JP2008007790A - Winding type compound vacuum surface treatment apparatus, and film surface treatment method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a winding type compound vacuum surface treatment apparatus capable of simultaneously performing a plurality of surface treatments by the same apparatus, wherein small size and cost reduction are attained by making multi-function. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus is one for applying surface treatment to a film 19 moving along a can roll 2 rotating in a substantially cylindrical vacuum vessel 21. Each treatment chamber demarcated by a cylindrical treatment chamber wall is separated from the inside of the vacuum vessel. Each treatment chamber can be subjected to the differential evacuation by a vacuum pump for the treatment chamber. The treatment conditions of different pressures and gas kinds are selected for each treatment chamber. By rotating at least two surface treatment means, the surface treatment means facing the film treatment positions of the treatment chambers 7, 12, 17 are changed. While continuously conveying the film in one direction in the vacuum vessel, different treatments for the plurality of treatment chambers can be simultaneously performed in the treatment chambers, or the same treatment can be simultaneously performed in the plurality of treatment chambers. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a roll-up type composite surface treatment apparatus capable of performing various surface treatments such as drying, pretreatment, and thin film formation on a film, and a method for performing film surface treatment using this apparatus.

  In recent years, a functional film having a thin film formed on the surface of a plastic film or the like as a base material has been actively developed. For example, in the packaging field, by forming a thin film made of at least one kind of metal oxide selected from SiOx, MgO, AlOx, etc. on the film surface, it is transparent and preserves food having gas barrier properties such as oxygen and water vapor. A gas barrier film having excellent properties is provided.

In the electronics field, antireflection films and the like that prevent reflection on the display surface and improve visibility are widely used as display applications. This film is a multilayer thin film having different refractive indexes in which a high refractive index layer such as TiO ₂ , ZrO, and Nb ₂ O ₅ , a middle refractive index layer such as Al ₂ O ₃ , and a low refractive index layer such as SiO ₂ are laminated. Is formed on a film.

  In addition, in liquid crystal displays, with the progress of pixel miniaturization, a flexible circuit board connected to the liquid crystal display requires a highly accurate pattern, and at the same time, there is a further demand for ensuring electrical reliability associated with a narrow pitch. . Therefore, recently, copper with high adhesive strength without using an adhesive can be obtained by providing a different metal layer such as nickel or chromium as a base on a polyimide film by sputtering or vapor deposition, and applying electrolytic copper plating on it. Polyimide flexible substrates are becoming important.

  When manufacturing these functional films, it is necessary to form a thin film in order to impart functionality to the film that is the base material. It is desirable to form a thin film while moving it. As an apparatus for that purpose, a winding-type vacuum film forming apparatus for continuously forming a thin film while moving a film between rolls in a vacuum environment is generally used.

  As the most basic winding-type vacuum film forming apparatus used conventionally, there is one having a structure described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-60931. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a thin film forming section 3 having a thin film forming means (not shown) is installed in the vacuum chamber 1 together with a film 2 conveying means, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 1 is a vacuum pump or the like. It is exhausted to a high vacuum by an exhaust system 4 comprising The film 2 continuously fed from the unwinding roll 5 is formed into a film by the thin film forming unit 3 on one film forming drum 7 while being wound by the winding roll 6.

  As for the above thin film forming means, there are a vacuum deposition method and a sputtering method as a physical film formation method, and a chemical vapor deposition method (CVD) or the like is used as a chemical film formation method. The vacuum deposition method is a method of forming a thin film on a substrate by heating and evaporating a film forming material by resistance heating or electron gun irradiation. A plasma-assisted vapor deposition method is also known in which plasma is formed between an evaporation source and a substrate for the purpose of adhesion and densification of a thin film during vapor deposition. The plasma is formed by applying a DC or AC voltage to a discharge electrode installed in a vacuum film forming apparatus or irradiating a microwave with a microwave using a waveguide. can do.

  In addition, the sputtering method uses a target obtained by forming a film forming material into a plate shape, generates plasma between the substrate and the target using the plasma generation method using the target as a discharge electrode, and uses a potential gradient. In this method, a target material is knocked out by irradiating and colliding ions with a target surface to form a thin film of the target material on a substrate. Furthermore, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a method in which an inorganic or organic material or a mixture thereof is vaporized and introduced as a raw material gas in the vicinity of a substrate, and a thin film is formed on the substrate by a chemical reaction using heating or plasma. It is a method of forming. When plasma is used, an apparatus configuration similar to sputtering can be used.

  In any of the above-described thin film forming means, it has been confirmed that the use of plasma during film formation has an effect on the adhesion and densification of the thin film. Therefore, the means for forming a thin film using plasma is to improve gas barrier properties for gas barrier films, improve optical properties for antireflection films, and improve adhesion to copper layers for copper polyimide flexible substrates. It has been put to practical use as an effective method.

  However, in the winding type vacuum film forming apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, it is easy to form a single layer thin film. However, when laminating a plurality of thin films, a plurality of thin film formations are performed along the running direction of the film. It is necessary to arrange the means or to make the film reciprocate so that a plurality of thin film forming means can be passed depending on the number of times required for lamination.

  As a wind-up type vacuum film forming apparatus used for forming such a thin film, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-178436 discloses a plurality of film forming drums 7a capable of temperature control inside a vacuum chamber 1, as shown in FIG. , 7b is described. According to this film forming apparatus, the film 2 fed from the unwinding roll 5 and taken up by the take-up roll 6 passes through the plurality of film forming drums 7a and 7b. Thin films of different materials can be sequentially formed on the film 2 at a low temperature by the plurality of cathode assemblies 8 provided to face the circumferential surface.

The present inventor has a cathode mounting structure for use in medium-sized and large-sized plasma devices and sputtering devices, and has a space inside, and at least one of a plasma processing electrode, a sputtering cathode, a heater, and an ion source on one side or both sides thereof. At least one structure configured to be attached to one, and a vacuum rotation mechanism provided on each of both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the structure and capable of rotating the structure while maintaining a vacuum state; One end portion is attached to the plasma device or the sputtering device, and the other end has a support member configured to support the structure when the cathode attachment structure is used, and at least one of the vacuum rotation mechanisms includes We have proposed a cathode mounting structure that has an opening through which a discharge power cable or refrigerant can be charged and discharged inside the structure ( Patent reference 3).
JP 2002-60931 A JP 2003-178436 A JP 2005-320599 A

  In the case of the conventional winding type vacuum surface treatment apparatus described above, it has been difficult to perform a plurality of surface treatments simultaneously with one apparatus. For example, if various surface treatment means are arranged so as to be continuously in contact with the peripheral portions of the film formation drum in the apparatus and a plurality of processes are to be carried out at different film processing positions, the apparatus is not only enlarged. There are problems that the film is wrinkled and the quality is deteriorated. Therefore, in order to perform a plurality of surface treatments on the film, it is necessary to use different processing apparatuses. However, in the method using different processing apparatuses, the processing man-hours and costs are increased, and at the same time, the film is exposed to the air while being transferred between the apparatuses. There was a problem that it was easily lowered. Further, when the cathode mounting structure of Patent Document 3 is arranged in a plurality of vacuum vessels, when using any of plasma processing electrodes, sputtering cathodes, heaters, ion sources, etc., optimum conditions for using gas pressure, etc. depending on the combination In some cases, it could not be used at the same time.

  In view of such a conventional situation, the present invention can perform a plurality of surface treatments simultaneously with the same apparatus, and defects such as pinholes and reduced adhesion occur in the formed thin film. It is an object of the present invention to provide a roll-up type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus that is free from wrinkles or film and that is small in size and low in cost due to its multi-functionality.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the take-up type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus provided by the present invention includes a pair of film take-up and unwinding units in a substantially cylindrical vacuum vessel provided with a vacuum pump for evacuating the entire vacuum vessel. A roll, and a rotatable can transporting film roll whose axial center is substantially aligned with the vacuum container, and is unwound or wound between the film winding and unwinding rolls in accordance with the rotation of the can roll. A surface treatment apparatus for performing a surface treatment on a film that moves along the periphery of the vacuum vessel, the periphery of which is fixed to the peripheral wall of the vacuum vessel, extends to the vicinity of the can roll, and a plurality of treatment chambers including at least two surface treatment means in the treatment chamber Each processing chamber and a mask plate fixed to the end of the processing chamber wall before the can roll and installed on each processing chamber side. Rotating surface treatment means that can be selected by rotating from at least two surface treatment means fixed to the treatment chamber wall opposite to the process chamber, and each treatment chamber for a treatment chamber installed on the treatment chamber wall. It has a vacuum pump and can perform surface treatments of different pressures and gas types in each processing chamber. In each processing chamber, one surface processing means is selected by rotating from at least two surface processing means. The surface processing means facing the film processing position in each processing chamber can be changed.

  In the take-up type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, the rotating surface treatment means has a support structure fixed to the treatment chamber wall and a surface treatment on the surface facing the can roll, having a space inside. A structure having an arcuate inner surface so that the device can be rotated, and a tip portion disposed on the side surface end and substantially covering both side surfaces of the surface treatment device provided on the side surface of the structure And a vacuum rotating mechanism provided on each of both side surfaces of the structure in the longitudinal direction to rotate the structure while maintaining a vacuum state, and supporting the vacuum rotating mechanism and the structure on the processing chamber wall A support member that is fixed to the support structure and substantially covers the side surface without contacting the side surface of the structure, and at least one of the vacuum rotation mechanism units can be energized to the structure. Opening that has a mechanism and can charge and discharge refrigerant The has.

  The surface treatment means is any one of a surface treatment means operable in a vacuum of a film drying heater means, a film pretreatment plasma generation means or ion generation means, and a thin film formation sputtering means.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the can roll is provided with a heating / cooling means capable of controlling the temperature of the roll surface.

  In addition, the present invention provides a single surface facing the film processing position in each processing chamber while moving the film in one direction along the can roll using the above-described winding-type composite vacuum surface processing apparatus of the present invention. The surface treatment of the film is performed by the treatment means, and after completion of the surface treatment, one surface treatment means is selected by rotating from at least two surface treatment means in each treatment chamber, and the film treatment position in each treatment chamber By changing the surface processing means facing the surface, the surface processing means facing the film processing position in each processing chamber is changed, and the film is moved again along the can roll while facing the film at the film processing position in each processing chamber. Provided is a surface treatment method for a film, characterized in that a plurality of films are simultaneously surface-treated by the surface treatment means.

  According to the roll-up type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, each processing chamber partitioned by a cylindrical processing chamber wall is isolated from the inside of the vacuum vessel, and a processing chamber vacuum pump is installed in each processing chamber. Thus, each processing chamber can be differentially evacuated, and various surface treatments can be performed by selecting processing conditions of different pressures and gas types in each processing chamber. Thereby, a plurality of film surface treatments can be carried out simultaneously with the same apparatus, and a relatively compact and low-cost roll-up type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus can be provided. In addition, since a plurality of surface treatments can be completed in the same apparatus, it is not necessary to replace a film in the middle of processing with another apparatus, so that not only the processing steps can be shortened and the processing cost can be kept low, but also the atmosphere. It is not exposed to the inside, and there is no deterioration in quality such as the occurrence of pinholes and defects such as a decrease in adhesion in the thin film.

  The winding type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus of the present invention and a film processing method using the same will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention has a pair of film winding / unwinding rolls in a substantially cylindrical vacuum vessel 21 provided with a vacuum pump (not shown) for the entire apparatus. 1 and 20, and a vacuum roll 21 and a can roll 2 for film conveyance provided so as to be rotatable with their axial centers substantially coincident with each other. For example, the film 19 is wound on the rotating can roll 2 while being unwound from one film winding / unwinding roll 1 and wound on the other film winding / unwinding roll 20 in accordance with the rotation of the can roll 2. Surface treatment is performed while moving along. Moreover, it is preferable that the can roll 2 is provided with a heating / cooling means (not shown) using a heater, hot water, a refrigerant, or the like so that its surface temperature can be controlled.

  The vacuum vessel 21 is substantially cylindrical and includes a vacuum vessel bottom plate 21a, a vacuum vessel peripheral wall 21b, and a vacuum vessel top plate (not shown). The vacuum vessel peripheral wall 21b is a cylinder that is fixed to the vacuum vessel peripheral wall and extends to the vicinity of the can roll, and divides the processing chamber into a plurality of processing chambers in which rotating surface processing means having at least two surface processing means can be arranged. The process chamber wall 22 and a mask plate 18 that is fixed to the end of the process chamber wall before the can roll and installed toward the process chamber side are provided for each process chamber. Each treatment chamber is fixed to the treatment chamber wall 22 so as to face the can roll, and can be selected from rotating surface treatment means 4, 9, and 14 by rotating from at least two surface treatment means. Processing chamber vacuum pumps 6, 11, and 16 are provided on the chamber wall 22. For this reason, it is possible to perform surface treatments of different pressures and gas types in the respective processing chambers, and in each processing chamber, one surface processing means is selected by rotating from at least two surface processing means. The surface treatment means facing the film processing position can be changed.

  For example, in FIG. 3, a heater means 3 for drying a film, plasma generating means 8 and 13 for film pretreatment, and a thin film forming means are provided in the plurality of rotating surface treatment means 4, 9 and 14 facing the can roll 2. Sputtering means 5, 10, 15 are attached.

  As an example of the rotating surface treatment means 4, 9, 14, FIG. 5A shows a cross section in the short direction of the rotating surface treatment means provided with a sputtering target and a plasma electrode. FIG. 5B shows a cross-sectional view of the rotating surface treatment means in the short direction, taken along the plane of FIG. 6X-X ′. FIG. 6 is a view showing a cross section in the longitudinal direction of the rotating surface treatment means of the present invention provided with a sputtering target and a plasma electrode.

  The rotating surface treatment means includes a support structure 38 fixed in the processing chamber wall 22 and two supports having a space inside and capable of rotating the surface treatment means on a surface facing the can roll. 50 are arranged. In the case of FIG. 5A, the sputtering target 31 is installed on the front side of one support 50, and the magnetron sputtering magnet 34 is arranged on the back side of the support 50. A plasma electrode 32 is provided on the support 50 on the other side. The support body 50 has an arc-shaped side surface 35 so as to be rotatable, and a distal end portion 36 that is disposed at the end of the side surface and substantially covers both side surface portions of the surface treatment means provided on the side surface of the support body 50. A structure 33 having the structure 33, a vacuum rotating mechanism 39 (see FIG. 6) provided on each of both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the structure 33, which can rotate the structure while maintaining a vacuum state, and the vacuum A support member that supports the rotation mechanism 39 and the structure 33 on the processing chamber wall 22, and a cover member 37 that is fixed to the support structure and substantially covers the side surface 35 without contacting the side surface 35 of the structure 33. The at least one vacuum rotation mechanism 39 has a mechanism capable of energizing the structure 33, and has an opening 40 through which the refrigerant can be charged and discharged.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the vacuum rotation mechanism 39 can be rotated with the rotation center axis as a rotation axis while maintaining a vacuum, so that the vacuum does not break even if the processing chamber wall 22 rotates. , Has a seal structure. As the seal structure, a generally used vacuum bearing structure is used.

  By using the above-described surface treatment apparatus of the present invention, not only the same gas type and the same pressure but also each treatment chamber partitioned by a cylindrical treatment chamber wall is isolated from the inside of the vacuum vessel, Each processing chamber can be differentially evacuated with a vacuum pump for the processing chamber, and processing conditions of different pressures and gas types are selected in each processing chamber, and the film is continuously applied in one direction in the vacuum vessel. It is possible to simultaneously perform different processes in a plurality of process chambers in the process chamber or simultaneously perform the same process in a plurality of process chambers.

  Rotating surface treatment means 4, 9, and 14 are disposed in the three treatment chambers 7, 12, and 17, respectively. Each of the rotating surface treatment means 4, 9, 14 has a space inside, and is configured such that the surface treatment means is attached to one side surface or both side surfaces thereof. For example, in the processing chamber 7 in the state of FIG. 3, the heater unit 3 is positioned so as to face the can roll 2, and only the drying process of the film 19 by the heater unit 3 is performed at the film processing position.

  Similarly, the plasma generating means 8 faces the film in the processing chamber 12, and the plasma generating means 13 faces the film in the processing chamber 17, respectively. Therefore, the inside of the vacuum vessel or the processing chamber is set to the same gas type and the same pressure, and while the film 19 unwound from one film winding / unwinding roll 1 is wound on the other film winding / unwinding roll 20, The film 19 moving along the can roll 2 is subjected to a drying process by the heater means 3 in the processing chamber 7, and in the processing chambers 12 and 17, the film surface is pretreated with plasma by the plasma generating means 8 and 13. it can. At that time, the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 is evacuated by an overall vacuum pump (not shown) connected to the vacuum vessel bottom plate 21a, and further, a plasma processing gas is supplied and held at a predetermined pressure.

  Next, after the above surface treatment is completed for one roll of film roll, the rotating surface treatment means 4, 9, and 14 are rotated from the two surface treatment means to obtain the state shown in FIG. The surface treatment means in each treatment chamber changes, and the film treatment positions of the treatment chambers 7, 12, and 17 are opposed to the sputtering means 5, 10, and 15, respectively. Therefore, a thin film can be formed on the film 19 by the sputtering means 5, 10, 15 while moving the film 19 in the reverse direction, that is, while moving from the film winding / unwinding roll 20 toward the film winding / unwinding roll 1. it can. At that time, the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 can be evacuated by a vacuum pump for the whole connected to the vacuum vessel bottom plate 21a, and further, argon gas for sputtering can be supplied and kept at a predetermined pressure.

  In this way, in the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention provided with a plurality of different surface treatment means shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the same apparatus can be subjected to the same or different surface treatment at a plurality of locations at the same time. it can. Therefore, complex processing of complex processes is possible, and even when the same kind of thin film is formed, even if one cathode target is consumed, a film can be formed using another target. , A long-time treatment or a thickening treatment can be performed.

  In another surface processing apparatus of the present invention, each processing chamber partitioned by a cylindrical processing chamber wall 22 is isolated from the inside of the vacuum vessel, and processing chamber vacuum pumps 6, 11, 16 are installed in the respective processing chambers. Thus, each process chamber can be differentially evacuated, and an overall vacuum pump (not shown) for evacuating parts other than the process chambers 7, 12, and 17 inside the vacuum vessel 21. Is installed on the vacuum vessel bottom plate 21a. Therefore, it is possible to perform more complicated surface treatment by performing differential evacuation by these process chamber vacuum pumps 6, 11, 16 and selecting different pressures and gas types in the respective process chambers 7, 12, 17. It is. Further, by using a vacuum pump for the whole installed in the vacuum vessel bottom plate 21a, the portions other than the processing chambers 7, 12, 17 inside the vacuum vessel 21 are evacuated and the processing chambers 7, 12, 17 It is possible to prevent mixing different gas species.

  For example, in the state of FIG. 3, while the film 19 heading from one film winding / unwinding roll 1 to the other film winding / unwinding roll 20 moves along the can roll 2, the processing chamber 7 is in a vacuum atmosphere. In the processing chambers 12 and 17, pretreatment of the film surface with plasma can be performed by the plasma generation means 8 and 13 in a plasma processing gas atmosphere. Then, in the rotating surface treatment means 4, 9, 14, the surface treatment means is rotated so that the surface treatment means on the opposite side faces the film to obtain the state of FIG. A thin film is formed by sputtering means 5, 10, and 15 in the processing chambers 7, 12, and 17 while moving in the opposite direction to the case of FIG. For example, sputtering film formation can be performed while holding an atmosphere such as argon at each processing chamber 7, 12, and 17 at a constant pressure.

In this way, in the surface treatment apparatus of the present invention provided with a plurality of different surface treatment means and a plurality of treatment chamber vacuum pumps, the same apparatus performs the same or different surface treatments at a plurality of locations at the same time. In addition, since the surface treatment can be performed under different gas types or under different pressures for each processing chamber, it is possible to further superimpose various surface treatments.
(Example)
As shown in the take-up type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus of FIGS. 3 to 4, for each of the treatment chambers 7, 12, and 17 facing the can roll 2 having heating and cooling means inside, the treatment chamber 7 includes The sputtering means 5 and the heater means 3 were disposed, the processing chamber 12 was provided with the sputtering means 10 and the plasma generating means 8, and the processing chamber 17 was provided with the surface rotation processing means attached with the sputtering means 15 and the plasma generating means 13.

  The sputtering means 5 and 10 were both equipped with a Cu sputtering target, and the sputtering means 15 was equipped with a Cr sputtering target.

First, in the state of FIG. 3, a polyimide film having a length of 1000 m and a thickness of 25 μm is attached to one winding / unwinding roll 1 of the vacuum container 21 and the inside of the vacuum container 21 is installed on the vacuum container bottom plate 21a. After evacuating with a vacuum pump (not shown), O ₂ gas was introduced to keep the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 at 6.7 Pa (50 mm Torr). Along with the rotation of the can roll 2, the film 19 unwound from one winding / unwinding roll 1 at a speed of 10 m / min is moved along the can roll 2 while being wound around the other winding / unwinding roll 20. The film 19 was subjected to surface treatment in the treatment chambers 7, 12, and 17. The surface temperature of the can roll 2 was controlled at 50 ° C.

  That is, in the processing chamber 7, the film 19 was heated and dried by supplying electric power to the heater means 3 and maintaining the temperature at 150 ° C. In the processing chambers 12 and 17, the surface of the film 19 is activated or roughened by supplying 3 kW of power from the high frequency power source to each plasma electrode of the plasma generating means 8 and 13 to generate plasma discharge. Pretreatment was performed. These surface treatments were continuously carried out for about 100 minutes to finish the treatment of one roll of polyimide film.

  Next, without breaking the vacuum state of the vacuum vessel 21, the vacuum chamber 21 is rotated using the vacuum rotation mechanism 39 of the rotary surface treatment means while maintaining the vacuum in each treatment chamber, the surface treatment means is replaced, and the cathodes 5, 10 are replaced. 15 can be used in each processing chamber (see FIG. 4). After the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 was evacuated with a vacuum pump for the whole, argon gas was introduced to keep the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 at a pressure of 2.7 Pa (20 mm Torr). The surface temperature of the can roll 2 was controlled to -10 ° C. In this state, the polyimide film wound around the winding / unwinding roll 20 is conveyed along the can roll 2 while being conveyed to the winding / unwinding roll 1 at a speed of 5 m per minute in accordance with the rotation of the can roll 2. A thin film was formed in each processing chamber 7, 12, 17 on the moving film 19.

  That is, power was supplied to the sputtering means 5, 10, and 15, and the target material was knocked out from the sputtering target to form a thin film of the target material on the film 19. Specifically, by a film forming process for about 200 minutes, a Cr thin film having a thickness of about 20 nm is formed by the sputtering means 15 in the processing chamber 17, and a total thickness of about 200 nm is formed by the sputtering means 10 and 5 in the processing chambers 12 and 7. Cu thin films were sequentially stacked.

The polyimide film that has been subjected to the above surface treatment is taken out from the vacuum vessel 21 and further formed on a laminated thin film of Cr and Cu by forming a Cu layer to a thickness of 8 μm by wet plating, did. In the obtained copper polyimide flexible substrate, since the film was not exposed to the air during the surface treatment, the occurrence of pinholes was small, and the adhesion of the metal layer to the polyimide film was also good.
(Example 2)
3 and 4 is provided with a processing chamber vacuum pump 6 for each of the processing chambers 7, 12, and 17 facing the can roll 2 having heating and cooling means inside. The processing chamber 7 is provided with the sputtering means 5 and the heater means 3, the processing chamber 12 provided with the processing chamber vacuum pump 11 is provided with the sputtering means 10 and the plasma generating means 8, and the processing chamber provided with the processing chamber vacuum pump 16. The sputtering means 15 and the plasma generation means 13 were attached to 17 respectively. The sputtering means 5 and 10 were both equipped with a Cu sputtering target, and the sputtering means 15 was equipped with a Cr sputtering target.

First, in the state shown in FIG. 3, a vacuum pump for the whole (not shown) mounted on a vacuum vessel bottom plate 21a with a polyimide film having a length of 1000 m and a thickness of 25 μm attached to one winding / unwinding roll 1 of the vacuum vessel 21. ), The portions other than the processing chambers 7, 12, and 17 inside the vacuum chamber 21 are evacuated, and further, the processing inside the vacuum chamber 21 is performed using the processing chamber vacuum pumps 6, 11, and 16. Chambers 7, 12, and 17 were evacuated. Thereafter, the processing chamber 7 using the heater means 3 was kept evacuated, and O ₂ gas was introduced into the other processing chambers 12 and 17 to keep the inside at 6.7 Pa (50 mm Torr). Along with the rotation of the can roll 2, the film 19 unwound from the winding / unwinding roll 1 at a speed of 10 m / min is moved along the rotating can roll 2 while being wound around the other winding / unwinding roll 20. The film 19 was subjected to surface treatment in the treatment chambers 7, 12, and 17. The surface temperature of the can roll 2 was controlled at 30 ° C.

  That is, in the processing chamber 7, the film 19 was heated and dried by supplying electric power to the heater means 3 and maintaining the temperature at 150 ° C. In the processing chamber 12, 2 kW electric power is supplied from the high frequency power source to the plasma electrode of the plasma generating means 8, and in the processing chamber 12, 3 kW electric power is supplied from the high frequency power source to the plasma electrode of the plasma generating means 13. By generating, a pretreatment for activating or roughening the surface of the film 19 was performed. These surface treatments were continuously carried out for about 100 minutes to surface-treat one roll of polyimide film.

  Next, without breaking the vacuum state of the vacuum vessel 21, the vacuum chamber 21 is rotated using the vacuum rotation mechanism 39 of the rotary surface treatment means while maintaining the vacuum in each treatment chamber, the surface treatment means is replaced, and the cathodes 5, 10 15 can be used in each processing chamber (see FIG. 4). In this state, the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 is evacuated again in the same manner as described above, and then argon gas is introduced into the processing chambers 7, 12, and 17 inside the vacuum vessel 21. 0.7 Pa (20 mm Torr), and the processing chamber 17 maintained the pressure at 2.0 Pa (15 mm Torr). The surface temperature of the can roll 2 was controlled to -10 ° C. A film that moves along the can roll 2 while transporting the film 19 wound on the winding / unwinding roll 20 to the winding / unwinding roll 1 at a speed of 5 m per minute in accordance with the rotation of the can roll 2. 19 was subjected to film formation in each of the processing chambers 7, 12, and 17.

  That is, power was supplied to the sputtering means 5, 10, and 15, and the target material was knocked out from the sputtering target to form a thin film of the target material on the film 19. More specifically, in the treatment chamber 17, a thin Cr film having a thickness of about 20 nm is formed by the sputtering means 15 in the treatment chamber 17, and in the treatment chambers 12 and 7, the total thickness of Cu is about 200 nm by the sputtering means 10 and 5. Thin films were sequentially stacked.

The polyimide film having been subjected to the above surface treatment was taken out from the vacuum vessel 21, and then a Cu layer was further formed on the laminated thin film of Cr and Cu by a wet plating method to a thickness of 8 μm as in Example 1. By doing so, a copper polyimide flexible substrate was obtained. In the obtained copper polyimide flexible substrate, since the film was not exposed to the air during the surface treatment, the number of pinholes generated was small.
(Comparative example)
3 to 4 having the same structure as the first embodiment as a processing example in a conventional general winding type vacuum surface processing apparatus that cannot perform a plurality of surface treatments unless the vacuum state is broken in the middle. The surface treatment was carried out as follows.

That is, first, in the state of FIG. 3, as surface treatment means in the vacuum vessel 21, the heater 3 in the treatment chamber 7, the plasma generation means 8 in the treatment chamber 12, and the plasma generation means 13 in the treatment chamber 17. Were attached respectively. A polyimide film having a length of 1000 m and a thickness of 25 μm is attached to one winding / unwinding roll 1, and the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 is evacuated, and then O ₂ gas is introduced to 6.7 Pa inside the vacuum vessel 21. (50 mm Torr). The surface temperature of the can roll 2 was controlled at 30 ° C.

  While the polyimide film unwound from the winding / unwinding roll 1 in accordance with the rotation of the can roll 2 is moved along the can roll 2 at a speed of 10 m / min, 150 heater means 3 is provided in the processing chamber 7. The film 19 is dried while being kept at a temperature of ° C. In the processing chambers 12 and 17, 3 kW of electric power is supplied to each plasma electrode of the plasma generating means 8 and 13 from a high frequency power source to generate a plasma discharge. A pretreatment for activating or roughening the surface of the film 19 was performed. These surface treatments were continuously carried out for about 100 minutes to complete the treatment of one roll of polyimide film.

  After that, the vacuum vessel 21 was vacuum leaked to return to atmospheric pressure, and the dried and plasma treated polyimide film was taken out. The taken-out polyimide film was moved to the apparatus in the state shown in FIG. 4 and inserted into the winding / unwinding roll 20. Further, as the surface treatment means in the vacuum vessel 11, the treatment chambers 7 and 12 are provided with sputtering means 5 and 10 provided with a Cu sputtering target, and the treatment chamber 17 is provided with a sputtering means 15 provided with a Cr sputtering target. Each was attached.

  In this state, the inside of the vacuum vessel 21 was evacuated and then Ar gas was introduced to maintain the inside of the vacuum vessel 11 at a pressure of 2.7 Pa (20 mm Torr). The surface temperature of the can roll 2 was controlled to -10 ° C. Along with the rotation of the can roll 2, the film 19 is conveyed from the winding / unwinding roll 20 to the winding / unwinding roll 1 at a speed of 5 m / min. A thin film was formed on the moving film 19. Specifically, a Cr thin film having a thickness of about 20 nm was formed in the processing chamber 17 and a Cu thin film having a total thickness of about 200 nm were sequentially stacked in the processing chambers 12 and 7 by processing for about 200 minutes.

  In the same manner as in Example 1, the polyimide film having been subjected to the above surface treatment was further formed by forming a Cu layer with a thickness of 8 μm on the Cr and Cu laminated thin film by a wet plating method to obtain a copper polyimide flexible substrate. Since the obtained copper polyimide flexible substrate exposes the film once processed to the air in the middle, the occurrence of pinholes is larger than in the case of Example 1, and the polyimide film has a metal layer. The adhesion was slightly inferior.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the most basic structure of the conventional winding type vacuum film-forming apparatus. It is general | schematic sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the conventional winding type vacuum film-forming apparatus. It is general | schematic sectional drawing which shows one Example of the winding type | mold composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus of this invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the surface treatment means of the apparatus of FIG. (A) The cross section of the short direction of the rotating surface treatment means which provided the sputtering target and the plasma electrode is shown. (B) It is the figure which showed the cross section in the elongate direction of FIG. 6X-X 'surface of the said rotation surface treatment means. It is the figure which showed the cross section of the elongate direction of the rotating surface treatment means which provided the sputtering target and the plasma electrode.

Explanation of symbols

1, 20 Winding and unwinding roll 2 Can roll 3 Heater 4, 9, 14 Rotating surface treatment means 5, 10, 15 Cathode 6, 11, 16 Vacuum pump 7, 12, 17 Processing chamber 8, 13 Plasma electrode 18 Mask plate 19 Polyimide film 21 Vacuum vessel 21a Vacuum vessel bottom plate 21b Vacuum vessel peripheral wall 22 Processing chamber wall 31 Sputtering target 32 Plasma electrode 33 Structure 34 Magnetron sputtering magnet 35 Side surface 36 Tip portion 37 Cover material 38 Support structure 39 Vacuum rotation mechanism 40 Opening 50 support

Claims (5)

A pair of film winding and unwinding rolls in a substantially cylindrical vacuum container equipped with a vacuum pump that evacuates the entire vacuum container, and a rotatable film transporting can roll with the axial center substantially coincided with the vacuum container A surface treatment device for performing a surface treatment on a film that is unwound or wound between film winding and unwinding rolls and moves along the can rolls in accordance with the rotation of the can rolls,
A cylindrical processing chamber wall that is fixed to the periphery of the vacuum vessel and extends to near the can roll and divides the processing chamber into a plurality of processing chambers including at least two surface processing means, and each processing chamber A mask plate fixed to the end of the processing chamber wall before the roll and installed on each processing chamber side,
Each processing chamber is fixed to the processing chamber wall facing the can roll, and can be selected by rotating from at least two surface processing units, and each processing chamber is attached to the processing chamber wall. It has a vacuum pump for the processing chamber installed,
Surface treatments of different pressures and gas types can be performed in the respective treatment chambers. In each treatment chamber, one surface treatment means is selected by rotating from at least two surface treatment means, and a film in each treatment chamber is selected. A roll-up type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus characterized in that the surface treatment means facing the treatment position can be changed.   The rotating surface treatment means has a support structure fixed to the wall of the treatment chamber, and has an arcuate inner surface so that the surface treatment means can be rotated on the surface facing the can roll, with a space inside. And a structure having a tip portion that is disposed on the side surface end and substantially covers the side surface portion of the surface treatment means provided on the side surface of the structure, and each of both side surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the structure. A provided vacuum rotation mechanism that can rotate the structure while maintaining a vacuum state, a support member that supports the vacuum rotation mechanism and the structure on the processing chamber wall, and is fixed to the support structure. A cover material that substantially covers the side surface without contacting the side surface, and at least one of the vacuum rotation mechanism units has a mechanism capable of energizing the structure, and has an opening for charging and discharging the refrigerant. The winding type according to claim 1, wherein If the vacuum surface treatment apparatus.   The surface treatment means is any one of a surface treatment means operable in a vacuum of a heater means for film drying, a plasma generation means or ion generation means for film pretreatment, and a sputtering means for thin film formation. The winding type composite vacuum surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The take-up type composite according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the can roll includes a heating / cooling means capable of controlling a temperature of a roll surface in the can roll. Vacuum surface treatment equipment.   One surface facing the film processing position in each processing chamber while moving the film in one direction along the can roll using the roll-up type composite vacuum surface processing apparatus according to claim 1. The surface treatment of the film is performed by the treatment means, and after completion of the surface treatment, one surface treatment means is selected by rotating from at least two or more surface treatment means of the rotation surface treatment means in each treatment chamber, By changing the surface processing means facing the film processing position in each processing chamber, the surface processing means facing the film processing position in each processing chamber is changed, and while moving the film along the can roll again, A surface treatment method for a film, wherein the film is subjected to a surface treatment by a surface treatment means facing the film at a film treatment position.