the operation of the film forming apparatus 1 continues, the separated material particles M gradually accumulate in the separation tank 31. Therefore, by driving the collection wall 32, the accumulated material particles M are discharged to the outside (see FIG. 4). That is, the recovery wall portion 32 is pushed upstream by the piston 34 and moved to the connection position of the separation tank side hopper 35. As a result, the material particles M that have accumulated in the corners C formed by the bottom surface of the separation tank 31 and the inclined surface 33, or the material particles M that have adhered to the inclined surface 33 once and have fallen off due to their own weight are separated from the separation tank side. It falls on the hopper 35 and is discharged outside and collected.

  Further, since the material particles M scatter and adhere to the inner wall surface of the film forming chamber 15, the film forming chamber 15 may be cleaned together. That is, when the support frame 20 is moved downward, the material particles M attached to the wall surface are scraped off by the squeegee 19 attached to the support frame 20. The material particles M scraped off are discharged from the chamber-side hopper 21 to the outside and collected.

  At this time, as described above, since the two hoppers 21 and 35 have a lock hopper structure, the material particles M can be discharged while keeping the inside of the film forming chamber 15 and the separation tank 31 at a reduced pressure. In addition, the exhaust pipe 36 is provided in the separation tank 31 on the upstream side of the movable region R of the recovery wall portion 32. Therefore, even if the recovery wall portion 32 is driven to the maximum upstream side, the exhaust pipe 36 is not blocked, so that the airflow from the film forming chamber 15 to the exhaust pipe 36 through the separation tank 31 is hindered. Absent. Accordingly, the discharge operation of the material particles M can be performed without stopping the operation of the film forming apparatus 1.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the powder recovery apparatus 30 is connected to the apparatus main body 10 of the film forming apparatus 1, and in the powder recovery apparatus 30, the recovery wall portion 32 is provided in the separation tank 31. It has been. The material particles M contained in the aerosol Z collide with and adhere to the recovery wall portion 32, whereby the material particles M are separated from the gas.

  At this time, the material particles M adhere to the collection wall 32 with an adhesive force that is not difficult to peel off later. That is, the colliding surface with the aerosol Z in the recovery wall portion 32 is an inclined surface 33, and the material particles M collide with the inclined surface 33 from an oblique direction. Therefore, the incident angle of the material particles M on the collision surface is reduced, and the collision energy is smaller than that in the case of collision from the vertical direction. Further, the turbulent flow generated in the vicinity of the exhaust pipe 36 reduces the flow velocity of the aerosol Z, and this also reduces the collision energy of the material particles M to the inclined surface 33. Furthermore, since the recovery wall portion 32 is formed of a hard material having a Vickers hardness of HV400 or more, the material particles M cannot sink into the inclined surface 33, and the deposited material particle layer is formed at the interface with the inclined surface 33. Anchor effect is reduced. In this way, by adhering the material particles M to the recovery wall portion 32 with a weak adhesion, the material particles M can be easily separated from the recovery wall portion 32 and reused.

  The inclined surface 33 is provided so as to block the flow path of the aerosol Z. According to such a configuration, the aerosol Z bypasses the inclined surface 33 and does not escape to the back side, and all of the aerosol Z flowing in the separation tank 31 is received by the inclined surface 33. In addition, since the aerosol Z hits the inclined surface 33 and is suddenly changed in direction and flows toward the exhaust pipe 36, the aerosol Z is formed by the inner peripheral surface of the separation tank 31 and the inclined surface 33. In the vicinity of the corner C, the aerosol Z stays and the material particles M accumulate and accumulate. Thereby, the recovery rate of the material particles M can be increased.

  Further, the inclined surface 33 is a downward inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the downstream side of the flow path of the aerosol Z. For this reason, when the layer of the material particles M adhered and deposited on the inclined surface 33 is gradually thickened, the material particle layer is naturally peeled off from the inclined surface 33 by its own weight. Therefore, it is possible to save the trouble of peeling the material particles M from the collection wall portion 32, and the collection work can be saved.

  In addition, due to the sliding of the collection wall 32, the material particles M that have accumulated in the corner portion C formed by the bottom surface of the separation tank 31 and the inclined surface 33, or once adhered to the inclined surface 33 and peeled off by its own weight. The fallen material particles M can be gathered and transported to the separation tank side hopper 35 provided at the bottom of the separation tank 31. Thereby, the material particles M in the separation tank 31 can be discharged to the outside without having to go through a complicated procedure of stopping the operation of the apparatus and removing the collection wall 32, which is convenient. At this time, the exhaust pipe 36 is provided on the upstream side of the movable region R of the recovery wall portion 32 in the separation tank 31. Therefore, even if the recovery wall 32 is driven to the maximum upstream side, the exhaust pipe 36 is not blocked, so that the airflow from the film forming chamber 15 to the exhaust pipe 36 through the separation tank 31 is not hindered. For this reason, the collection | recovery wall part 32 can be driven and the material particle M can be discharged | emitted outside, without stopping the driving | operation of the film-forming apparatus 1. FIG.

  Further, since the exhaust pipe 36 is connected to the ceiling portion of the separation tank 31, there is less possibility that the material particles M scraped to the bottom surface of the separation tank 31 due to the sliding of the collection wall portion 32 will enter the exhaust pipe 36. . For this reason, the recovery rate of the material particles M can be improved.

Second Embodiment
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the film forming apparatus 40 of the present embodiment. The difference of this embodiment from the first embodiment is that the opening area of the opening 42A on the side connected to the film forming chamber 15 in the separation tank 42 is made larger than the cross-sectional area around the communication position with the exhaust pipe 46. There is in point. In addition, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The film forming apparatus 40 of this embodiment includes an apparatus main body 10 having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and a powder recovery apparatus 41 connected to the apparatus main body 10. As in the first embodiment, the powder recovery apparatus 41 includes a separation tank 42 for separating the material particles M from the carrier gas, a recovery wall 43 provided in the separation tank 42, and the separation tank 42. And an exhaust pipe 46 communicating with the exhaust pipe 46.

  The separation tank 42 is formed in a large-diameter cylindrical shape as a whole, and is connected to the discharge port 22 of the film forming chamber 15 as in the first embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the separation tank 42 is provided with a collection wall 43 near the downstream end portion, and a separation tank side hopper 45 is connected to the upstream side thereof. An exhaust pipe 46 is connected to the upstream side.

  In this separation tank 42, a first taper gradually tapering toward the downstream side from the upstream opening 42 </ b> A connected to the film forming chamber 15 to a position slightly upstream of the exhaust pipe 46. A portion 42B is provided. A communication region on the downstream side of the first taper portion 42B and around the communication position with the exhaust pipe 46 is coaxial with the opening portion 42A and has a reduced diameter portion 42C having a smaller diameter than the opening portion 42A. Has been. Then, a second portion that is further downstream from the reduced diameter portion 42C and slightly upstream from the separation tank side hopper 45 gradually expands toward the downstream side until it has the same diameter as the opening 42A. The taper portion 42D is provided.

  Next, a method for forming a film using the film forming apparatus 40 and collecting the material particles M from the used aerosol Z by the powder collecting apparatus 41 will be described.

  First, as in the first embodiment, the substrate B is set on the stage 16. Next, in a state where the vacuum pump P is operated and the inside of the film forming chamber 15 is decompressed, the aerosol Z is sprayed from the spray nozzle 17 onto the substrate B, and a film is formed on the substrate B.

  The aerosol Z after being sprayed onto the substrate B flows into the separation tank 42 from the discharge port 22 on the side surface of the film forming chamber 15 and is discharged to the exhaust pipe 46 by the suction force of the vacuum pump P, as in the first embodiment. And sucked. At this time, since the communication region around the communication position with the exhaust pipe 46 in the separation tank 42 is a reduced diameter portion 42C having a diameter smaller than that of the opening 42A, the flow velocity of the aerosol Z is reduced in the reduced diameter portion 42C. Speed up. Therefore, the material particle M advances straight by inertia force without flowing out to the exhaust pipe 46 side. Thereby, even if the exhaust pipe 46 is provided on the upstream side of the collection wall 43, the outflow of the material particles M to the exhaust pipe 46 side can be reduced.

  After passing through the diameter-reduced portion 42C, the flow velocity of the aerosol Z returns to the original position when it progresses to the downstream side of the large diameter, and collides with the recovery wall portion 43 in this state. Due to this collision, the material particles M collide with the collection wall 43 and accumulate. Thereby, the material particles M are separated from the carrier gas. At this time, as in the first embodiment, since the collision surface with the aerosol Z in the recovery wall 43 is the inclined surface 44, the material particles M have an adhesive force that is not difficult to peel off later. Particles M adhere to the collection wall 43. In addition, the aerosol Z stays in the acute corner C formed by the bottom surface of the separation tank 42 and the inclined surface 44, and the material particles M are blown up. As a result, the material particles M are separated from the carrier gas.

  The carrier gas after separating the material particles M is exhausted from the exhaust pipe 36 to the outside by the suction force of the vacuum pump P.

  As the operation of the film forming apparatus 40 is continued, the material particles M gradually accumulate inside the separation tank 42 and the film forming chamber 15. In this case, the cleaning can be performed by moving the collection wall 32 and the squeegee 19 as in the first embodiment.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the material particles M can be separated and collected from the aerosol Z as in the first embodiment. In addition, in the separation tank 42, the opening area in the opening 42 </ b> A connected to the film forming chamber 15 is made larger than the cross-sectional area in the communication region communicating with the exhaust pipe 46. For this reason, the flow velocity of the aerosol Z is increased when passing through the vicinity of the communication position with the exhaust pipe 46, that is, the region having a narrow cross-sectional area. For this reason, the material particles M contained in the aerosol enter the depth of the separation tank 42 at once without leaking to the exhaust pipe 46 side. Then, only the carrier gas separated from the material particles M is discharged to the exhaust pipe 46 while colliding with the recovery wall 43 and slowing the flow. Thereby, even if the exhaust pipe 46 is provided on the upstream side of the recovery wall portion 43, the outflow of the material particles M to the exhaust pipe 46 side can be reduced, and the recovery rate of the material particles M can be increased.

<Third Embodiment>
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the film forming apparatus 50 of the present embodiment. The difference of this embodiment from the first embodiment is that the separation tanks are provided in multiple stages. In addition, about the structure similar to 1st Embodiment, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The film forming apparatus 50 of the present embodiment includes an apparatus main body 10 (corresponding to the film forming apparatus of the present invention) having the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and a powder recovery apparatus 51 connected to the apparatus main body 10. It has.

  The powder recovery device 51 is provided with three stages of separation tanks 52 for separating the material particles M from the carrier gas. That is, the first separation tank 52 </ b> A is connected to the film forming chamber 15. Similar to the first embodiment, the first separation tank 52A is provided with a collection wall 53A, and an exhaust pipe 54A and a separation tank side hopper 55A are connected to the first separation tank 52A.

  The tip of the exhaust pipe 54A connected to the first separation tank 52A is connected to the next second separation tank 52B. The exhaust pipe 54A is connected to the opening of the second separation tank 52B, and the carrier gas discharged from the first separation tank 52A flows into the second separation tank 52B. Similar to the first separation tank 52A, the second separation tank 52B includes a recovery wall portion 53B, and is connected to an exhaust pipe 54B and a separation tank side hopper 55B.

  Furthermore, the tip of the exhaust pipe 54B connected to the second separation tank 52B is similarly connected to the opening of the next third separation tank 52C. Similar to the two-stage separation tanks 52A and 52B, the third separation tank 52C is provided with a recovery wall portion 53C, and is connected to an exhaust pipe 54C and a separation tank-side hopper 55C. The exhaust pipe 54C connected to the third separation tank 52C is connected to the vacuum pump P.

  According to such a configuration, the aerosol Z after being sprayed onto the substrate B first enters the first separation tank 52A, where the material particles M are separated from the carrier gas as in the above embodiments. Is done. The carrier gas is exhausted through the exhaust pipe 54A. At this time, since the material particles M contained in the aerosol Z cannot be completely separated, a considerable amount of the material particles M remains in the discharged carrier gas.

  The discharged carrier gas enters the second separation tank 52B and similarly collides with the recovery wall portion 53B. As a result, the material particles M remaining in the carrier gas are separated and collected. Then, the separated carrier gas is further guided to the third separation tank 52C, and again, the material particles M remaining in the carrier gas are separated and recovered.

  In this way, a plurality of separation tanks 52 are provided via the exhaust pipe 54. Therefore, since the material particles M that could not be recovered in the first separation tank 52A can be recovered in the second and third separation tanks 52B and 52C connected downstream thereof, the material particles M as the entire apparatus. The recovery rate can be increased.

<Example>
A film forming experiment was performed using a film forming apparatus 60 as shown in FIG. In the film forming chamber 61 having the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment, a box portion 62 projecting outward is provided on one side wall portion.
A vacuum pump P was connected to the film forming chamber 61 to decompress the inside. In this state, 20 g of material particles M were introduced into an aerosol generator (not shown) to generate an aerosol, which was sprayed from the spray nozzle 63 onto the substrate B.

  The material particles M adhered on the substrate B were about 1 g, and the material particles M deposited in the box portion 62 were about 2 to 3 g. In particular, deposition of a large amount of material particles M was observed in the corner portion 62A on the overhanging end side of the box portion 62. Thereby, it was confirmed that the recovery amount of the material particles M increases in a portion where a rapid change in the flow path direction occurs.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention, and further, within the scope not departing from the gist of the invention other than the following. Various modifications can be made.

(1) In each of the above embodiments, the recovery wall portions 32, 43, 52 are formed to have substantially the same size as the inner diameter of the separation tanks 31, 42, 53 so as to block the openings of the separation tanks 31, 42, 52. However, the recovery wall portion may be formed smaller than the inner diameter of the separation tank. In this case, the exhaust path may be provided downstream of the collection wall portion in the aerosol flow path direction.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the inclined surfaces of the collection wall portions 32, 43, and 53 are downward inclined surfaces that descend toward the downstream side in the aerosol flow path direction. For example, it may be an upward inclined surface that rises toward the downstream side in the aerosol flow path direction. Further, the inclination angle of the inclined surface is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and may be any as long as the material particles can be attached with an adhesive force that can be easily peeled off.

(3) In each of the above embodiments, the exhaust pipes 36, 46, 54 are attached so as to face the extending direction of the separation tanks 31, 42, 53, that is, the direction of the flow path of the aerosol, The attachment angle of the exhaust passage is not limited to the present embodiment, and for example, the exhaust passage is attached at an angle of 60 ° to 120 ° with respect to the flow direction of the aerosol and inclined in the flow passage direction upstream or downstream. Also good. From the viewpoint of abruptly changing the aerosol flow, the direction of the aerosol flow path in the separation tank and the direction of the gas flow path in the exhaust path form an acute angle, in other words, the exhaust path. Is more preferably attached in a posture inclined toward the upstream side of the aerosol flow path.

(4) In the second embodiment, the separation tank 42 has tapered portions 42B and 42D between the communication area of the exhaust passage and the upstream and downstream large diameter portions, but it is a stepped portion. It doesn't matter.

(5) In the third embodiment, the separation tank 52 is provided in three stages. However, the separation tank may be two stages or four or more stages. The optimum number of separation tanks depends on the structure of the separation tank and the concentration and flow rate of the aerosol, and cannot be limited. However, it is considered that a recovery rate of about 85% or more can be realized with 20 or more stages.

Schematic of the film forming apparatus of the first embodiment viewed from the side Schematic showing how the aerosol flows into the separation tank Schematic showing how material particles adhere to the collection wall Schematic showing how material particles are discharged from the deposition chamber and separation tank Schematic of the film forming apparatus of the second embodiment as viewed from the side Schematic of the film forming apparatus of the third embodiment as viewed from the side Schematic of the film formation equipment used in the examples as seen from the side

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Film-forming apparatus 10 ... Main body (film-forming apparatus)
30, 41, 51... Powder recovery device 31, 42, 52... Separation tank 32, 43, 53... Recovery wall 33, 44.
36, 46, 54 ... exhaust pipe (exhaust passage)
B ... Substrate M ... Material particles P ... Vacuum pump (exhaust means)
Z ... Aerosol

Claims (12)

A powder recovery device that is connected to a film forming apparatus that forms a film by spraying an aerosol in which material particles are dispersed in a gas and depositing the particles on a substrate, and recovers the material particles from the aerosol. There,
A separation tank in which the aerosol after being sprayed on the substrate is connected to the film forming apparatus;
A recovery wall portion provided in the separation tank relative to the flow of the aerosol and having an inclined surface inclined obliquely with respect to the flow path direction of the aerosol;
An exhaust passage communicating with the separation tank;
An exhaust means provided in the exhaust passage and exhausting the gas separated from the material particles out of the separation tank;
A powder recovery apparatus comprising:   The powder recovery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inclination angle of the inclined surface with respect to a surface perpendicular to a flow direction of the aerosol is 30 ° or more.   The powder recovery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inclined surface has a Vickers hardness of HV400 or more.   The powder recovery apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the inclined surface is a downward inclined surface that is inclined downward toward the downstream side of the aerosol flow path in the separation tank.   The inclined surface is provided so as to block the flow path of the aerosol, and the exhaust passage communicates with the separation tank on the upstream side of the inclined surface. The powder recovery apparatus described in 1.   6. The powder recovery apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the separation tank has an opening area at a connection position connected to the film forming apparatus larger than a cross-sectional area at a communication position communicating with the exhaust path.   A powder discharge path for discharging the material particles is provided at the bottom of the separation tank, and the collection wall is slidable along the inner wall surface of the separation tank. The powder recovery apparatus in any one of Claims 1-6.   The powder recovery apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the exhaust passage communicates with the separation tank on the upstream side of the movable region of the recovery wall portion in the separation tank.   The powder recovery apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the exhaust passage is connected to a ceiling portion of the separation tank.   The powder recovery apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the exhaust path is connected with an inclination with respect to a flow path direction of the aerosol.   The powder recovery apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a plurality of the separation tanks are provided via the exhaust passage. A film forming chamber provided with an injection nozzle for injecting an aerosol in which material particles are dispersed in a gas toward the substrate, while a substrate is installed therein.
A separation tank through which the aerosol flows after being sprayed onto the substrate in communication with the film forming chamber;
A recovery wall portion provided in the separation tank relative to the aerosol flow path and having an inclined surface inclined obliquely with respect to the aerosol flow path direction;
An exhaust passage communicating with the separation tank;
An exhaust means provided in the exhaust passage and exhausting the gas separated from the material particles out of the separation tank;
A film forming apparatus equipped with a powder recovery apparatus.

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