JP2014074221A - Vacuum film deposition device and vacuum film deposition method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum film deposition device and a vacuum film deposition method that can prevent particles from sticking on a base material film before film deposition.SOLUTION: A vacuum film deposition device includes: a vacuum chamber 10; a supply part 2 which supplies a base material film A with a protective film formed by sticking a protective film C on a base material film B in advance; a peeling part 3 which is provided in the vacuum chamber 10 and peels the protective film C from the base material film A with the protective film supplied from the supply part 2 so as to obtain the base material film B; and a film deposition part 4 which is provided in the vacuum chamber 10, and vapor-deposits a predetermined component on a top surface of the base material film B obtained from the peeling part 3 so as to form a thin film on the top surface.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum film forming apparatus and a vacuum film forming method for forming a thin film on a surface of a base film.

  A barrier film provided with a gas barrier property on a base film has been used as a packaging material or industrial resource for foods, pharmaceuticals, and electronic parts. In particular, as development of organic EL displays and organic thin-film solar cells using flexible substrates using organic semiconductors has progressed in recent years, there has been an increasing demand to replace glass substrates with barrier films in order to achieve high flexibility. ing.

  As a method for imparting a gas barrier property to a base film, a method of imparting a thin film layer having a gas barrier property to the surface of the base film is used. As a method for providing a thin film layer, a method of forming an organic substance or an organic-inorganic hybrid layer by a wet coating method, or a method of forming an inorganic thin film by a dry coating method has been proposed. Among them, a thin film layer made of an inorganic oxide such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or magnesium oxide by a dry coating method has both high transparency and a high gas barrier property due to a dense structure.

  As a specific method for forming an inorganic oxide thin film that realizes a high gas barrier property on the base film by such a dry coating method, the film is formed in a vacuum chamber such as a sputtering method, a vacuum evaporation method, a plasma CVD method, or the like. (For example, refer to Patent Documents 1 to 6).

JP 2010-222690 A JP 2011-63827 A JP 2010-163693 A JP 2010-174329 A JP 2004-339602 A JP 2007-254790 A

However, the glass substrate has a very high gas barrier property against water vapor, oxygen, and the like, and a barrier film used in place of the glass substrate is required to have a gas barrier property equivalent to that of the glass substrate. The gas barrier property required here is 10 to 0.01 [g / (m ² · day)] in a barrier film used for a packaging material for food, whereas 0.0001 [g / (m ² · day)]. Therefore, the conventional barrier film has a problem that a sufficient barrier property cannot be obtained.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and provides a vacuum film forming apparatus and a vacuum film forming method capable of obtaining a barrier film having sufficient barrier properties.

The main reason why sufficient barrier properties of the above problems cannot be obtained is that particles adhere to the surface of the base film before film formation and defects are generated in the barrier layer. Has proposed.
A vacuum film forming apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is provided in a vacuum chamber, a supply unit that supplies a base film with a protective film formed by bonding a protective film to the base film, and the vacuum chamber. The peeling part which peels off a protective film from the base film with a protective film supplied from the supply part, and obtains the base film, The base film provided in the vacuum chamber, and obtained from the peeling part And a film forming unit that forms a thin film on the surface by depositing a predetermined component on the surface.

  According to such a structure, adhesion of a particle can be prevented by using a base film with a protective film. Furthermore, by peeling the protective film in the vacuum chamber before being transported to the film forming unit, the time for exposing the surface on which the base film is formed before film formation is very short. And by peeling in a vacuum chamber, since a base film is not exposed to air | atmosphere, the particle | grains in air | atmosphere do not adhere. By these, it is possible to form a film without adhering to the surface of the base film, and to prevent the particles from adhering to the base film before the film is formed, thus obtaining a barrier film having sufficient barrier properties. Can do.

  Moreover, the vacuum film-forming apparatus which concerns on the other aspect of this invention is the width direction of the said base film with a protective film before the said base film with a protective film is supplied from the said supply part, and is peeled in the said peeling part. It has a meandering control part which adjusts the position of this.

  According to such a configuration, the substrate film with the protective film is provided from the supply unit and has the meandering control unit before being peeled off at the peeling unit, so that the meandering control unit can The position can be controlled and adjusted, and the meandering of the base film with a protective film due to conveyance can be suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to convey the base film with a protective film to the film forming unit while suppressing generation of wrinkles and elongation. Thereby, the film-forming defect by wrinkles can be prevented and the position shift of the film-forming part at the time of film-forming by extension can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, the vacuum film-forming apparatus which concerns on the other aspect of this invention is the tension | tensile_strength which acts on the said base film with a protective film before the said base film with a protective film is supplied from the said supply part, and is peeled by the said peeling part. It has the tension control part which adjusts.

  According to such a configuration, the tension control unit controls the tension of the base film with the protective film by having the tension control unit before the base film with the protective film is supplied from the supply unit and peeled off at the peeling unit. Therefore, a constant tension can always be applied to the substrate film with a protective film during transportation. Therefore, it can suppress that the base film with a protective film bends during conveyance, and is conveyed to the film-forming part with a wrinkle. Thereby, it is possible to prevent film formation defects due to wrinkles during film formation and to form a film uniformly.

  In addition, a vacuum film forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention is provided in the vacuum chamber, and a bonding unit that bonds a protective film to the base film after the thin film is formed by the film forming unit, And a recovery unit that winds up the base film on which the protective film is bonded at the bonding unit.

According to such a structure, the time for which the surface of the base film after film formation is exposed becomes very short by laminating the protective film in the vacuum chamber. And by sticking in a vacuum chamber, since a base film is not exposed to air | atmosphere, the particle | grains in air | atmosphere do not adhere to the surface of the base film after film-forming. As a result, particles do not adhere to the film-forming surface of the base film, and when a barrier layer is formed on the film-forming surface or when a layer having another function is formed, film-forming defects are generated by the particles. Can be prevented.
Moreover, even if the surface of the base film after film formation becomes very smooth by forming a dense thin film having a high barrier property, the protective film has a roughness that can be wound up on the surface. It can be easily wound up by sticking. As a result, the film can be formed while being wound by the collection unit, and a thin film having a very high barrier property can be easily formed.

  Furthermore, the vacuum film-forming apparatus which concerns on the other aspect of this invention is the said base material by which the said protective film was bonded together in the said collection | recovery part, after the said protective film was bonded together to the said base film in the said bonding part. It has a meandering control part which adjusts the position of the width direction of the base film bonded with the protective film before the film is wound.

  According to such a configuration, by having the meandering control unit after the protective film is bonded to the base film at the bonding unit and before the base film on which the protective film is bonded at the collecting unit is wound. The position in the width direction of the base film on which the protective film is bonded can be controlled and adjusted by the meandering control unit, and the meandering of the base film on which the protective film is bonded by conveyance can be suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to convey the base film on which the protective film is bonded while suppressing generation of wrinkles and elongation. Thereby, it is possible to wind up the base film on which the end faces are aligned and the protective film is bonded to the recovery part while suppressing wrinkles and elongation.

  Moreover, the vacuum film-forming apparatus which concerns on the other aspect of this invention is the said base material by which the said protective film was bonded together in the said collection | recovery part, after the said protective film was bonded together to the said base film in the said bonding part. It is characterized by having a tension control unit for adjusting the tension acting on the base film to which the protective film is bonded before the film is wound.

  According to such a configuration, after the protective film is bonded to the base film at the bonding portion, the tension control portion is provided before the base film on which the protective film is bonded at the collecting portion is wound. The tension of the base film on which the protective film is bonded can be controlled and adjusted by the tension control unit, and a constant tension can always be applied to the base film with the protective film during transportation. Therefore, the base film to which the protective film is bonded is not bent during the conveyance and wrinkles. Thereby, sagging, wrinkles, and winding tightening can be suppressed, and the base film on which the protective film is bonded in the collecting unit can be taken up.

  Furthermore, the vacuum film forming method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a supply step of supplying a base film with a protective film in which a protective film is bonded to the base film, and a supply from the supply step in a vacuum chamber. After peeling the protective film from the base film with the protective film to obtain the base film and performing the peeling step in the vacuum chamber, a predetermined component is deposited on the surface of the base film. And a film forming step for forming a thin film on the surface.

  According to such a process, the substrate film with the protective film is supplied in advance in the supplying process, and the film forming process is performed after performing the peeling process for peeling the protective film in the vacuum chamber. In addition, the time for which the surface of the base film is exposed becomes very short. And since a base film is not exposed to air | atmosphere by implementing a peeling process in a vacuum chamber, the particle | grains in air | atmosphere will not adhere to the surface of a base film. As a result, it is possible to form a film without adhering to the surface of the base film, and to prevent the particle from adhering to the base film before the film is formed, thereby obtaining a barrier film having sufficient barrier properties. be able to.

  Further, the vacuum film forming method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a bonding step of bonding a protective film to the base film after forming the thin film after performing the film forming step in the vacuum chamber, And a winding step of winding up the base film after performing the combining step.

According to such a process, the surface of the base film is formed after film formation by performing a bonding process in which a protective film is bonded in a vacuum chamber to the surface of the base film on which a thin film has been formed by the film forming process. The exposure time is very short. And since a base film is not exposed to air | atmosphere by implementing a bonding process in a vacuum chamber, the particle | grains in air | atmosphere will not adhere to the surface. As a result, particles do not adhere to the surface of the base film, and when a barrier layer is further formed on the film formation surface in another process or when a layer having another function is formed, film formation defects due to particles Can be prevented.
In addition, even if the surface becomes very smooth by forming a dense thin film with high barrier properties by the film formation process, a protective film having a roughness that can be wound up is pasted on the surface. Can be easily wound up. As a result, film formation can be performed while winding in the collection step, and a barrier film having extremely high barrier properties can be continuously mass-produced.

  According to the vacuum film forming apparatus and the vacuum film forming method of the present invention, particles are formed on the base film before film formation by peeling the protective sheet before film formation in the vacuum chamber using the base film with protective film. It is possible to provide a vacuum film forming apparatus and a vacuum film forming method capable of preventing adhesion and obtaining a barrier film having sufficient barrier properties.

It is a figure explaining the structure of the vacuum film-forming apparatus which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the structure of the vacuum film-forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged view explaining a part of vacuum film-forming apparatus which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention, The figure (a) is an enlarged view of a 1st meander control apparatus and a 2nd meander control part, The figure (b) is the same figure. It is an enlarged view of a 1st tension control part and a 2nd tension control part.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum film-forming apparatus 1 of 1st embodiment is covered with the vacuum chamber 10 from the outside, and the supply which supplies the base film A with a 1st protective film in the vacuum chamber 10 Part 2, peeling part 3 for peeling first protective film C from supplied base film A with the first protective film, and film forming part 4 for forming a thin film on the surface of base film B by the plasma CVD method It has. Furthermore, in the vacuum chamber 10, the bonding part 5 which bonds the 2nd protective film D with respect to the base film B after a thin film was formed, and the collection | recovery which winds up the base film E with a 2nd protective film Part 6. And the several guide roller 7 which conveys the base film A with a 1st protective film, the base film B, etc. in the vacuum chamber 10 is provided in several places.

  The vacuum chamber 10 is formed of a rectangular box so as to cover the entire vacuum film forming apparatus 1 and is made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or the like. The space inside the vacuum chamber 10 can be depressurized, whereby the inside of the vacuum chamber 10 is in a lower pressure state than the outside of the vacuum chamber 10.

As for the base film A with a 1st protective film, the 1st protective film C is bonded together on the surface of the base film B previously.
As the base film B, a known polymer film having a strip shape is used.
As the first protective film C, a known protective film made of, for example, a polyethylene resin is used.

The supply unit 2 includes a supply roller 21 that is disposed in the vacuum chamber 10 and is wound with a belt-shaped base film A with a first protective film on which a first protective film C is bonded in advance.
The supply roller 21 is arranged on the inlet side (left side of FIG. 1 paper surface) in the transport direction (the left and right direction of FIG. 1 paper) in the vacuum chamber 10, and is not shown so that the base film A with the first protective film can be fed out. The motor rotates counterclockwise in FIG.

The peeling unit 3 is disposed in the vacuum chamber 10 and is disposed between the nip roller 33 disposed with the substrate film A with the first protective film interposed therebetween, and the substrate film A with the first protective film sandwiched between the nip rollers 33 to the first. It has the peeling stand 31 which peels the protective film C, and the peeling roller 32 which winds and collects the peeled first protective film C.
The peeling table 31 is formed in a triangular cross section and is arranged so that one side is along the conveying direction of the base film B.
The peeling roller 32 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by a motor (not shown) so that the first protective film C can be wound, and is disposed on the lower side in the vertical direction with respect to the conveying direction of the base film B. Has been.
The nip roller 33 has a pair of rollers, and the base film is formed by a roller on the film forming surface side which is the front surface side of the base film A with the first protective film and a roller on the non-film forming surface side which is the back surface side. B is sandwiched and arranged.

The film forming unit 4 is disposed in the vacuum chamber 10 and introduces a wall body 41 that partitions the film forming unit 4, a high-frequency electrode 42 to which a voltage is applied, and a component gas containing a component that is a thin film material. And a gas inlet 43.
The wall body 41 is disposed at a position separated by a predetermined dimension in the conveyance direction of the base film B, and forms a space for film formation by partitioning the inside of the vacuum chamber 10.

The high frequency electrode 42 is disposed in a space defined by the wall body 41 so as to face the surface of the base film B, and a voltage is applied by a power source (not shown).
The gas inlet 43 is provided with an opening in the wall body 41 and is disposed between the high-frequency electrode 42 and the base film B. A gas introduction pipe 44 is connected to the gas introduction port 43, and a component gas containing a component that becomes a thin film material to be formed on the surface of the base film B is introduced from the outside.

The second protective film D has a predetermined roughness on the surface so that it can be wound by each roller.
The bonding unit 5 is disposed in the vacuum chamber 10 and a second protective film supply roller 52 for unwinding the second protective film D prepared in advance, the surface of the base film B on which the thin film is formed, and the second protection. A laminating roller 53 for laminating the film D and a laminating table 51 for guiding the second protective film D and the base film B to the laminating roller 53 are provided.

The laminating roller 53 has a pair of rollers, and is based on a film forming surface side roller which is the surface side of the base film B after the thin film is formed and a non-film forming surface side roller which is the back surface side. The material film B is interposed and arranged.
The second protective film supply roller 52 is wound around the second protective film D, and is disposed on the lower side in the vertical direction with respect to the transport direction of the base film B, so that the second protective film D can be fed out. Thus, it is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 1 by a motor (not shown).
The bonding table 51 is formed in a triangular shape in cross section, and is arranged so that one side is along the conveying direction of the base film B.

As for the base film E with a 2nd protective film, the 2nd protective film D is bonded together by the film-forming surface of the base film B. FIG.
The collection unit 6 is disposed in the vacuum chamber 10 and has a collection roller 61 around which the base film E with the second protective film is wound.
The collection roller 61 is disposed on the exit side (the right side in FIG. 1) in the transport direction in the vacuum chamber 10, and is rotated by the motor (not shown) so that the substrate film E with the second protective film can be wound. It is rotating clockwise.
A plurality of guide rollers 7 are arranged in the vacuum chamber 10 so that the base film B is transported without slack, and the guide rollers 7 are rotated by transporting the base film A with the first protective film and the base film B. doing.
Each roller has a mechanism that can rotate in the reverse direction.

Next, a vacuum film forming method in the first embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the vacuum film forming method of the first embodiment, first, a supply step S2 for supplying a base film A with a first protective film prepared in advance and a first protection for the first protective film C are provided. A peeling step S3 for peeling from the base film A with film and a film forming step S4 for forming a film on the base film B are provided. And after implementing film-forming process S4, the bonding process S5 which affixes the 2nd protective film D to the base film B, and collection | recovery process S6 which collect | recovers the base film B are further provided.
Note that all the steps in this implementation method are performed in the vacuum chamber 10.

Hereinafter, each step will be described in detail.
Supply process S2 sets the roll-form base film A with a 1st protective film prepared to the supply roller 21 in advance. And the base film A with a 1st protective film is supplied to peeling process S3 by rotating the supply roller 21. FIG.
In the peeling step S3, the first protective film C is peeled off from the base film A with the first protective film supplied via the nip roller 33 by the peeling No. 31, and the base film B is conveyed to the film forming step S4. On the other hand, the peeled first protective film C is collected by rotating the peeling roller 32.

In the film forming step S4, a thin film is formed on the surface of the base film B by a plasma CVD method.
Bonding process S5 bonds the 2nd protective film D to the film-forming surface which is the surface of the base film B after film-forming process S4, and is set as the base film E with a 2nd protective film. The second protective film D used is unwound and supplied by rotating the second protective film supply roller 52. The unwound second protective film D and the formed base film B are brought into close contact with the laminating roller 53 to form a base film E with a second protective film.
In the collecting step S6, the collecting roller 61 is rotated to wind up and collect the base film E with the second protective film.

Next, the operation of the vacuum film forming apparatus 1 of the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described.
In the vacuum film forming apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, first, a belt-like base film A with a first protective film is wound around a supply roller 21 in advance and prepared in a roll state. The supply roller 21 rotates to unwind and supply the base film A with the first protective film.
The supplied base film A with the first protective film is conveyed to the peeling unit 3 via the nip roller 33. In the peeling part 3, the first protective film C is peeled off from the base film A with the first protective film by the triangular end of the peeling table 31 by being conveyed while maintaining a constant entry angle by the nip roller 33. The base film B and the protective film are guided in different directions. The peeled base film B is conveyed to the film forming unit 4 by the guide roller 7.

  On the other hand, the peeled first protective film C is conveyed in a different direction from the base film B. And the 1st protective film C is wound up and rotated by the peeling roller 32 rotating, and is collect | recovered.

  The base film B transported to the film forming unit 4 is transported into a space defined by the wall body 41 of the film forming unit 4, and a component gas containing a component that forms a thin film is supplied from the gas inlet 43. It is introduced into the space. In this state, when a voltage is applied to the high-frequency electrode 42, the components in the plasma gas are deposited on the surface of the base film B, and a thin film is formed. The base film B on which the film-forming surface having a thin film is formed on the surface facing the high-frequency electrode 42 is conveyed to the bonding unit 5 by the guide roller 7.

When the second protective film supply roller 52 rotates, the second protective film D is unwound and the base film B transported to the bonding unit 5 is supplied from the film formation surface side of the base film B. And the base film B is formed by sandwiching the base film B and the second protective film D while moving the base film B and the second protective film D in the transport direction by rotating the pair of rollers in the laminating roller 53 in opposite directions. The second protective film D is brought into close contact with the film-forming surface and bonded to form a base film E with a second protective film. The base film E with the second protective film is conveyed to the collection unit 6.
The base film E with the second protective film conveyed to the collecting unit 6 is wound up and collected in a roll shape by the collecting roller 61 rotating.

  In addition, after winding up the base film E with the second protective film with the collection roller 61, the collection roller 61 and the supply roller 21 are made to rotate by reversely rotating the respective rollers such as the collection roller 61 to reverse the conveyance system. The film can be repeatedly formed using the collection roller, the bonding portion 5 as the peeling portion, and the peeling portion 3 as the bonding portion. That is, the base film E with the second protective film is fed out, and the second protective film D is peeled off from the base film E with the second protective film at the bonding portion 5. The base film B from which the second protective film D has been peeled is further formed on the film forming surface of the base film B in the film forming section 4. Then, the 1st protective film C is bonded together to the base film B in the peeling part 3, and the base film A with a 1st protective film is wound up with the supply roller 21. FIG.

  According to the vacuum film forming apparatus 1 as described above, the first protective film C is peeled off in the vacuum chamber 10 before being transported to the film forming unit 4 using the base film A with the first protective film. Before the film formation, the time for exposing the surface on which the base film B is formed becomes very short. And since the base film B is not exposed to air | atmosphere by peeling in the vacuum chamber 10, the particle | grains in air | atmosphere do not adhere to the surface of the base film B. FIG. By these, it is possible to form a film without adhering to the surface of the base film B, and it is possible to prevent the particles from adhering to the base film B before the film is formed. Can be obtained.

  Further, the second protective film D is bonded to the film forming surface of the base film B on which a thin film is formed by the film forming unit 4 in the vacuum chamber 10, thereby forming the film that is the surface of the base film B after the film formation. The time that the surface is exposed becomes very short. And since the base film B is not exposed to air | atmosphere by bonding in the vacuum chamber 10, the particle | grains in air | atmosphere do not adhere to the film-forming surface. As a result, particles do not adhere to the film formation surface of the base film B, and when a barrier layer is further formed on the film formation surface or when a layer having another function is formed, a film formation defect due to particles is prevented. Occurrence can be prevented.

  Furthermore, even if the film formation surface becomes very smooth by forming a dense thin film having a high barrier property, a second protective film D having a roughness that can be wound up is pasted on the surface. It can be easily wound up. As a result, film formation can be performed while winding with the collection roller 61, and a barrier film having a very high barrier property can be easily produced.

  In addition, by using a transport mechanism that can be operated reversibly, a plurality of layers can be formed on the base film B, and the vacuum pressure in the vacuum chamber 10 is returned to a constant pressure each time a film is formed. There is no need to attach and remove the base film A with the first protective film or the base film E with the second protective film. Therefore, it is possible to form a barrier film in which several layers are easily formed using a protective film.

  Furthermore, according to the vacuum film forming method as described above, the base film A with the first protective film is supplied in advance, and the film is formed after the peeling step S3 for peeling the first protective film C in the vacuum chamber 10 is performed. By performing step S4, the time during which the surface of the base film B is exposed before film formation becomes very short. And by performing peeling process S3 in the vacuum chamber 10, since the base film B is not exposed to air | atmosphere, the particle | grains in air | atmosphere do not adhere to the surface of the base film B. By these, it is possible to form a film without adhering to the surface of the base film B, and it is possible to prevent the particles from adhering to the base film B before the film is formed. Can be obtained.

  Further, a bonding step S5 is performed in which the second protective film D is bonded to the film formation surface of the base film B in the vacuum chamber 10 on the film formation surface of the base film B on which a thin film has been formed in the film formation step S4. As a result, the time during which the film formation surface, which is the surface of the base film B, is exposed after film formation is very short. And by performing bonding process S5 in the vacuum chamber 10, since the base film B is not exposed to air | atmosphere, the particle | grains in air | atmosphere do not adhere to the film-forming surface. As a result, particles do not adhere to the film formation surface of the base film B, and when a barrier layer is further formed on the film formation surface in another process, or when a layer having another function is formed, particles are used. Occurrence of film formation defects can be prevented.

  Furthermore, even when the film-forming surface becomes very smooth by forming a dense thin film having a high barrier property in the film-forming step S4, the second protective film has a roughness that can be wound up on the surface. By sticking D, it can be easily wound. Thus, film formation can be performed while winding in the collecting step S6, and a barrier film having a very high barrier property can be easily produced.

Next, the vacuum film forming apparatus 1 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3A and 3B.
In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The vacuum film forming apparatus 1 of the second embodiment is the first implementation in that it has a first meandering control unit 80a and a second meandering control unit 80b, and a first tension control unit 90a and a second tension control unit 90b. It differs from the form.

That is, in 2nd embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, after supplying the base film A with a 1st protective film unwound by the supply part 2, it is conveyed, and the base film A with a 1st protective film conveyed The first meandering control unit (meandering control unit) 80a (hereinafter, simply referred to as the first meandering control unit 80a) that controls and adjusts the position in the width direction, and the tension acting on the base film A with the first protective film A first tension control unit (tension control unit) 90a (hereinafter simply referred to as a first tension control unit 90a) that performs control and adjustment.
And after the base film B formed into a film in the film-forming part 4 has bonded the 2nd protective film D, the position of the width direction of the base film E with the 2nd protective film conveyed is controlled. Second tension control for adjusting and adjusting the tension acting on the second meandering control unit (meandering control unit) 80b (hereinafter simply referred to as the second meandering control unit 80b) to be adjusted and the base film E with the second protective film. Part (tension control part) 90b (hereinafter simply referred to as first tension control part 90b).

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the first meandering control unit 80 a is a so-called center pivot type meandering control mechanism, and is disposed between the supply unit 2 and the peeling unit 3. The first meandering control unit 80a is disposed on the inlet side in the conveyance direction between the pair of guide rollers 7 disposed on the non-deposition surface side of the base film A with the first protective film and the pair of guide rollers 7. An inlet roller 81, an outlet roller 82 arranged on the outlet side in the conveying direction of the pair of guide rollers 7, and a position detector 83 for detecting the position of one end in the width direction of the base film A with the first protective film; The controller 84 controls the movement of the entrance roller 81 and the exit roller 82 based on the values detected by the position detector 83.

  The entrance roller 81 is located between the pair of guide rollers 7 from the entrance side guide roller 7 in the transport direction downstream of the transport direction of the base film A with the first protective film in both the width direction and the transport direction. They are spaced apart in the orthogonal direction. And the entrance roller 81 is contact | abutting to the film-forming surface side of the base film A with a 1st protective film. The entrance roller 81 is a roller that rotates to feed out the base film A with the first protective film in the transport direction. Further, the entrance roller 81 rotates in a rotation direction α that changes the transport direction about an axis orthogonal to the center of the entrance roller 81 in the axial direction based on a signal from the control unit 84.

  The exit roller 82 is disposed between the pair of guide rollers 7 and spaced apart from the entrance roller 81, and the width direction of the base film A with the first protective film A and the transport direction are separated from the guide roller 7 on the exit side in the transport direction. They are also spaced apart in the direction perpendicular to both. And the exit roller 82 is contact | abutting to the film-forming surface side of the base film A with a 1st protective film. Similarly to the entrance roller 81, the exit roller 82 is a roller that rotates to feed out the base film A with the first protective film in the transport direction. Further, the exit roller 82 rotates based on a signal from the control unit 84 in a rotation direction α that changes the transport direction about an axis orthogonal to the axial center of the exit roller 82 as a rotation axis.

The position detector 83 is disposed at one end in the width direction of the base film A with the first protective film between the exit roller 82 and the guide roller 7 disposed on the exit side in the transport direction of the exit roller 82. . The position detector 83 measures the amount of deviation between the end in the width direction of the base film A with the first protective film and a predetermined position, and outputs it to the control unit 84.
The control unit 84 outputs a signal for changing the rotation direction α of the entrance roller 81 and the exit roller 82 based on the signal from the position detector 83, and controls the movement of the entrance roller 81 and the exit roller 82. .

  The first tension control unit 90 a is disposed between the first meandering control unit 80 a and the peeling unit 3. And the 1st tension control part 90a is arrange | positioned between a pair of guide roller 7 arrange | positioned at the non-film-forming surface side of the base film A with a 1st protective film, and a pair of guide roller 7, 1st protection The tension control roller 91 is also arranged so as to be spaced apart in the direction orthogonal to both the width direction and the transport direction of the base film A with film.

The tension control roller 91 is disposed between the pair of guide rollers 7 so as to be separated in a direction orthogonal to both the width direction and the transport direction of the base film A with the first protective film. The tension control roller 91 detects a tension applied to the base film A with the first protective film, and a roller part 92 that contacts and conveys the film-forming surface side of the base film A with the first protective film. A tension adjusting unit 93 for controlling the position.
The roller portion 92 is a roller that contacts the film-forming surface side of the base film A with the first protective film and rotates to feed out the base film A with the first protective film in the transport direction.
The tension adjusting unit 93 fixes the roller unit 92 so as to be elastically movable by a spring or the like in a moving direction β that is a direction orthogonal to both the rotation axis of the roller unit 92 and the conveying direction. And the tension adjustment part 93 measures the force which the roller part 92 receives from the base film A with a 1st protective film, and adjusts the position of the roller part 92 so that the measured value may match a predetermined value. The base film A with the first protective film is adjusted to give a certain tension.

  The second tension control unit 90b has the same structure as the first tension control unit 90a, and the second tension control unit 90b is disposed between the bonding unit 5 and the second meandering control unit 80b. . The second tension control unit 90b is different from the first tension control unit 90a in that it conveys the base film E with the second protective film formed instead of the base film A with the first protective film. .

  The second meandering control unit 80b has the same structure as that of the first meandering control unit 80a, and is disposed between the bonding unit 5 and the collection unit 6, and is transporting the base film E with the second protective film. The positional deviation with respect to the width direction is controlled and adjusted. The second meandering control unit 80b is different from the first meandering control unit 80a in that it conveys the base film E with the second protective film formed instead of the base film A with the first protective film. .

Next, a vacuum film forming method in the second embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the vacuum film-forming method of 2nd embodiment is the 1st which controls and adjusts the position of the width direction of the base film A with a 1st protective film between supply process S2 and peeling process S3. 1 meander control process S80a and 1st tension control process S90a which controls and adjusts the tension | tensile_strength which acts on the base film A with a 1st protective film are provided. And between the bonding step S5 and the recovery step S6, a second tension control step S90b for adjusting and adjusting the position in the width direction of the base film E with the second protective film, and a base material with the second protective film A second meandering control step S80b for controlling and adjusting the tension acting on the film E.
In the second embodiment, all processes are performed in the vacuum chamber 10.

Next, the operation of the vacuum film forming apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment having the above configuration will be described.
Since the vacuum film forming apparatus 1 of the second embodiment has the same function as the first embodiment, the first meander control unit 80a and the second meander control unit 80b, which are different points, The operation of the tension control unit 90a and the second tension control unit 90b will be described.

  The base film A with the first protective film supplied from the supply roller 21 is conveyed to the first meandering control unit 80a. In the first meander control unit 80a, the base film A with the first protective film is transported in the order of the guide roller 7 on the entrance side in the transport direction, the entrance roller 81, the exit roller 82, and the guide roller 7 on the exit side in the transport direction. . The position detector 83 disposed between the exit roller 82 and the guide roller 7 on the exit side in the transport direction is a first position where the position of the end of the base film A with the first protective film being transported is determined in advance. It measures how much the end portion of the base film A with the protective film is displaced with respect to the passing position, and outputs a measured value as the amount of displacement to the control unit 84. Based on the measurement value output from the position detector 83, the control unit 84 causes the entrance roller 81 and the exit roller 82 to rotate by changing the rotational directions α of the entrance roller 81 and the exit roller 82. Is output. The entrance roller 81 and the exit roller 82 are rotated while changing the rotation direction α in accordance with a signal from the control unit 84, and are conveyed while adjusting the position in the width direction of the base film A with the first protective film. As a result, the end position is kept constant and the sheet is conveyed to the first tension control unit 90a.

The base film A with the first protective film transported to the first tension control unit 90a is first protected in the order of the guide roller 7 on the entrance side in the transport direction, the tension control roller 91, and the guide roller 7 on the exit side in the transport direction. The base film A with a film is conveyed.
When the base film A with the first protective film passes through the tension control roller 91, the tension control roller 91 is pressed by the roller part 92 in the movement direction β by the transported base film A with the protective film, A force is received by the tension adjusting unit 93. The tension adjusting unit 93 measures this force and adjusts the position of the roller unit 92 so as to match a predetermined value. The roller portion 92 is elastically movable in the moving direction β, which is a direction orthogonal to both the rotation axis and the conveying direction, by the tension adjusting portion 93, so that the position of the roller portion 92 is adjusted. The tension acting on the base film A with one protective film is adjusted. And the base film A with a 1st protective film is conveyed by the guide roller 7 of the exit side of a conveyance direction, and is conveyed by the peeling part 3. FIG.
At this time, the nip roller 33 of the peeling unit 3 is separated and functions not as the nip roller 33 but as the guide roller 7.

The base film E with the second protective film conveyed from the bonding unit 5 to the second tension control unit 90b is similar to the first tension control unit 90a in that the guide roller 7 and the tension control roller 91 on the entrance side in the conveyance direction. The base film E with the second protective film is transported in the order of the guide roller 7 on the exit side in the transport direction.
The tension | tensile_strength which acts on the base film E with a 2nd protective film is adjusted by the 2nd tension control part 90b, receiving the same effect | action as the 1st tension control part 90a. And the base film E with a 2nd protective film is conveyed by the guide roller 7 of the exit side of a conveyance direction.

The conveyed base film E with a 2nd protective film is conveyed by the 2nd meander control part 80b. In the second meandering control unit 80b, similarly to the first meandering control unit 80a, the second protection is performed in the order of the guide roller 7 on the entrance side in the transport direction, the entrance roller 81, the exit roller 82, and the guide roller 7 on the exit side in the transport direction. The base film E with a film is conveyed.
The position of the base film E with a 2nd protective film in the width direction is adjusted by the 2nd meandering control part 80b, receiving the same effect | action as the 2nd meandering control part 80b. And the position of the edge part of the base film E with a 2nd protective film is made constant, and it is conveyed to the collection | recovery part 6. FIG.

  As in the first embodiment, after the base film E with the second protective film is wound up by the recovery roller 61, the recovery roller 61 is reversely rotated to reversely rotate each of the rollers such as the recovery roller 61 to reverse the transport system. Can be repeatedly formed using the supply roller 21, the supply roller 21 as the recovery roller 61, the bonding portion 5 as the peeling portion 3, and the peeling portion 3 as the bonding portion 5. At this time, the first meander control unit 80a and the second meander control unit 80b, the first tension control unit 90a and the second tension control unit 90b are arranged symmetrically with the film forming unit 4 interposed therebetween, so Even if the system is reversed, the position in the width direction and the tension can be controlled. At this time, the nip roller 33 of the bonding unit 5 is driven so as to be separated, and functions as the guide roller 7 instead of the nip roller 33, and the nip roller 33 of the peeling unit 3 that functions as the guide roller 7 is separated. It drives to close and functions as the nip roller 33.

  That is, the base film E with the second protective film is fed out, the position in the width direction is adjusted from the base film E with the second protective film by the second meandering control unit 80b, and the tension is controlled by the second tension control unit 90b. Then, the second protective film D is peeled off at the bonding portion 5. The base film B from which the second protective film D has been peeled is further formed on the film forming surface of the base film B in the film forming section 4. Thereafter, the first protective film C is bonded to the base film B at the peeling part 3, the tension is controlled by the first tension control part 90a, and the base film E with the second protective film is changed to the first meandering control part 80a. After adjusting the position in the width direction, the base film A with the first protective film is wound up by the supply roller 21.

  According to the vacuum film forming apparatus 1 as described above, the base film A with the first protective film is supplied from the supply roller 21 of the supply unit 2 and before the first protective film C is peeled off by the peeling unit 3. By having the meandering control unit 80a, the first meandering control unit 80a can control and adjust the position in the width direction of the base film A with the first protective film. That is, the position detector 83 measures the deviation from a predetermined position while confirming the position of the end portion of the base film A with the first protective film being conveyed, and outputs the measured value to the control unit 84. . The control unit 84 rotates the inlet roll and the outlet roll based on the output measurement values, and adjusts the transport direction so that the end of the base film A with the first protective film is predetermined. It is controlled so that it is conveyed at the position. And the base film A with a 1st protective film by conveyance can suppress the meandering during conveyance because an edge part is conveyed in a fixed position. Therefore, the base film A with the first protective film can be transported to the film forming unit 4 while suppressing generation of wrinkles and elongation due to meandering. Thereby, the film-forming defect by wrinkles can be prevented and the position shift of the film-forming part at the time of film-forming by extension can be suppressed.

In addition, the first tension control unit 90a is provided by supplying the base film A with the first protective film from the supply unit 2 and having the first tension control unit 90a before the first protective film C is peeled off by the peeling unit 3. The tension | tensile_strength of the base film A with a 1st protective film can be controlled and adjusted by 90a, and a tension | tensile_strength can be always acted on the base film A with a 1st protective film at the time of conveyance. That is, when the base film A with the first protective film strongly presses the roller part of the tension control roller 91, the tension control roller 91 increases the force received by the tension adjusting part, and the roller part becomes the base film with the first protective film. Move it so that it is not pressed against A. Thereby, the tension | tensile_strength which acts on the base film A with a 1st protective film can be weakened. On the contrary, if the base film A with the first protective film cannot press the roller part of the tension control roller 91 strongly, the force received by the tension adjusting part becomes small, and the roller part is pressed against the base film A with the first protective film. Move like so. Thereby, the tension | tensile_strength which acts on the base film A with a 1st protective film can be strengthened.
As a result, the base film A with the first protective film can receive a constant tension during transportation, and the base film A with the first protective film bends during transportation and remains wrinkled. Can be suppressed. Thereby, it is possible to prevent film formation defects due to wrinkles during film formation and to form a film uniformly.

  Furthermore, with the first protective film smoothed by the first meandering control unit 80a and the first tension control unit 90a in front of the peeling unit 3 by the nip roller 33 of the peeling unit 3 being separated and acting as the guide roller 7 When the base film A is pressed by the nip roller 33 and fed out, it is possible to prevent the base film A from being shifted again and wrinkled or bent.

  Further, after the second protective film D is pasted by the laminating roller 53 of the laminating section 5 to form the base film E with the second protective film, the base film E with the second protective film is wound by the collecting section 6. By having the second meandering control unit 80b before being taken, the second meandering control unit 80b can control and adjust the position in the width direction of the base film E with the second protective film. That is, as in the first meandering control unit 80a, the position shift caused by the film being formed by the film forming unit 4 and then being pushed out by the laminating roller 53 of the laminating unit 5 and being fed out is conveyed. The end of the base film E with the two protective films is conveyed at a fixed position, so that meandering during conveyance can be suppressed. Therefore, the base film E with the second protective film can be transported to the collection unit 6 while suppressing generation of wrinkles and elongation due to meandering. Therefore, the film is not wound around the collecting roller 61 while the film is left wrinkled or stretched. Thereby, the end face is aligned while suppressing wrinkles and elongation, and the base film E with the second protective film can be wound up by the collection unit 6.

  In addition, after the second protective film D is bonded to the base film E with the second protective film by bonding the bonding part 5, the second protective film D is wound before the base film E with the second protective film is wound up by the collecting part 6. By having the two-tension control unit 90b, the tension of the base film E with the second protective film can be controlled and adjusted by the second tension control unit 90b, and the base film E with the second protective film during transportation is always constant. Can work tension. That is, the second protective film-coated substrate is deformed by being formed by the film forming unit 4 and then being pressed by the laminating roller 53 of the laminating unit 5 and fed out, similarly to the first tension control unit 90a. Since the film E receives a certain tension during conveyance, the base film E with the second protective film can be prevented from being bent and wrinkled during conveyance. Therefore, the film is not wound on the collection roller 61 while wrinkles due to slack remain in the formed thin film. Thereby, sagging, a wrinkle, and winding tightening can be suppressed and the base film E with a 2nd protective film can be wound up in the collection | recovery part 6. FIG.

According to the vacuum film-forming method as described above, the first protective film C is bonded by having the first meandering control step S80a and the first tension control step S90a before the peeling step S3. Meandering and slackening of the base film A with the first protective film can be suppressed.
Further, the entrance roller 81 and the exit roller 82 in the first meandering control step S80a and the tension control roller 91 in the first tension control step S90a do not directly touch the film formation surface of the base film B. Thereby, defects can be further suppressed without scratching the surface before film formation.

Moreover, by having 2nd meandering control process S80b and 2nd tension control process S90b after bonding process S5, in the state in which the 2nd protective film D was bonded, the base film E with a 2nd protective film of Serpentine slack can be suppressed.
Furthermore, the entrance roller 81 and the exit roller 82 in the second meandering control step S80b and the tension control roller 91 in the second tension control step S90b do not directly touch the film formation surface of the base film B. Thereby, defects can be further suppressed without scratching the film-formed surface.

Note that the structures of the first meander control unit 80a and the second meander control unit 80b are not limited to those of the present embodiment. For example, a known meander control such as an unwinding method, a winding method, or an end pivot method is used. A structure can be used.
Further, the structures of the first tension control unit 90a and the second tension control unit 90b are not limited to those of the present embodiment. For example, the weight dancer roll system that adjusts the tension by gravity or the torque of the winding shaft. A known tension control structure such as a center drive system for adjusting the tension can be used.

  Furthermore, the arrangement of the first meandering control unit 80a and the first tension control unit 90a and the arrangement of the second meandering control unit 80b and the second tension control unit 90b are not limited to the present embodiment. It is possible to change the order in which they are performed and stop placing them on the object, or only one of them may be provided. That is, only what is necessary for each target vacuum film forming apparatus 1 may be appropriately selected and arranged.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the configurations and combinations of the embodiments in the embodiments are examples, and the addition and omission of configurations are within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. , Substitutions, and other changes are possible. Further, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments, and is limited only by the scope of the claims.

In addition, the base film B is not limited to a polymer film film, For example, you may select from flexible materials, such as a plastic sheet, metal foil, a metal sheet, paper, and a nonwoven fabric.
Further, the film forming method is not limited to the plasma CVD method, and any vacuum film forming method performed in the vacuum chamber 10 may be used. For example, a vacuum vapor deposition method or a sputtering method may be used.
Furthermore, the supply part 2 and the collection | recovery part 6 are not restricted to being arrange | positioned in the vacuum chamber 10, You may arrange | position outside the atmosphere. By being arranged outside, when preparing the base film A with the first protective film on the supply roller 21 of the supply unit 2, the work can be easily performed. Further, even when the base film E with the second protective film is wound around the collection roller 61 of the collection unit 6 and the collection roller 61 needs to be replaced, the operation can be easily performed.

  Moreover, the roughness of the surface of the 2nd protective film D should just be determined suitably with the thin film formed. For example, when the required barrier property is high and the smoothness of the film-forming surface of the base film B is high, the grain transfer or the second protective film in which the rough surface shape of the second protective film D is transferred to the film-forming surface It is preferable to determine in consideration of the influence of the bubble biting that causes air to be caught when D and the base film B are bonded together. On the contrary, when the smoothness of the film-forming surface of the base film B is low, a commercially available publicly known film may be used. For example, the first protective film C may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vacuum film-forming apparatus A ... Base film with 1st protective film B ... Base film C ... 1st protective film D ... 2nd protective film E ... Base film E with 2nd protective film 10 ... Vacuum chamber 2 ... Supply part 21 ... Supply roller 3 ... Peeling part 31 ... Peeling table 32 ... Peeling roller 33 ... Nip roller 4 ... Film forming part 42 ... High frequency electrode 43 ... Gas introduction port 44 ... Gas introduction pipe 41 ... Wall body 5 ... Lamination part 51 ... Lamination table 52 ... Second protective film supply roller 53 ... Lamination roller 6 ... Recovery unit 61 ... Recovery roller 80a ... First meander control unit 81 ... Inlet roller 82 ... Outlet roller 83 ... Position detector 84 ... Control unit 90a ... 1st tension control part 91 ... tension control roller 80b ... 2nd meandering control part 90b ... 2nd tension control part S2 ... supply process S3 ... peeling process S4 ... Film formation step S5 ... Bonding step S6 ... Recovery step 7 ... Guide roller S80a ... First meander control step S90a ... First tension control step S80b ... Second meander control step S90b ... Second tension control step α ... Rotation Direction β ... Moving direction

Claims (8)

A vacuum chamber;
A supply unit for supplying a base film with a protective film in which the protective film is bonded to the base film;
A peeling part that is provided in the vacuum chamber and peels the protective film from the base film with the protective film supplied from the supply part to obtain the base film,
A film forming unit that is provided in the vacuum chamber and forms a thin film on the surface by depositing a predetermined component on the surface of the base film obtained from the peeling unit. Vacuum film forming equipment.   It has a meandering control part which adjusts the position of the width direction of the base film with a protective film, before the base film with a protective film is supplied from the supply part, and is peeled in the exfoliation part. Item 2. The vacuum film forming apparatus according to Item 1.   2. A tension control unit that adjusts a tension acting on the base film with a protective film before the base film with the protective film is supplied from the supply unit and peeled off at the peeling unit. Or the vacuum film-forming apparatus of 2. A laminating portion that is provided in the vacuum chamber and bonds a protective film to the base film after the thin film is formed by the film forming portion;
The vacuum film-forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a recovery unit that winds up the base film on which the protective film is bonded at the bonding unit.   After the protective film was bonded to the base film at the bonding portion, the protective film was bonded before the substrate film on which the protective film was bonded at the collecting portion was wound. The vacuum film forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a meandering control unit that adjusts a position in the width direction of the base film.   After the protective film is bonded to the base film at the bonding portion and before the base film on which the protective film is bonded at the collecting portion is wound, the base film with the protective film The vacuum film forming apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a tension control unit that adjusts a working tension. A supplying step of supplying a base film with a protective film formed by bonding a protective film to the base film;
A peeling step of peeling the protective film from the base film with the protective film supplied from the feeding step in a vacuum chamber to obtain the base film;
And a film forming step of forming a thin film on the surface of the base film by depositing a predetermined component on the surface of the base film after performing the peeling step in the vacuum chamber. Membrane method. After performing the film forming step in the vacuum chamber, a bonding step of bonding a protective film to the base film after forming a thin film;
The vacuum film-forming method according to claim 7, further comprising a winding step of winding up the base film after performing the bonding step.

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