JP4002959B2 - Substrate dome rotation mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotating mechanism for a substrate dome mounted on a vacuum apparatus.

  The vacuum vapor deposition method is a film forming method in which a vapor deposition material is evaporated in a state where the inside of the vacuum chamber is evacuated to a high vacuum region in advance and the vapor deposition material is deposited on the substrate surface. In order to increase the efficiency of film formation, it is required to deposit a plurality of substrates at the same time. However, since the evaporation distribution of the deposition material in the vacuum chamber is not uniform, a plurality of dome-shaped holders called substrate domes are attached to a plurality of substrates. In general, it is common to keep the thickness distribution of each substrate uniform by mounting the substrate and rotating the dome. The present invention relates to a rotation mechanism of a rotation drive type substrate dome connected to a drive source with the center of the dome as a rotation axis.

  FIG. 5 shows a schematic configuration diagram of an optical thin film vacuum deposition apparatus as an example of a vacuum apparatus equipped with a rotationally driven substrate dome.

  The vacuum chamber body 40 includes a substrate 11, a substrate dome 12 for mounting the substrate 11, a substrate dome rotating mechanism 42, a substrate heating heater 47 for heating the substrate 11, a vapor deposition material 43, a crucible 44 for filling the vapor deposition material, and vapor deposition. An electron gun 45 that heats the material 43 to the evaporation temperature, a shutter 46 that closes when the vapor deposition is completed, and shields the vapor deposition material are disposed.

In the case of performing vapor deposition using the apparatus shown in FIG. After the inside of the vacuum chamber 40 is in a high vacuum state by an exhaust system (not shown), the substrate dome 12 is rotated by the substrate dome rotating mechanism 42, and the substrate 11 is heated using the substrate heating heater 47. When the degree of vacuum and the substrate temperature reach the target values, the electron gun 45 irradiates the vapor deposition material 43 with an electron beam, and raises the vapor deposition material 43 to the evaporation temperature. When the shutter 46 is opened, the vapor deposition material 43 scatters in the vacuum chamber 40 and deposits on the substrate 11 to form a thin film. When the film thickness reaches the target value, the shutter 46 is closed, the electron gun 45, the substrate heating heater 47, etc. are stopped. After cooling, the atmosphere is introduced into the vacuum chamber, and then the substrate 11 on which the thin film is formed is taken out. Good.
Said vacuum evaporation apparatus is disclosed by patent document 1, etc., for example.

A conventional substrate dome rotation mechanism will be described with reference to FIGS.
The substrate dome rotation mechanism 42 is joined to the dome side gear 2, the rotation shaft 6 fixed to the dome side gear 2, the thrust bearing mechanism 51 joined to the dome side gear 2 and receiving a load in the load direction, and the rotation shaft 6. A radial bearing mechanism 52 that receives a load in the circumferential direction, a thrust bearing mechanism 51, a bearing 53 that supports the radial bearing mechanism 52, and a dome catcher 10 that is fixed to the dome side gear 2 by a bolt 55. The rotation mechanism 42 rotates by receiving the transmission from the drive source side gear 15 connected to the drive source 41 and rotating.

  The substrate dome 12 is connected to the rotation mechanism 42 by being fixed to the dome catcher 10 with a bolt 56, and rotates at a predetermined rotational speed together with the dome side gear 2. Since the rotating shaft 6, the dome catcher 10 and the substrate dome 12 are attached to the dome side gear 2, a vertical thrust load is applied. A thrust bearing mechanism 51 is arranged to receive the load in the thrust direction. Further, a radial bearing mechanism 52 is arranged to receive a lateral load during rotation. FIG. 7 a shows a schematic view of the thrust bearing mechanism 51. The thrust bearing mechanism includes a steel ball 20, a lubricant 21, a plurality of steel balls 20, and an annular groove 22 that accommodates the lubricant 21. FIG. 7 b is a schematic sectional view of the steel ball 20, and FIG. 7 c is a schematic sectional view of the lubricant 21. The steel ball 20 is made of, for example, iron, and the lubricant 21 is made of, for example, tungsten disulfide. However, the material may be selected as appropriate. The thrust bearing mechanism 51 has been described above for illustration, but the components in the radial bearing mechanism 52 are the same. The bearing 53 serves as a receiver for the thrust bearing mechanism 51 and the radial bearing mechanism 52, and rotatably supports the dome side gear 2, the substrate dome 12, and the like inside the vacuum chamber 40. The bearing 53 is fitted from above the base 50 and is fixed by a bolt 54 from the opposite direction to the substrate dome 12.

For example, when disassembling the rotating mechanism 42 shown in the figure for maintenance or the like, first, after removing the substrate dome 12 downward from the dome catcher 10, a film thickness monitoring mechanism (not shown) disposed above the rotating mechanism 42, The peripheral mechanism such as the heater was removed, the bearing 53 and the base 50 were removed, and the rotating mechanism 42 was integrally removed from above the base 50. When assembling, the rotating mechanism 42 was attached from above the base 50 before the peripheral mechanism was attached, and the substrate dome 12 was attached below the base 50.
JP 2001-73136 A

  FIG. 8 shows a state when the thrust bearing mechanism 51 shown in FIG. 7 is consumed by rotation. Since the lubricant 21 has an effect of forming a lubricant film on the surfaces of the steel ball 20 and the annular groove 22 and smoothly rotating the steel ball 20, if the lubricant 21 is consumed by the rotation of the steel ball 20, abnormal noise is generated. Cause the bearing life and shorten the bearing life. Further, when the lubricant 21 is consumed by the rotation, there is a problem that the consumed lubricant 21 becomes dust 60 and accumulates in the annular groove 22. The dust 60 includes not only the lubricant 21 but also iron scraps due to the wear of the steel balls 20. When such dust 60 accumulates in the annular groove 22, the steel balls 20 do not rotate smoothly, which hinders rotation. End up. Since the same problem also occurs in the radial bearing mechanism 52, the bearing mechanism requires maintenance work such as periodic replacement of the lubricant and cleaning of the rotating part. However, the conventional rotating mechanism has a disadvantage that the bearing cannot be removed without removing the peripheral mechanism. This is because a plurality of mechanisms such as a film thickness monitoring mechanism and a heater that need to be arranged close to the substrate dome are arranged in a limited space above the substrate dome, and a space for maintenance cannot be secured. .

  Dust generated from the lubricant not only stays in the rotating part and hinders rotation, but also has a problem of falling into the vacuum chamber and hindering film formation. Referring to FIG. 8, a part of the dust 60 accumulated in the annular groove 22 has fallen down. Referring to FIG. 6, since the substrate dome is disposed immediately below the thrust bearing mechanism 51 and the radial bearing mechanism 52, a part of the dust 60 that has fallen down has fallen down to the substrate dome. When the dust falls on the substrate dome, the dust adheres to the deposition substrate together with the evaporation material during the film formation, leading to deterioration of the film quality.

  Further, in the conventional rotating mechanism, since the substrate heater is disposed above the bearing, there is a problem that the consumption of the lubricant is accelerated by heating.

  Further, in the conventional mechanism, the dome side gear and the substrate dome are fixed by bolting, but there is a problem that the substrate dome cannot be accurately positioned by bolting. If the center of the dome side gear and the center of the substrate dome do not coincide with each other, the substrate dome itself swings left and right during rotation. When film formation is performed in this state, the vapor deposition material does not uniformly adhere to the substrate mounted on the substrate dome, leading to deterioration of the film thickness distribution.

  In addition, the conventional rotating mechanism has a problem with respect to its height. Generally, a film thickness monitor mechanism for measuring the film thickness is disposed above the substrate dome rotation mechanism. However, the substrate dome rotation mechanism prevents the monitor from being shaded by the evaporation source. It was necessary to make the height of as thin as possible.

  A first aspect of the present invention is a vacuum apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber, a base fixed inside the vacuum chamber, a rotating mechanism attached to the base, and a substrate dome mounted with a film formation substrate and rotated horizontally by the rotating mechanism. In this vacuum device, the rotation mechanism is detachable from the base toward the bottom of the vacuum chamber. Here, the rotation mechanism is arranged so as to have at least the same rotation center as the rotation center of the dome substrate and is rotated horizontally by the power from the drive source provided outside the rotation mechanism. It comprises support means for supporting the dome side gear and holding means for attaching the substrate dome to the dome side gear so that the outer diameter of the dome side gear is smaller than the inner diameter of the base. Further, the support means is attached to the lower end of the base. Specifically, the support means comprises at least a rotating shaft fixed to the dome side gear concentrically with the dome side gear, and a bearing mounted concentrically with the dome side gear and attached to the base. Is configured to be attached to the lower end of the base. Furthermore, the support means is arranged concentrically with the dome side gear, supported by the bearing to support the dome side gear, and the radial bearing arranged concentrically with the dome side gear and in contact with the rotating shaft. It became the composition which becomes.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber, a base fixed inside the vacuum chamber, a rotation mechanism attached to the base, and a substrate dome mounted with a film formation substrate and horizontally rotated by the rotation mechanism. The rotation mechanism is arranged so as to have at least the same rotation center as the rotation center of the dome substrate, and is rotated horizontally by the power from the drive source provided outside the rotation mechanism. Support means for supporting the dome side gear, and holding means for attaching the substrate dome to the dome side gear, the support means being arranged concentrically with the dome side gear and supported by the bearing, It is a vacuum device comprising a thrust bearing to be supported, and a radial bearing that is arranged concentrically with the dome side gear and contacts the rotating shaft.

  Further, in the first side face and the second side face, the thrust bearing and the radial bearing are arranged on substantially the same plane. In addition, the configuration is such that the width in the height direction of the surface cut by the thrust bearing and the width in the height direction of the surface cut by the radial bearing have a portion overlapping.

  A third aspect of the present invention includes a vacuum chamber, a base fixed inside the vacuum chamber, a rotation mechanism attached to the base, a substrate dome mounted with a film formation substrate and rotated horizontally by the rotation mechanism, and a rotation mechanism. A vacuum device comprising a plurality of balls and bearings made of lubricating oil housed in an annular groove, wherein a dust receiver is disposed above the substrate dome and covers at least a part of the substrate dome. Here, the dome heater for heating the deposition substrate was used as a dust receiver. Further, a dome heater for heating the deposition substrate is fixed to the base. The rotation mechanism further includes a rotation shaft fixed to the dome side gear concentrically with the dome side gear, and a bearing disposed concentrically with the dome side gear and attached to the base. And the dust receiver was constituted by a groove provided in the protrusion.

  Furthermore, in the first to third aspects, a countersunk screw is used in at least one place of the holding means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum chamber, a substrate dome on which the film formation substrate is mounted, a rotation mechanism that is disposed immediately above the substrate dome and rotates the substrate dome, and at least a rotation mechanism that is disposed on the top plate of the vacuum chamber. Is a method of assembling and disassembling a vacuum apparatus comprising a base attached to the inside of the vacuum chamber, and is a method of attaching and detaching at least the rotating mechanism to the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber. Further, in the vacuum apparatus further having a fixing device for fixing the rotating mechanism and the substrate dome, at least one of the fixing device and the rotating mechanism or between the fixing device and the substrate dome is fixed with a countersunk screw, and the substrate dome is positioned. I tried to do it.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacuum chamber, an evaporation source filled with a film forming material, a substrate dome mounted with a film forming substrate and disposed opposite to the film forming material, and disposed immediately above the substrate dome to rotate the substrate dome. A film forming material on a film forming substrate in a state where the substrate dome is rotated in a vacuum device comprising a rotating mechanism and a base disposed on the top plate of the vacuum chamber and the rotating mechanism or a base for mounting the rotating mechanism and the substrate dome inside the vacuum chamber. Is a film forming method for receiving dust generated from the rotating mechanism by a dust receiver provided between the rotating mechanism and the substrate dome.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently assemble and disassemble the rotating mechanism even in a limited space, so that it is possible to improve maintainability and workability. Further, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of film forming accuracy by preventing the substrate dome from running out, preventing contamination by dust generated from the bearing, and reducing the thickness of the rotating mechanism.

  An embodiment of the substrate dome rotation mechanism according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. The rotation mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 is mounted on a vacuum apparatus as shown in FIG. 5, for example, but the operation related to vacuum film formation is the same as the conventional one, and the description thereof is omitted.

  FIG. 1 shows a dome side gear 2, a rotating shaft 6, a dome catcher 10, a thrust bearing mechanism 3, a radial bearing mechanism 4, a rotating mechanism 14 constituted by a bearing 5, a base 1 for fixing the rotating mechanism 14, and a rotating mechanism 14. A schematic sectional view of a driving source side gear 15 to be driven, a substrate dome 12, a film forming substrate 11 mounted on the substrate dome 12, and a heater dome 13 for heating the substrate is shown. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the rotating mechanism shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above.

  The rotating mechanism 14 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is designed so that the inner diameter of the base 1 fixedly arranged in the vacuum chamber is larger than the outer diameter of the dome side gear 2, and the bearing 5 is directed to the base dome 12 with respect to the base 1. The base 1 and the bearing 5 are fixed by bolts 7 from the direction of the substrate dome 12. The bearing 5 fixes the thrust bearing mechanism 3 and the radial bearing mechanism 4 and supports the dome side gear 2 and the rotating shaft 6 so that the rotating mechanism 14 can be removed downwards by removing the bolt 7. Become. As a result, the rotating mechanism 14 can be assembled and disassembled without removing the peripheral mechanism, and the workability during maintenance and the like can be significantly improved. In the embodiment, the disk-shaped base 1 having an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the dome side gear 2 is used, but the base 1 has any shape as long as it has a space for fitting the dome side gear 2. It doesn't matter.

  FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the thrust bearing mechanism 3 and the radial bearing mechanism 4. The thrust bearing mechanism 3 and the radial bearing mechanism 4 are concentrically arranged in the same plane, and are constituted by a steel ball 20 and a lubricant 21 accommodated in the annular groove 22. Although the rotation is smoothly performed by using the lubricant 21, the lubricant 21 may not be used as long as the bearing mechanism is not so large as in the radial bearing mechanism 4, for example. In the embodiment, by arranging the thrust bearing mechanism 3 and the radial bearing mechanism 4 in the same plane, the height of the rotating mechanism 14 is reduced, and the film thickness monitoring mechanism and the film formation substrate disposed above the rotating mechanism 14. It is possible to reduce the distance between Further, along with this reduction in thickness, the total weight of the rotating mechanism 14 can be reduced by reducing the height of the dome catcher 10, for example, and labor when removing the rotating mechanism 14 downward or attaching from below. Reduction and safety improvement can be aimed at.

  Since the steel ball 20 and the lubricant 21 used in the bearing mechanism are worn by rotation and generate dust, the heater dome 13 is disposed directly below the rotation mechanism 14 in the embodiment. The heater dome 13 may be fixed to the base 1. Thus, even if dust is generated, the heater dome 13 receives the dust without falling down from the outer peripheral direction of the rotating mechanism 14 to the substrate dome, and thus it is possible to prevent dust from adhering to the substrate 11 during film formation. In addition, when the heater dome 13 is directly above the rotation mechanism, there is a problem that the heater dome 13 heats the lubricant and accelerates wear. However, the heater dome 13 is disposed immediately below the rotation mechanism 14. There is also an effect of extending the life of the lubricant 21. In the embodiment, since the heater dome 13 for heating the substrate necessary for film formation is also used as a receiving plate for dust countermeasures, it is possible to take dust countermeasures without adding components, but for dust countermeasures. The receiving plate may be arranged separately.

  FIG. 4 shows a detailed view of a portion 60 surrounded by a broken-line circle in FIG. The bearing 5 is provided with a stopper 30 for preventing the dome side gear 2 from falling upward. In the embodiment, a groove 31 is provided in the stopper 30 to receive dust generated from the steel ball 20 and the lubricant 21. The structure. As a result, contamination of the substrate 11 can be further prevented.

The assembly operation of the rotating mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be described below.
First, the rotating shaft 6 and the dome catcher 10 are fixed to the dome side gear 2, the thrust bearing mechanism 3 and the radial bearing mechanism 4 are assembled on the bearing 5, the dome side gear 2 is attached to the thrust bearing mechanism 3, and the radial bearing mechanism 4 is attached. The bearing 5 is fixed to the base 1 with bolts 7 in a state where the rotary shaft 6 is joined. At this time, a countersunk screw 8 is used to fix the dome side gear 2 and the dome catcher 10. Next, the substrate dome 12 on which the substrate 11 is mounted is attached to the dome catcher 10, fixed with the countersunk screw 9, and centered. The dome side gear 2 is rotated at a predetermined rotational speed by the motor of the driving source. By using countersunk screws 8 and 9 to connect the dome side gear 2 and the dome catcher 10 and to connect the dome catcher 10 and the substrate dome 12, the center of the dome side gear 2 and the center of the substrate dome 12 can be accurately determined. Accordingly, the substrate dome 12 can be rotated without centering. By using the countersunk screws 8 and 9 in the embodiment, it is possible to eliminate individual differences due to the operator during maintenance, to eliminate the runout, and to prevent deterioration of the film thickness distribution during film formation. It was.

  At the time of disassembly, the dome catcher 10 and the substrate dome 12 are unfixed, and the bolt 7 of the bearing 5 is removed, so that the rotating mechanism 14 can be removed downward. Since the rotating mechanism 14 can be disassembled without removing other components, particularly peripheral mechanisms (not shown) above the rotating mechanism, workability during maintenance can be significantly improved.

  In the above embodiment, the film formation using the vapor deposition method has been described. However, the film formation method capable of implementing the apparatus and the method of the present invention is not limited to the vapor deposition method, and there are many methods such as a sputtering method and an ion plating method.

Schematic sectional view of the rotation mechanism of the present invention Schematic plan view of the rotation mechanism of the present invention Schematic diagram of bearing mechanism Stopper schematic Schematic configuration of optical thin film manufacturing equipment Schematic diagram of conventional rotating mechanism Schematic diagram of thrust bearing mechanism Schematic diagram of thrust bearing mechanism after wear

Explanation of symbols

1 base
2 Dome side gear
3 Thrust bearing mechanism
4 Radial bearing mechanism
5 Bearing
6 Rotating axis
7 volts
8 countersunk screws
9 countersunk screws
10 Dome catcher
11 Deposition substrate
12 PCB dome
13 Heater dome
14 Rotating mechanism
15 Drive source side gear
20 steel balls
21 Lubricant
30 Stopper
31 groove
40 vacuum chamber
41 Drive source
42 Rotating mechanism
43 Vapor deposition materials
44 Crucible
45 electron gun
46 Shutter
47 Substrate heater
50 base
51 Thrust bearing mechanism
52 Radial bearing mechanism
53 Bearing
54 volts
55 volts
56 volts
60 dust

Claims (16)

A vacuum apparatus comprising a vacuum chamber, a base fixed inside the vacuum chamber, a rotation mechanism attached to the base, and a substrate dome mounted with a film formation substrate and rotated horizontally by the rotation mechanism,
A vacuum apparatus characterized in that the rotating mechanism is configured to be detachable from the base toward the bottom of the vacuum chamber. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 1,
The rotation mechanism is at least
The substrate is arranged to have the same rotation center as the rotation center of the dome, the dome side gear which is rotated horizontally by power from a drive source provided on the rotating mechanism outside,
Support means for supporting the dome side gear with respect to the base; and
Comprising holding means for attaching the substrate dome to the dome side gear;
A vacuum apparatus, wherein an outer diameter of the dome side gear is smaller than an inner diameter of the base. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 2,
A vacuum apparatus, wherein the support means is attached to the lower end of the base. A vacuum apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3,
The support means is at least
A rotating shaft fixed to the dome side gear concentrically with the dome side gear, and
It is arranged concentrically with the dome side gear, and comprises a bearing attached to the base,
A vacuum apparatus, wherein the bearing is attached to a lower end of the base. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 4,
The support means further comprises:
A thrust bearing arranged concentrically with the dome side gear, supported by the bearing and supporting the dome side gear; and
A vacuum apparatus comprising a radial bearing arranged concentrically with the dome side gear and installed on the rotating shaft. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The rotation mechanism is at least
The substrate is arranged to have the same rotation center as the rotation center of the dome, the dome side gear which is rotated horizontally by power from a drive source provided on the rotating mechanism outside,
Support means for supporting the dome side gear with respect to the base; and
Comprising holding means for attaching the substrate dome to the dome side gear;
The support means is
The thrust bearing is concentrically arranged with the dome side gear, is supported by the bearing and supports the dome side gear, and the radial bearing is concentrically arranged with the dome side gear and is installed on the rotating shaft. A vacuum apparatus characterized by that. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,
A vacuum apparatus, wherein the thrust bearing and the radial bearing are arranged on substantially the same plane. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 5 or 6,
A vacuum apparatus, characterized in that the thrust bearing has a portion in which a width in a height direction of a surface to be cut and a width in a height direction of a surface to be cut by the radial bearing have an overlapping portion. The vacuum device according to claim 1, further comprising a bearing composed of a plurality of balls and lubricating oil accommodated in an annular groove of the rotating mechanism,
A vacuum apparatus, wherein a dust receiver covering at least a part of the substrate dome is disposed above the substrate dome. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 9, wherein
The vacuum apparatus, wherein the dust receiver is a dome heater for heating the film formation substrate. The vacuum apparatus according to claim 10,
A vacuum apparatus, wherein the deposition substrate heating dome heater is fixed to the base. A vacuum apparatus according to any one of claims 9 to 11,
The rotating mechanism further includes:
A rotating shaft fixed to the dome side gear concentrically with the dome side gear, and
It is arranged concentrically with the dome side gear, and comprises a bearing attached to the base,
The rotating shaft has a protrusion extending in the outer circumferential direction;
The vacuum apparatus, wherein the dust receiver is a groove provided in the protrusion. A vacuum apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 12,
A vacuum apparatus characterized in that a countersunk screw is used in at least one place of the holding means. A vacuum chamber, a substrate dome on which the deposition substrate is mounted, a rotation mechanism that is disposed immediately above the substrate dome and rotates the substrate dome, and at least the rotation mechanism that is disposed on the top plate of the vacuum chamber. A method for assembling and disassembling a vacuum device comprising a base mounted inside,
An assembling / disassembling method, wherein the rotating mechanism is attached to and detached from the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber. The assembly and disassembly method according to claim 14,
In a vacuum apparatus further comprising a fixture for fixing the rotating mechanism and the substrate dome,
An assembling and disassembling method, wherein at least one of the fixing tool and the rotating mechanism or between the fixing tool and the substrate dome is fixed with a countersunk screw, and the substrate dome is positioned. The vacuum apparatus assembled by the assembling / disassembling method according to claim 14, wherein the film forming material is deposited on the film forming substrate while the substrate dome is rotated.
A film forming method, wherein dust generated from the rotating mechanism is received by a dust receiver provided between the rotating mechanism and the substrate dome.

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