JP2019112708A - Tip antifouling type ignition apparatus of vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a tip antifouling type ignition apparatus capable of comprising an ignition mechanism, which does not have a trigger electrode deposited on a cathode during plasma ignition and also can perform re-ignition over and over, with a simple structure at low cost in an easy-to-maintain state.SOLUTION: A tip antifouling type ignition apparatus of a vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a cathode 3 as an evaporation source; a trigger electrode 5 which ignites an arc discharge when bringing a trigger electrode tip part 5a brought into contact with a cathode surface 3a of the cathode 3 and then pulling it away so as to discharge a cathode substance 9 and thus generate plasma; a rotary shaft 6 which rotates or reverses the trigger electrode 5 so as to achieve the contacting or pulling-away action; a dark field space 13 that the discharged cathode substance 9 never reaches directly; and an antifouling mechanism which reverses the trigger electrode 5 not in ignition and thus makes the trigger electrode tip part 5a stand by in the dark field space 13, so that the cathode substance 9 does not reach the trigger electrode tip part 5a directly.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an ignition device for generating an arc plasma of a cathode material by causing an arc discharge by bringing a trigger electrode into contact with a cathode serving as an evaporation source and pulling it apart in a vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus, more specifically, the trigger electrode. The present invention relates to a tip antifouling igniter for preventing the deposition and contamination of a cathode material on the tip of the tip.

  A conventional vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus and its ignition apparatus are generally shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

  In the vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 9, a duct 22 is disposed in a vacuum vessel 21, and a cathode 23 fixed to a cathode support 24 is disposed in the duct 22. The cathode 23 is set to a negative high potential by an arc power supply 27. In the vicinity of the cathode 23, a trigger electrode 25 which can be rotated in the forward or reverse direction is attached by a rotating shaft 26, and a resistor 28 is connected to the trigger electrode 25 so as to flow out an arc current.

  When the trigger electrode 25 is rotated by the rotary shaft 26 while applying a high voltage by the arc power source 27, the trigger electrode tip 25a contacts the cathode surface 23a while drawing a rotation locus 26a. Then, when the rotary shaft 26 is reversely rotated to separate the trigger electrode tip 25a from the cathode surface 23a, an arc discharge is generated between the trigger electrode tip 25a and the cathode surface 23a, and the cathode material 29 in the plasma state becomes the cathode. It is emitted from the surface 23a. At this time, the cathode surface 23a becomes the discharge surface 23a.

  The cathode material 29, which is a plasma, is emitted from the cathode surface 23a from its hemispherical limit surface LL to the hemispheric space on the front side. Even when the trigger electrode tip 25a is retracted to the retracted position by reverse rotation, the trigger electrode tip 25a remains in the front side hemispherical space of the hemispherical limit surface LL, so the trigger electrode tip 25a is always exposed to plasma and the trigger electrode The tip 25a is contaminated by the deposition of the cathode material. When reigniting with the contaminated trigger electrode tip 25a, the arc discharge heat simultaneously softens the cathode surface 23a and the deposited material because both are the same substance, and the cathode itself is cooled by water cooling, The trigger electrode tip 25a is strongly fixed to the cathode surface 23a and can not be pulled away, so reignition is not possible. In order to make it possible to reignite, the vacuum of the vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus is broken, the trigger electrode tip 25a is physically separated from the cathode surface 23a, the cathode material is removed, and it is adjusted again to evacuate. It has to be very complicated and expensive.

The vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus shown in FIG. 10 is the same as that of FIG. 9 except that a U-shaped trigger electrode 25 is used. Even in this conventional example, even if the trigger electrode 25 is retracted, the trigger electrode tip 25a is present in the hemispherical space on the front side from the hemispherical limit surface LL, and the trigger electrode tip 25a is a plasma of the cathode material 29 during plasma generation. Is always exposed to Therefore, the same action as in FIG. 9 remains the same as the above-mentioned disadvantage.
Since the above-mentioned hemispherical limit surface LL is a boundary between dark field space and bright field space, it may be called a dark field boundary. In the present invention, the boundary between the dark field space and the bright field space is unified as the dark field boundary.

  Next, the conventional vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus and its ignition device will be specifically described in Patent Documents 1 to 5.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-226875 (Patent Document 1) discloses a retractable trigger device in which a trigger electrode is moved in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the surface of a cathode to perform contact and separation. However, since the tip of the trigger electrode is always exposed to the arc plasma, the tip of the trigger electrode is contaminated by the deposition of the cathode material.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-267909 (patent document 2) discloses a rotary trigger device which rotates a trigger electrode to be in contact with the surface of a cathode and reversely rotated to separate. However, the tip of the trigger electrode, which is in the retracted position even after reverse rotation, is exposed to the arc plasma, and the tip of the trigger electrode is always deposited and contaminated with the cathode material during operation.

As described in JP 2009-220260 A (Patent Document 3) and JP A 2001-316800 A (Patent Document 4), a method of forming a metal film as an intermediate layer using arc plasma has been proposed in recent years. It is done. In these examples, arc discharge is performed using a metal cathode under an extremely low pressure Ar gas atmosphere of about 0.1 Pa.
In this case, in the above-described conventional ignition device, the film attached to the tip of the trigger electrode is a metal film of Ti, Cr, V, TiAl, AlCr or the like having a relatively low melting point. In addition, since the discharge is performed at a low gas pressure, the discharge itself becomes unstable and tends to be frequently reignited. However, the trigger electrode exposed to the plasma is likely to be hot due to the radiant heat from the plasma. For this reason, the film attached to the tip of the trigger is easily softened by heat, and the tip of the trigger electrode is rapidly cooled and welded to the cathode when the tip comes into contact with the water-cooled cathode for reignition. It will be gone.
When such trigger electrode welding occurs, ignition of the arc plasma becomes impossible, so it is necessary to interrupt the film formation, open the vacuum furnace to the atmosphere, and maintain the trigger electrode. As a result, since the operation of the apparatus is stopped in the middle of the film forming process, there arises a problem that the manufacturing efficiency and the yield decrease.

  Since the ignition device using the trigger electrode has the above-mentioned drawbacks, an alternative ignition device has been developed. In JP-A-11-61383 (Patent Document 5), the arc plasma is ignited using a high voltage pulse instead of the trigger electrode. Although there is no problem of welding of the trigger electrode in principle, it is necessary to maintain high insulation, and expensive high-voltage power supply is required only for ignition, etc. , The cost of the device will also be expensive.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-226875 JP, 2005-267909, A JP, 2009-220260, A JP 2001-316800 A Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 11-61383 gazette

As described above, in the ignition device of the conventional vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus shown in Patent Documents 1 to 5 and FIGS. 9 and 10, the tip of the trigger electrode is disposed in the bright field with respect to the emission of the cathode material. The cathode material is deposited on the tip of the trigger electrode. As a result, at the time of reignition, the trigger electrode tip adheres to the cathode surface, and the trigger electrode tip can not be pulled away from the cathode surface. That is, since the arc discharge can not occur, a situation occurs in which the plasma can not be generated.
As described above, when such trigger electrode welding occurs, the arc plasma can not be ignited, so it is necessary to interrupt the film formation, open the vacuum furnace to the atmosphere, and maintain the trigger electrode. As a result, since the operation of the apparatus is stopped in the middle of the film forming process, there arises a problem that the manufacturing efficiency and the yield decrease.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to use a trigger electrode for igniting an arc discharge and releasing a cathode material to generate plasma when the tip of the trigger electrode is brought into contact with the surface of the cathode which is an evaporation source and pulled apart, and the contact or detachment. In order to perform this operation, the trigger electrode is rotated or reversely rotated, the dark field space where the emitted cathode material does not reach directly, and the trigger electrode is reversely rotated except at the time of ignition to turn the trigger electrode tip into the dark It is an object of the present invention to provide a front end antifouling type ignition device of a vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus characterized by having an antifouling mechanism which is evacuated to a visual field space and the cathode material does not reach the front end of the trigger electrode directly.
The tip antifouling type ignition device rotates the tip of the trigger electrode to a position where it can provide a dark field as viewed from the cathode surface serving as a discharge surface after plasma ignition and retracts, and deposition of the cathode material on the tip of the trigger electrode is greatly reduced. By reducing it and shielding it from the discharge plasma, it prevents excessive temperature rise of the trigger electrode tip and prevents softening of the metal film attached to the tip, resulting in welding of the trigger electrode and cathode at reignition. To prevent

  The present invention has been proposed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and the first form of the present invention is characterized in that when the trigger electrode tip is brought into contact with the cathode which is an evaporation source and the cathode surface of the cathode A trigger electrode for igniting an arc discharge and emitting a cathode material to generate plasma, a rotating shaft for rotating or reversing the trigger electrode to perform the contact or separation, and the cathode material to be discharged do not reach directly A vacuum arc having a dark field space and an antifouling mechanism which reversely rotates the trigger electrode except at the time of ignition to retract the tip of the trigger electrode to the dark field space so that the cathode material does not reach the tip of the trigger electrode directly. It is a tip antifouling type ignition device of a plasma vapor deposition device.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention, in which the back side area of the dark field boundary line from the cathode surface is defined. Type ignition device.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, a storage pocket for reversely rotating and retracting the trigger electrode is provided, and when the trigger electrode is retracted inside the storage pocket, the dark field space is around the tip of the trigger electrode. It is a tip antifouling type ignition device of the vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition device which becomes.

  The fourth aspect of the invention places the duct side shield around the opening of the storage pocket and prevents the cathode material from entering the dark field space of the storage pocket. Type ignition device.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a tip end of a vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus which arranges a duct side shielding plate around each of both side edges sandwiching an opening and prevents cathode material from entering the dark field space from the opening. It is an antifouling type ignition device.

  The sixth embodiment of the present invention places the trigger side shield plate at or near the rotation axis of the trigger electrode, and prevents the cathode material from entering the dark field space. Type ignition device.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a vacuum is provided to shift the rotation axis so that the rotation locus of the tip of the trigger electrode is offset from the diameter direction of the cathode, thereby reducing the reach of the cathode material. It is a tip antifouling type ignition device of the arc plasma deposition device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the tip of the trigger electrode is brought into contact with the cathode surface as the evaporation source and the cathode surface of the cathode and brought apart, the arc discharge is ignited and the cathode material is emitted to generate plasma. An electrode, a rotating shaft that rotates or reversely rotates the trigger electrode to perform the contact or separation, a dark field space where the cathode material to be discharged does not reach directly, and the trigger electrode is reversely rotated except at the time of ignition According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tip antifouling type ignition device of a vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus having an antifouling mechanism in which the trigger electrode tip is retracted to the dark field space and the cathode material does not directly reach the trigger electrode tip.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, the dark field space where the cathode material discharged from the cathode surface (discharge surface) does not reach directly is provided, and at least the tip of the trigger electrode is retracted to the dark field after ignition. The deposition of the metal film of the substance can be greatly reduced, and the trigger electrode tip can also be shielded from the discharge plasma to prevent an excessive temperature rise of the trigger electrode tip. Therefore, the cathode material film can be prevented from being formed on the tip of the trigger electrode in contact with the cathode surface, and even if the cathode material film is formed on the tip of the trigger electrode, the film can be prevented from being softened. The trigger electrode tip can be prevented from welding to the cathode surface.
The trigger electrode is preferably a rod of high melting point metal such as Mo from the viewpoint of cost etc. However, even if it is a different material or other form such as a pad shape, the tip portion in contact with the cathode is dark field from the discharge surface If it is space, the same effect can be obtained.
In addition, since the operation of the apparatus can be prevented from stopping in the middle of the film forming process, the manufacturing efficiency and the yield can be improved.
Furthermore, since the present invention is only a simple rotation mechanism, maintenance and management can be extremely simplified, and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the tip of a vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus in which the back side area of the dark field boundary from the cathode surface that divides the front side area where the cathode material is emitted from the cathode surface An antifouling type ignition device can be provided.
When the cathode material is emitted from the surface of the cathode, the extremes of the emission angle of the emitting particles provide a dark field boundary. The inner area surrounded by the end lines is the front side area where the emitting particles are present, and the outer area of the both ends lines is the back side area where the emitting particles are not present. This backside area corresponds to the dark field space.
Among the above-mentioned backside areas, in particular, since the cathode material is emitted from the cathode surface, it is considered that the cathode material is basically not emitted to the backside hemisphere of the dark field boundary which is an extension of the cathode surface. Be
Therefore, the back side area, in particular, any part of the back side hemisphere can be made a dark field space, and if the tip of the trigger electrode is retracted into this dark field space, the deposition of the cathode material on the tip of the trigger electrode is reliably prevented. can do.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a storage pocket for reversely rotating and retracting the trigger electrode is provided, and when the trigger electrode is retracted inside the storage pocket, the periphery of the tip of the trigger electrode is dark as described above It is possible to provide a tip antifouling type ignition device of a vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition device which is a visual field space.
In the present embodiment, a storage pocket is provided for retracting and retracting the trigger electrode, and when the trigger electrode is stored in the storage pocket, at least the periphery of the tip of the trigger electrode is a dark field space where the cathode material does not reach directly. It should be. The cathode material may collide with and adhere to the inner wall surface of the storage pocket, but the dark field space around the trigger electrode tip prevents the cathode material from being deposited on the trigger electrode tip it can.
That is, when the cathode is installed at the back of the duct, it is sufficient to install a pocket in the side of the duct in which at least the tip portion of the trigger electrode and / or the whole thereof is stored. In particular, in the magnetic filter type vacuum arc method (Filtered Arc Deposition: FAD), usually the cathode is at the deep end of the plasma transport duct and there is almost no case where there is no space, so the storage pocket of the trigger electrode is installed. Method is a practical implementation method.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the tip of the vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus is provided with a duct side shielding plate around the opening of the storage pocket to prevent the cathode material from entering the dark field space of the storage pocket An antifouling type ignition device can be provided.
The shape of the storage pocket can have any shape, but the storage pocket has an opening in order to store the trigger electrode inside by reverse rotation of the rotation axis. Since the cathode material also passes directly through this opening, a duct side shield can be arranged around the opening so as to block the direct passage of the cathode material. As a result, the cathode material can be prevented from entering the dark field space of the storage pocket, and the cathode material can be reliably prevented from being deposited on the tip of the trigger electrode.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus is provided, in which the duct side shielding plates are disposed around the side edges sandwiching the opening, and the cathode material is prevented from entering the dark field space from the opening. Can provide a front-end antifouling type ignition device.
The openings have side edges, and if the duct side shields are disposed respectively near the both side edges, it is possible to block the cathode material that is going to pass from the one side or both sides of the side edges into the inside. By arranging the duct side shielding plate at each side edge, it is possible to prevent the cathode material from invading the dark field space of the storage pocket, and to surely prevent the cathode material from being deposited on the tip of the trigger electrode. It's too late.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the tip of the vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus which arranges the trigger side shield plate at or near the rotation axis of the trigger electrode and prevents the cathode material from entering the dark field space. An antifouling type ignition device can be provided.
In this embodiment, the trigger side shield plate is also rotated according to the rotation of the rotation shaft if the trigger side shield plate is provided on the rotation axis, but if the trigger side shield plate is provided near the rotation shaft, the rotation axis is rotated The trigger side shield plate is held in a fixed state. Both types of trigger side shielding plates are included in the present embodiment.
By providing such a trigger side shield plate, the cathode material released is blocked by the trigger side shield plate, so that the cathode material can be prevented from entering the dark field space of the storage pocket, and the cathode material at the tip of the trigger electrode Needless to say, it is possible to prevent the deposition of

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the rotational axis of the trigger electrode tip portion is offset from the diameter direction of the cathode so that the rotational locus is offset from the diameter direction of the cathode, thereby reducing the reach of the cathode material. The tip antifouling type ignition device of the vacuum arc plasma deposition device can be provided.
In this embodiment, the offset state means that the rotation locus of the tip of the trigger electrode according to the rotation of the rotation axis is deviated from the diameter direction of the cathode, and the non-offset state (also referred to as the on-set state) is a trigger. It can be said that the rotational trajectory of the electrode tip coincides with the diameter direction of the cathode.
It is assumed that the surface of the cathode is circular when the cathode is cylindrical or substantially cylindrical, and that the opening of the storage pocket is at a constant opening angle with respect to the surface of the cathode. Since the trigger electrode is rotatably stored in the storage pocket, the rotation trajectory of the trigger electrode tip is located at the center of the opening angle. Therefore, in the non-offset state, that is, in the on-set state where the rotation locus of the trigger electrode tip coincides with the diameter direction of the cathode, the area of the cathode surface entering the area of the opening angle (bright field to the trigger electrode tip The area of the cathode surface that enters the area of the opening angle (bright field area to the tip of the trigger electrode) in the offset state where the rotation locus of the tip of the trigger electrode deviates from the diameter direction of the cathode. Becomes smaller as the deviation becomes larger.
That is, the smaller the area of the cathode surface (bright field area to the tip of the trigger electrode) entering the area of the opening angle, the smaller the penetration amount of the cathode material. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rotation axis is offset to be in the offset state. It was transferred and placed successfully to reduce the reach of the cathode material. Therefore, the larger the offset, the smaller the amount of cathode material deposited on the tip of the trigger electrode, which in this embodiment is placed in the offset state.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first embodiment in which the back hemisphere of the dark field boundary L is used as a dark field space 13 in the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment using a U-shaped trigger electrode 5 in which the back hemisphere of the dark field boundary L is used as the dark field space 13 in the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a third embodiment having a dark field space 13 in the storage pocket 10 in the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment in which the duct side shielding plate 12 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 10a of the storage pocket 10 and the trigger side shielding plate 11 is provided on the rotating shaft 6 in the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment in which the duct side shielding plates 12 are provided on both side edges sandwiching the opening 10a and the trigger side shielding plate 11 is provided on the rotating shaft 6 in the present invention. . FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sixth embodiment in which the U-shaped trigger electrode 5 is retracted to the dark field space 13 in the storage pocket 10 in the present invention. FIG. 7 is a plan view of an offset type arc evaporation source showing that, in the present invention, when the rotation axis of the trigger electrode is offset from the cathode, the bright field area to the tip of the trigger electrode becomes small. It is. FIG. 8 shows that in the present invention, when the rotation axis of the trigger electrode is disposed at a position not offset to the cathode, the bright field region to the tip of the trigger electrode becomes large. It is a top view of a source. FIG. 9 is a schematic view of an ignition device of a conventional vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus in which the trigger electrode tip 25a is in the bright field of the cathode 23 even when the rod-shaped trigger electrode 25 is retracted. FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an ignition device of a conventional vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus in which the trigger electrode tip 25a is within the bright field of the cathode 23 even when the U-shaped trigger electrode 25 is retracted.

  Below, the Example of the tip antifouling type igniter of the vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus which concerns on this invention is described in detail according to drawing.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a first embodiment in which the back hemisphere of the dark field boundary L is used as a dark field space 13 in the present invention.
A duct 2 is disposed inside the vacuum vessel 1, and a cathode 3 fixed to the cathode support 4 is disposed in the duct 2. The cathode 3 is set to a negative high potential by an arc power source 7. In the vicinity of the cathode 3, a trigger electrode 5 which can be rotated in the forward or reverse direction is attached by a rotating shaft 6, and a resistor 8 is connected to the trigger electrode 5 so as to flow an arc current.

  When the trigger electrode 5 is rotated by the rotary shaft 6 while applying a high voltage by the arc power source 7, the trigger electrode tip 5a contacts the cathode surface 3a while drawing the rotation locus 6a. Then, when the rotary shaft 6 is reversely rotated to separate the trigger electrode tip 5a from the cathode surface 3a, an arc discharge is generated between the trigger electrode tip 5a and the cathode surface 3a, and the cathode material 9 in the plasma state becomes the cathode. Emitted from the surface 3a, the cathode surface 3a becomes a discharge surface 3a.

When the arc discharge stably occurs, the rotation axis 6 is retracted by reverse rotation to the dark field space 13 in the back hemisphere of the dark field boundary L (which may be referred to as the hemispherical limit surface L). The cathode material 9 is only emitted to the front hemisphere of the hemispherical limit surface L, and does not reach the dark field space 13 in the rear hemisphere. Accordingly, the trigger electrode tip 5a is always kept clean since the cathode material 9 is not deposited or hardly deposited on the trigger electrode tip 5a. The dark field boundary L is a boundary between the dark field space 13 and the bright field space.
As the cathode material 9 is released, the cathode surface 3a gradually recedes and the thickness of the cathode 3 gradually decreases. Since there is no deposition of the cathode material on the trigger electrode tip 5a, when reignition is performed using the trigger electrode tip 5a, arc discharge occurs instantaneously and arc plasma deposition can be performed again.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second embodiment using a U-shaped trigger electrode 5 in which the back hemisphere of the dark field boundary L is used as the dark field space 13 in the present invention.
While the bar-shaped trigger electrode 5 is used in FIG. 1, the only difference is that the U-shaped trigger electrode 5 is used in FIG. 2, and the other members are identical. Is omitted.
Also in this second embodiment, when the arc discharge is stably generated, the rotation axis 6 is retracted to the dark field space 13 in the back hemisphere of the dark field boundary L by reverse rotation. The cathode material 9 is only emitted to the front side hemisphere of the dark field boundary line L, and does not reach the dark field space 13 in the back side hemisphere. Accordingly, the trigger electrode tip 5a is always kept clean since the cathode material 9 is not deposited or hardly deposited on the trigger electrode tip 5a.
Since there is no deposition of the cathode material on the trigger electrode tip 5a, when reignition is performed using the trigger electrode tip 5a, arc discharge occurs instantaneously and arc plasma deposition can be performed again.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a third embodiment having a dark field space 13 in the storage pocket 10 in the present invention.
In FIG. 3, the difference from FIG. 1 is that the dark field space 13 is formed by the storage pocket 10, and the other members are completely the same.
In the third embodiment, a storage pocket 10 having an opening 10a open is provided in the duct 2, and the trigger electrode 5 is passed through the opening 10a and stored inside by reversing the rotation shaft 6 Evacuate.

A dark field boundary L connecting a corner of the cathode surface 3 and a corner of the storage pocket 10 is a boundary between the dark field space 13 on the left side and the bright field space on the right side. If the trigger electrode tip 5a is positioned inside the dark field space 13, the cathode material 9 does not intrude into the dark field space 13, so that no cathode material is deposited on the trigger electrode tip 5a, or The trigger electrode tip 5a is always kept clean since it hardly deposits.
Since there is no deposition of the cathode material on the trigger electrode tip 5a, when reignition is performed using the trigger electrode tip 5a, arc discharge occurs instantaneously and arc plasma deposition can be performed again.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment in which the duct side shielding plate 12 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 10a of the storage pocket 10 and the trigger side shielding plate 11 is provided on the rotating shaft 6 in the present invention.
4 is different from FIG. 3 only in that the duct side shielding plate 12 and the trigger side shielding plate 11 are provided, and the other members are completely the same, so the description thereof will be omitted.
In the fourth embodiment, an L-shaped duct side shielding plate 12 is provided near the end of the opening 10 a of the storage pocket 10, and an L-shaped trigger side shielding plate 11 is provided on the rotation shaft 6. Then, by rotating the rotation shaft 6 in reverse, the trigger electrode 5 is allowed to pass through the opening 10 a and stored and retracted therein.

A dark field boundary L connecting the corner of the cathode surface 3 and the edge of the duct side shielding plate 12 is a boundary between the dark field space 13 on the left side and the bright field space on the right side. Further, since the entry of the cathode material 9 into the inside of the storage pocket 10 is blocked by the duct side shield plate 12 and the trigger side shield plate 11, the inside of the storage pocket 10 is considerably cleaned. In particular, since the trigger electrode tip 5a is positioned inside the dark field space 13, not only the entry of the cathode material 9 is blocked, but the duct side shield 12 and the trigger side shield 11 Since the wraparound can also be blocked, the inside of the dark field space 13 is extremely cleaned. Therefore, since the cathode material does not deposit on the trigger electrode tip 5a, the trigger electrode tip 5a is always kept clean.
Since there is no deposition of the cathode material on the trigger electrode tip 5a, when reignition is performed using the trigger electrode tip 5a, arc discharge occurs instantaneously and arc plasma deposition can be performed again.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment in which the duct side shielding plates 12 are provided in the vicinity of both side edges sandwiching the opening 10a and the trigger side shielding plate 11 is provided on the rotating shaft 6 in the present invention. is there.
5 differs from FIG. 4 only in that the duct side shielding plates 12, 12 are provided opposite to each other in the vicinity of both side edges sandwiching the opening 10a, and the other members are completely the same. Do.
In the fifth embodiment, the storage pocket 10 is a rectangular parallelepiped having a U-shaped cross section, and the storage pocket 10 common to FIGS. 7 and 8 described later is used. Since the duct side shielding plates 12, 12 are provided opposite to each other near both side edges sandwiching the opening 10a, the trigger electrode 5 passes between the duct side shielding plates 12, 12 when the rotary shaft 6 is reversed. Then, it is retracted from the opening 10a and stored.

Since the cathode material 9 is not only to pass between the duct side shield plates 12 and penetrate into the inside, but the passage is extremely narrow and deep, the cathode material 9 is stored pocket before reaching the trigger electrode tip 5a. It will be adsorbed to the inner wall surface of 10.
Therefore, since the trigger electrode tip 5a is positioned inside the dark field space 13, not only the entry of the cathode material 9 is blocked, but in addition to the blocking action of the trigger side blocking plate 11, the duct side blocking plates 12 and 12 are also included. The dark field space 13 is extremely cleaned by the blocking action of Therefore, since the cathode material does not deposit on the trigger electrode tip 5a, the trigger electrode tip 5a is always kept clean.
Since there is no deposition of the cathode material on the trigger electrode tip 5a, when reignition is performed using the trigger electrode tip 5a, arc discharge occurs instantaneously and arc plasma deposition can be performed again.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sixth embodiment in which the U-shaped trigger electrode 5 is retracted to the dark field space 13 in the storage pocket 10 in the present invention.
The sixth embodiment differs from FIG. 2 only in that the U-shaped trigger electrode 5 of FIG. 2 is accommodated in the dark field space 13 in the storage pocket 10, and all other points are shown in FIG. Since it is the same as 2, those explanations are omitted.

  The left side of the dark field boundary L is the dark field space 13 and the right side is the bright field space. The entire storage pocket 10 is contained within the dark field space 13 and all of the interior of the storage pocket 10 is a dark field space 13. Therefore, when the trigger electrode 5 is retracted into the storage pocket 10, all of the trigger electrode 5 including the trigger electrode tip 5a is in the dark field space 13, and the cathode material 9 is never deposited on the trigger electrode tip 5a. At the same time, the cathode material 9 can not be deposited on the surface of the trigger electrode 5.

In the sixth embodiment, the dark field space 13 is extremely clean. The cathode material does not deposit on the trigger electrode tip 5a, and the trigger electrode tip 5a is always kept clean.
Since there is no deposition of the cathode material on the trigger electrode tip 5a, when reignition is performed using the trigger electrode tip 5a, arc discharge occurs instantaneously and arc plasma deposition can be performed again.

FIG. 7 is an offset arc type showing that the bright field region 15 to the trigger electrode tip 5 a becomes smaller when the rotary shaft 6 of the trigger electrode 5 is offset from the cathode 3 in the present invention. It is a top view of an evaporation source.
In this embodiment of the offset arrangement, the area of the bright field region 15 relative to the trigger electrode tip 5a on the surface of the cathode 3 is relatively small, so the amount of the cathode material 9 intruding into the storage pocket 10 is reduced. effective. Moreover, as shown in the figure, the both-sides edge of the opening 10a of the storage pocket 10 is protected by the duct side shielding plates 12, 12, so that the trigger electrode tip 5a is a complete dark field region with respect to the cathode 3. As a result, the cathode material 9 is not deposited on the trigger electrode tip 5a. Further, in the surface of the rotary shaft 6 for rotating the trigger electrode 5, the plasma exposure region 14 of the rotary shaft 6 can be relatively small.
More specifically, in the present embodiment, the offset state means that the rotation trajectory 6 a of the trigger electrode tip 5 a according to the rotation of the rotation shaft 6 deviates from the diameter direction of the cathode 3.
When the cathode 3 is a cylinder or a substantially cylinder, the surface of the cathode 3 is circular, and the opening 10a of the storage pocket 10 is at a constant opening angle with respect to the cathode surface. Since the trigger electrode 5 is rotatably stored in the storage pocket 10, the rotation trajectory 6a of the trigger electrode tip 5a is located at the center of the opening angle. Therefore, in an offset state where the rotation locus 6a of the trigger electrode tip 5a is out of the diameter direction of the cathode 3, the area of the cathode surface 3a (bright field region 15 to the trigger electrode tip 5a) entering the area of the opening angle is The smaller the gap, the smaller the gap.
That is, the smaller the area of the cathode surface 3a (the bright field area 15 to the trigger electrode tip 5a) entering the area of the opening angle is, the smaller the amount of penetration of the cathode material 9 is. The rotary shaft 6 was shifted upward and succeeded in reducing the reach of the cathode material 9. Therefore, the larger the offset, the smaller the amount of the cathode material 9 deposited on the trigger electrode tip 5a, and in the present embodiment, the offset state.

FIG. 8 shows that in the present invention, when the rotary shaft 6 of the trigger electrode 5 is disposed at a position not offset with respect to the cathode 3, the offset of the bright field region 15 to the trigger electrode tip 5 a becomes large. It is a top view of the arc-type evaporation source which is not
The non-offset state of FIG. 8 is illustrated in comparison to make the existence significance of FIG. 7 representing the offset state clearer. The non-offset state (also referred to as the on-set state) means that the rotation locus 6 a of the trigger electrode tip 5 a coincides with the diameter direction of the cathode 3.
In the non-offset state, that is, in the on-set state where the rotation locus 6 a of the trigger electrode tip 5 a coincides with the diameter direction of the cathode 3, the area of the cathode surface 3 a entering the area of the opening angle (to the trigger electrode tip 5 a The brightfield region 15 of the As a result, the placement is such that the amount of cathode material 9 entering the storage pocket 10 is maximized. In addition, there is a weak point that the plasma exposure area 14 of the rotating shaft 6 is increased in the surface of the rotating shaft 6 that rotates the trigger electrode 5.
In the present invention, offset placement is used rather than non-offset placement to minimize penetration of the cathode material 9 into the interior of the storage pocket 10 and to enhance cleaning of the trigger electrode tip 5a. .

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and examples, and includes within the technical scope thereof other embodiments, various modifications, design changes and the like within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is needless to say that it is a thing.

According to the present invention, when using the front end antifouling type ignition device of the vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus, a dark field space where the cathode material to be released does not reach directly is provided, and the trigger electrode is reversely rotated except at the time of ignition. It is possible to retract the part into the dark field space so that the cathode material does not reach the tip of the trigger electrode directly and keep the tip of the trigger electrode clean at all times.
This tip antifouling type ignition device can rotate the tip end of the trigger electrode to a position where it can be a dark field as viewed from the cathode surface serving as a discharge surface after plasma ignition, thereby retracting the cathode material. By significantly reducing deposition and shielding from the discharge plasma, the trigger electrode and the cathode are re-ignited by preventing excessive temperature rise of the trigger electrode tip and preventing softening of the metal film attached to the tip. Can be prevented from being deposited, reignition can be realized freely and instantaneously, and the performance of the vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus can be enhanced.

1 vacuum vessel 2 duct 3 cathode (evaporation source)
3a cathode surface (discharge surface)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 4 cathode support 5 trigger electrode 5a trigger electrode tip part 6 rotating shaft 6a rotation locus 7 arc power supply 8 resistor 9 cathode material 10 storage pocket 10a opening 11 trigger side shielding plate 12 duct side shielding plate 13 dark field space 14 rotation axis Plasma exposure region 15 Brightfield region L to trigger electrode tip Darkfield boundary (hemispheric limit surface)
21 vacuum vessel 22 duct 23 cathode (evaporation source)
23a cathode surface (discharge surface)
24 cathode support 25 trigger electrode 25a trigger electrode tip 26 rotation shaft 26a rotation locus 27 arc power source 28 resistor 29 cathode material LL hemispherical limit surface

Claims (7)

In order to perform the contact or separation, a cathode which is an evaporation source, a trigger electrode which ignites an arc discharge when the trigger electrode tip is brought into contact with and separated from the cathode surface of the cathode and discharges a cathode material to generate plasma. The trigger electrode is rotated in the reverse direction to rotate the trigger electrode, the dark field space in which the cathode material to be discharged does not reach directly, and the trigger electrode in the reverse direction except the time of ignition. A tip antifouling type ignition device of a vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus characterized by having an antifouling mechanism in which the cathode substance is not directly delivered to the tip of the trigger electrode. The anti-soiling tip of the vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a back side area of a dark field boundary from the cathode surface which divides a front side area where the cathode material is emitted from the cathode surface is the dark field space. Ignition device. A storage pocket is provided to reversely rotate and retract the trigger electrode, and when the trigger electrode is retracted into the storage pocket, the dark field space is formed around the tip of the trigger electrode. The tip antifouling type ignition device of the vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition device according to 1 or 2. 4. The tip end of a vacuum arc plasma deposition apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a duct side shield is disposed around the opening of the storage pocket to prevent the cathode material from entering the dark field space of the storage pocket. Dirty ignition device. The vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the duct side shielding plate is disposed around each of both side edges sandwiching the opening, and the cathode material is prevented from entering the dark field space from the opening. Advanced antifouling type ignition device. The vacuum arc plasma deposition according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a trigger side shield plate is disposed at or near the rotation axis of the trigger electrode to prevent the cathode material from intruding into the dark field space. Device anti-soiling type ignition device. The rotation axis is shifted so that the rotation locus of the tip of the trigger electrode is offset from the diameter direction of the cathode, and the reaching amount of the cathode material is reduced. The tip antifouling type ignition device of the vacuum arc plasma vapor deposition device according to any one of Items 1 to 6.

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