JP2012099606A - Extending apparatus for flexible film - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position control apparatus for a flexible film capable of: suppressing droop and wrinkles being generated in a band-shaped flexible film; achieving a high quality process; and being applied to a conveyance of the flexible film in a reverse direction.SOLUTION: In a conveyance path for conveying a band-shaped flexible film 1 in a vertical posture in a horizontal direction while applying tension with conveyance rollers 2, extending apparatuses 10A and 10B for extending the flexible film 1 in a width direction thereof comprises: two reference rollers 12 arranged in parallel in a conveyance direction for pivotably supporting edge portions 1a and 1b of the flexible film 1 on a reference face of conveyance; two pushing rollers 11 which sandwich the flexible film 1 with the respective reference rollers 12 to pivotably support the edge portions 1a and 1b of the flexible film 1 from the opposite side. The edge portions 1a and 1b of the flexible film 1 are guided into a bent state according to a pushing amount d of the pushing rollers 11 with respect to the reference rollers 12, so that tensile force of the edge portions 1a and 1b in the conveyance direction becomes higher than that of a middle portion in a width direction of the flexible film 1.

Description

  The present invention relates to a stretching device for stretching a strip-shaped flexible substrate in a width direction in a transport path for transporting a strip-shaped flexible substrate in a lateral direction in a vertical posture.

  A rigid substrate is usually used as a substrate for a thin film laminate such as a semiconductor thin film. However, a flexible substrate such as a plastic film is used for the purpose of improving productivity and reducing costs due to the convenience of handling through a roll. May be used. In Patent Documents 1 to 3, a plurality of film forming units arranged in the conveyance direction of the flexible substrate while step-conveying the belt-like flexible substrate (polyimide film) supplied from the unwinding roll at a predetermined pitch. Thus, there is disclosed a thin film laminate manufacturing apparatus in which a plurality of thin films having different properties are stacked on the flexible substrate and wound as a product roll.

  In such a thin film laminate manufacturing apparatus, a lateral posture, that is, a type in which film formation is performed while transporting the width direction of the belt-like flexible substrate in a horizontal direction, and a vertical posture, as in Patent Documents 1 to 3, There is a type in which film formation is performed while transporting the strip-shaped flexible substrate with the width direction being the vertical direction. The latter has advantages such as a smaller installation area and less contamination of the substrate surface compared to the former, but it is difficult to keep the transport height constant against gravity when the distance between the transport rolls is increased. Thus, the tendency that wrinkles occur on the surface of the flexible substrate or the flexible substrate hangs down becomes significant.

  A film forming unit installed in a flexible substrate transfer path, for example, a vacuum vapor deposition unit for performing chemical vapor deposition such as plasma CVD or physical vapor deposition such as sputtering, is disposed inside a vacuum chamber and is heated by a heater. Has been heated. Therefore, the flexible substrate is also introduced into the film forming unit in a state of being preheated by an unwinding unit or the like in order to avoid a rapid temperature change. Therefore, it is required that the transport rolls that are in contact with each other over the entire width of the flexible substrate be installed at the minimum necessary with an interval as much as possible, and the above problem cannot be avoided.

  Therefore, in the apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a pair of sandwiching rollers that sandwich the side edge of the flexible substrate is disposed between the film forming units, and the rotation direction of the sandwiching section of each sandwiching roller is allowed. With an inclination angle directed obliquely upward and obliquely downward with respect to the conveyance direction of the flexible substrate, an upward and downward extending tension is applied to the edge of the flexible substrate, and I try to prevent the occurrence of soot.

  However, in the above apparatus, since the tensile force acting on the edge of the flexible substrate depends on the direction of conveyance of the flexible substrate, a reciprocating film forming process including conveyance of the flexible substrate in the reverse direction is performed. In order to do so, it is necessary to reverse the respective inclination angles. Providing a mechanism for reversing a plurality of sandwiching roller pairs arranged along the transport path all at once increases the cost. Therefore, in the apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 4, a conical sandwiching roller pair having a circumferential surface inclined with respect to the rotation axis direction is used instead of the sandwiching roller pair arranged in an inclined manner, thereby allowing forward and reverse bidirectional operation. It is possible to apply the same tension during the transport.

JP2009-38276 JP 2009-38277 A JP 2009-57632 A International Publication 2010/088718

  In each of the above-described types of sandwiching roller pair, the tension is transmitted to the flexible substrate through the frictional force acting on the sandwiching surface. Therefore, by adjusting the contact pressure of the sandwiching roller pair, The tension applied to the edge can be controlled. Of course, it also has a function as a guide roller by sandwiching the upper and lower edges of the flexible substrate. However, it becomes resistance to the conveyance force of the flexible substrate, and as the contact pressure of the sandwiching roller pair increases or the number of the sandwiching roller pairs increases, the transportation load of the flexible substrate increases. Become.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to enable high-quality processing by suppressing drooping or wrinkling of the strip-shaped flexible substrate while suppressing an increase in the transport load. An object of the present invention is to provide a stretching device for a flexible substrate.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a stretching device for stretching a strip-shaped flexible substrate in a width direction in a transport path for transporting a belt-like flexible substrate in a vertical posture while applying tension with a transport roll. Two reference rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction to transfer the edge of the flexible substrate on the transport reference surface, and the edge of the flexible substrate between the two reference rollers. A pressing roller that is pivoted from the opposite side, and the edge of the flexible substrate is guided in a bent state corresponding to the pressing amount of the pressing roller with respect to the two reference rollers, The apparatus for extending a flexible substrate is characterized in that a tension in a conveying direction is higher than an intermediate portion in the width direction of the flexible substrate.

  The flexible substrate is conveyed in a tensioned state by conveyance rolls arranged on the upstream side and downstream side of the conveyance path, and between these conveyance rolls or guide rolls added as necessary, between the rolls. By being stretched, it is basically transported in a non-contact state and passed through a space for performing processing such as film formation. In such a transport path, the above stretching device increases the tension in the transport direction at the edge of the flexible substrate and forms a high tension zone extending in the transport direction along the edge. The intermediate zone in the width direction that occupies most of the area of the flexible substrate is maintained in a stretched state, and wrinkles and drooping are suppressed.

  In addition, the high tension zone is not limited to the position of the expansion device, but extends in the transport direction along the edge, which is advantageous when there is no support by the transport roll, that is, when the transport span is long. In addition, since the stretching action by the high tension zone does not depend on the direction of conveyance of the flexible substrate, it can be suitably applied to a process including forward / reverse bidirectional conveyance, and even when the flexible substrate is stopped. Since the action can be obtained, it is also suitable for implementation in an apparatus that performs processing such as film formation during the stop period of step conveyance that repeats conveyance and stop of the flexible substrate. In addition, it is not necessary to incline the rollers in order to obtain a stretching action, and no frictional resistance is generated between the rollers and the substrate, so that there is an advantage that an increase in conveying load can be suppressed.

  In the present invention, the “conveying roll” includes a drive roll that applies a conveying force to the flexible substrate on the downstream side of the conveying path by contact over the entire width with the flexible substrate, and a conveying path. Of course, a tension applying roll for applying a transport tension (braking force) on the upstream side is included, a winding roll for applying a winding tension to the flexible substrate on the downstream side of the driving roll, and a winding on the upstream side of the transport path. An unwinding roll that imparts unwinding tension, a guide roll that is added between the rolls as necessary, and the like are used. Alternative embodiments are included.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to further include a support mechanism that supports the pressing roller so as to be displaceable in a direction intersecting the conveyance reference surface, and the pressing amount can be adjusted via the support mechanism. By adjusting the push-in amount, it is possible to adjust the tension in the transport direction applied to the edge of the flexible substrate. The transport tension and transport speed of the entire transport system, the thickness of the flexible substrate, and the length of the transport span There is an advantage that the stretching action can be adjusted according to the setting and change of the temperature and processing time of the processing space.

  In the present invention, the pressing roller further includes a biasing unit that biases the pressing roller in a direction to increase the pressing amount via the support mechanism, and the pressing amount is adjusted by a biasing force of the biasing unit. May be. By maintaining the pressing force by the pressing roller constant, it is possible to obtain a stretching action according to the transport tension of the entire system.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to further include an adjustable regulating means for regulating the pushing amount of the pushing roller to an upper limit value. When the pushing amount of the pushing roller is adjusted by the urging force of the urging means, the conveyance tension of the entire system decreases by itself, and if the pushing amount becomes excessive, wrinkles generated by the stretching device itself are generated in the intermediate zone in the width direction. Although there is a possibility of influencing, such a situation can be avoided if the upper limit value of the push-in amount is regulated.

  In the present invention, either the reference roller or the pushing roller is a conical roller having a circumferential surface inclined with respect to the axial direction, and the conical roller has a smaller diameter side on the center side in the width direction of the flexible substrate. And the rotation direction on the conveyance reference plane may be supported in the same direction as the conveyance direction. Since the conical roller has a stretching action on the edge of the flexible substrate due to the difference in the diameter of the peripheral surface, either the reference roller or the pressing roller is used as a conical roller, thereby adding tension between the reference roller and the pressing roller. A synergistic stretching effect with the above-described stretching action can be obtained.

  In the stretching device according to the present invention, the flexible substrate is guided in a bent state without being held between the pair of rollers, and is pressed against the reference roller and the pushing roller. Therefore, the flexible substrate can be sandwiched between a pair of conical rollers.

  That is, in the present invention, it further includes a conical roller pressed against the conical roller in a state where an edge portion of the flexible substrate is sandwiched, and the conical roller has a smaller diameter side in the width direction of the flexible substrate. It may be supported so that it may be located in the center and the rotation direction on the conveyance reference plane may be the same as the conveyance direction. In this mode, in addition to the expansion action by adding tension between the reference roller and the pushing roller, the expansion tension corresponding to the contact pressure of the conical roller pair can be obtained. Position control in the width direction of the substrate can also be performed.

  In the present invention, one of the two reference rollers is a transport roll (a driving roll, a tension applying roll, an unwinding roll, a winding roll, a guide roll, or the like) that rolls the flexible substrate over its entire width. It may be substituted. When the stretching device according to the present invention is installed adjacent to a transport roll arranged on the upstream side or the downstream side of the transport span, the reference roll located on the transport roll side is substituted with the transport roll, so that the device The configuration can be simplified and the installation space can be saved.

  As described above, the flexible substrate stretching apparatus according to the present invention can suppress the occurrence of drooping or wrinkling of the belt-shaped flexible substrate while suppressing an increase in the conveyance load. High-quality processing is possible, and a reciprocating process including conveyance in the reverse direction of the flexible substrate can be handled at low cost.

It is the schematic plan view (a) and side view (b) which show the film-forming part in which the extending | stretching apparatus based on fundamental embodiment of this invention was installed. It is the schematic plan view (a) and side view (b) which show the stretching apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is BB sectional drawing (b) of FIG. 2, and its top view (a). It is the schematic plan view (a) and side view (b) which show the stretching apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and its CC sectional drawing (c). It is the schematic plan view (a) and side view (b) which show the film-forming part in which the extending | stretching apparatus based on 2nd Embodiment of this invention was installed. It is the schematic plan view (a) and side view (b) which show the stretching apparatus concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and its CC sectional drawing (c). It is the schematic plan view (a) and side view (b) which show the stretching apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic plan view (a) and side view (b) which show the stretching apparatus which concerns on 5th Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows other embodiment of the extending | stretching apparatus based on this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components common or corresponding to each embodiment may be denoted by common or corresponding reference numerals, and description thereof may be omitted.

  1 (a) and 1 (b) show a film forming unit in which the expansion devices 10A and 10B according to the basic embodiment of the present invention are installed, for example, a thin film laminate constituting a thin film photoelectric conversion element for a solar cell. 1 shows the vicinity of one film forming unit 4 in the manufacturing apparatus. The thin film laminate manufacturing apparatus conveys a strip-like flexible substrate 1 (flexible film) unwound from a unwinding roll (not shown) horizontally in a vertical position inside a vacuum chamber maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum. In the film forming unit in which a plurality of film forming units 4 are arranged along the transport path, a thin film is formed on the surface of the flexible substrate 1 and wound around a winding roll (not shown).

  FIG. 1 shows an example in which the transport rolls 2 and 2 are disposed on both sides of one film formation unit 4, but a plurality of film formation units 4 are disposed between the transport rolls 2 and 2. The film forming unit 4 as described above may be disposed between the two transport rolls 2 and 2. The transport rolls 2 and 2 are guide rolls, and a drive roll (not shown) for controlling the transport speed and transport amount is arranged further downstream of the transport roll 2 on the downstream side in the transport direction (F) on the right side in the drawing. Further, a tension applying roll for applying a predetermined transport tension to the flexible substrate 1 is disposed further upstream of the upstream transport roll 2, and the flexible substrate 1 has a predetermined transport speed and It is conveyed continuously or intermittently while being maintained at the conveying tension. However, either or both of the drive roll and the tension applying roll may be disposed at the positions of the transport rolls 2 and 2. In addition, when a forward / reverse bidirectional film formation process including conveyance in the reverse direction (R) is performed, the drive direction / control operation of the drive roll / tension applying roll and the unwinding / winding roll are: Switched between forward and reverse directions.

  The film forming unit 4 is constituted by a vacuum vapor deposition unit for performing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) such as plasma CVD or physical vapor deposition (PVD) such as sputtering, and is disposed opposite to both sides of the flexible substrate 1. And a cathode (a high-frequency electrode or sputtering target having a number of source gas ejection holes on the surface) and an anode (a ground electrode with a built-in heater). The flexible substrate 1 is transported and formed by a continuous film forming method (roll-to-roll method) in which film formation is performed while the flexible substrate 1 is continuously transported at a constant speed, and the flexible substrate 1. There is a step film forming method (stepping roll method) in which the film is transported step by step for each film forming unit 4 and the film forming process is performed during the stop period. In the step film formation method, electrode pairs constituting the film formation unit 4 are accommodated in an open / close chamber that opens toward the transport surface of the flexible substrate 1. Since these configurations are well known, detailed illustration and description thereof will be omitted.

  The stretching apparatuses 10A and 10B are disposed adjacent to the transport rolls 2 and 2 on the upstream and downstream sides in the transport direction of the film forming unit 4 and are used to stretch the upper edge 1a of the flexible substrate 1. The apparatus 10 </ b> A and a lower stretching apparatus 10 </ b> B for stretching the lower edge 1 b of the flexible substrate 1, and each of the edges 1 a and 1 b of the flexible substrate 1 are transferred to the transport roll 2. , 2 from the same side as the reference rollers 12, 12 that are transferred on the reference conveyance surface (virtual plane in contact with the circumferential surface of the conveyance rollers 2, 2), and the reference rollers 12, 12 and the conveyance rollers 2, 2. In between, it is comprised with the pushing rollers 11 and 11 which transfer the edge parts 1a and 1b of the flexible substrate 1 from the opposite side.

  The reference roller 12 and the pushing roller 11 are both supported so as to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the rotation axis of the transport rolls 2 and 2, and the reference roller 12 is fixedly disposed along the transport reference plane. On the other hand, the pushing roller 11 is offset to the reference roller 12 side in the direction crossing the conveyance reference plane beyond the conveyance reference plane, and the edge portion of the flexible substrate 1 according to this offset, that is, the pushing amount d. Only 1a and 1b are guided in a bent state.

  As described above, the flexible substrate 1 is uniformly tensioned in the entire width direction by the driving roll (not shown) arranged on the downstream side of the conveyance path and the tension applying roll (not shown) arranged on the upstream side. However, the tension in the conveying direction at the edges 1a and 1b of the flexible substrate 1 is increased between the conveying rolls 2 and 2 by the amount of bending according to the pressing amount d of the pressing roller 11. Thus, a high tension zone extending in the transport direction along the edges 1a and 1b is formed. Such a high tension zone of the upper and lower edge portions 1a and 1b prevents the entire flexible substrate 1 from drooping between the transport rolls 2 and 2, as well as a large part of the area of the flexible substrate 1. The occupied intermediate zone (product region) in the width direction is extended toward the upper and lower edges 1a and 1b, that is, flattened, and the generation of wrinkles is suppressed.

  If the conveyance tension uniformly applied to the entire width direction is increased for the purpose of preventing drooping or wrinkling of the flexible substrate 1, the upper and lower edges 1 a and 1 b have a width between the conveyance rolls 2 and 2. In the middle portion in the width direction, a tension wrinkle extending in the transport direction is generated, and a heating wrinkle due to film formation is also induced. However, in the stretching devices 10A and 10B according to the present invention, the conveyance tension itself is not changed, and only the tension of the upper and lower edge portions 1a and 1b is locally increased, so that contraction in the width direction and tension wrinkles occur. Absent. The edges 1a and 1b are bent when passing through the pressing roller 11, but these edges 1a and 1b are processing margins outside the product region, and are cut after the thin film photoelectric conversion elements are stacked. There is no impact on the product.

  The tension applied to the edges 1a and 1b of the flexible substrate 1 by the stretching devices 10A and 10B is determined according to the pressing amount d (pressing force P) of the pressing roller 11. Therefore, in order to set the optimal pressing amount d according to the transport tension of the flexible substrate 1, it is preferable that the pressing roller 11 is configured to be displaceable in a direction intersecting the transport reference plane. Further, instead of setting the pressing amount d, the pressing roller 11 may be biased by a biasing member such as a spring to apply the pressing force P. Furthermore, there are various embodiments of the stretching device according to the present invention depending on the form of the pressing roller 11 and the reference roller 12. Hereinafter, representative embodiments will be described.

(First embodiment)
2 and 3 show a stretching device 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the basic embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the stretching devices 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are disposed adjacent to the transport rolls 2 and 2, and these transport rolls 2 and 2 transfer the flexible substrate 1 to the transport reference plane. Although the function of the reference roller was provided, the stretching device 10 of the present embodiment shows a case where the reference roller 13 is provided separately from the transport rollers 2 and 2. That is, the stretching device 10 includes two reference rollers 12 and 13 and one pushing roller 11 disposed between them.

  The reference rollers 12 and 13 are rotatably supported by tip portions (lower end portions) of shafts (support shafts) 12a and 13a via bearings (not shown), and base portions (upper portions) of the shafts 12a and 13a are fixed. It is fixed to a vacuum chamber structure (not shown) via brackets 12b and 13b. Each of the reference rollers 12 and 13 has an elongated cylindrical shape, and the end in the vertical width direction is smoothly chamfered.

  The pushing roller 11 also has an elongated cylindrical shape like the reference rollers 12 and 13, and is rotatably supported by a tip portion (lower end portion) of the shaft 11a via a bearing (not shown). A base portion (upper portion) of the shaft 11a is The movable bracket 14 is supported at the tip. The base end portion of the movable bracket 14 is pivotally supported by the shaft 12a of the reference roller 12 on both upper and lower sides of one fixed bracket 12b. With this configuration, the push roller 11 can rotate around the shaft 12a as shown by a broken line in FIG. 2A, and intersects the conveyance reference plane (1) (of the flexible substrate 1). Displaceable in the thickness direction).

  A spring 15 (a biasing member) for applying a biasing force in the direction (pushing direction) in which the pressing roller 11 rolls the flexible substrate 1, that is, a pressing force P, is connected to the distal end portion of the movable bracket 14. ing. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the spring 15 is configured by a coil spring (tensile spring) stretched in a direction intersecting the conveyance reference plane (1), but the movable bracket 14 can function as a crank arm. It may be a form connected to another position, a form connected to the opposite side as a compression spring, or a form constituted by other types of springs such as a spiral spring. Further, the urging member can be constituted by a weight connected by a wire or a lever.

  The other end of the spring 15 is fixed to a vacuum chamber structure (not shown) via a support member (not shown). In this case, the support member is fixed to be displaceable through, for example, a screw that is screwed through a long hole, so that the support position of the spring 15 can be adjusted, and is applied to the pushing roller 11 by the spring 15. It is preferable that the pushing force P or the initial displacement can be adjusted.

  Furthermore, a stopper 16 is provided on an extending portion 12c extending from the tip of the fixed bracket 12b to the shaft 11a side of the pushing roller 11. The stopper 16 is configured as a screw member that is screwed into the extending portion 12c, and the displacement of the push roller 11, that is, the push amount d can be restricted to an upper limit value according to the screwing position. With this configuration, the flexible substrate 1 is prevented from being excessively pushed by the pushing roller 11 even when the conveyance tension temporarily decreases when the flexible substrate 1 is switched between the forward and reverse conveyance directions F and R. it can.

  A mechanism similar to the stopper 16 may be provided on the opposite side of the pressing roller 11 (shaft 11a) so that a lower limit value at which a pressing amount d of zero or more can be obtained can be set. On the other hand, instead of providing the stopper 16, the upper limit value or the lower limit value of the pushing amount d can be given by the upper limit or lower limit of the elastic deformation of the spring 15. Further, the tip end of the stopper 16 can be connected to the shaft 11a, and the pushing amount d can be set according to the screwing position of the stopper 16. In each case described above, the position where the stopper 16 abuts or is connected may be other part of the movable bracket 14 besides the shaft 11a.

  Further, instead of each of the rollers 11, 12, 13 being rotatably supported by the shafts (support shafts) 11a, 12a, 13a, any or all of the rollers 11, 12, 13 may be rotated by the rotating shafts (11a, 12a, 13a), and each rotating shaft (11a, 12a, 13a) may be rotatably supported by each bracket 11b, 12b, 13b via a bearing. In this case, each of the rollers 11, 12, and 13 can be formed to have a small diameter, that is, thin, and there is an advantage that the required space of the stretching device 10 in the conveyance direction of the flexible substrate 1 can be reduced.

  In the stretching apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, since the reference roller 13 is provided separately from the transport rolls 2 and 2, it can be installed at an arbitrary position on the transport path of the flexible substrate 1. When a plurality of film forming units 4 are arranged side by side, it is suitable for installation between open / close type film forming units or between electrode pairs of fixed film forming units. In particular, each of the rollers 11, 12, 13 of the stretching device 10 according to the present embodiment can omit a rubber coating for obtaining a clamping force with respect to the flexible substrate 1, and is made of a highly heat-resistant material such as metal or ceramic. There is an advantage that can be configured.

(Second Embodiment)
4 and 5 show a stretching device 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the stretching device 20 of the second embodiment, one reference roller 23 is composed of a conical roller (23) having a circumferential surface inclined with respect to the axial direction, and is flexible with respect to the conical roller (23). A conical roller 24 that is pressed in a state where the edge 1a of the substrate 1 is sandwiched is further provided, and a conical sandwiching roller pair (23, 24) is configured.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, each of the conical rollers 23 has a small diameter side located on the center side in the width direction of the flexible substrate 1, and the rotation direction on the conveyance reference surface (1) is the conveyance direction (F , R) is rotatably supported by the shafts 23a, 24a. The shaft 23 a is supported at the tip (lower end) of the fixed support member 25, and the shaft 24 a is supported at the tip (lower end) of the movable support member 26.

  The fixed support member 25 is fixed to a vacuum chamber structure (not shown) via a fixed bracket 25b. On the other hand, the base end (upper end) of the movable support member 26 is rotatably supported by an extension portion 25a extending from the upper end of the fixed support member 25 via a shaft 26a, and at the intermediate portion, the fixed support member 25, a spring 27 is stretched via a pressure adjusting screw 28, and the conical roller 24 is pressed against the conical roller (reference roller 23) by the urging of the spring 27. Yes.

  In the extending device 20 of the second embodiment configured as described above, in addition to the extending action by the pressing force P of the pressing roller 11 in the above-described Embodiments 10A, 10B, and 10, the conical rollers (23, 24). Depending on the inclination angle of the peripheral surface (peripheral length difference between the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion), an extension tension Q from the small diameter side toward the large diameter side is applied to the edges 1a and 1b of the flexible substrate 1, and these Due to the synergistic effect, the edges 1a and 1b of the flexible substrate 1 are effectively spread.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 6 shows a stretching device 30 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. As in the second embodiment, the expansion device 30 according to the third embodiment is configured such that one reference roller 23 is configured as a conical sandwiching roller pair (23, 24), and the center push It is characterized in that the roller 31 is changed to a tapered roller (31). As shown in FIG. 6C, the push roller 31 is supported by the movable bracket 34 with the shaft 31 a having an inclination angle corresponding to the inclination of the peripheral surface, and the flexible substrate 1 is transported as a reference. It can be transferred parallel to the surface.

  The extension tension Q from the small diameter side to the large diameter side by the above-described conical rollers (23, 24) is similarly generated in one conical roller (taper roller 31) as long as it is pressed against the flexible substrate 1. In the stretching device 30 of the third embodiment, the edge 1a of the flexible substrate 1 is transferred by two reference rollers 23 and 12, and the central pressing roller 31 (taper roller) is located between the opposite sides in the middle thereof. By being pushed by the pushing force P, it is brought into pressure contact with the edge 1 a of the flexible substrate 1.

  Therefore, in the stretching device 30 of the third embodiment, in addition to the stretching action by the pushing force P of the central pushing roller 31, the drawing tension q according to the inclination angle of the peripheral surface of the pushing roller 31 and the conical reference The developing tension Q by the rollers (23, 24) is applied to the edges 1a, 1b of the flexible substrate 1.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 7 shows a stretching device 40 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the expansion device 40 of the fourth embodiment, the central pushing roller 41 is configured as a tapered roller as in the third embodiment, but the two reference rollers 12 and 13 are both cylindrical rollers. The shaft 41a of the pushing roller 41 has an inclination angle corresponding to the inclination of the peripheral surface and is supported by the movable bracket 44 as in the third embodiment. In the expansion device 40 of the fourth embodiment, in addition to the expansion action by the pressing force P of the central pressing roller 41, the expansion tension q corresponding to the inclination angle of the peripheral surface of the pressing roller 41 is applied to the flexible substrate 1. It is given to the edges 1a and 1b.

(Fifth embodiment)
FIG. 8 shows a stretching apparatus 50 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the spreading device 50 of the fifth embodiment, the central pushing roller 11 is a cylindrical roller, while the two reference rollers 23 and 53 are both conical sandwiching roller pairs (23, 24; 53, 54). It is configured. Therefore, in the expansion device 20 of the second embodiment, the other reference roller 12 is also changed to a conical sandwiching roller pair (53, 54), and in addition to the expansion action by the pressing force P of the pressing roller 11 A large tension tension Q can be obtained by two conical sandwiching roller pairs (23, 24; 53, 54).

(Other embodiments)
9 (a) to 9 (c) show stretching devices 60, 70, and 80 according to other embodiments of the present invention. These stretching devices 60, 70, 80 have a common feature in that the central pushing roller 21 is configured by a conical sandwiching roller pair (21, 22). Among these, in the extension device 60 according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9A, the two reference rollers 12 and 13 are both cylindrical rollers.

  On the other hand, in the stretching device 70 according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 9B, the two reference rollers 23 and 53 are both formed of a conical sandwiching roller pair (23, 24 and 53, 54). That is, in the expansion device 70 of the seventh embodiment, all three rollers are configured by a pair of conical sandwiching rollers (21, 22; 23, 24; 53, 54).

  Moreover, in the expansion apparatus 80 which concerns on 8th Embodiment of this invention shown in FIG.9 (c), one reference | standard roller 33 is comprised by the taper roller. Even when the taper roller is used as the reference roller, it is preferable that the taper roller is supported with an inclination angle that cancels out the inclination angle of the peripheral surface of the taper roller, as in the fourth embodiment.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes other than the above can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. It is.

  For example, in each of the above embodiments, the push rollers (11, 21, 31, 41) can be displaced in a direction intersecting the conveyance reference plane (1) by the movable brackets 14 and 44 pivotally supported. Although the case where it is supported has been described, the support mechanism of the pushing roller is not limited to this, and it may be supported by a movable bracket (slide) that is slidable in a direction intersecting the conveyance reference surface (1). good. Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, similarly to the conical roller 23 supported so as to be able to come in contact with and separated from the shaft 25a and the movable support member 25, the rocking motion is centered on an axis parallel to the transport direction (F, R). It may be pivotally supported.

  Further, in each of the above embodiments, the case where the stretching apparatus according to the present invention is implemented in an apparatus for manufacturing a thin film laminate for a solar cell has been described. However, the stretching apparatus according to the present invention is a semiconductor thin film such as an organic EL. In addition to the manufacturing apparatus, it can be applied to various apparatuses that require expansion of a flexible substrate, such as coating, cleaning, drying, heat treatment, and surface processing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flexible board | substrate 1a, 1b Edge part 2 Conveyance roll (reference | standard roller)
4 Deposition unit 10, 10A, 10B, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80 Expanding device 11 Pushing roller 11a, 12a, 13a, 23a, 24a, 31a, 41a Shaft 11b, 12b, 13b, 25b Fixed Brackets 12, 13 Reference rollers 14, 34, 44 Movable bracket (support mechanism)
15 Spring (biasing member)
16 Stopper (regulation means)
21 Push roller (conical roller)
23,53 Reference roller (conical roller)
22, 24, 54 Conical roller 25 Fixed support member 26 Movable support member 27 Spring 28 Pressure adjusting screw 31, 41 Push roller (taper roller)
33 Reference roller (taper roller)
F, R Transport direction P Pushing force Q, q Expanding tension d Pushing amount

Claims (7)

In a transport path for transporting a belt-shaped flexible substrate in a horizontal position in a vertical posture while applying tension with a transport roll, a stretching device for stretching in the width direction,
Two reference rollers arranged in parallel in the transport direction to transfer the edge of the flexible substrate on the transport reference surface, and the edge of the flexible substrate on the opposite side between the two reference rollers The edge of the flexible substrate is guided in a bent state corresponding to the amount of pushing of the pushing roller with respect to the two reference rollers, so that the conveying direction of the edge The apparatus for extending a flexible substrate is characterized in that the tension of the flexible substrate is higher than that of the intermediate portion in the width direction of the flexible substrate.   The flexible mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a support mechanism that supports the pressing roller so as to be displaceable in a direction intersecting the conveyance reference plane, and the pressing amount can be adjusted via the support mechanism. Extension device for conductive substrates.   The urging means for urging the pushing roller in the direction of increasing the pushing amount via the support mechanism is further provided, and the pushing amount is adjusted by the urging force of the urging means. Item 3. A flexible substrate stretching apparatus according to Item 2.   4. The apparatus for stretching a flexible substrate according to claim 3, further comprising adjustable regulation means for regulating the pushing amount of the pushing roller to an upper limit value.   Either the reference roller or the push roller is a conical roller having a circumferential surface inclined with respect to the axial direction, and the conical roller has a small-diameter side located on the center side in the width direction of the flexible substrate, and The apparatus for extending a flexible substrate according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is supported so that a rotation direction on the conveyance reference plane is the same as the conveyance direction.   A conical roller that is pressed against the conical roller with an edge of the flexible substrate being sandwiched between the conical rollers, the conical roller having a small-diameter side located on a center side in the width direction of the flexible substrate; 6. The apparatus for extending a flexible substrate according to claim 5, wherein a rotation direction of the conveyance reference plane is supported so as to be the same as the conveyance direction. The apparatus for stretching a flexible substrate according to claim 1, wherein one of the two reference rollers is replaced with a transport roll that transfers the flexible substrate over its entire width.

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