JP2016074497A - Film transport device, film formation device, and film transport method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To stably transport a long base film, and reduce irregular winding after winding is finished.SOLUTION: When both end parts of a long base film F are held by a holding member 121 and the base film is transported, according to a detection output of end positions of the base film F, an adjustment mechanism 160 adjusts a relative position of the holding member 121 and the base film F in a width direction, on a fitting position where the holding member 121 is fitted to the base film.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a film transport apparatus, a film forming apparatus, and a film transport method, and more particularly to a film transport apparatus, a film forming apparatus, and a film transport method for gripping and transporting both ends of a long film.

  Conventionally, a functional film in which an inorganic film is formed as a functional layer on a base film has been widely used.

  A gas barrier film used as a packaging material for foods, pharmaceuticals, electronic devices and the like is also one of functional films. In the gas barrier film, the gas barrier layer formed on the base film shields gas such as water and oxygen in the atmosphere to prevent deterioration of the contents.

  As one of methods for forming an inorganic film as a dense thin film, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method is known. The ALD method is a method in which a thin film is formed by repeating a plurality of cycles of a film forming process in which different raw materials are alternately supplied and reacting the respective raw materials to deposit one atomic layer for each cycle.

  Such a thin film is likely to be scratched on its surface when it comes into contact with other members during film formation and transport. Therefore, there has been a demand for a transport method in which the base film is not brought into contact with other members as much as possible during film formation.

  As such a transporting method, a stepped guide roller having a diameter at both ends larger than the diameter at the center is used, and only the both ends of the base film are brought into contact with the guide roller, so that the center is not contacted. Was commonly used.

  However, this transport method is effective when a film having a certain degree of rigidity and a narrow width is transported, but the rigidity is low and a wide film cannot maintain a distance from the guide roller. It was difficult to stably maintain non-contact with the guide roller at the center of the film.

  As another transport method, there is a method in which a large number of clips are attached to an endless chain, and both ends of the film are gripped by these clips and transported while being pulled in the width direction (Patent Document 1).

JP-A-11-227998

  However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the clip is attached to both ends of the film, if the position in the width direction of the film is not appropriate with respect to the position of the clip, the film is transported in a state in which the deviation occurs. Will be. Alternatively, when the positional deviation is large, it is difficult to increase the positional deviation of a clip to be attached later and to perform stable conveyance.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and aims at conveying a elongate film stably.

  The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following means.

(1) an unwinding section for unwinding a long base film from a roll body;
A transport unit that transports the base film, a plurality of gripping members that grip both ends in the width direction of the base film, an endless transport member that connects the gripping members, and a stretch of the transport member A transport unit including a plurality of rotating members and a driving unit that drives the rotating members;
A winding unit for winding the base film;
A closer that attaches the base film to the gripping member by switching the gripping member from a non-gripping state to a gripping state at the mounting position;
A detection unit for detecting an end position in a width direction of the base film conveyed by the conveyance unit;
An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the relative position in the width direction of the grip member and the base film at the attachment position;
A film transport apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the adjustment mechanism according to a detection output of the detection unit.

(2) The adjustment mechanism includes a closer moving unit that moves the closer in the transport direction of the base film,
The control unit controls the adjustment mechanism to move the closer by the closer moving unit so that a relative position between the gripping member and the base film end in the width direction is within an appropriate range. The film conveyance apparatus as described in (1).

  (3) The film transport apparatus according to (2), wherein a movement direction of the gripping unit and a transport direction of the base film intersect each other in a range of movement of the closer by the closer moving unit.

(4) The adjustment mechanism includes a rotating member moving unit that moves a rotating member positioned upstream of the closer in the width direction of the base film in the transport direction of the base film,
The control unit controls the rotating member moving unit to move the position in the width direction of the gripping member so that the relative position between the gripping member and the base film end in the width direction is within an appropriate range. The film transport apparatus according to any one of (1) to (3) above.

(5) an opener that switches the gripping member from a gripping state to a non-gripping state;
A transport roller provided on the downstream side of the opener and rotating in contact with the surface of the film;
The center part in the width direction of the base film to be transported is transported in a non-contact manner from the unwinding unit to the transport roller, according to any one of (1) to (4) above. Film transport device.

  (6) The film transport apparatus according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the thickness of the base film is in a range of 10 to 100 μm.

  (7) The film transport apparatus according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the base film has a length in the transport direction of 100 m or more.

(8) any one of the above-described (1) to (5) film transport apparatus;
A film forming apparatus, comprising: a film forming processing unit configured to form a film by an atomic layer deposition method on the base film held and conveyed by the holding member.

(9) an unwinding unit for unwinding the long base film from the roll body;
A transport unit that transports the base film, a plurality of gripping members that grip both ends in the width direction of the base film, an endless transport member that connects the gripping members, and a stretch of the transport member A transport unit including a plurality of rotating members and a driving unit that drives the rotating members;
A winding part for winding the base film into a roll;
A closer that attaches the base film to the gripping member by switching the gripping member from a non-gripping state to a gripping state at an attachment position, and a film transport method in a film transport device comprising:
An end position in the width direction of the base film transported by the transport unit is detected, and in accordance with a detection output of the detection unit, an adjustment mechanism causes the grip member and the base film in the width direction at the mounting position to be detected. A film transport method that adjusts the relative position.

(10) The adjustment mechanism includes a closer moving unit that moves the closer in the transport direction of the base film.
According to the detection output of the detection unit, the closer is moved by the closer moving unit so that the relative position between the grip member and the base film end in the width direction is within an appropriate range, (9) The method for conveying a film according to claim 1.

(11) The adjustment mechanism includes a rotating member moving unit that moves a rotating member located on the upstream side of the closer in the conveyance direction of the base film in the width direction of the base film,
The width of the gripping member is controlled so that the relative position between the gripping member and the base film end in the width direction is within an appropriate range by controlling the rotating member moving unit according to the detection output of the detection unit. The method for transporting a film according to (9) or (10), wherein the position in the direction is moved.

  According to the present invention, when the both ends of the long base film are gripped and conveyed by the gripping member, the gripping member is attached to the base film by the adjusting mechanism according to the detection output of the end position of the base film. By adjusting the relative position in the width direction of the gripping member and the base film at the position, the base film can be stably conveyed, and the winding disturbance is reduced in the state after winding.

1 is a front view showing an overall configuration of a film forming apparatus 10. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the closer 140 periphery in 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram explaining the operation of the adjustment mechanism 160A. It is a flowchart explaining conveyance stabilization control by the control part. It is the schematic which shows the structure of the closer 140 periphery in 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state after moving the sprocket 123 (a) to the Y direction by the adjustment mechanism 160B. It is a figure which shows the subroutine of step S103 of Fig.4 (a) in 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. In addition, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for convenience of explanation, and may be different from the actual ratios.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a film forming apparatus 10 including a film transport apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The film forming apparatus 10 continuously forms a film by an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method while conveying a long base film F. In the ALD method, a film forming process in which two or more kinds of raw materials are alternately supplied onto a base film and each raw material is reacted is repeated for a plurality of cycles, and an atomic layer (actually, a molecular layer of a compound can be obtained for each cycle. ) Are deposited one layer at a time to form a thin film. If it is ALD method, PEALD (Plasma Enhanced ALD) method, thermal ALD method, etc. which are 1 type of ALD method can also be used.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming apparatus 10 includes a film transport apparatus 100, a film forming processing unit 200, and chambers C1 to C4. The film transport apparatus 100 includes an unwinder 110 in which the original roll of the base film F of the roll body is set, a transport unit 120 that transports the base film F, and a base film that has been subjected to various treatments in a roll shape. A winder 130, a closer 140, an end position detection sensor 150, an adjustment mechanism 160, an opener 170, and a control unit 180 are provided. The film formation processing unit 200 includes raw material supply units 201 and 202, a modification processing unit 203, and a protective layer forming unit 204.

  2A and 2B are schematic views showing a configuration around the closer 140 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a top view and FIG. 2B is a front view. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport unit 120 stretches and moves a plurality of clips 121 that grip both ends of the base film F, a pair of endless chains 122 that connect the clips 121, and the chains 122. A plurality of sprockets 123, a drive motor 124 that rotationally drives at least one of these sprockets 123, and a transport roller 125 that contacts the surface of the base film F are provided. The pair of chains 122 are at regular intervals in the Y direction (width direction) so that the clips 121 connected to each other can grip both ends of the base film F at least in the transport path (closer to opener) of the base film F. It is hung on the sprocket 123. In FIG. 1, a simple circle represents the sprocket 123 and a double circle represents the transport roller 125. Further, in the following, in a plurality of constituent members such as the sprocket 123 and the transport roller 125, when a specific constituent member is shown, a numerical value such as the sprocket 123 (a) and the transport roller 125 (a) The code is written with an alphabet enclosed in parentheses.

  In the transport path of the base film F, the first sprocket 123 (a) is disposed immediately downstream of the unwinder 110, and the second sprocket 123 (b) is disposed downstream thereof. A closer 140, an end position detection sensor 150, and an adjustment mechanism 160 are provided between the sprocket 123 (a) and the sprocket 123 (b). A detection signal of the end position detection sensor 150 is sent to a control unit 180 including a CPU, a memory, and the like, and the control unit 180 controls the adjustment mechanism 160 based on the detection signal. Details of these configurations will be described later.

  The clip 121 is switched from the open state (non-gripping state) to the closed state (gripping state) by the closer 140, and returned to the open state by the downstream opener 170. The pair of closed clips 121 switched by the closer 140 respectively hold both ends of the base film F in the width direction (Y direction) and transmit the conveying force transmitted by the sprocket 123 to the base film F.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming apparatus 10 includes chambers C1, C2, C3, and C4. In the chamber C4, other components such as the conveyance unit 120 in the path from the other chambers C1 to C3 and the unwinder 110 to the winder 130 are arranged. In the chambers C1, C2, and C3, raw material supply units 201 and 202 and a reforming processing unit 203 are provided, respectively. A protective layer forming unit 204 is provided on the downstream side.

  The chambers C1 to C3 in which the raw material supply units 201 and 202 and the reforming processing unit 203 are arranged are adjusted to a vacuum pressure by a vacuum pump or the like. Each of the chambers C1 to C3 is provided with an opening on the transport path of the base film F so that the base film F can pass through the chambers C1 to C3. As is clear from FIG. 1, the base film F transported by the transport unit 120 passes through each of the chambers C <b> 1 to C <b> 3 a plurality of times and is subjected to processing described below. Note that the entire inside of the chamber C4 may be adjusted to a vacuum pressure by a vacuum pump or the like.

(Film formation process by ALD method)
The raw material supply units 201 and 202 supply the raw material of the film to be formed into a gas state into the respective chambers C1 and C2. The raw material is also called a precursor. In the chamber C1, the raw material supplied by the raw material supply unit 201 is adsorbed on the surface of the base film F, and in the chamber C2, the raw material supplied by the raw material supply unit 202 is adsorbed on the surface of the base film F.

  The reforming processing unit 203 supplies a gas for reforming the raw material supplied from the raw material supply units 201 and 202 into the chamber C3. In addition, the reforming processing unit 203 applies plasma to the reforming gas to generate plasma. Examples of the reforming gas include an active gas having high reactivity with the raw material supplied by the raw material supply units 201 and 202 such as oxygen gas and nitrogen gas. The modification processing unit 203 performs a modification process such as oxidation or nitridation of the raw material adsorbed on the base film F by the raw material supply units 201 and 202 by plasma.

  When the raw material supplied by the raw material supply units 201 and 202 is the first raw material and the reforming gas used by the reforming processing unit 203 is the second raw material, the first raw material and the second raw material are changed according to the film to be formed. select. In the case of forming an inorganic film, the first raw materials include aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), silicon (Si), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), lanthanum (La), niobium (Nb), tantalum ( A metal compound containing a metal element such as Ta), magnesium (Mg), or zinc (Zn) is used. The inorganic film may contain a metal compound such as a metal oxide or metal nitride obtained by modifying the first raw material.

As the second raw material, water (H ₂ O), oxygen, ozone (O ₃ ), methanol, ethanol, or the like is used when the first raw material is oxidized. When nitriding the first raw material, nitrogen, ammonia (NH ₃ ) or the like is used. These gases may be used in combination with hydrogen (H ₂₎ gas.

When forming an inorganic film as a gas barrier layer, from the viewpoint of enhancing gas barrier properties, the inorganic film is made of aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, silicon oxide, zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, magnesium oxide (MgO), hafnium oxide (HfO). ₂ ) and metal oxides such as lanthanum oxide (La ₂ O ₃ ) are preferably contained. Aluminum oxide and titanium oxide using trimethylaluminum, titanium tetrachloride and the like as the first raw material are particularly preferable because the molecular weight is suitable for repairing the unevenness of the film and the coverage is improved.

  The chambers C1 to C3 are disposed in a chamber C4 in which an inert gas is supplied and exhausted. Excess first raw material or second raw material on the base film F is exhausted and removed together with the inert gas. The inert gas refers to a gas having low reactivity with the first raw material or the second raw material. As the inert gas that can be used, for example, a rare gas or the like can be used. If the reactivity with the first raw material or the second raw material is low, nitrogen gas or the like is also used.

  At the time of film formation, when the base film F is conveyed to the raw material supply unit 201 and the gaseous first raw material is supplied, the first raw material is adsorbed on the surface of the base film F. Thereafter, the base film F is transported to the reforming processing unit 203, the second raw material gas is supplied to generate plasma, and the first raw material adsorbed on the surface of the base film F is reformed to form a film. To do. Further, when the base film F is transported to the raw material supply unit 202 and the second raw material is supplied, the second raw material is further adsorbed on the film. Therefore, the second raw material is transported to the reforming processing unit 203 and reformed. Thereby depositing a film. Since the base film F passes through the chamber C4 and is transported to the raw material supply units 201 and 202 and the reforming processing unit 203, the excess first raw material and second raw material are removed in the chamber C4.

  In the case where the same raw material is supplied by the raw material supply units 201 and 202, the film forming process of two cycles is performed according to the above procedure. When supplying different raw materials, one cycle of film forming process is performed according to the above procedure.

  The film forming apparatus 10 unwinds the base film F by the unwinder 110 and repeatedly conveys it to the raw material supply unit 201 and the raw material supply unit 202 via the reforming processing unit 203 by the conveyance unit 120. Then, the base film F on which the film is formed is wound up by the winder 130. The base film F unwound by the unwinder 110 is only gripped at both ends by the clip 121 until reaching the opener 170 immediately before the transport roller 125 (a). That is, the central portion other than both ends of the base film F is transported in a state where it does not come into contact with other component parts until it comes into contact with the transport roller 125 (a). A protective layer is formed on the surface of the base film F that does not come into contact with the transport roller 125 (a) (product surface side) by a protective layer forming unit 204 described later, and the strength of the surface is improved. It is made to contact | abut to the downstream conveyance roller 125 (b). On the surface side where the protective layer is formed, even if the subsequent transport roller 125 is brought into contact with the base film F, no flaws are generated.

  As the base film F, a film-like resin, glass, metal or the like is used. Especially, resin is preferable and it is preferable that it is resin with high transparency. Examples of the resin used as the base film F include methacrylate ester, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polyarylate, polystyrene (PS), polyimide (PI), and cyclic olefin polymer (COP). ), Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and the like.

  The thickness of the base film F is not particularly limited, but when it is 10 μm or more, the gripping by the transport unit 120 becomes easy. On the other hand, in order to avoid damage to the film, it is also possible to carry the roller by making the central part non-contact with a stepped roller having both end parts larger in diameter than the central diameter. However, when the base film F having a thickness of 100 μm or less is conveyed by a roller, a conveyance failure is likely to occur due to insufficient rigidity of the film. Therefore, for the base film F having a thickness of 100 μm or less, conveyance by the gripping type conveyance unit 120 is effective.

  The length of the base film F in the width direction is preferably in the range of 0.1 m to 3.0 m, and more preferably in the range of 0.5 m to 2.0 m. Within this range, the design and maintenance of the transport unit 120 is easy, and the time for adjustment under vacuum pressure is not prolonged and productivity is improved. In addition, the length of the base film F in the transport direction is preferably 100 m or more, and more preferably 1000 m or more. Productivity is improved by continuously forming a long film.

(Formation of protective layer by protective layer forming unit 204)
The protective layer forming unit 204 forms a protective layer on the surface of the base film F on which film formation processing has been performed in the chambers C1 to C3. The material for the protective layer is not particularly limited as long as it is a material that can be formed on the film, and a metal oxide, a polymer material, or the like can be applied. A carbon-containing polymer is preferable, and a curable resin is particularly preferable. The curable resin is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a thermosetting resin, an active energy ray curable resin, and the like, but an active energy ray curable resin is preferable because it is easy to mold. The active energy ray-curable resin refers to a resin that is cured through a crosslinking reaction or the like by irradiation with active energy rays such as ultraviolet rays or electron beams. Typical examples of the active energy ray curable resin include an ultraviolet curable resin and an electron beam curable resin, and among them, an electron beam curable resin that is cured by electron beam irradiation is preferable.

  When using such curable resin, it is set as the protective layer formation part 204 provided with the application part and hardening part which apply | coat curable resin. This application part applies curable resin on the film of the base film F. As a coating method, a vapor deposition method capable of coating even under a vacuum pressure is preferable. A hardening part irradiates a heat ray and an active energy ray, hardens a coating film, and forms a protective layer.

  Although FIG. 1 shows an installation example of the protective layer forming unit 204 in the case where the protective layer is formed under vacuum pressure, the protective layer can also be formed under atmospheric pressure. When the protective layer is formed under atmospheric pressure, the base film F may be conveyed to the protective layer forming unit 204 provided under atmospheric pressure through a pressure adjusting unit that adjusts the vacuum pressure to atmospheric pressure. .

  As a method for forming the protective layer of the protective layer forming unit 204 under atmospheric pressure, a wet coating method such as a spray method or a die coating method, a vapor deposition method, or the like may be used.

(Film conveyance apparatus 100 of 1st Embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 2, the film conveying apparatus 100 which concerns on 1st Embodiment is demonstrated.

  In the figure, the base film F is conveyed in the direction of arrow a1. The clip 121 connected to the chain 122 moves along the transport direction. The moved clip 121 is switched from the open state to the closed state by the closer 140 at the position (attachment position) where the closer 140 is placed. In the example shown in the figure, the adjustment mechanism 160A functions as a closer moving unit, and includes a slide rail 161 and a moving unit 162. The slide rail 161 extends along the transport direction (X direction) between the sprocket 123 (a) and the sprocket 123 (b). The moving part 162 is connected to the closer 140 and moves the closer 140 on the slide rail 161 in the direction of the arrow a2 by a driving source (not shown).

  The distance between the sprocket 123 (a) and the sprocket 123 (b) is 1 to 6 m, for example, and the initial position of the closer 140 is, for example, about 0.3 m downstream from the sprocket 123 (a). The movable range in the X direction of the closer 140 by the adjusting mechanism 160A is preferably 0.1 m or more and 2 m or less, more preferably 0.3 m or more, although it depends on the transport speed of the base film F and the folding distance of the chambers C1 to C3. 1 m or less. When the distance is 0.1 m or longer, the positional deviation of the base film F can be corrected appropriately, and when the distance is 2 m or shorter, an adjustment response to the positional deviation can be secured.

  The end position detection sensor 150 includes an irradiation unit 151 that irradiates a laser and a light receiving unit 152 that receives the irradiation unit 151, and these are arranged vertically so as to straddle the base film F. The end position detection sensor 150 detects the end position of the base film F in the width direction (Y direction). In the example shown in the figure, since a plurality of end position detection sensors 150 are arranged at different positions in the transport direction, the control unit 180 (see FIG. 1) determines the end of the base film F from these detection signals. The position in the Y direction and the inclination with respect to the X direction are calculated.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation of the adjustment mechanism 160A. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the base film F is unwound from the unwinder 110 in a state shifted from the unwinder 110 in the width direction. In FIG. 3, the position of the closer 140 is moved in the downstream direction by the adjustment mechanism 160 </ b> A to a position where the ends of the clip 121 and the base film F are in an appropriate relative position. At the initial position (broken line) of the closer 140, the clip 121 (a) and the end of the base film F are displaced. When switching to the closed state at this position, gripping may be insufficient, or the clip 121 and the end of the base film F may interfere with each other and damage the base film F. In the position after the movement of the closer 140 shown in FIG. 3, the relative position in the width direction of the clip 121 (x) and the base film F is within an appropriate range. Since the base film F is attached to the clip 121 at an appropriate position by switching the clip 121 to the closed state at the attachment position after movement, the conveyance of the base film F is stabilized.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the conveyance stabilization control by the control unit 180. As shown in FIG. 4A, the control unit 180 detects the end position of the base film F in the Y direction based on the detection signal of the end position detection sensor 150 (S101).

  From the detected end position, it is determined whether or not the relative position in the Y direction between the clip 121 and the end of the base film F is within an appropriate range at the current mounting position (the X direction position of the closer 140) ( S102). For example, if it is within a width of 0.5 mm with respect to the design center value, it is determined to be appropriate.

  If it is determined that it is not within the proper range (S102: NO), the relative position in the width direction of the clip 121 and the base film F is adjusted in the subsequent step S103.

  FIG. 4B is a diagram for explaining the subroutine of step S103. The control unit 180 calculates a straight line through which the edge of the base film F passes from the detection signal of the end position detection sensor 150 from the position of the end of the base film F in the Y direction and the inclination with respect to the X direction. A straight line connecting the center positions of the plurality of clips 121 between this and the sprocket 123 (a) and the sprocket 123 (b) is calculated. Then, the X coordinate of the intersection of the two straight lines becomes the X direction movement position (S201).

  Subsequently, the control unit 180 moves the closer 140 to the X-direction movement position calculated by controlling the adjustment mechanism 160A (S202, FIG. 3).

  Thereafter, the position of the closer 140 after movement is set as a new attachment position, and the base film F is conveyed by the clip 121 switched to the closed state at this attachment position. The process shown in FIG. 4 is continuously executed until the conveyance of the base film F is completed.

(Film Conveying Device 100 of Second Embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration around the closer 140 according to the second embodiment. The second embodiment is common to the first embodiment except for the configuration shown in FIG. Further, as described above, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 160B is used. The adjustment mechanism 160B includes a moving cam 163 that functions as a rotating member moving unit. In the second embodiment, it is only necessary that the end position of the base film F can be detected at the attachment position where the closer 140 is disposed, so that only one end position detection sensor 150 is required. Further, it is preferable that the detection region is arranged in the vicinity of the position where the closer 140 is attached.

  By actuating the moving cam 163 by a drive source (not shown), the rotation shaft to which the sprockets 123 (a) on both sides are attached is moved by a predetermined amount in the direction of the arrow a3 according to the operation amount. The range of movement of the sprocket 123 (a) in the Y direction (rotating axis direction) is preferably 1 cm or more and 40 cm or less in both directions, more preferably 2 cm or more and 20 cm or less, based on the design center position. By setting it to 1 cm or more, the positional deviation can be corrected appropriately, and by setting it to 40 cm or less, it is possible to ensure stable conveyance without detaching from the sprocket 123 using the deflection of the chain 122. Further, when the movable range is increased, the position of the closer 140 may be appropriately moved in the same direction in accordance with the movement of the sprocket 123 (a).

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state after the pair of sprockets 123 (a) are moved in the Y direction by the adjustment mechanism 160B in accordance with the detection signal of the end position detection sensor 150. After the movement, the chain 122 and the end of the base film F are substantially parallel, and the relative position in the width direction between the clip 121 and the end of the base film F is appropriate at the mounting position where the closer 140 is disposed. It is in range.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the control by the control unit 180, and shows a subroutine of step S103 in FIG. In the second embodiment, the main control flow in FIG. 4A is common to the first control flow, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  If the relative position of the clip 121 and the end of the base film F and the relative position in the Y direction is not within the proper range at the attachment position (the X direction position of the closer 140) based on the detection signal of the end position detection sensor 150, FIG. In step S301, the movement position of the sprocket 123 (a) in the Y direction is calculated. As for the movement amount with respect to the current position in the Y direction, if the attachment position of the closer 140 is close to the sprocket 123 (a), the shift amount of the end of the base film F with respect to the detected center position of the clip 121 may be used as it is. Good. Alternatively, a value obtained by multiplying the detected shift amount of the end portion by the reciprocal of the ratio of the distance between the sprocket 123 (b) and the closer 140 to the distance between the sprocket 123 (a) and the sprocket 123 (b) may be used. For example, if the closer 140 is positioned between the sprocket 123 (a) and the sprocket 123 (b) and the reciprocal of the ratio is 2, twice the amount of deviation at the position of the closer 140 is the amount of movement of the sprocket 123 (a). It becomes.

  In subsequent step S302, control unit 180 controls adjustment mechanism 160B to move sprocket 123 (a) by the amount of movement in the Y direction calculated in step S301. Thereby, in the attachment position of the closer 140, the position of the base film F is moved in the Y direction. And the conveyance of the base film F is stabilized by switching the clip 121 adjusted to an appropriate position at the attachment position after the movement to the closed state and gripping the base film F.

  Note that the adjustment mechanism 160B used in the second embodiment may be used in combination with the adjustment mechanism 160A of the first embodiment. Thereby, conveyance of the base film F is further stabilized.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

(Gas barrier film)
As the base film F of the gas barrier film, a Teijin (registered trademark) Tetron (registered trademark) film KDL8W (manufactured by Teijin DuPont Films) having a thickness of 50 μm was prepared.
Base film width (Y direction): 500 mm
Total length of base film (X direction): 1000m
Base film transport speed: 8 m / min.

(Samples 1 to 4)
In the film forming apparatus 10 of the first or second embodiment, the transport only test was performed under the atmospheric pressure without reducing the pressure in the chamber C4 and without performing the film formation by the atomic layer deposition method described later. Then, as shown in Table 1 below, samples 2 to 4 were prepared by operating either the adjusting mechanism 160A or the adjusting mechanism 160B alone or in combination as a comparative example (sample 1) that does not operate any adjusting mechanism 160. .

(Samples 5-8)
With the same film forming apparatus 10, an aluminum oxide film having a thickness of 10 nm was formed on the base film F as a gas barrier layer by an atomic layer deposition method to obtain a gas barrier film. Conditions other than the gas barrier layer deposition treatment correspond to Samples 5 to 8, respectively.

Specific conveyance and film formation conditions are as follows.
(Conveyance and deposition conditions)
First raw material: trimethylaluminum First raw material adsorption time: 2.0 seconds Pressure in chambers C1, C2 to which the first raw material is supplied: 90 Pa
Reforming gas: oxygen gas Processing time for reforming process: 0.5 seconds Pressure in chamber C3 to which reforming gas is supplied: 90 Pa
Inert gas used for purge: Nitrogen gas Purge time: 4.0 seconds Pressure in chamber C4 supplied with inert gas: 80 Pa
Deposition rate of aluminum oxide film: 0.1 nm / cycle Base film temperature: 100 ° C.
Pressure in chamber C4 of samples 1 to 4: atmospheric pressure Pressure in chamber C4 of samples 5 to 8: 80 Pa
(Evaluation method)
In the evaluation, the disturbance width in the axial direction after winding with the winder 130 was evaluated in five stages (the larger the number, the better). This “disturbance width” is obtained by subtracting the width (500 mm) of the base film from the entire width of the rolled base film after winding.
5: Disturbance width is less than 2 mm 4: Disturbance width is 2 mm or more and less than 4 mm 3: Disturbance width is 4 mm or more and less than 10 mm 2: Disturbance width is 10 mm or more and less than 20 mm 1: Disturbance width is 20 mm or more It is as follows. Compared with the comparative example, better results were obtained in the examples.

  As can be understood from the comparison between the sample 1 and the sample 5, the conditions in the vacuum environment are stricter than those in the atmospheric pressure environment. The winding state of the original winding set in the unwinder 110 is deteriorated in a vacuum environment. The air existing in a minute amount between the base film and the film of the base film expands in the decompression step, so that floating occurs between the films of the base film. This is because the winding form deviates in the direction of the rotation axis of the original winding, thereby causing left and right disturbances in the width direction of the unwinding position. Such turbulence affects the winding shape of the winding roll that has been wound by the winder 130. In extreme cases, wrinkles and creases occur at the widthwise ends of the base film, increasing the product value. It was supposed to be lowered. As is apparent from the results in Table 1, in this embodiment, since stable conveyance can be performed, even if a long film from an original fabric in which turbulence is generated is conveyed, in a wound state after conveyance. Winding disturbance can be reduced.

(Modification 1)
In the first embodiment, the transport direction of the clip 121 transported between the sprocket 123 (a) and the sprocket 123 (b) is set parallel to the transport direction of the base film F in terms of design. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the two may intersect at a slight inclination angle. The inclination angle can be set in consideration of variations in the positional deviation in the width direction of the base film F unwound from the unwinder 110 and the movable range (X direction) of the closer 140. Thereby, in the movable range of the closer 140, the straight line through which the edge of the base film F passes and the straight line connecting the center positions of the plurality of clips 121 between the sprocket 123 (a) and the sprocket 123 (b) surely intersect. Thereby, it is possible to appropriately adjust the positional deviation.

(Modification 2)
In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the example in which the two end position detection sensors 150 are arranged at one end of the base film F is shown, but they may be arranged on both sides. When the end position detection sensor 150 is a reflective sensor in which the light receiving section and the light emitting section are arranged on the same side with respect to the base film F, the end position detection sensor 150 is mounted on the moving section 162. , It may be movable in the Y direction. In this case, even if there is only one end position detection sensor 150, the inclination of the end portion of the base film F with respect to the X direction can be calculated.

(Modification 3)
In the second embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 160B uses the movable cam 163 as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a hydraulic cylinder method may be used.

(Modification 4)
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the transport is performed by the transport roller 125 in contact with the surface of the base film on the downstream side of the protective layer forming unit 204, but the entire transport is performed only by the clip 121 without using the transport roller 125. May be performed. By doing so, the base film F is continuously conveyed without releasing the gripped base film F until the base film F is unwound and unwound. The entire process can be performed without contacting anything.

(Modification 5)
The example using the chain 122 and the clip 121 connected to the chain 122 is shown as an example of the transport unit and the gripping member. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the rail and the rail on the rail can be used as long as it can move along the transport path and the circulation path. You may make it comprise from the holding member of the other form which drive | works.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Film-forming apparatus 100 Film conveying apparatus 110 Unwinder (unwinding part)
120 Transport unit 121 Clip (gripping member)
122 Chain (conveying member)
123 Sprocket (Rotating member)
124 Drive motor (drive unit)
125 Conveying roller 130 Winder (winding part)
140 Closer 150 End position detection sensor (detection unit)
151 Irradiation unit 152 Light receiving unit 160 Adjustment mechanism 160A Adjustment mechanism (closer moving unit)
161 Slide rail 162 Moving unit 160B Adjustment mechanism (rotating member moving unit)
163 Moving cam 170 Opener 180 Control unit 200 Film formation processing unit 201, 202 Raw material supply unit 203 Modification processing unit 204 Protective layer forming unit C1, C2, C3, C4 Chamber F Base film

Claims (11)

An unwinding section for unwinding the long base film from the roll body;
A transport unit that transports the base film, a plurality of gripping members that grip both ends in the width direction of the base film, an endless transport member that connects the gripping members, and a stretch of the transport member A transport unit including a plurality of rotating members and a driving unit that drives the rotating members;
A winding unit for winding the base film;
A closer that attaches the base film to the gripping member by switching the gripping member from a non-gripping state to a gripping state at the mounting position;
A detection unit for detecting an end position in a width direction of the base film conveyed by the conveyance unit;
An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the relative position in the width direction of the grip member and the base film at the attachment position;
A film transport apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the adjustment mechanism according to a detection output of the detection unit. The adjustment mechanism includes a closer moving unit that moves the closer in the transport direction of the base film,
The control unit controls the adjustment mechanism to move the closer by the closer moving unit so that a relative position between the gripping member and the base film end in the width direction is within an appropriate range. Item 2. The film conveyance device according to Item 1.   The film transport apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a moving direction of the gripping portion and a transport direction of the base film intersect each other in a range of movement of the closer by the closer moving portion. The adjusting mechanism includes a rotating member moving unit that moves a rotating member positioned on the upstream side of the closer in the transport direction of the base film in the width direction of the base film,
The control unit controls the rotating member moving unit to move the position in the width direction of the gripping member so that the relative position between the gripping member and the base film end in the width direction is within an appropriate range. The film conveyance apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-3. An opener for switching the gripping member from a gripping state to a non-gripping state;
A transport roller provided on the downstream side of the opener and rotating in contact with the surface of the film;
The center part of the width direction of the said base film conveyed is conveyed by the non-contact between the said unwinding part and the said conveyance roller, The film conveyance as described in any one of Claims 1-4. apparatus.   The film transport apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a thickness of the base film is in a range of 10 to 100 µm.   The said base film is a film conveying apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1-6 whose length of a conveyance direction is 100 m or more. A film transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
A film forming apparatus, comprising: a film forming processing unit configured to form a film by an atomic layer deposition method on the base film held and conveyed by the holding member. An unwinding section for unwinding the long base film from the roll body;
A transport unit that transports the base film, a plurality of gripping members that grip both ends in the width direction of the base film, an endless transport member that connects the gripping members, and a stretch of the transport member A transport unit including a plurality of rotating members and a driving unit that drives the rotating members;
A winding part for winding the base film into a roll;
A closer that attaches the base film to the gripping member by switching the gripping member from a non-gripping state to a gripping state at an attachment position, and a film transport method in a film transport device comprising:
An end position in the width direction of the base film transported by the transport unit is detected, and in accordance with a detection output of the detection unit, an adjustment mechanism causes the grip member and the base film in the width direction at the mounting position to be detected. A film transport method that adjusts the relative position. The adjustment mechanism includes a closer moving unit that moves the closer in the transport direction of the base film,
In accordance with the detection output of the detection unit, the closer is moved by the closer moving unit so that the relative position between the gripping member and the base film end in the width direction is within an appropriate range. The conveyance method of the film of description. The adjusting mechanism includes a rotating member moving unit that moves a rotating member positioned on the upstream side of the closer in the transport direction of the base film in the width direction of the base film,
The width of the gripping member is controlled so that the relative position between the gripping member and the base film end in the width direction is within an appropriate range by controlling the rotating member moving unit according to the detection output of the detection unit. The film conveying method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the position in the direction is moved.