JP2016091593A - Evaporation material replenishment device and evaporation material replenishment method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an evaporation material replenishment device or the like capable of stably supplying an evaporation material.PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: The evaporation material replenishment device comprises: a take-out device 8 for taking an evaporation material hold member 300 out of a housing part 3 in which a plurality of evaporation material hold members 300 are accommodated while being overlapped; and a conveyance mechanism for moving the taken-out evaporation material hold member 300 to an evaporation position. The evaporation material hold member 300 includes a main body part in which the evaporation material is accommodated, and a pair of filament electrodes extending from one end of the main body part. At the evaporation position, the pair of filament electrodes are electrified, such that the evaporation material is evaporated by resistive heating.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an evaporating material replenishing apparatus and a evaporating material replenishing method for replenishing a target material.

  Neutron generators using accelerators that accelerate charged particles such as electrons, protons, and ions at high speeds are used in various industrial fields, and in particular, used in radiotherapy for cancer treatment in the medical field. . For example, as described in Patent Document 1, the neutron generator includes an accelerator that accelerates protons and a target unit that is arranged downstream of the accelerator. The target unit contains a lithium target, and protons accelerated by an accelerator collide with the lithium target and generate neutrons by a nuclear reaction.

  In such a neutron generator, lithium is consumed when protons collide with the lithium target. Therefore, it has been necessary to replace the lithium target when a predetermined period has elapsed. However, the work of exchanging the lithium target itself cannot be easily performed, and there is a risk of exposure for the worker. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 1, the consumed lithium is automatically regenerated. An automatic regeneration device for a lithium target was provided.

JP 2013-8634 A

  The lithium target automatic regeneration apparatus described in Patent Document 1 does not require replacement of the target itself, but requires a mechanism for continuously and automatically supplying lithium metal as a deposition material. For example, there is a feed mechanism that automatically supplies a wire-like material to be wound around a reel while controlling the supply speed with a variable speed motor or the like. However, since lithium metal is extremely soft, it is processed into a wire shape and wound around the reel. It is difficult to supply. In addition, it is conceivable to cut a predetermined amount from a lithium metal lump and supply a lithium metal cut piece to the filament, but the deformation due to cutting or conveyance cannot be controlled, and the material is supplied to the filament while keeping the shape constant. Is difficult. When the shape of the material supplied to the filament is different, the evaporation distribution is also different, so that the film formation cannot be controlled. Furthermore, it is not practical to provide a lithium metal cutting device inside because the device becomes large and complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides an evaporating material replenishing apparatus and method capable of reducing the size of the apparatus by individually replenishing the target material and stably supplying the vapor deposition material. The purpose is to do.

In order to solve the above object, an evaporating material replenishing device according to a first aspect of the present invention is an evaporating material replenishing device for replenishing an evaporating material to an evaporation source of a resistance heating evaporation device,
A plurality of evaporating material holding members that hold the evaporating material in a superimposed manner, and an accommodating portion including an outlet from which the evaporating material holding member is taken out;
A take-out device for taking out the evaporating material holding member from the take-out port of the housing part;
A transport mechanism for transporting the extracted evaporative material holding member attached to the evaporation source to a vapor deposition position;
The evaporative material holding member includes a main body portion that accommodates the evaporative material, and a pair of filament electrodes that extend from one end of the main body portion,
In the vapor deposition position, the evaporation material is resistance-heated and evaporated by energizing the pair of filament electrodes from the evaporation source.

A recovery mechanism for recovering the evaporative material holding member after vapor deposition is completed;
The transport mechanism may transport the evaporative material holding member after vapor deposition to the recovery mechanism.

The transport mechanism is
A first transport unit having a first holding unit for holding the evaporative material holding member taken out from the storage unit;
A second transport unit comprising the evaporation source having a second holding unit that receives and holds the evaporating material holding member held in the first holding unit;
The evaporating material holding member held by the first holding unit is transported to the first transport unit from the take-out device to the delivery position to the second transport unit, and the evaporated material after vapor deposition is finished. First conveyance control means for controlling the holding member to be conveyed from the delivery position to the recovery mechanism by the first conveyance unit;
The evaporative material holding member held by the first holding unit of the first transfer unit is held by the second holding unit of the second transfer unit at the delivery position, and the second holding The evaporative material holding member held by the unit may be provided with a second transfer control means for controlling the evaporative material holding member to be transferred by the second transfer unit between the delivery position and the vapor deposition position.

  The take-out device, the delivery position, and the recovery mechanism may be arranged along the transport direction of the first transport unit.

The first holding unit of the first transport unit has a gripping unit that can be switched between a state of gripping the evaporative material holding member and a state of releasing the member.
The collection mechanism may include a release unit that switches the gripping unit to a state in which the evaporation material holding member is released.

  The second holding unit may include a pair of holding members that hold the pair of filament electrodes.

  The holding member is plate-shaped and may have a slit.

  The evaporating material may be lithium or beryllium.

In order to solve the above-mentioned object, the evaporation material replenishing method according to the second aspect of the present invention includes:
An evaporative material replenishing method for replenishing an evaporating material to an evaporation source of a resistance heating evaporator,
A step of taking out the evaporating material holding member from a housing portion containing a plurality of evaporating material holding members holding the evaporating material;
A step of attaching the extracted evaporative material holding member to the evaporation source to a vapor deposition position;
The evaporating material holding member includes a main body portion that stores the evaporating material, and a pair of filament electrodes that extend from one end of the main body portion, and the pair of filament electrodes by the evaporation source at the vapor deposition position. And evaporating the evaporating material by resistance heating by energizing the capacitor.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an evaporation material replenishing apparatus and method capable of downsizing the apparatus by individually replenishing the target material and stably supplying the vapor deposition material.

It is a whole perspective view showing the evaporation material replenishment device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows typically an evaporation material replenishment apparatus. It is a front view of a filament. It is a side view of a filament. It is a front view which shows a vapor deposition material holding member typically. It is a figure which shows typically a storage part and the taking-out apparatus which takes out an evaporative material holding member from a storage part. It is a top view which shows a 1st conveyance unit typically. It is a side view which shows a 1st conveyance unit typically. It is a front view of a vapor deposition part. It is a front view of a filament holding member. It is a whole perspective view of a recovery mechanism. It is a perspective view which shows the state of the 1st conveyance unit and vapor deposition part when an evaporation material holding member is hold | maintained at the vapor deposition part. The state of the 1st conveyance unit and the 2nd conveyance unit until an evaporation material holding member is conveyed from the taking-out position of the evaporation material holding member of a 1st conveyance unit to the delivery position to a 2nd conveyance unit is shown. It is a side view. It is a side view which shows the state of the 2nd conveyance unit until an evaporation material holding member is conveyed in the cylindrical member from the delivery position of a 2nd conveyance unit. It is a side view which shows the state of the 1st conveyance unit until an evaporation material holding member is conveyed from the delivery position of a 2nd conveyance unit to a collection mechanism. It is a top view which shows the state of the 1st conveyance unit by which the evaporation material holding member was taken out in the taking-out position and was hold | maintained at the 1st conveyance unit. It is a top view which shows the state of the 1st conveyance unit in which the evaporation material holding member was conveyed to the delivery position of the 2nd conveyance unit. It is a top view which shows the state of the 1st conveyance unit by which the evaporation material holding member was complete | finished vapor deposition processing and was conveyed to the collection position of a collection | recovery mechanism. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a control part. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the evaporation material replenishment process which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings shown below, description will be made using front and rear and left and right in the horizontal direction, and up and down in the vertical direction, but these directions are used for explanation and are not intended to limit the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the evaporating material replenishing device according to the present embodiment takes out the evaporating material holding member 300 accommodated in the accommodating portion 3 with the taking out device 8, and the first transport unit 9 and the second conveying unit 9. This is a device that transports the inside of the cylindrical member 6 by the transport unit 10 and deposits the material in the evaporation material holding member 300 on the target 7 by the vapor deposition section 15.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the evaporative material replenishment device 1 includes a first module 2, a storage unit 3, a recovery mechanism 4, a second module 5, a cylindrical member 6, and a target 7. .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the first module 2 contains a take-out device 8 and a first transport unit 9, and the second module 5 has a second transport unit 10 and The accelerator 12 is accommodated. The accelerator 12, the cylindrical member 6, and the target 7 constitute a neutron generator 14. The first transport unit 9 and the second transport unit 10 constitute a transport mechanism 11.

  The first module 2 and the second module 5 are connected on the outer surfaces facing each other, and the internal space is in communication. The internal spaces of the first module 2 and the second module 5 are maintained in a predetermined vacuum state by being evacuated by a vacuum pump (not shown).

  The accommodating portion 3 is a cylindrical accommodating container that accommodates a plurality of evaporating material holding members 300 in an overlapping manner in the vertical direction.

  The accommodating part 3 is mounted on the upper part of the first module 2, and the lower end part protrudes into the space of the first module 2. The shape of the accommodating portion 3 can be changed according to the cross-sectional shape of the evaporating material holding member 300, and may be any cross-sectional shape as long as the evaporating material holding member 300 can be accommodated in an overlapping manner.

  In addition, an outlet 3 a for taking out the evaporating material holding member 300 into the first module 2 is provided at a lower end portion of the housing portion 3 protruding into the space of the first module 2. The take-out port 3a may be an opening that is large enough to allow the take-out claw 802 of the take-out device 8 to enter and scrape out the evaporating material holding member 300 in the housing portion 3. In addition, the accommodating part 3 is detachable with respect to the 1st module 2, and when all the evaporative material holding members 300 of the accommodating part 3 are used up, the accommodating part 3 is removed and newly filled with the evaporating material holding member 300 The accommodating part 3 which was done is attached. Alternatively, an inlet for taking in a plurality of evaporative material holding members 300 may be provided in a part of the accommodating portion 3, or when the number of evaporative material holding members 300 accommodated decreases, or the evaporative material holding members When 300 runs out, the evaporating material holding member 300 may be replenished from the inlet.

  The evaporation material holding member 300 holds a predetermined amount of material in a liquid, solid, or gas state, and is held and heated by the vapor deposition unit 15 described later, thereby vaporizing the evaporation material.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, the evaporation material holding member 300 includes a filament 303 and a filament base 304. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the filament 303 includes a main body 301 and a pair of filament electrodes 302 provided at one end of the main body 301. The main body 301 has a cylindrical shape, and an evaporation material is held inside. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, lithium metal is used as the evaporation material. The shape of the main body 301 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and various cross-sectional shapes can be employed depending on the properties of the material to be accommodated, the shape of the accommodating portion 3, and the like. The filament 303 can hold various materials depending on the application. In addition, the lower surface of the main body 301 is opened in whole or in part so that the vaporized material held can be heated by the vapor deposition unit 15 described later and vapor deposited on the target.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, the filament 303 is placed on the filament base 304. The filament table 304 includes two columns 305, the columns 305 are overlapped to overlap the filament table 304, and the filament 303 is held in the column internal space 306. The plurality of vapor deposition material holding members 300 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 3 by superimposing the columns 305. At this time, since the load is applied to the support column 305 due to the superposition, the filament 303 can be superposed without deformation. A conical protrusion 307 is provided on the bottom surface of the filament base 304, and the protrusion 307 of the upper filament base 304 is accommodated in the column internal space 306 of the lower filament base 304 in a state where the filament bases 304 are overlapped.

  The operation of filling the filament 303 with the evaporation material is performed outside the evaporation material replenishing apparatus 1. In a state where the filament 303 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is turned upside down, a predetermined amount of a lithium metal cut piece is accommodated inside the cylinder of the main body portion 301, and the metal piece is pressed toward the filament electrode 302, whereby the main body portion 301 is pressed. Crimp the lithium metal inside. When the lithium metal cut pieces are cut from the lithium metal lump by a predetermined amount and the lithium metal cut pieces are accommodated in the main body portion, the shapes vary. By pressing the metal pieces, the material shape can be kept constant. Due to the constant material shape, variation in evaporation distribution is reduced. An evaporating material holding member 300 filled with evaporating material is superposed in the accommodating portion 3. Since lithium metal easily reacts in the atmosphere, the filament 303 is transported in a vacuum packed state and assembled in the housing 3 using a glove box or the like.

  In this embodiment, lithium metal has been described as an example, but various materials such as metal such as beryllium can be used as the evaporation material.

  The pair of filament electrodes 302 has a plate shape and is held by a filament holding unit 153 of the vapor deposition unit 15 described later. The filament electrode 302 is heated by the vapor deposition section 15 to melt and vaporize the evaporation material in the main body section 301.

  The take-out device 8 is a device that takes out the evaporating material metal holding members 300 one by one from the take-out port 3 a of the housing portion 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the take-out device 8 is disposed in the vicinity of the take-out port 3 a of the housing portion 3. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the take-out device 8 includes a rotation shaft 801, a plurality of take-out claws 802 attached around the rotation shaft 801 at a predetermined interval, and a motor 803 that rotates the rotation shaft 801. Consists of. The rotational force of the motor 803 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 801 via a power conversion member such as a bevel gear.

  The take-out pawl 802 is rotated in a predetermined rotation direction around the rotation shaft 801 by the rotation shaft 801 being rotated by the motor 803. Then, the rotated take-out claw 802 scrapes and takes out the evaporating material holding member 300 located in the lowermost layer of the storage unit 3 one by one. The taken evaporative material holding member 300 falls to the first transport unit 9 located below by natural fall. When the lowermost evaporative material holding member 300 is scraped by the take-out claw 802, the plurality of superimposed evaporative material holding members 300 move downward by their own weight as a whole. The evaporating material holding member 300 moved to the lowermost layer becomes the evaporating material holding member 300 to be taken out next.

  In the present embodiment, it has been described that the take-out device 8 includes the take-out claw 802 and the evaporative material holding member 300 is scraped and taken out by the take-out claw 802. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a member for gripping the evaporating material holding member 300 may be provided from the take-out port 3a, and the member may be taken out so as to be pulled downward by this member.

  The first transport unit 9 is a unit that transports the evaporative material holding member 300 from the position taken out by the take-out device 8 to the delivery position to the second transport unit 10 and from the delivery position to the collection mechanism. That is, the first transport unit 9 is disposed at the bottom of the first module 2, and the position at which the evaporating material holding member 300 of the storage unit 3 is taken out by the take-out device 8 (the position where the evaporating material holding member 300 is dropped), and the evaporating material holding member 300. The filament 303 is moved between a position where the filament 303 is transferred to the second transport unit 10 and a position where the evaporating material holding member 300 is recovered by the recovery mechanism 4.

  Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C and FIGS. 10A to 10C, the first transport unit 9 includes a position P where the evaporative material holding member 300 is taken out from the storage unit 3 and falls, The position Q at which the filament 303 of the evaporating material holding member 300 conveyed by the conveying unit 9 is transferred to the second conveying unit 10 and the evaporating material holding member 300 after the vapor deposition processing are collected by the collecting mechanism 4. It moves in the transport direction A or B between the position S and the position S.

  As illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the first transport unit 9 includes a ball screw portion 901, a rotation drive unit 902, and a transport arm unit 903.

  The ball screw portion 901 is a ball screw that extends in the left-right direction within the first module 2. The rotation drive unit 902 includes a motor and the like, and rotates the ball screw unit 901.

  The transfer arm unit 903 is screwed into the ball screw unit 901, and moves in the left-right direction in accordance with the rotation of the ball screw unit 901 to transfer the evaporation material holding member 300. The transfer arm unit 903 includes a nut unit 904, an arm unit 905, and a grip unit 906.

  The nut portion 904 has a nut that is screwed with the ball screw portion 901. The arm portion 905 is an arm extending forward from the nut portion 904. The arm portion 905 has a grip portion 906 that is a first holding portion on the upper surface of the right end portion.

  The grip portion 906 grips and holds the evaporating material holding member 300. The grip portions 906 are provided at both ends of the arm portion 905 in the long side direction. The grip portion 906 includes a pair of projecting members that project from the upper surface of the arm portion 905. The outer peripheral portion of the filament base 304 of the evaporating material holding member 300 is sandwiched and held by the opposed inner surfaces of the pair of protruding members. The pair of projecting members can be switched between a state in which the evaporative material holding member 300 is held by a release unit 401 described later and a state in which the evaporative material holding member 300 is released.

  Note that the gripping portion 906 is not limited to one that holds the outer peripheral portion of the evaporation material holding member 300 by a pair of projecting members. For example, the evaporative material holding member 300 can be switched between a holding state and a releasing state by enlarging or reducing in the radial direction.

  The grip 906 has a conical recess (not shown) on the bottom surface. The conical recess in the grip 906 is fitted into a conical protrusion 307 provided on the filament base 304 of the evaporating material holding member 300 to position the evaporating material holding member 300. The conical protrusion 307 and the concave portion guide the evaporating material holding member 300 taken out by the take-out device 8 so that the evaporating material holding member 300 can be held by the holding portion 906.

  According to the first transport unit 9 as described above, when the ball screw portion 901 is rotationally driven by the rotational drive portion 902, the grip portion 906 that is the first holding portion is moved in the left-right direction according to the rotational direction. Move to.

  The gripping part 906 guides and receives the evaporated material holding member 300 that has been taken out from the storage part 3 by the take-out device 8 and dropped, by means of a tapered side surface (the conical concave part). Then, the received evaporative material holding member 300 is transported by the first transport unit 9 and transported to a delivery position Q of the second transport unit 10 described later. In addition, the gripping unit 906 conveys the evaporating material holding member 300 that has been deposited by the deposition unit 15 described later from the delivery position Q to the collection mechanism 4.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the second transport unit 10 is disposed in the second module 5 and includes a pair of rails 10 a and 10 b extending in the vertical direction, a base 10 c that holds the rail 10 a and the rail 10 b, and an accelerator 12. An irradiation port 10d used when irradiating protons, a base 10c, and a rotation base 10f that rotationally drives the irradiation port 10d around a rotation axis 10e. The rails 10a and 10b move up and down along the base 10c.

  The rails 10a and 10b are movable relative to each other in the vertical direction with the rail surfaces overlapped. In this embodiment, the pulley belt attached to the rail 10b is operated by a rotary drive unit such as a vacuum motor, and the rail 10a connected by the belt clamp is moved relative to the rail 10b. The base 10c and the rail 10b are a pinion gear (not shown) in which a rack (not shown) provided at the end in the length direction of one rail is rotated by a rotation drive unit (not shown) such as a motor. Move up and down. When the pinion gear is rotationally driven by the motor in a predetermined direction, the rail 10b moves so as to extend in the vertical direction, and when the pinion gear rotates in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, the rail 10b moves so as to contract in the vertical direction. . In this embodiment, the rail 10b is driven by a rack and pinion with respect to the base 10c, and the rail 10a is driven by a pulley belt with respect to the rail 10b. By rotating and driving the pinion gear and the pulley belt using a single vacuum motor, the rail 10a can be moved at twice the speed of the rail 10b.

  The vapor deposition unit 15 is a member that holds the filament 303, energizes the held filament 303, evaporates and vaporizes the metal held by the filament 303, and vaporizes the evaporated material. In the resistance heating vapor deposition apparatus, the vapor deposition unit 15 functions as an evaporation source that is a heating member that heats the vapor deposition material to increase the vapor pressure and vaporizes the vapor deposition material as a gas.

  The vapor deposition part 15 is attached to the edge part of one rail 10a. As the pair of rails 10a and 10b expand and contract, the vapor deposition section 15 also moves up and down. The rotation base 10f includes a rotation drive source (not shown). When the rotation base 10f is rotated around an axis parallel to the axis of the cylindrical member 6, the base 10c and the rails 10a and 10b also rotate together. When the rotation base 10f is rotationally driven, the first transport unit 9 is retracted and the rails 10a and 10b are contracted. When the rotation base 10f is rotated 180 degrees around the rotation axis 10e, the base 10c and the rails 10a and 10b are arranged immediately above the cylindrical member 6. In this state, the vapor deposition part 15 can be made to face the front surface of the target 7 by extending the rails 10 a and 10 b inside the cylindrical member 6. Further, the position of the irradiation port 10d is interchanged with the base 10c and the rails 10a and 10b by the rotation of the rotary base 10f.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the vapor deposition section 15 includes a pair of electrode plates 151, a pair of electrodes 152 for passing a current through the pair of electrode plates 151, and a pair of filament holding members for holding the filament electrode 302 of the filament 303. 153. The pair of filament holding members 153 constitutes a second holding unit of the second transport unit 10.

  The pair of electrodes 152 is connected to the lower end of the rail 10 a of the second transport unit 10, and each electrode plate 151 is connected to the pair of electrodes 152. One end of the pair of electrode plates 151 is extended downward, and a pair of filament holding members 153 are screwed to the extended portions.

  The filament holding member 153 is a member that holds the pair of filament electrodes 302 of the filament 303. When the resistance heating evaporation process is performed, a current is passed from the electrode 152 to the electrode plate 151 to heat the filament 303 held by the filament holding member 153.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the filament holding member 153 is a plate-like member, and a plurality of slits 153a are formed on the plate surface. As shown in FIG. 8, the filament holding member 153 receives the filament 303 held and transported by the grip portion 906 of the first transport unit 9 from the grip portion 906 at a predetermined delivery position Q.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6B, the filament holding member 153 has two slits 153a, but the number is not limited. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 8, the filament holding member 153 may be a member having a bent portion instead of a flat plate-like member. In the present embodiment, the filament holding member 153 has been described as having a slit, but the slit may not be provided.

  Moreover, when the slit 153a is provided in the filament holding member 153, a plurality of contact points between the filament holding member 153 and the filament electrode 302 can be secured due to the presence of the slit 153a. When there is no slit 153a, the contact portion between the filament holding member 153 and the filament electrode 302 becomes dotted, and when a current is passed, the contact portion generates heat and is welded, and the filament cannot be removed. By providing a plurality of contact points by providing slits 153 a in the filament electrode 302, it is possible to prevent the filament electrode 302 from being melted due to overheating of the filament electrode 302 and to adhere the filament to the filament holding member 153. Therefore, the filament electrode 302 of the filament 303 can be easily detached from the filament holding member 153. Further, by ensuring the contact area, it is possible to stably supply power to the filament.

  The accelerator 12 accelerates protons to pass through the cylindrical member 6 and collides with a target 7 provided at one end of the cylindrical member 6 to generate neutrons. The accelerator 12 is disposed above the second module 5 and accelerates the protons downward to pass through the irradiation port 10d and the cylindrical member 6.

  The target 7 emits neutrons from the metal deposited in the target 7 when the protons accelerated by the accelerator 12 collide, and irradiates the target with neutrons.

  The target 7 is attached to the lower end portion of the cylindrical member 6 protruding from the lower end of the second module 5. The target 7 is made of lithium metal, is formed in a conical shape, and is arranged with the top portion facing downward.

  The shape of the target 7 is not limited to a conical shape, and a target having another shape such as a plate shape can be used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a film thickness detector 16 that detects the film thickness of the target 7 is connected to the target 7. In accordance with the film thickness detected by the film thickness detector 16, the control unit 17, which will be described later, controls the timing to start taking out the filament 303 by the take-out device 8, controls the first transport unit 9, and controls the second transport unit 10. Control, control of the vapor deposition part 15, etc. are performed.

  Next, the collection mechanism 4 will be described with reference to FIG. The recovery mechanism 4 is a mechanism that releases and collects the evaporation material holding member 300 held by the grip portion 906 from the grip portion 906. For convenience of explanation, the filament 303 is not shown in FIG.

  The collection mechanism 4 includes a release unit 401 and a collection container 402. The release unit 401 includes an opening / closing member 403 and a wing member 404. The wing member 404 is fixed inside the first module 2.

  The opening / closing member 403 includes a pair of extending members 403 a and 403 b that are formed integrally with the grip portion 906 and extend parallel to the upper surface of the grip portion 906. The pair of extending members 403a and 403b are arranged in parallel to each other, and are attached to the pair of protruding members of the grip portion 906, respectively.

  The wing-like member 404 is formed in a V shape when viewed from above, and the V-shaped top part moves between the pair of extending members 403a and 403b of the opening / closing member 403 so that the gripping part 906 is opened. Then, the filament 303 and the filament stand 304 held by the holding unit 906 are released from the first transport unit 9.

  The filament 303 and the filament base 304 released from the grip 906 are dropped and collected in a collection container 402 arranged below the release unit 401.

  In the present embodiment, the release unit 401 of the collection mechanism 4 has the wing member 404 fixed near the end of the first transport unit 9 in the first module 2 and the opening / closing member 403 for the first transport. Although it is configured to move by the unit 9, the wing member 404 may be moved in a state where the opening / closing member 403 is stopped.

  Next, the control unit 17 will be described. The control part 17 is comprised from memory, CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc., and controls the whole evaporation material replenishment apparatus 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, the control unit 17 includes a film thickness control unit 171, an extraction control unit 172, a first transfer control unit 173, a second transfer control unit 174, a vapor deposition control unit 175, and a recovery control. Part 176. The first transfer control unit 173 and the second transfer control unit 174 constitute a transfer control unit.

  The film thickness controller 171 receives the signal of the film thickness detected by the film thickness detector 16 and controls the thickness of the metal film deposited on the target 7. Specifically, the film thickness control unit 171 determines that it is time to replenish the metal of the target 7 when the detected film thickness is equal to or less than a predetermined value, and notifies the take-out control unit 172 to the take-out device 8. The evaporative material holding member 300 is controlled to be taken out from. Furthermore, when the detected film thickness is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the film thickness control unit 171 calculates the amount of metal to be deposited by the vapor deposition unit 15 and causes the vapor deposition unit 15 to perform a vapor deposition process for a predetermined period.

  The first transport control unit 173 detects that the evaporating material holding member 300 has been taken out by the take-out device 8 using a detection unit (not shown), and the grip 906 of the first transport unit 9 Control is performed so that the holding member 300 is transported from the position P where the holding member 300 is taken out and dropped to the delivery position Q to the second transport unit 10.

  In addition, when the detection unit (not shown) detects that the filament 303 after vapor deposition has been moved from the tubular member 6 to the delivery position Q by the second transfer unit 10, the first transfer control unit 173 detects. The first transport unit 9 controls to receive the filament 303 from the second transport unit 10 and transport it from the receiving position Q to the recovery position S where the recovery mechanism 4 is located.

  When the detection unit (not shown) detects that the filament 303 has been transferred from the grip 906 of the first transfer unit 9 to the vapor deposition unit 15 of the second transfer unit 10, the second transfer control unit 174 detects the filament 303. The filament 303 is controlled to be transported from the delivery position Q to the inside of the cylindrical member 6 by the vapor deposition section 15 of the second transport unit 10.

  When the film thickness detected by the film thickness control unit 171 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the vapor deposition control unit 175 applies vapor deposition to the vapor deposition unit 15 for a predetermined period based on the amount of metal calculated by the film thickness control unit 171. Let the process.

  The film thickness control unit 171 can also detect the film thickness of the target 7 for each position of the target 7 and calculate a necessary vapor deposition amount for each position of the target. At that time, the second transfer control unit 174 moves the second transfer unit 10 to which the vapor deposition unit 15 is attached up and down and controls the moving speed. Thereby, it can control so that a vapor deposition process may be performed for a long time in the thin part of the target 7, and a vapor deposition process may be performed for a short time in a comparatively thick part.

  When the vapor deposition process is completed, the second transport control unit 174 performs control so that the second transport unit 10 is unloaded from the tubular member 6 and transported to the delivery position Q of the first transport unit 9. In the first transfer control unit 173, a detection unit (not shown) detects that the filament 303 has been transferred from the vapor deposition unit 15 of the second transfer unit 10 to the grip unit 906 of the first transfer unit 9. Then, the filament 303 is controlled to be conveyed to the collection position S where the collection mechanism 4 is arranged.

  The collection control unit 176 controls the collection mechanism 4 so that the evaporation material holding member 300 conveyed to the collection position S is released from the grip unit 906 by the release unit 401.

  In the evaporation material replenishment apparatus having the above-described configuration, the filament 303 is transported from the storage unit 3 to the cylindrical member 6, and the vapor deposition unit 15 deposits metal on the target 7 using the metal held by the filament 303, The operation until the filament 303 after vapor deposition is conveyed to the recovery mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C, FIGS. 10A to 10C, and the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In the flowchart shown in FIG. 12, the evaporation material replenishment process is started by detecting the film thickness by the film thickness detector 16 (step S1001).

  The film thickness detector 16 determines whether or not the metal film thickness of the target 7 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value (step S1002). If the film thickness is not less than the predetermined value, the film thickness measurement is continued (step S1002: NO). If the film thickness is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the take-out device 8 takes out the evaporating material holding member 300 from the housing portion 3 (step S1002: YES).

  Specifically, when the film thickness detection unit 16 detects that the thickness of the lithium metal deposited on the target 7 has become a predetermined film thickness or less, the film thickness detection unit 16 performs the film thickness control. A detection signal is output to the unit 171. The film thickness control unit 171 outputs a signal instructing to take out the evaporating material holding member 300 to replenish the target metal to the extraction control unit 172. When the take-out control unit 172 receives a signal instructing to take out the evaporating material holding member 300, the take-out device 8 takes out one evaporating material holding member 300 from the take-out port 3a of the storage unit 3 through the take-out claw 802. To instruct.

  When the film thickness control unit 171 receives a detection signal that the film thickness of the metal deposited on the target is equal to or less than the predetermined film thickness, the film thickness control unit 171 receives the first transport control unit 173. To output the detection signal. The first conveyance control unit 173 that has received the detection signal moves the gripping portion 906 of the first conveyance unit 9 to a position P where the evaporating material holding member 300 is taken out and dropped, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 10A. Control to move to and wait.

  Then, the taken evaporative material holding member 300 falls from the storage portion 3 and is received by the grip portion 906 of the first transport unit 9 waiting at the drop position P. At this time, the evaporation material holding member 300 is guided between the pair of projecting members of the grip portion 906. The pair of projecting members grips the filament base 304 of the evaporating material holding member 300 on the opposing inner wall surfaces. In addition, in the accommodating portion 3 from which the evaporative material holding member 300 is taken out, the whole evaporative material holding member 300 is pulled down by its own weight, and is placed on the evaporative material holding member 300 thus taken out. The evaporative material holding member 300 is moved to the next position to be taken out.

  Next, the 1st conveyance unit 9 and the 2nd conveyance unit 10 convey the filament 303 of the taken-out evaporation material holding member 300 in the cylindrical member 6 (step S1003).

  Specifically, the first transfer control unit 173 moves the transfer arm unit 903 of the first transfer unit 9 and moves the evaporation material holding member 300 held by the holding unit 906 of the transfer arm unit 903 to the drop position. It is moved from P to the delivery position Q to the second transport unit 10 shown in FIGS. 9A and 10B.

  That is, the ball screw portion 901 that is screwed with the nut portion 903 is rotated in a predetermined direction by the rotation driving portion 902, and the transfer arm portion 903 moves rightward along the ball screw portion 901. Finally, the first transport control unit 173 moves the grip unit 906 to the delivery position Q.

  In this delivery position Q, the filament 303 of the evaporation material holding member 300 conveyed by the first conveyance unit 9 is delivered from the first conveyance unit 9 to the second conveyance unit 10. That is, the filament 303 transported by the first transport unit 9 is delivered from the grip 906 of the first transport unit 9 to the vapor deposition unit 15 of the second transport unit 10 at the delivery position Q.

  On the other hand, when the detection unit detects that the grip 906 of the first transport unit 9 has moved to the delivery position Q, the second transport control unit 174 moves the second transport unit 10 to the vicinity of the delivery position Q. To control.

  Specifically, when the detection unit detects that the grip unit 906 of the first transport unit 9 has moved to the delivery position Q, the pinion gear and the pulley belt rotate in a predetermined direction, whereby the pair of rails 10a. 10b is relatively moved so as to extend, and the rail 10a moves so as to descend. And the vapor deposition part 15 attached to the edge part of the rail 10a waits above the delivery position Q. FIG. In addition, the timing which moves the 2nd conveyance unit 10 to the vicinity of the delivery position Q may be when the film thickness detection part 16 detects that the film thickness of the metal of the target became below a predetermined film thickness.

  Then, the second transport control unit 174 further lowers the rail 10 a, so that the second holding unit of the vapor deposition unit 15 provided at the end of the rail 10 a, that is, the filament holding member 153 is a pair of filaments 303. The filament electrode 302 is held. The filament holding unit 153 grips and holds only the filament 303 of the evaporation material holding member 300 by the vertical movement of the second transport unit 10.

  When the detection unit detects that the pair of filament holding members 153 of the vapor deposition unit 15 holds the pair of filament electrodes 302, the second transport control unit 174 moves the pinion gear and the pulley belt in a predetermined direction. Rotate in the opposite direction. By this rotation, the pair of rails 10a and 10b are relatively moved so as to be contracted, moved to a position higher than the upper end of the first transport unit 9, and stopped.

  The first transport control unit 173 moves the first transport unit 9 into the second module 5. The rotation base 10f rotates the base 10c and the rails 10a and 10b by 180 degrees around the rotation axis 10e which is an axis parallel to the axis of the cylindrical member 6. By this rotation, the vapor deposition section 15 is positioned immediately above the cylindrical member 6. Then, when the pinion gear and the pulley belt rotate in a predetermined direction, the pair of rails 10a and 10b move relative to each other so as to extend, and the vapor deposition section 15 attached to the rail 10a descends in the cylindrical member 6 Moving.

  Next, the vapor deposition control unit 175 causes the vapor deposition unit 15 to vapor deposit a predetermined amount of the metal held by the filament 303 onto the target 7 (step S1004).

  Specifically, the vapor deposition control unit 175 supplies a metal having a metal amount necessary for vapor deposition calculated by the film thickness control unit 171 to the vapor deposition unit 15 moved to the vicinity of the target at the lower end of the cylindrical member 6. The metal of the filament 303 is used for vapor deposition on the target 7. Deposition is performed by energizing the filament electrode 302 of the filament 303 with the electrode plate 151 for a predetermined period. At this time, the film thickness control unit 171 determines the time during which the deposition control unit 175 energizes the filament electrode 302 according to the position and amount of the metal deposited on the target 7, and the second transport control unit 174. You may decide to control the distance and time which move up and down.

  Next, when the vapor deposition process is completed, the filament 303 is transported out of the cylindrical member 6 by the first transport unit 9 and the second transport unit 10 (step S1005) and transported to the recovery mechanism 4 ( Step S1006).

  Specifically, the second transport control unit 174 rotates a pinion gear and a pulley belt in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction after depositing a predetermined amount of metal on the target 7. When the pinion gear and the pulley belt are rotated, the pair of rails 10 a and 10 b are relatively moved so as to be contracted, and the filament 303 held by the vapor deposition portion 15 of the rail 10 a rises in the cylindrical member 6. When the vapor deposition part 15 holding the filament 303 reaches the upper end of the cylindrical member 6, the pair of rails 10 a and 10 b are parallel to the axis of the cylindrical member 6, as when entering the cylindrical member 6. The rotary base 10f is rotated 180 degrees around the rotary shaft 10e as a shaft. By this rotation, the vapor deposition unit 15 is positioned immediately above the delivery position Q. Then, this time, the pinion gear and the pulley belt are rotated in a predetermined direction, and the pair of rails 10a and 10b are relatively moved so as to extend. By this movement, the vapor deposition part 15 holding the filament 303 descends along the length direction of the cylindrical member 6 and stands by above the delivery position Q. The standby position is a position where the lowermost end of the filament 303 held in the vapor deposition section 15 is lower than the support column 305 of the filament base 304.

  Then, the filament 303 held by the filament holding member 153 of the vapor deposition unit 15 is delivered to the holding unit 906 of the first transport unit 9 waiting at the delivery position Q. By moving the first transport unit 9 in the direction B of FIG. 9C, the main body 301 of the filament 303 comes into contact with the support column 305, and the filament electrode 302 is detached from the filament holding member 153 while sliding. The first transport control unit 173 moves the grip 906 of the first transport unit 9 holding the filament 303 from the delivery position Q to the position S where the filament 303 is recovered, that is, S in FIGS. 9C and 10C. Move to position.

  The gripper 906 of the first transport unit 9 is moved between the drop position, the delivery position, and the collection position by the first transport control unit 173. The drop position, delivery position, and collection position are arranged along the transport directions A and B of the first transport unit 9, so that the evaporative material replenishment process can be performed efficiently over a short distance.

  In this embodiment, the collection position, the drop position, and the delivery position are arranged along the transport direction A, but may be arranged in any order as long as they do not interfere with the evaporation material replenishment process.

  Next, the filament 303 transported to the recovery mechanism 4 is recovered by the recovery mechanism 4 (step S1007), and the process ends.

  Specifically, when the gripping portion 906 is moved to the recovery position S, the recovery control portion 176 indicates that the top of the wing member 404 of the release portion 401 is between the pair of extending members 403a and 403b of the opening / closing member 403. The extension members 403a and 403b are moved. By this movement, the pair of extending members 403a and 403b are moved in the opening direction, and the pair of extending members 403a and 403b are moved in the opening direction, whereby the evaporation material holding member 300 ( The filament 303 and the filament stand 304) are released from the grip 906. The released evaporative material holding member 300 falls into the collection container 402.

  In the present embodiment, since the plurality of evaporative material holding members 300 are accommodated in the accommodating portion 3 in an overlapping manner, the installation space for the accommodating portion 3 can be reduced and the apparatus can be downsized. .

  In the present embodiment, the evaporation material holding members 300 can be taken out one by one and subjected to vapor deposition, so that a necessary amount can be vapor deposited when necessary.

  In the evaporative material replenishing device 1 of the present embodiment, since the vapor deposition unit 15 is attached to the transport mechanism, it is not necessary to separately provide a vapor deposition device, and the device can be downsized.

  Since the evaporative material replenishing device 1 of the present embodiment includes the recovery mechanism 4, the evaporative material holding member 300 can be recovered and the used evaporative material holding member can be easily carried out of the apparatus.

  In this embodiment, the accommodating part 3 is attached to the first module 2, the first transport unit 9 and the take-out device 8 are accommodated, and the second transport unit 10 and the neutron generator 14 are accommodated in the second module 5. Since it accommodated, the evaporation material replenishment apparatus can be easily comprised by attaching the 1st module which accommodated the accommodating part 3, the 1st conveyance unit 9, and the extraction apparatus 8 to the existing neutron generator.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to embodiment described so far, What includes the change suitably was included.

  In the present embodiment, the filament 303 has been described as being transported into the tubular member 6 by the first transport unit 9 and the second transport unit 10, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the filament 303 is not transported by the plurality of transport units of the first transport unit 9 and the second transport unit 10, but the filament 303 is taken out from the take-out position 8 in the cylindrical member 6 by the single transport unit. You may make it convey from the inside of the shaped member 6 to the collection | recovery mechanism 4. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the first transport unit 9 is controlled by the first transport control unit 173, and the second transport unit 10 is controlled by the second transport control unit 174. And the second transport unit 10 may be controlled by the same transport controller.

  In the present embodiment, the evaporative material replenishment process is started by detecting the film thickness by the film thickness detector 16, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  In the present embodiment, a neutron generator is taken as an example, but the present invention may be any apparatus that supplies an evaporation material to a resistance heating evaporator. In the resistance heating type evaporation, the filament is also a consumable item. However, the operation time of the evaporation apparatus can be greatly extended by supplying the evaporation material and the filament as a set according to the present invention. Moreover, since the work of setting the evaporation material on the filament can be performed outside the apparatus, it is possible to ensure the setting of the evaporation material.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in an evaporation material replenishing apparatus and a vaporizing material replenishing method for replenishing an evaporating material when the evaporating material decreases in a resistance heating type evaporation apparatus.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Evaporative material replenishment apparatus 2 1st module 3 Accommodating part 3a Taking out port 4 Collection | recovery mechanism 5 2nd module 6 Cylindrical member 7 Target 8 Taking out apparatus 9 1st conveyance unit 10 2nd conveyance unit 10a Rail 10b Rail 10c Base 10d Irradiation port 10e Rotating shaft 10f Rotating base 11 Transport mechanism 12 Accelerator 14 Neutron generator 15 Deposition unit 16 Film thickness detection unit 17 Control unit 151 Electrode plate 152 Electrode 153 Filament holding member 153a Slit 171 Film thickness control unit 172 Extraction control unit 173 1st conveyance control part 174 2nd conveyance control part 175 Deposition control part 176 Recovery control part 300 Evaporation material holding member 301 Main part 302 Filament electrode 303 Filament 304 Filament stand 305 Post 306 Column internal space 307 Projection 401 Release part 4 02 Recovery container 403 Opening / closing member 403a Extension member 403b Extension member 404 Wing member 801 Rotating shaft 802 Extraction claw 803 Motor 804 Drive shaft 901 Ball screw portion 902 Rotation drive portion 903 Transport arm portion 904 Nut portion 905 Arm portion 906 Holding portion

Claims (9)

An evaporative material replenishing device for replenishing an evaporating material to an evaporation source of a resistance heating evaporator,
A plurality of evaporating material holding members that hold the evaporating material in a superimposed manner, and an accommodating portion including an outlet from which the evaporating material holding member is taken out;
A take-out device for taking out the evaporating material holding member from the take-out port of the housing part;
A transport mechanism for transporting the extracted evaporative material holding member attached to the evaporation source to a vapor deposition position;
The evaporative material holding member includes a main body portion that accommodates the evaporative material, and a pair of filament electrodes that extend from one end of the main body portion,
An evaporating material replenishing apparatus, wherein the evaporating material is resistance-heated and evaporated by energizing the pair of filament electrodes from the evaporating source at the vapor deposition position. A recovery mechanism for recovering the evaporative material holding member after vapor deposition is completed;
The evaporative material replenishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism transports the evaporative material holding member after vapor deposition to the recovery mechanism. The transport mechanism is
A first transport unit having a first holding unit for holding the evaporative material holding member taken out from the storage unit;
A second transport unit comprising the evaporation source having a second holding unit that receives and holds the evaporating material holding member held in the first holding unit;
The evaporating material holding member held by the first holding unit is transported to the first transport unit from the take-out device to the delivery position to the second transport unit, and the evaporated material after vapor deposition is finished. First conveyance control means for controlling the holding member to be conveyed from the delivery position to the recovery mechanism by the first conveyance unit;
The evaporative material holding member held by the first holding unit of the first transfer unit is held by the second holding unit of the second transfer unit at the delivery position, and the second holding A second transport control means for controlling the evaporative material holding member held by the unit to be transported by the second transport unit between the delivery position and the vapor deposition position. The evaporative material replenishing device according to claim 2. The evaporative material replenishing device according to claim 3, wherein the take-out device, the delivery position, and the recovery mechanism are arranged along a transport direction of the first transport unit. The first holding unit of the first transport unit has a gripping unit that can be switched between a state of gripping the evaporative material holding member and a state of releasing the member.
The evaporative material replenishing device according to claim 3, wherein the recovery mechanism includes a release unit that switches the gripping unit to a state in which the evaporative material holding member is released. The evaporative material replenishment device according to claim 3, wherein the second holding unit includes a pair of holding members that hold the pair of filament electrodes. The evaporation material replenishing device according to claim 6, wherein the holding member is plate-shaped and has a slit. The evaporating material replenishing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaporating material is lithium or beryllium. An evaporative material replenishing method for replenishing an evaporating material to an evaporation source of a resistance heating evaporator,
A step of taking out the evaporating material holding member from a housing portion containing a plurality of evaporating material holding members holding the evaporating material;
A step of attaching the extracted evaporative material holding member to the evaporation source to a vapor deposition position;
The evaporating material holding member includes a main body portion that stores the evaporating material, and a pair of filament electrodes that extend from one end of the main body portion, and the pair of filament electrodes by the evaporation source at the vapor deposition position. And evaporating the evaporating material by resistance heating by energizing the evaporating material.

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