JP2009155695A - Film-forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a film-forming apparatus which can effectively remove a foreign material, has improved maintenability, and can also continuously form a film with high productivity and high operating efficiency, when forming the film on a long substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The film-forming apparatus includes: a first evacuation means which evacuates the inside of a chamber to a predetermined degree of a vacuum; a film-forming section in which the film is formed on the surface to be film-formed of the substrate; a first transport roller which has a rotating shaft in a direction perpendicular to the direction to be transported of the substrate, contacts the surface to be film-formed of the substrate, and transports the substrate to the film-forming section; a second transport roller which has the rotating shaft in the direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate, contacts the film-formed surface of the substrate on which a predetermined film has been formed, and transports the substrate; a first detecting means which detects the foreign material on the surface of the first transport roller; a first foreign material removing means which is provided in the downstream side in a rotation direction of the first transport roller from the first detecting means and removes the foreign material adherent to the surface of the first transport roller; and a control section which makes the first foreign material removing means remove the foreign material when the foreign matter has been detected. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus for forming a film on the surface of a long substrate in a vacuum by a vapor phase film forming method, and in particular, when forming a film on a long substrate, the foreign matter is effectively removed, The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus that can improve maintainability, has high productivity, and can continuously form a film at a high operation rate.

As a film forming apparatus for continuously forming a film on a long substrate (web-like substrate) by, for example, plasma CVD in a vacuum atmosphere chamber, for example, a grounded (grounded) drum and a surface facing this drum An apparatus using an electrode connected to a high-frequency power source arranged in this manner is known.
In this film forming apparatus, a long substrate is transported to a drum by a transport roller, the substrate is wound around a predetermined area of the drum, and the drum is rotated, so that the substrate is positioned at a predetermined film forming position in the longitudinal direction. While conveying, a high frequency voltage is applied between the drum and the electrode to form an electric field, and between the drum and the electrode, a raw material gas for film formation, further introducing an argon gas, Film formation by plasma CVD is performed on the surface of the substrate, and the long substrate after film formation is conveyed by another conveyance roller. This film forming apparatus is generally called a roll-to-roll system.

  However, in this film forming apparatus, when foreign matter such as dust or dirt adheres to the transport roller transported to the film forming position, the foreign matter is transferred to a long substrate or between the transport roller and the substrate. In some cases, foreign matter enters and rubs, and a long substrate may be damaged by the foreign matter. As described above, when the foreign matter is transferred to the substrate or the substrate is damaged, the quality of the film may be deteriorated, for example, a step is formed in the formed film. For this reason, what removes the foreign material of a conveyance roller is proposed (refer to patent documents 1).

The roll surface foreign matter removing apparatus of Patent Document 1 removes foreign matter adhering to the roll surface of a molding roll used when molding a resin, a transfer roll in which the molding roll and the roll surface are in contact, and this transfer It has an adhesive roll which a roll and a roll surface contact.
In this roll surface foreign matter removing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the roll surface of the transfer roll is brought into contact with the roll surface of the forming roll, and the foreign matter adhering to the roll surface of the forming roll is transferred to the roll surface of the transfer roll. The roll surface of the adhesive roll is brought into contact with the roll surface of the roll, and the foreign matter adhering to the roll surface of the transfer roll is transferred to the roll surface of the adhesive roll to remove the foreign matter attached to the roll surface of the forming roll.
Further, in the foreign matter removing apparatus for roll surface of Patent Document 1, the transfer roll is provided with transfer roll moving means for moving the transfer roll in the direction of approaching and separating from the forming roll. The pressure-sensitive adhesive roll is provided with pressure-sensitive adhesive roll moving means for moving the pressure-sensitive adhesive roll in the direction of approaching and separating from the transfer roll. Furthermore, the pressure-sensitive adhesive roll is detachable. As the transfer roll moving means and the adhesive roll moving means, a rack and pinion type is exemplified.

JP 2002-76394 A

However, the foreign matter removing device for roll surface of Patent Document 1 is provided with transfer roll moving means for moving the transfer roll in the direction of approaching and separating from the forming roll, but the transfer roller is always in contact with the forming roll. Therefore, the transfer roller is easily soiled, and consequently, the adhesive roller is easily soiled. For this reason, the cycle of replacement of the adhesive roller to which foreign matters are finally attached is accelerated, the operating rate is lowered, and the maintainability is poor.
When the foreign matter removing device on the roll surface of Patent Document 1 is used in the roll-to-roll film forming device, the vacuum chamber needs to be opened to the atmosphere when the adhesive roller is replaced. In this way, when the inside of the vacuum chamber is opened to the atmosphere, foreign matters such as dust and dust enter the vacuum chamber. For this reason, there exists a possibility of causing deterioration of film quality.

  Further, the foreign matter removing device on the roll surface of Patent Document 1 has a high replacement frequency of the adhesive roller because the adhesive roller replacement cycle is fast. In order to replace the adhesive roller, it is necessary to stop the film forming apparatus once, open the vacuum chamber to the atmosphere, and open the vacuum chamber. Then, after replacing the adhesive roller, it is necessary to remove the gas in the vacuum chamber and to evacuate the vacuum chamber again in order to prevent the occurrence of contamination. It takes time to evacuate the vacuum chamber. As described above, when the apparatus for removing foreign matter on the roll surface of Patent Document 1 is used for the roll-to-roll film forming apparatus, it takes time for maintenance, the maintainability is poor, and the operating rate of the film forming apparatus is further reduced. There is a problem of causing a decrease.

  The object of the present invention is to eliminate the problems based on the above prior art, and when forming a film on a long substrate, it is possible to effectively remove foreign matters and improve maintainability and high productivity. Another object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of continuously forming a film at a high operating rate.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a film forming apparatus for forming a predetermined film on a film forming surface of a substrate while conveying a long substrate. A first evacuation unit for providing a degree of vacuum; a film forming unit that is provided in the chamber, and that forms a predetermined film on the film forming surface of the substrate by a vapor deposition method; and is provided in the chamber. A first conveyance roller having a rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the substrate conveyance direction and conveying the substrate to the film formation unit while rotating in contact with the film formation surface of the substrate; and provided in the chamber A second transport roller having a rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the substrate and transporting the substrate while rotating in contact with a film formation surface of the substrate on which the predetermined film is formed; First detection means for detecting foreign matter on the surface of the first transport roller; A first foreign matter removing means provided on the downstream side of the first detecting means in the rotational direction of the first transport roller and for removing foreign matter adhering to the surface of the first transport roller; And a controller that removes the foreign matter by the first foreign matter removing means when the foreign matter is detected on the surface of the first transport roller by the detecting means. To do.

In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, it is further provided on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the first transport roller with respect to the first foreign matter removing unit, and whether or not the foreign matter has been removed by the first foreign matter removing unit. It is preferable to have the 2nd detection means to detect.
In the present invention, the second transport roller is provided with third detection means for detecting foreign matter on the surface of the second transport roller, and further downstream in the rotation direction of the second transport roller. A second foreign matter removing means for removing foreign matter adhering to the surface of the second transport roller is provided on the side, and the foreign matter is detected on the surface of the second transport roller by the third detecting means; At this time, it is preferable that the control unit causes the second foreign matter removing means to remove the foreign matter.

In the present invention, it is further provided on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the second transport roller with respect to the second foreign matter removing means, and it is detected whether the foreign matter has been removed by the second foreign matter removing means. It is preferable to have a fourth detecting means.
Furthermore, in the present invention, at least one of the first foreign matter removing unit and the second foreign matter removing unit includes a removing roller for removing foreign matter, and the removing roller as the first conveying roller or the second conveying roller. It is preferable to include a movable mechanism that contacts or separates the transport roller.

  Further, in the present invention, at least one of the first foreign matter removing means and the second foreign matter removing means includes a storage container that houses the removal roller and the movable mechanism portion, and an independent chamber. And a second evacuation unit configured to make the inside of the storage container have a predetermined degree of vacuum, and when the foreign matter is removed from the storage container, the movable mechanism projects the removal roller to project the second roller. An opening for contacting the first transport roller or the second transport roller is provided at a position facing the first transport roller or the second transport roller, and the removal roller is the first transport roller. A closing member is provided that is spaced apart from the surface of the first conveying roller or the second conveying roller and closes the opening when the removing roller is retracted into the storage container. Door is preferable.

In the present invention, the substrate is further provided in the chamber, has a rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the substrate transfer direction, and is longer than the length of the substrate in the direction orthogonal to the substrate transfer direction. The substrate transported by the first transport roller has a rotatable drum that is wound around a predetermined surface area, and the film-forming unit is a film-forming surface of the substrate that is wound around the drum In addition, it is preferable to form a film by a vapor deposition method.
Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that a static eliminator for removing static electricity is provided on at least the first transport roller among the first transport roller, the second transport roller, and the substrate.

  According to the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the first detection means for detecting the foreign matter on the surface of the first transport roller and the downstream of the first detection roller in the rotation direction of the first transport roller are provided. First foreign matter removing means for removing foreign matter attached to the surface of the first transport roller, and when the foreign matter is detected on the surface of the first transport roller by the first detection means, the first foreign matter is detected. By providing a controller that removes the foreign matter by the removing means, when the foreign matter is attached to the surface of the first transport roller, the foreign matter is removed by the first foreign matter removing means. For this reason, when forming a film | membrane on a elongate board | substrate, a foreign material can be removed effectively. As a result, foreign matters such as dust and dust are transferred to the long substrate, or foreign materials enter and rub between the first transport roller and the substrate, and the long substrate is damaged by the foreign matters. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the film quality of the formed film, and as a result, it is possible to manufacture a product with good quality.

  When a removal roller is used as the first foreign matter removing means, the removal roller is brought into contact only when foreign matter is attached to the surface of the first conveying roller, so that contamination of the removal roller is suppressed. . For this reason, the replacement frequency of the removal roller is reduced, the frequency of stopping the film forming apparatus for the replacement of the removal roller is reduced, the maintenance performance can be improved, the productivity can be increased, and the high operating rate can be achieved. The film can be formed continuously with

  Further, according to the film forming apparatus of the present invention, for example, the first foreign matter removing means includes a storage container that stores the removal roller and the movable mechanism portion therein, and a predetermined vacuum inside the storage container independently of the chamber. And a second evacuation unit for removing the foreign matter from the storage container, the movable mechanism portion projects the removal roller to contact the first transport roller. By providing a blocking member that closes the opening when the removal roller is separated from the surface of the first conveyance roller and the removal roller moves back into the storage container, at a position facing the conveyance roller. Since the pressure inside the storage container can be changed independently of the chamber, the removal roller can be replaced without releasing the chamber to the atmosphere. For this reason, maintainability can be further improved.

Hereinafter, a film forming apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing an enlarged main part of a film forming chamber of the film forming apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. FIG. 2 is a view for explaining in detail the first foreign matter removing means 50 and the first foreign matter detecting means 70 of the film forming apparatus of this embodiment.

A film forming apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 is used for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium, an optical film, a gas barrier film, or the like.
The film forming apparatus 10 is an apparatus that continuously forms a film on a long substrate Z (web-like substrate Z), and basically includes a supply chamber 12 for supplying the long substrate Z, A film forming chamber (chamber) 14 for forming a film on the substrate Z, a winding chamber 16 for winding the long substrate Z on which the film is formed, a first vacuum exhaust means 34, and a control unit 38 are provided. . The operation of each element in the film forming apparatus 10 is controlled by the control unit 38.
In the film forming apparatus 10, the wall 15 a that partitions the supply chamber 12 and the film forming chamber 14 and the wall 15 b that partitions the film forming chamber 14 and the winding chamber 16 are slit-shaped through which the substrate Z passes. The opening 15c is formed.

In the film forming apparatus 10, a first vacuum exhaust means 34 is connected to the supply chamber 12, the film forming chamber 14, and the winding chamber 16 through a pipe 36. The inside of the supply chamber 12, the film formation chamber 14, and the winding chamber 16 is set to a predetermined degree of vacuum by the first vacuum exhaust means 34.
The first vacuum evacuation means 34 evacuates the supply chamber 12, the film formation chamber 14, and the winding chamber 16 to keep a predetermined degree of vacuum, and includes a vacuum pump such as a dry pump and a turbo molecular pump. is there. The supply chamber 12, the film formation chamber 14, and the winding chamber 16 are each provided with a pressure sensor (not shown) for measuring the internal pressure.
The ultimate vacuum degree of the supply chamber 12, the film formation chamber 14, and the winding chamber 16 by the first vacuum exhaust means 34 is not particularly limited, and a sufficient degree of vacuum is set according to the film formation method to be performed. Just keep it. The first evacuation unit 34 is controlled by the control unit 38.

The supply chamber 12 is a part that supplies a long substrate Z, and is provided with a substrate roll 20 and a guide roller 22.
The substrate roll 20 continuously feeds out a long substrate Z. For example, the substrate Z is wound counterclockwise.
For example, a motor (not shown) is connected to the substrate roll 20 as a drive source. By this motor, the substrate roll 20 is rotated in the direction r to rewind the substrate Z. In this embodiment, the substrate roll 20 is rotated clockwise and the substrate Z is continuously fed out.

The guide roller 22 guides the substrate Z to the film forming chamber 14 through a predetermined transport path. The guide roller 22 is configured by a known guide roller.
In the film forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the guide roller 22 may be a driving roller or a driven roller. Further, the guide roller 22 may be a roller that acts as a tension roller that adjusts the tension during conveyance of the substrate Z.

  In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the substrate Z is not particularly limited, and any of various substrates capable of forming a film by a vapor phase film forming method can be used. As the substrate Z, for example, various resin films such as a PET film, or various metal sheets such as an aluminum sheet can be used.

  As will be described later, the winding chamber 16 is a portion of the film forming chamber 14 where the substrate Z on which the film is formed on the surface Zf of the substrate Z is wound, and a guide roller 30 and a winding roll 32 are provided. .

The winding roll 32 is for winding the film-formed substrate Z in a roll shape, for example, clockwise.
For example, a motor (not shown) is connected to the winding roll 32 as a drive source. The take-up roll 32 is rotated by this motor, and the film-formed substrate Z is taken up.
In the winding roll 32, the substrate Z is rotated by a motor in the winding direction R. In this embodiment, the substrate Z is rotated clockwise to continuously wind the film-formed substrate Z, for example, clockwise. take.

  The guide roller 30 guides the substrate Z transported from the film forming chamber 14 to the take-up roll 32 through a predetermined transport path, similarly to the previous guide roller 22. The guide roller 30 is configured by a known guide roller. As with the guide roller 22 in the supply chamber 12, the guide roller 30 may be a driving roller or a driven roller. The guide roller 30 may be a roller that acts as a tension roller.

The film forming chamber 14 functions as a vacuum chamber, and continuously forms a film on the surface Zf of the substrate Z by, for example, plasma CVD among the vapor phase film forming methods while transporting the substrate Z. It is a part.
The film forming chamber 14 is configured by using materials used in various vacuum chambers such as stainless steel.

In the film forming chamber 14, the first transport roller 24, the drum 26, the second transport roller 28, the film forming unit 40, the first foreign matter removing means 50, and the first foreign matter detecting means 70 are provided. Is provided.
The first conveyance roller 24 and the second conveyance roller 28 are arranged in parallel so as to face each other with a predetermined distance therebetween, and the first conveyance roller 24 and the second conveyance roller 28. Are arranged with the longitudinal direction orthogonal to the transport direction D of the substrate Z.
The first transport roller 24 is disposed on the supply chamber 12 side, and the first transport roller 24 is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction D with respect to the second transport roller 28.

  The first transport roller 24 transports the substrate Z transported from the guide roller 22 provided in the supply chamber 12 to the drum 26. The first transport roller 24 has a rotation axis in a direction (hereinafter referred to as an axial direction) orthogonal to the transport direction D of the substrate Z and can rotate, for example, and the first transport roller 24 has an axial direction. Is longer than the length of the substrate Z (hereinafter referred to as the width of the substrate Z).

The second transport roller 28 transports the substrate Z wound around the drum 26 to a guide roller 30 provided in the winding chamber 16. For example, the second transport roller 28 has a rotation shaft in the axial direction and is rotatable, and the second transport roller 28 has an axial length longer than the width of the substrate Z.
Further, since the first transport roller 24 and the second transport roller 28 have the same configuration as the guide roller 22 provided in the supply chamber 12 except for the above configuration, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The drum 26 is provided below the space H between the first transport roller 24 and the second transport roller 28. The drum 26 is arranged with its longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal directions of the first transport roller 24 and the second transport roller 28. Furthermore, the drum 26 is grounded.
The drum 26 has, for example, a cylindrical shape, has a rotation shaft in the axial direction, and is rotatable. The length of the drum 26 in the axial direction is longer than the width of the substrate Z.
The drum 26 is configured to transport the substrate Z in the transport direction D while holding the substrate Z at a predetermined film forming position by rotating the substrate Z around the surface (circumferential surface).

As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming unit 40 is provided below the drum 26. With the substrate Z wound around the drum 26, the drum 26 rotates and the substrate Z moves in the transport direction D. A film is formed on the surface Zf of the substrate Z while being conveyed.
The film forming unit 40 forms a film using, for example, plasma CVD among vapor phase film forming methods, and includes a film forming electrode 42, a high frequency power supply 44, a source gas supply unit 46, and a partition unit 48. The control unit 38 controls the high frequency power supply 44 and the source gas supply unit 46 of the film forming unit 40.

In the film forming unit 40, a film forming electrode 42 is provided below the film forming chamber 14 so as to face the surface of the drum 26 with a predetermined gap S therebetween. The film forming electrode 42 is formed in, for example, a rectangular plate shape in plan view, and a plurality of holes (not shown) are formed at equal intervals on a wide surface. The film forming electrode 42 is arranged with this wide surface facing the drum 26. The film forming electrode 42 is generally called a shower electrode.
The film forming electrode 42 is connected to a high frequency power supply 44, and a high frequency voltage is applied to the film forming electrode 42 by the high frequency power supply 44.

The source gas supply unit 46 supplies, for example, a source gas for forming a film into the gap S through a plurality of holes of the film formation electrode 42 via a pipe 47. A gap S between the drum 26 and the film forming electrode 42 becomes a plasma generation space.
In the present embodiment, for example, when forming a SiO ₂ film, the source gas uses TEOS gas and oxygen gas as the active species gas.

As the source gas supply unit 46, various gas introduction means used in a plasma CVD apparatus can be used.
Further, in the source gas supply unit 46, not only the source gas but also various gases used in plasma CVD such as an inert gas such as an argon gas or a nitrogen gas and an active species gas such as an oxygen gas are used as the source gas. You may supply to the clearance gap S with gas. As described above, when a plurality of types of gases are introduced, each gas is formed through a different pipe even if the gases are mixed in the same pipe and supplied to the gap S through the plurality of holes of the film formation electrode 42. The gap 42 may be supplied through a plurality of holes in the electrode 42.
Further, the types or introduction amounts of the source gas or other inert gas and active species gas may be appropriately selected / set according to the type of film to be formed, the target film formation rate, or the like.

The partition 48 partitions the film forming electrode 42 in the film forming chamber 14.
The partition 48 includes, for example, a pair of partition plates 48a, and is disposed so that the film formation electrode 42 is sandwiched between the pair of partition plates 48a.
Each partition plate 48 a is a plate-like member extending in the length direction of the drum 26, and an end portion on the drum 26 side is bent to the opposite side to the film forming electrode 42. The partition 48 divides the gap S, that is, the plasma generation space in the film forming chamber 14.

The film forming electrode 42 is not limited to a flat plate shape. For example, various film forming electrodes can be used as long as the film can be formed by plasma CVD, such as a configuration in which a plurality of electrodes divided in the axial direction of the drum 26 are arranged. An electrode configuration is available. In view of uniformity of the electric field and plasma with respect to the substrate Z, the film-forming electrode 42 is preferably a flat-plate shower electrode having a rectangular shape in plan view as in the present embodiment.
In addition, the film forming electrode 42 and the high frequency power supply 44 may be connected via a matching box for impedance matching, if necessary.

The first foreign matter removing means 50 is provided on the first transport roller 24 and removes foreign matter such as dust g and dust adhering to the surface of the first transport roller 24.
The first foreign matter removing means 50 includes a first foreign matter removing unit 52 and a second vacuum exhaust means 54 connected to the first foreign matter removing unit 52 by a pipe 56.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the first foreign matter removing unit 52 includes a storage container 52 a disposed below the first transport roller 24, and a part of the storage container 52 a is formed in the film forming chamber 14. Protruding from. For example, a removal roller portion 60 described later is disposed in the interior 52b of the storage container 52a.

The removal roller section 60 includes a support section 62 and a removal roller 64 that is rotatably provided on the support section 62.
The support portion 62 supports the removal roller 64, and the support portion 62 can swing in the θ direction. The support portion 62 is connected to a motor 66, and the support portion 62 is swung in the θ direction by the motor 66. The removal roller 64 and the first transport roller 24 are brought into contact with or separated from each other by the swinging of the support portion 62. The motor 66 is controlled by the control unit 38. The support mechanism 62 and the motor 66 constitute a movable mechanism. In addition, since the movable mechanism part of this embodiment rocks the removal roller 64, it is hereafter called a swing system.
Further, the removal roller 64 is arranged with its longitudinal direction orthogonal to the transport direction D of the substrate Z, and has substantially the same length as the first transport roller 24.
The removal roller 64 can move foreign matters such as dust and dust from the surface of the first conveying roller 24 to the surface of the removing roller 64 and again remove foreign matters such as dust and dust as the first conveying roller. There is no particular limitation as long as it is not attached to the surface of 24. For example, as the removing roller, an adhesive roller having a surface formed of an adhesive resin is used.
In addition, the removal roller part 60 is not limited to one, You may provide multiple.

The storage container 52a is provided with an openable / closable opening / closing member 52c at the bottom, and the removal roller section 60 can be taken out from below the storage container 52a.
An opening 52d (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) for projecting the removal roller 64 to contact the first transport roller 24 is provided in the interior 52b of the storage container 52a. It is formed in the position facing. Further, a lid (blocking the opening 52d when the removal roller 64 moves away from the surface of the first transport roller 24 and the removal roller 64 moves back to the inside 52b of the storage container 52a) is provided inside the storage container 52a. A closing member 53 is provided. The lid 53 is provided with opening / closing means (not shown), and the opening / closing means is controlled by the control unit 38. In this way, the controller 38 controls the opening and closing of the lid 53.

  The second evacuation unit 54 is configured to evacuate the first foreign matter removing unit 52 (in the storage container 52 a) independently of the film formation chamber 14. By providing the second evacuation unit 54, the first foreign matter removing unit 52 (in the storage container 52 a) can be brought into an atmospheric pressure state or a vacuum state independently of the film forming chamber 14. The second vacuum evacuation unit 54 has the configuration of the first vacuum evacuation unit 34, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.

The first foreign object detection unit 70 includes a first imaging unit (first detection unit) 72, a second imaging unit (second detection unit) 74, and an image analysis unit 76.
The first imaging unit 72 and the second imaging unit 74 are arranged with the first foreign matter removal unit 52 interposed therebetween, and the first imaging unit 72 is located upstream in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 24. The second imaging unit 74 is disposed on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the first transport roller 24.

  The first imaging unit 72 captures the surface of the first transport roller 24 and acquires an image of the surface of the first transport roller 24 as image data. The first imaging unit 72 is capable of imaging over the entire area of the first transport roller 24 in the longitudinal direction. The first imaging unit 72 uses, for example, an arrayed CCD element having substantially the same length as that of the first transport roller 24. The first imaging unit 72 is connected to the image analysis unit 76. Image data of the image obtained by the first imaging unit 72 is output to the image analysis unit 76.

  The second imaging unit 74 is for confirming whether the foreign matter has been removed by the first foreign matter removing means 50 (first foreign matter removing unit 52). The second imaging unit 74 has the same configuration as that of the first imaging unit 72, and can capture images over the entire area in the longitudinal direction of the first conveying roller 24. Similar to the first imaging unit 72, the second imaging unit 74 uses, for example, an arrayed CCD element having substantially the same length as that of the first transport roller 24. The second imaging unit 74 is also connected to the image analysis unit 76, and the image data of the obtained image is output to the image analysis unit 76. Note that the second imaging unit 74 is for confirming the removal of foreign matter by the removal roller 64 and is not necessarily provided.

The image analysis unit 76 analyzes the image data of the image obtained by the first photographing unit 72 and the image data of the image obtained by the second photographing unit 74, and detects foreign matters such as dust g. is there. The image analysis unit 76 detects foreign matter such as dust g by using a general image processing method used for detecting dust or scratches by image processing. The image analysis unit 76 is connected to the control unit 38.
In the image analysis unit 76, when dust g is detected from the image data of the image obtained by the first photographing unit 72, a first detection signal indicating that a foreign object has been detected is sent to the control unit 38. Output. When dust g is detected from the image data of the image obtained by the second photographing unit 74, a second detection signal indicating that a foreign object has been detected is output to the control unit 38.

In the control unit 38, when the first detection signal is not input from the image analysis unit 76, that is, when the foreign matter such as dust g is not detected from the surface of the first transport roller 24 by the first foreign matter detection means 70. As shown in FIG. 3A, the removal roller 64 is retracted and stored in the interior 52 b of the storage container 52 a, and the opening 52 d is closed by a lid 53.
On the other hand, in the control unit 38, when the first detection signal is input from the image analysis unit 76, that is, the first foreign matter detection unit 70 removes foreign matter such as dust g from the surface of the first transport roller 24. If detected, the motor 66 is driven to swing the support portion 62 and cause the removal roller 64 to protrude from the opening 52d so as to contact the first transport roller 24 as shown in FIG. 3B. , Remove garbage g.

  Further, in the control unit 38, when the second detection signal is input from the image analysis unit 76, that is, when the dust g is detected after the dust g is removed by the removal roller 64, the substrate is caused by the dust g. Since Z is damaged, for example, the conveyance of the substrate Z is stopped.

In addition, an ionizer (static charge eliminator) 80 for removing static electricity from the first transport roller 24 is provided. The ionizer 80 is connected to the control unit 38, and the operation of the ionizer 80, that is, removal of static electricity is controlled by the control unit 38.
The ionizer 80 is not particularly limited in its configuration as long as the first guide roll 24 can be neutralized. As the ionizer 80, for example, a corona discharge system or an ion generation system can be used.
An ionizer 82 is also provided in the transport path of the substrate Z between the first transport roller 24 and the drum 26. The ionizer 82 neutralizes the substrate Z. The ionizer 82 is different from the ionizer 80 only in the position where the ionizer 82 is provided, and the configuration thereof is the same.

  The drum 26 may be provided with a temperature adjusting unit (not shown) for adjusting the temperature. This temperature adjustment unit is, for example, a heater provided at the center of the drum 26. In addition to this, for example, the temperature adjusting unit may be a heater using induction heating that heats only a region where the substrate Z is not wound on the surface of the drum 26 (an end portion 26a of the drum 26).

Next, the operation of the film forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment will be described.
The film forming apparatus 10 is transported through the long substrate Z from the supply chamber 12 to the take-up chamber 16 through a predetermined path from the supply chamber 12 through the film-formation chamber 14 to the take-up chamber 16. In this embodiment, a film is formed on the substrate Z.

In the film forming apparatus 10, a long substrate Z is transported to the film forming chamber 14 through a guide roller 22 from a substrate roll 20 wound counterclockwise, for example. In the film forming chamber 14, the film is transferred to the winding chamber 16 through the first transfer roller 24, the drum 26, and the second transfer roller 28. In the winding chamber 16, the long substrate Z is wound on the winding roll 32 through the guide roller 30. After passing the long substrate Z through this transfer path, the inside of the supply chamber 12, the film forming chamber 14, and the winding chamber 16 is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum by the first vacuum exhaust means 34, and the film forming unit In 40, a high-frequency voltage is applied from the high-frequency power supply 44 to the film-forming electrode 42, and a raw material gas for forming a film is supplied from the raw material gas supply unit 46 to the gap S through the pipe 47.
When electromagnetic waves are emitted around the film forming power source 42, plasma localized in the vicinity of the film forming electrode 42 is generated in the gap S, and the source gas is excited and dissociated. As a result, a predetermined film is formed on the surface Zf of the substrate Z.
Sequentially, the substrate roll 20 on which the long substrate Z is wound counterclockwise is rotated clockwise by the motor, and the long substrate Z is continuously fed out, and the drum 26 generates plasma on the substrate Z. While maintaining the position, the drum 26 is rotated at a predetermined speed, and the film formation unit 40 continuously forms a film on the surface Zf of the long substrate Z. Then, the film-formed long substrate Z is taken up by the take-up roll 32 through the second transport roller 28 and the guide roller 30.

Simultaneously with the formation of the film on the surface Zf of the long substrate Z, the surface of the first transport roller 24 is photographed by the first imaging unit 72, and the image data of the obtained image is image analysis unit Output to 76.
In the image analysis unit 76, the first detection signal is not output to the control unit 38 unless dust g is detected from the image data of the image obtained by the first imaging unit 72.

On the other hand, when dust g is detected from the image data of the image obtained by the first photographing unit 72, a first detection signal indicating that a foreign object has been detected is output to the control unit 38.
Upon receiving the first detection signal, the control unit 38 moves the lid 53 to communicate the interior 52b of the storage container 52a with the film forming chamber 14 through the opening 52d, as shown in FIG. .
Then, the motor 66 is rotated to swing the support portion 62, and as shown in FIG. 3B, the removal roller 64 protrudes from the opening portion 52 b and is brought into contact with the first transport roller 24. Thereby, the dust g adhering to the first conveying roller 24 is removed by the removing roller 64. Even in this case, the first conveyance roller 24 is imaged by the second imaging unit 74. Image data of an image obtained by the second imaging unit 74 is output to the image analysis unit 76. In the image analysis unit 76, when dust g is detected from the image data of the image obtained by the second imaging unit 74, a second detection signal indicating that a foreign object has been detected is sent to the control unit 38. Output. In this case, for example, the substrate roll 20 is stopped and the conveyance of the substrate Z is stopped.

As described above, in the film forming apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, when the surface Zf of the long substrate Z is formed, the foreign matter on the surface of the first transport roller 24 is detected, and the foreign matter is detected. Since the controller 38 brings the removal roller 64 of the first foreign matter removal unit 52 into contact with the first transport roller 24 to remove the foreign matter, the foreign matter can be effectively removed. As a result, foreign matter such as dust or dust is transferred to the long substrate Z, or foreign matter enters and rubs between the first transport roller 24 and the substrate Z, so that the long substrate Z is damaged by the foreign matter. It is possible to suppress the deterioration of the film quality of the formed film, and as a result, a product with good quality can be manufactured.
In the present embodiment, whether or not the foreign matter has been removed by the first foreign matter removing means 50 (first foreign matter removing unit 52) is also detected by the second photographing unit 74 and the image analyzing unit 76. Even if the foreign matter is not removed, the adverse effect can be eliminated by the foreign matter.

  In the film forming apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the removal roller 64 is not always in contact with the first conveyance roller 24, and the removal roller 64 is in contact with the first conveyance roller 24 only when removing foreign matter. . For this reason, the contact between the removal roller 64 and the first conveying roller 24 can be minimized, and the removal roller 64 is less likely to become dirty as compared to the contact with the removal roller at all times. Life expectancy can be achieved. As a result, the replacement cycle of the removal roller 64 can be lengthened, the operating rate can be increased, the frequency of maintenance can be lowered, the maintainability can be improved, and the productivity can be increased. The tact can be improved, and the film can be continuously formed on the substrate Z at a high operation rate.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first foreign matter removing unit 52 is provided with the second vacuum exhaust means 54 and further with the lid 53, and can be in a sealed state. For this reason, the inside of the first foreign matter removing unit 52 can be in a vacuum state or an atmospheric pressure state independently of the film forming chamber 14. For this reason, the removing roller 64 can be replaced without opening the film forming chamber 14 to the atmosphere. As a result, foreign matter such as dust, dust, and dust does not dance in the film formation chamber 14 as in the case where the film formation chamber 14 is opened to the atmosphere or the film formation chamber 14 is evacuated. There is no adhesion to one transport roller 24. Therefore, contamination in the film formation chamber 14 can also be prevented, and deterioration of the formed film quality can be suppressed due to dust or the like.
Furthermore, since the removing roller 64 can be replaced without opening the film forming chamber 14 to the atmosphere, there is no need to stop the film forming apparatus 10 once to open the film forming chamber 14 to the air and open it. Therefore, as in the case where the inside of the film forming chamber 14 is opened to the atmosphere, the gas in the film forming chamber 14 is removed in order to prevent the generation of contamination, and the inside of the film forming chamber 14 which takes time is evacuated again. A process becomes unnecessary. For this reason, the maintenance time can be shortened, the maintainability is improved, and further, the reduction in the operating rate of the film forming apparatus can be suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first transport roller 24 is provided with an ionizer 80, and static electricity is removed by the ionizer 80, so that adhesion of foreign matters such as dust and dirt is suppressed.
In the present embodiment, since the ionizer 82 for removing static electricity from the substrate Z is provided in the transport path between the first transport roller 24 and the drum 26, the reaction generated in the film forming unit 40 is generated. Even if an object passes through the partition 48 and reaches the substrate Z being transferred, adhesion of the reaction product can be suppressed. In this manner, since foreign matter such as dust is suppressed before being formed by the film forming unit 40, deterioration of the film quality of the formed film can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, in the film forming chamber 14, the first foreign matter removing unit 50 and the first foreign matter detecting unit 70 are provided on the first transport roller 24 immediately before the film forming unit 40. This is because foreign substances such as reaction products, dust, and dust generated from the film forming unit 40 are likely to adhere to the first transport roller 24 immediately before the film unit 40. However, the present embodiment is not limited to the above configuration. For example, in the film forming chamber 14, the first foreign matter removing unit 50 and the first foreign matter detecting unit 70 may be provided on all the transport rollers provided on the upstream side in the transport direction D of the film forming unit 40.

In addition, the 1st foreign material removal means 50 is not limited to the structure of this embodiment. For example, as in the first modification shown in FIG. 4, the first foreign matter removing means 55 is provided with, for example, four foreign matter removing units 55 along the rotational direction _RD of the first transport roller 24. It is good also as a structure.
The foreign matter removal unit 55 differs from the first foreign matter removal unit 52 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) of this embodiment in the configuration of the removal roller unit 61 and the configuration of the movable mechanism unit. Since the configuration other than that is the same as the configuration of the first foreign matter removing unit 52 of the present embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted.

Similarly to the foreign matter removal unit 52 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) of the present embodiment, the first foreign matter removal unit 55 also includes a storage container 52a. Protrudes from the film forming chamber 14. A removal roller portion 61 is disposed in the interior 52b of the storage container 52a.
The removal roller portion 61 of this modification includes a support portion 63a and a removal roller 65 that is rotatably provided on the support portion 63a.
The support portion 63a has a rack 67 on the opposite side to which the removal roller 65 is provided. A pinion 63 b that meshes with the rack 67 is provided. A motor 66 is connected to the pinion 63b. The support mechanism 63a, the pinion 63b, and the motor 66 constitute the movable mechanism section 63. The motor 66 is controlled by the control unit 38.

The removal roller 65 has the same configuration as that of the removal roller 64, and is disposed with its longitudinal direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction D of the substrate Z, and has substantially the same length as the first conveyance roller 24. Is. For the removal roller 65, for example, an adhesive roller having a surface formed of an adhesive resin is used.
The removal roller 65 can also move foreign matters such as dust and dust from the surface of the first conveying roller 24 to the surface of the removing roller 64, and the foreign matters such as dust and dust can be moved again to the first conveying roller. There is no particular limitation as long as it is not attached to the surface of 24.

In this modified example, the pinion 63b is rotated by the motor 66, whereby the support portion 63a is moved in the vertical direction V. Accordingly, the removal roller 65 is also moved in the vertical direction V. As a result, the removal roller 65 and the first transport roller 24 are brought into contact with or separated from each other.
In the present modification, the movable mechanism 63 that moves the removal roller 65 in the vertical direction V can be reduced in size by using a rack and pinion method, for example, the first transport roller of the storage container 52a. The length in the direction orthogonal to the 24 axial directions can be shortened. For this reason, more foreign matter removing units 55 can be arranged along the rotation direction _RD of the first transport roller 24. Furthermore, since the removal roller 65 can be moved in the vertical direction V by using the rack and pinion method, the ratio of the diameter of the removal roller 65 to the storage container 52 can be increased, and the diameter of the removal roller 65 is increased. be able to.

In addition, although the thing of the rack and pinion system was used for the movable mechanism part 63, it is not limited to this. Also in this modified example, as in the present embodiment, a swing type that swings the support portion 62 and contacts or separates the removing roller 65 and the first conveying roller 24 may be used.
Further, in the first foreign matter removing means 50 of this modification, each foreign matter removing unit 55 is connected to the second vacuum exhaust means 54, and the foreign matter removing unit 55 vacuums the inside independently of each other. Can be in a state.

In the first foreign matter removing means 50 of this modification, a plurality of, for example, four foreign matter removing units 55 are provided along the rotational direction _RD of the first conveying roller 24, and the foreign matter removing units 55 are provided one by one. When used, if the frequency of contamination is the same, it is not necessary to stop the film-forming apparatus for four times as long as the case where only one is provided, thereby reducing the frequency of maintenance.

Here, FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a second modification of the first foreign matter removing means of the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows the arrangement state of the first conveyance roller 24 and each foreign substance removal unit 55a of the first foreign substance removing means 51a, and illustration of the other components is omitted.
In the present embodiment, in addition to the first modification example in which a plurality of foreign substance removal units 55 are provided along the rotation direction _RD of the first transport roller 24, the first foreign substance in the second modification example shown in FIG. Like the removing means 51a, in the axial direction A of the first conveying roller 24, for example, one foreign substance removing unit 55a is arranged at each end portion 24a in the axial direction A of the first conveying roller 24. 1 upstream of the rotational direction _RD of the first transport roller 24, between the foreign matter removal units 55a disposed at each end 24a, that is, at the central portion 24b of the first transport roller 24 and disposed at each end 24a. The foreign matter removing unit 55a is arranged so as to overlap the foreign matter removing unit 55a in the axial direction A. Thus, by providing a total of three foreign matter removal units 55a (removal rollers 65a), foreign matters such as dust can be removed from the entire area in the axial direction A of the first transport roller 24.

The foreign matter removal unit 55a of the present modification has a configuration in which the length of the removal roller 65a is only shorter than that of the foreign matter removal unit 55 (see FIG. 4) of the first modification. Since it is the same structure as the foreign substance removal unit 55 of a modification, the detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.
In the present modification, for example, three foreign substance removal units 55a are provided independently of each other in the axial direction A of the first conveying roller 24, so that, for example, dust is concentrated on the end 24a. Even in the case where the removal roller 65a of the foreign matter removal unit 55a at the end is dirty and needs to be replaced than that of the other foreign matter removal unit 55a, the foreign matter removal unit 55a is individually independent in this modification. Therefore, even if the film forming apparatus is operating, the removal roller 65a can be replaced individually.

  In this way, in this modification, the removal roller 65a that removes the foreign matter can be replaced even if the film forming apparatus is operating, so there is no need to stop the operation of the film forming apparatus and replace the removing roller. For this reason, the operating efficiency of the film forming apparatus can be increased. Further, even when the removal roller 65a is replaced, the foreign matter on the first transport roller 24 can be removed by the other foreign matter removal unit 55a.

In this modification, the width of the removal roller 65a of each foreign matter removal unit 55a is changed according to the ease with which foreign matters such as dust are generated on the first transport roller 24, that is, the frequency of occurrence of foreign matter. Also good. In this case, it is preferable to narrow the width of the removal roller 65a at the end 24a of the first transport roller 24 where the occurrence frequency of foreign matters is high. In this way, by reducing the width of the removal roller 65a, the removal roller 65a removes foreign matter at a portion where the foreign matter is easily generated on the first transport roller 24 and is easily contaminated. It is not so high, and it does not remove foreign matter at sites that are difficult to get dirty. For this reason, when the narrow removal roller 65a provided at the end portion 24a of the first conveying roller 24 becomes dirty, it can be frequently replaced.
In this modified example, the rack and pinion method is used to contact and separate the removal roller 65a and the first transport roller 24, but it goes without saying that a swing method may be used.

Further, without providing each foreign substance removing unit 55a independently, for example, three foreign substances are removed in one foreign substance removing unit 55b like the first foreign substance removing means 51b of the third modification shown in FIG. You may make it the structure which provides the roller 64a.
FIG. 6 shows the arrangement state of the first conveying roller 24 and each removing roller 64 of the first foreign matter removing means 51b, and illustration of the other components is omitted.

The first foreign matter removing unit 55b of the present modified example has a first transport roller in the storage container 52a, as compared with the first foreign matter removing unit 52 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) of the present embodiment. An opening 52d is formed at a position corresponding to the end portion 24a and the central portion 24b of 24. The difference is that a removal roller 64a is provided in each opening 52d so as to be in contact with or away from the first transport roller 24, and the other configuration is the first foreign matter removal unit 52 of the present embodiment. Since the configuration is the same as that in FIG.
Also in the present modification, dust and the like can be removed from the entire area in the axial direction A of the first conveying roller 24 by the three removing rollers 64a.
Similarly to the first embodiment, the removal roller 64 a is in contact with or separated from the first transport roller 24 by the support portion 62 and the motor 66.

  In the present modification, for example, by arranging three removal rollers 64a that are independent from each other in one foreign matter removal unit 55b with respect to the axial direction A of the first transport roller 24, for example, the first The dust is concentrated on the end 24a of the transport roller 24, and the removal roller 64a at the end of the foreign matter removal unit 55b at the end 24a of the first transport roller 24 is more than that of the other foreign matter removal unit 55a. Even if it is dirty and needs to be replaced, in this modification, the removal rollers 64a are provided independently of each other. Therefore, by closing all the openings 52d with the lids 53, the removal rollers 64a can be removed. Can be exchanged independently. For this reason, it is not necessary to stop the operation of the film forming apparatus and replace the removal roller 64a, and the operating efficiency of the film forming apparatus can be increased.

Also in this modification, the width of the removal roller 64a of each foreign matter removal unit 55b may be changed according to the ease with which foreign matters such as dust are generated in the first transport roller 24, that is, the frequency of occurrence of foreign matter. . In this case, it is preferable to narrow the width of the removal roller 64a at the end 24a of the first transport roller 24 where the occurrence frequency of foreign matter is high, as in the second modification described above. Also in this modification, when the width of the removal roller 64a is narrowed and the narrow removal roller 64a provided at the end 24a of the first conveying roller 24 becomes dirty, it can be frequently replaced. it can.
Also in this modification, the swinging method is used for the contact and separation between the removal roller 64a and the first conveying roller 24, but it goes without saying that a rack and pinion method may be used.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing a film forming apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the same components as those of the film forming apparatus of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the film forming apparatus 10 a according to the present embodiment is similar to the film forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1) in the same manner as the first guide roller 24. The guide roller 28 is provided with the second foreign matter removing means 50a, the second foreign matter detecting means 70a, and the ionizer 80a, and the transport path of the substrate Z between the drum 26 and the second transport roller 28. The difference is that an ionizer 82a is provided, and the rest of the configuration is the same as that of the film forming apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The second foreign matter removing unit 50a has the same configuration as the first foreign matter removing unit 50 of the first embodiment. The second foreign matter removing means 50a includes a second foreign matter removing unit 52a and a second vacuum exhaust means 54 connected to the second foreign matter removing unit 52a by a pipe 56. Since the second foreign matter removing unit 52a has the same configuration as the first foreign matter removing unit 52 (see FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3B), detailed description thereof is omitted.

The second transport roller 28 is provided with a second foreign matter detection means 70a and an ionizer 80a. The second foreign object detection means 70a includes a first image pickup unit (third detection means) 72a, a second image pickup unit (fourth detection means) 74a, and an image analysis unit 76a. Since the first imaging unit 72, the second imaging unit 74, and the image analysis unit 76 of the first foreign object detection unit 70 have the same configuration, detailed description thereof is omitted.
Also, the ionizer 80a has the same configuration as the ionizer 80 of the first embodiment, and thus detailed description thereof is omitted.
Further, an ionizer 82 a is also provided in the transport path of the substrate Z between the drum 26 and the second transport roller 28. Since the ionizer 82a has the same configuration as the ionizer 80 of the first embodiment, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

Further, the operation of the film forming apparatus 10a of the present embodiment is the same as that of the film forming apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, with respect to the second transport roller 28, the second foreign matter removing means 50a, the second foreign matter detection. The point that the means 70a and the ionizer 80a operate, and the ionizer 82 provided in the transport path between the drum 26 and the second transport roller 28 operate. Other than that, the film forming apparatus 10 of the first embodiment and the ionizer 82a are operated. Since the same operation is performed, detailed description thereof is omitted.
In the present embodiment, for the second transport roller 28, the surface of the second transport roller 28 is photographed by the first imaging unit 72a simultaneously with the formation of the film on the surface Zf of the long substrate Z. The image is output to the image analysis unit 76a. In the image analysis unit 76a, the first detection signal is not output to the control unit 38 unless dust g is detected from the image data of the image obtained by the first imaging unit 72a.

On the other hand, when dust g is detected from the image data of the image obtained by the first photographing unit 72a, a first detection signal indicating that a foreign object has been detected is output to the control unit 38.
Upon receiving the first detection signal, the control unit 38 moves the lid 53 to communicate the interior 52b of the storage container 52a with the film forming chamber 14 through the opening 52d, as shown in FIG. .
Then, the motor 66 is rotated to swing the support portion 62 so that the removal roller 64 protrudes from the opening portion 52b and contacts the second transport roller 28 as shown in FIG. 3B. Thus, the dust g adhering to the second transport roller 28 is removed by the removal roller 64. Even in this case, the second conveyance roller 28 is imaged by the second imaging unit 74a. Image data of an image obtained by the second photographing unit 74a is output to the image analysis unit 76a. In the image analysis unit 76a, when dust g is detected from the image data of the image obtained by the second photographing unit 74a, the control unit 38 receives a second detection signal indicating that a foreign object has been detected. Output. In this case, for example, the substrate roll 20 is stopped and the conveyance of the substrate Z is stopped.

  In the film forming apparatus 10a of the present embodiment, when the surface Zf of the long substrate Z is formed, the foreign matter on the surface of the first transport roller 24 is detected, and if a foreign matter is detected, the first foreign matter is detected. The removal roller 64 of the removal unit 52 is brought into contact with the first transport roller 24 to remove foreign matter, and the second transport roller 28 also detects foreign matter on the surface thereof, and when a foreign matter is detected, The removal roller 64 of the second foreign matter removal unit 52a is brought into contact with the second transport roller 28 to remove foreign matter.

In the film forming apparatus 10a of the present embodiment, the second transport roller 28 is provided with a second foreign matter removing means 50a, a second foreign matter detecting means 70a, and an ionizer 80a. The only difference is that the ionizer 82a is also provided in the transfer path of the substrate Z between the transfer roller 28 and the transfer roller 28, so that the same effect as the film forming apparatus 10 of the first embodiment can be obtained.
In addition, in the film forming apparatus 10a of this embodiment, the second transport roller 28 is also provided with the second foreign matter removing means 50a, the second foreign matter detecting means 70a, and the ionizer 80a. As for the transport roller 28, foreign matters such as dust and dust can be removed. For this reason, when the substrate Z is transported by the second transport roller 28, it is possible to suppress the film formed from being damaged by dust or the like adhering to the surface. Thereby, finally, it is suppressed that the board | substrate Z wound up in roll shape with the winding roll 32 is damaged, and a good quality thing is obtained.

In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, in the film forming chamber 14, the second foreign matter removing means 50a and the second foreign matter detecting means are provided on the second transport roller 28 immediately after the film forming section 40. This is because the reaction product generated from the film forming unit 40, foreign matters such as dust and dust are likely to adhere to the second transport roller 28 immediately after the film forming unit 40. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, in the film forming chamber 14, the second foreign matter removing means 50a and the second foreign matter detecting means 70a may be provided on all the transport rollers provided on the downstream side in the transport direction D of the film forming section 40.
Further, in the present embodiment as well, in the film forming chamber 14, the first foreign matter removing means 50 and the first foreign matter are added to the first transport roller 24 immediately before the film forming unit 40 in the film forming chamber 14. Although the detection means 70 is provided, the present embodiment is not limited to this. For example, in the film forming chamber 14, the first foreign matter removing unit 50 and the first foreign matter detecting unit 70 may be provided on all the transport rollers provided on the upstream side in the transport direction D of the film forming unit 40.

  In the present embodiment as well, as in the first embodiment, the first to third modifications of the first embodiment with respect to the first foreign matter removing means 50 and the second foreign matter removing means 50a. An example configuration can be used.

  Although the film forming apparatus 10 of the first embodiment and the film forming apparatus 10a of the second embodiment have been described using plasma CVD as an example, the present invention is not limited to plasma CVD. As long as the film-forming part of this invention uses a vapor-phase film-forming method, various physical vapor deposition methods (PVD: Physical Vapor Deposition), chemical vapor deposition method (CVD: Chemical Vapor Deposition), A sputtering method or an ion plating method can also be used.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing a film forming apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the same components as those of the film forming apparatus of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the film forming apparatus 90 of the present embodiment folds and conveys the substrate Z, and folds and conveys the substrate, as compared with the film forming apparatus 10 (see FIG. 1) of the first embodiment. Film formation is performed at P during Z, and film formation by plasma CVD is possible at a high film formation rate.

As shown in FIG. 8, the film forming apparatus 90 is provided in a supply chamber 12 a and a substrate Z loaded with a substrate roll 20 around which a long substrate Z is wound, similarly to the film forming apparatus 10 of the first embodiment. It has a film forming chamber 14a for performing film formation by plasma CVD, and a winding chamber 16a in which a winding roll 32 for winding the film-formed substrate Z is loaded.
The basic configurations of the supply chamber 12a, the film forming chamber 14a, and the winding chamber 16a of the film forming apparatus 90 of the present embodiment are the same as those of the film forming apparatus 10 of the first embodiment.
Note that, between the supply chamber 12a and the film forming chamber 14a, and between the film forming chamber 14a and the winding chamber 16a, a wall 15a that partitions the supply chamber 12a and the film forming chamber 14a, and a film forming chamber, respectively. A wall 15b is provided to partition 14a and the winding chamber 16a. In the walls 15a and 15b, slit-like openings 15c through which the substrate Z passes are formed.

  The supply chamber 12a includes a substrate roll 20 and guide rollers 22a and 22b. The guide rollers 22a and 22b are rollers that guide the substrate Z to the film forming unit 14a through a predetermined transport path, and have the same configuration as the guide roller 22 of the first embodiment.

  The winding chamber 16a has a winding roll 32 and guide rollers 30a and 30b. The guide rollers 30a and 30b guide the substrate Z transported from the film forming unit 14a to the take-up roll 32 through a predetermined transport path. The guide rollers 30a and 30b are the same as those in the first embodiment. The configuration is the same as that of the guide roller 30.

  The film forming unit 14a includes two rollers 92 and 96 and a folding roller 94 for transporting the substrate Z along a predetermined transport path. The rollers 92 and 96 and the folding roller 94 are arranged so that the conveyance path of the substrate Z before and after the folding by the folding roller 94 is parallel. That is, the two rollers 40 and 42 and the folding roller 94 constitute a transporting unit that transports the substrate Z before and after the folding through a predetermined transport path passing through a plasma generation region described later.

  In the film forming chamber 14 a, the substrate Z transported from the supply chamber 12 a is transported toward the upper folding roller 94 by the roller 92, and the transport path is folded back in the reverse direction by the folding roller 94 toward the lower roller 96. Then, it is guided by the roller 96 and sent to the winding chamber 16a. An adhesion preventing plate 110 for preventing the film from adhering to the rollers 92 and 96 is disposed on the rollers 92 and 96.

In the film forming apparatus 90, the roller 92 conveys the substrate Z conveyed from the guide roller 22b of the supply chamber 12a toward the upper folding roller 94.
The folding roller 94 folds the conveyance path of the substrate Z conveyed from the film forming chamber 36 in the reverse direction (folds 180 °) and conveys it toward the lower roller 94, and the surface on which the film is formed It conveys in contact with Zf. The substrate Z is transported laterally by the roller 94 and transported to the guide roller 30a in the winding chamber 16a.

In the film forming chamber 14a, the film forming electrodes 102 connected to the high frequency power supply 44 and the matching box 100 are arranged so as to face each other with the substrate Z before and after being turned back by the turn back roller 94 interposed therebetween.
Further, a shower head 104 is provided between the substrates Z to be folded and conveyed. A gas supply unit 46 is connected to the shower head 104 via a pipe 47. A reaction gas is supplied from the shower head 104 through the pipe 47 from the gas supply unit 46 to the P between the substrates Z to be folded and conveyed.
In the present embodiment, the high-frequency power source 44, the source gas supply unit 46, the film-forming electrode 102, and the shower head 104 constitute a film-forming unit 40a.
With the above configuration, in the space P between the substrates Z that are folded and conveyed by the folding roller 94, the gas is excited and plasma is generated, and the reaction gas is excited / dissociated to the inner surface side of the folded conveyance of the substrate Z. The film is formed by plasma CVD.

  Further, the folding roller 94 is provided with a first foreign matter removing means 50 and a first foreign matter detecting means 70. Thereby, also in this embodiment, the foreign material on the surface of the folding roller 94 can be removed as in the first embodiment. As a result, even if a reaction product or the like generated during film formation adheres to the folding roller 94 as a foreign substance, the foreign substance on the folding roller 94 in contact with the surface Zf of the substrate Z is removed. For this reason, it is suppressed that the surface of the board | substrate Z formed into a film once is damaged.

An ionizer 106 is also provided in the transport path of the substrate Z between the roller 92 and the folding roller 94. Further, an ionizer 108 is also provided in the transport path of the substrate Z between the folding roller 94 and the roller 96.
The ionizers 106 and 108 neutralize the substrate Z and suppress the adhesion of foreign substances such as reaction products, dust, and dust generated during film formation.

In the film forming apparatus 90 of the present embodiment, in the film forming chamber 14a, the surface Zf of the substrate Z comes into contact with the plasma and is transferred to the surface Zf by plasma CVD while being conveyed upward toward the folding roller 94. Even when film formation is performed and the film is folded back by the folding roller 94 and conveyed downward, the same plasma is contacted, and film deposition by plasma CVD is performed again on the surface Zf of the substrate Z. That is, in this film forming apparatus 90, a long substrate Z is folded and conveyed, and plasma is generated between the substrates Z, so that film formation can be performed twice on the substrate Z with the same plasma. it can. Thereby, film formation by plasma CVD can be performed at a high film formation rate. At this time, even if the reaction product adheres to the folding roller 94, it is removed by the first foreign matter removing means 50.
As described above, the film forming apparatus 90 according to the present embodiment is different from the film forming apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment only in the transport form, and other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment. Since the configuration is the same as that of the film apparatus 10, the same effect as that of the film formation apparatus 10 of the first embodiment can be obtained.

  In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the configurations of the first to third modifications of the first embodiment can be used for the first foreign matter removing unit 50. .

  As described above, the film forming apparatus of the present invention has been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various improvements and modifications may be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical side view which expands and shows the principal part of the film-forming chamber of the film-forming apparatus shown in FIG. (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram which shows operation | movement of the 1st foreign material removal unit of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention in order of a process. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 1st modification of the 1st foreign material removal means of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd modification of the 1st foreign material removal means of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the 3rd modification of the 1st foreign material removal means of the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the film-forming apparatus which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 10a, 90 Film forming apparatus 12 Supply chamber 14 Film forming chamber 16 Winding chamber 20 Substrate roll 22, 22a, 22b, 30, 30a, 30b Guide roller 32 Winding roll 34 First vacuum exhaust means 40, 40a Film part 42 Film forming electrode 44 High frequency power supply 46 Source gas supply part 50 First foreign matter removing means 50a Second foreign matter removing means 52 First foreign matter removing unit 52a Second foreign matter removing unit 54 Second vacuum exhaust means 60 Removal roller section 64 Removal roller 70 First foreign matter detection means 70a Second foreign matter detection means 72 First imaging section (first detection means)
72a 1st imaging part (3rd detection means)
74 Second imaging unit (second detection means)
74a Second imaging unit (fourth detection means)
76 Image analysis unit 80, 80a, 82, 82a Ionizer D Transport direction Z Substrate

Claims (8)

A film forming apparatus for forming a predetermined film on a film forming surface of the substrate while conveying a long substrate,
A chamber;
First evacuation means for making the inside of the chamber have a predetermined degree of vacuum;
A film forming unit that is provided in the chamber and forms a predetermined film on the film forming surface of the substrate by a vapor deposition method;
A first transfer roller provided in the chamber and having a rotation axis in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the substrate, and transferring the substrate to the film formation unit while rotating in contact with the film formation surface of the substrate; ,
A second chamber that is provided in the chamber and has a rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the substrate conveyance direction, and conveys the substrate while rotating in contact with a film formation surface of the substrate on which the predetermined film is formed; A transport roller;
First detection means for detecting foreign matter on the surface of the first transport roller;
A first foreign matter removing means provided on the downstream side in the rotation direction of the first transport roller with respect to the first detection means, for removing the foreign matter attached to the surface of the first transport roller;
And a control unit that removes the foreign matter by the first foreign matter removing means when the foreign matter is detected on the surface of the first transport roller by the first detecting means. apparatus.   Further, a second detection means provided downstream of the first foreign matter removing means in the rotation direction of the first conveying roller and detecting whether or not the foreign matter has been removed by the first foreign matter removing means. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1.   The second transport roller is provided with third detection means for detecting foreign matter on the surface of the second transport roller, and further, the second transport roller is disposed downstream in the rotation direction of the second transport roller. A second foreign matter removing means for removing foreign matter attached to the surface of the roller is provided, and when the foreign matter is detected on the surface of the second transport roller by the third detecting means, the control unit The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter is removed by the second foreign matter removing unit.   Furthermore, a fourth detection means is provided downstream of the second foreign matter removing means in the rotation direction of the second transport roller and detects whether or not the foreign matter has been removed by the second foreign matter removing means. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3.   At least one of the first foreign matter removing unit and the second foreign matter removing unit includes a removing roller that removes the foreign matter, and contacts or separates the removing roller from the first transport roller or the second transport roller. The film-forming apparatus of any one of Claims 1-4 provided with the movable mechanism part. At least one of the first foreign matter removing means and the second foreign matter removing means includes a storage container that houses the removal roller and the movable mechanism portion inside,
A second evacuation means for making the inside of the storage container a predetermined degree of vacuum independently of the chamber;
When the foreign matter is removed, the storage container has an opening for causing the removal roller to project by the movable mechanism and to contact the first transport roller or the second transport roller. And the removal roller is separated from the surface of the first conveyance roller or the second conveyance roller, and the removal roller is stored in the storage. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a closing member that closes the opening when retracted into the container. Further, the first conveyance roller is provided in the chamber, has a rotation axis in a direction orthogonal to the substrate conveyance direction, and is longer than a length of the substrate in a direction orthogonal to the substrate conveyance direction. The substrate transported by has a rotatable drum wound around a predetermined surface area,
The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the film forming unit forms a film on a film forming surface of the substrate wound around the drum by a vapor phase film forming method. .   The static eliminator which removes static electricity is provided in at least the 1st conveyance roller among the 1st conveyance roller, the 2nd conveyance roller, and the substrate. The film-forming apparatus of description.

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