JP5197277B2 - Vapor deposition apparatus and vapor deposition method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vapor deposition apparatus including an organic gas supply apparatus that introduces an organic gas into the vapor deposition apparatus, and a vapor deposition method that performs vapor deposition on an optical member while introducing the organic gas.

  In the production of optical members such as plastic lenses for spectacles, a multilayer coating technology is applied in which a plurality of thin films are formed on the optical surface of the lens to improve optical properties such as antireflection and to provide functions such as water repellency There is. Formation of such an antireflection film on the optical member is generally performed using a vacuum evaporation apparatus when the antireflection film is a multilayer vapor deposition film made of an inorganic oxide.

  By the way, in recent years, at least one of the constituent layers of the antireflection film for the purpose of improving the impact resistance, wear resistance, heat resistance, and alkali resistance of the plastic lens for spectacles and the adhesion of the antireflection film. A layer in which a layer made of an inorganic substance and an organic substance (hereinafter also simply referred to as a hybrid layer) is provided is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

The optical member described in Patent Document 1 has a plastic substrate and a multilayer antireflection film formed on the substrate by vacuum deposition. At least one layer of the antireflection film is at least one inorganic substance selected from silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, yttrium oxide and niobium oxide, and is liquid at room temperature and normal pressure. It consists of a hybrid layer formed using a certain organosilicon compound and / or an organic substance composed of a silicon-free organic compound that is liquid at normal temperature and normal pressure. As a method for forming such a hybrid layer, the tank for storing the organic material is heated and decompressed to vaporize the organic material, and the gas containing the vaporized organic material is discharged into a vapor deposition chamber of the vapor deposition apparatus. The method of vapor-depositing the inorganic substance while supplying to is shown. It has also been shown that in order to improve the adhesion of the hybrid layer, the hybrid layer is formed by an ion assist method using oxygen gas and / or argon gas.
JP 2004-206024 A

  When a hybrid layer is formed by depositing a vapor deposition material made of an inorganic substance while supplying a gas containing an organic substance (hereinafter also simply referred to as an organic gas) to the vapor deposition chamber, the organic gas supplied to the vapor deposition chamber during vapor deposition is In order to obtain a good hybrid layer, it is important to control the flow rate to be a predetermined flow rate (preferably a constant flow rate). In view of this, the present inventor made a method for controlling the flow rate of the organic gas, and provided a flow rate controller (with a flow rate sensor and a flow rate control valve in the middle of a pipe for supplying the organic gas to the vapor deposition chamber. The flow rate of the organic gas supplied to the vapor deposition chamber was controlled by providing a device that controls the flow rate control valve so as to match the measured flow rate value. As a flow rate controller that can be used for such organic gas flow rate control, for example, there is a mass flow controller including a mass flow sensor. Generally, a mass flow controller has a main pipeline and a branch pipeline that branches from the pipeline and then merges again, and a mass flow sensor is provided in the branch pipeline (hereinafter, a mass flow sensor is provided). The branched branch line is also called a sensor pipe). In addition, a flow control valve is provided in the main pipeline after the sensor pipelines merge. Based on the detection signal of the mass flow sensor, the flow rate of the fluid passing through the mass flow controller is measured, the flow rate value detected by the mass flow sensor is compared with the set target flow rate value, and the flow control valve By adjusting the opening, the flow rate is controlled so as to become the target flow rate value.

  However, when the flow rate of organic gas is controlled using such a mass flow controller, the molecular weight of the organic material used as the raw material for depositing the hybrid film is relatively large. In some cases, the liquid was liquefied and accurate flow control could not be performed. In other words, if the liquefied organic gas adheres to the sensor pipe or the main pipe until it merges after branching the sensor pipe and the pipe is narrowed or blocked, the flow rate measured by the mass flow sensor Since the value does not indicate an accurate flow rate and valve control is performed based on the incorrect measured flow rate value, the flow rate supplied to the deposition chamber may differ from the target flow rate, or the flow rate fluctuation may increase. There was a case. In order to eliminate the problem of the flow control of the mass flow controller, a flow sensor or a flow controller (for example, a mass flow sensor or a mass flow controller) for monitoring the flow control of the mass flow controller is further added to the main pipeline after the sensor pipeline merges. However, in this case, the same problems may occur in the added flow sensor and flow controller, and the introduction cost and maintenance labor of the added flow sensor and flow controller will increase. There's a problem.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and aims to form a good vapor deposition film by accurately controlling the flow rate of the organic gas supplied to the vapor deposition apparatus. It is an object to provide a method and an apparatus that can be easily detected.

  The vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention is a vapor deposition apparatus that forms a vapor deposition film on the surface of a lens, and includes a vapor deposition chamber that houses a lens, an organic gas supply unit that supplies an organic gas into the vapor deposition chamber, and a pre-organic gas supply unit. A control unit that controls, the organic gas supply unit includes a bubbling gas supply unit that supplies a bubbling gas composed of a low activity gas or an inert gas, and a gas that contains the organic liquid and vaporizes the organic liquid Bubbling including a tank that generates an organic gas mixed with the bubbling gas and supplies the organic gas to the vapor deposition chamber; and a first flow sensor that measures a mass flow rate of the bubbling gas supplied from the bubbling gas supply unit to the tank. A flow rate of the organic gas including a first flow rate control unit for controlling a flow rate of the gas and a second flow rate sensor for measuring a mass flow rate of the organic gas supplied from the tank to the vapor deposition chamber. A second flow rate control unit for controlling the pressure, and a pressure sensor for measuring the pressure in the tank, wherein the control unit obtains a measurement value of the pressure sensor as a tank pressure measurement value, and measures the tank pressure. A pressure adjusting unit for instructing a flow rate to the first flow rate control unit so that a value becomes a preset target tank pressure, a mass flow rate of bubbling gas measured by the first flow rate sensor, and the second Based on the mass flow rate of the organic gas measured by the flow sensor and the volume of the gas phase portion in the tank, the change amount of the tank internal pressure is calculated as the theoretical tank pressure change amount based on the gas state equation, and the pressure sensor The amount of change in the measured tank pressure measurement value is calculated as an actual tank pressure change amount, and if the difference between the theoretical tank pressure change amount and the actual tank pressure change amount is not within a preset allowable range, the organic gas supply unit Abnormal And a balance check unit for determining that the occurrence has occurred.

Also, the vapor deposition method of the present invention is a method of forming a vapor deposition film on the surface of a lens using a vapor deposition device, wherein the vapor deposition device heats a vapor deposition chamber containing the lens and a vapor deposition material made of an inorganic material. A heating unit for vapor deposition; and an organic gas supply unit that supplies an organic gas into the vapor deposition chamber, wherein the organic gas supply unit includes a bubbling gas supply unit that supplies a bubbling gas composed of a low-active gas or an inert gas. A tank that contains an organic liquid, generates an organic gas obtained by mixing the gas that vaporizes the organic liquid and the bubbling gas, and supplies the organic vapor to the vapor deposition chamber; and a bubbling gas that is supplied from the bubbling gas supply unit to the tank A first flow rate controller for controlling the flow rate of the bubbling gas including a first flow rate sensor for measuring the mass flow rate of the organic gas, and a mass flow rate of the organic gas supplied from the tank to the vapor deposition chamber A second flow rate control unit that controls the flow rate of the organic gas including a second flow rate sensor that measures the pressure, and a pressure sensor that measures the atmospheric pressure in the tank, wherein the organic gas supply unit includes the inorganic material by supplying organic gas into the deposition chamber while depositing a deposition material composed of, to form a hybrid layer formed of an organic material and an inorganic material, the bubbling gas in which the first flow sensor to measure Based on the mass flow rate, the mass flow rate of the organic gas measured by the second flow sensor, and the volume of the gas phase portion in the tank, the change amount of the tank internal pressure is determined as the theoretical tank pressure change amount based on the gas state equation. The change in the tank pressure measurement value measured by the pressure sensor is calculated as the actual tank pressure change, and the difference between the theoretical tank pressure change and the actual tank pressure change must be within the preset allowable range. , And judging that an abnormality in the organic gas supply unit has occurred.

  According to the present invention, the theory based on the state equation of the gas from the flow rate of the inert gas measured by the first flow sensor, the flow rate of the mixed gas measured by the second flow sensor, and the state (pressure, temperature) in the tank. If the difference between the theoretical tank pressure change amount and the actual tank pressure change amount is not within the first allowable range, a warning is generated, and the second liquid flow control unit is clogged with organic liquid. It is possible to accurately detect defects such as cases, so that no new sensor or the like is added, so that it is possible to stably form a film to be deposited on the lens while preventing the introduction and maintenance cost of the apparatus from increasing. it can.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an example in which the present invention is applied to a continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus 1 that continuously forms a thin film such as an antireflection film or a water repellent coating on a plastic lens for spectacles. The continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus 1 continuously deposits an antireflection film, a water repellent film, and the like on an optical surface of a molded plastic lens for eyeglasses (hereinafter also simply referred to as a lens) in a vacuum vapor deposition chamber. Is formed.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an outline of a continuous vacuum deposition apparatus 1. The continuous vacuum deposition apparatus 1 includes a preheating chamber 100 that heats the lens 20, a first deposition chamber 200 that forms an antireflection film on the lens 20, and a water repellent film that is formed on the lens 20 on which the antireflection film is formed. A second vapor deposition chamber 300 is provided. Moreover, the preheating chamber 100, the 1st vapor deposition chamber 200, and the 2nd vapor deposition chamber 300 are each arrange | positioned the vacuum apparatus which is not shown in figure so that it may become the vacuum of predetermined | prescribed atmospheric pressure.

  An outline of the vapor deposition process of the lens 20 in the continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus 1 will be described.

First, a plurality of lenses 20 are arranged on the coat dome 2 to constitute one lot. The coat dome 2 is a holding unit that holds the plurality of lenses 20 so that the vapor deposition films are vapor-deposited on the plurality of lenses 20 at the same time, and has a concave curved surface with a circular outer periphery. diameter approximately the same circular hole is formed a number, which lens 20 is positioned in the downward side to be deposited.

  The coat dome 2 on which the lens is disposed is placed on a support base 101 supported on an open / close base 103 of the preheating chamber 100. Then, the open / close base 103 that supports the lower part of the support base 101 is raised, and the opening at the bottom of the preheating chamber 100 is sealed, so that the coat dome 2 placed on the support base 101 is accommodated in the preheating chamber 100.

  Further, the upper part of the coat dome 2 is supported by a transfer means 500 (not shown) provided inside the continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus 1 and can move from the preheating chamber 100 to the second vapor deposition chamber 300 through the first vapor deposition chamber 200. It has become. Note that a communication port (not shown) that passes when the transfer means 500 moves through the vacuum chambers 100, 200, and 300 (a communication port that connects the preheating chamber 100 and the first vapor deposition chamber 200, and the first vapor deposition chamber 200 and the second vapor deposition). The communication port connecting the chambers 300 is configured to be opened only when the transport unit 500 is moved, and is hermetically closed immediately after the transport unit 500 is moved. Further, the coat dome 2 supported by the conveying means 500 can be rotated by an actuator (not shown).

  The preheating chamber 100 is provided with a heater (halogen heater or the like) 102 driven by the control device 12, and the lens 20 disposed on the coat dome 2 is heated by the heater 102 while rotating the coat dome 2. Preheat evenly. When the preheating is completed, the control device 12 drives the transport unit 500 to move the coat dome 2 to the first vapor deposition chamber 200.

  In the first vapor deposition chamber 200, while rotating the coat dome 2, the plurality of vapor deposition raw materials 41 and 42 are heated by the electron guns 30 and 31 as heating sources to evaporate (vaporize) the vapor deposition raw materials 41 and 42. A predetermined film such as an antireflection film is formed on the substrate. Further, the first vapor deposition chamber 200 includes an ion gun 14 as an ion source that irradiates the lens with an ion beam in order to improve the strength and adhesion of the film formed on the lens 20. The first vapor deposition chamber is provided with an organic gas supply device 16 that generates and supplies an organic gas, and the organic gas generated by the organic gas supply device 16 passes through an organic gas supply pipe line 1604. The first vapor deposition chamber 200 is supplied. Then, a hybrid film is generated by supplying an organic gas while vapor deposition materials are being vaporized (the configuration and control of the first vapor deposition chamber will be described in detail later). The driving of the electron guns 30 and 31 and the selection of the vapor deposition materials 41 and 42 are controlled by the control device 12. The first vapor deposition chamber 200 is provided with an optical film thickness meter 10 for monitoring the formation state of the thin film, and the monitoring result is sent to the control device 12 to control the electron guns 30 and 31. In the case where there is only one evaporation material, either the electron gun 30 or 31 may be operated. Further, the ion gun 14 irradiates the lens 20 with an ion beam, thereby improving the peel strength (or film adhesion) of the film formed on the lens 20 and improving the durability of the film.

  When the formation of the antireflection film is completed, the control device 12 drives the transport unit 500 to move the coat dome 2 to the second vapor deposition chamber 300.

  The second deposition chamber 300 is hermetically sealed by an open / close base 303 whose bottom opening can be raised and lowered. On the open / close base 303, a support base 301 that supports the coat dome 2 and a heater controlled by the control device 12. (Halogen heater etc.) 302 and a container 341 for accommodating a vapor deposition raw material 340 heated by the heater 302 are arranged. Then, while rotating the coat dome 2, the container 341 is heated by the heater 302 to evaporate the vapor deposition material 340 contained in the container 341, thereby forming a water repellent film on the lens 20 disposed in the coat dome 2. To do.

  When the formation of the water-repellent film on the lens 20 is completed, the open / close base 303 supporting the lower portion of the support base 301 is lowered while the coat dome 2 is supported by the support base 301, and the second vapor deposition chamber is vacuum-destructed and the coat dome. Is taken out and the deposition process is completed. In addition, when vapor-depositing the opposite surface, the surface of the opposite side is disposed on the coat dome 2 and the above steps are repeated to complete the vapor deposition step. Thereafter, the coat dome 2 is removed from the support base 301, and the lens 20 on the coat dome 2 is removed and carried to the next process.

  In the above description, the antireflection film is formed in the first vapor deposition chamber 200 and the water-repellent film is formed in the second vapor deposition chamber 300. However, any thin film can be vapor deposited by changing the vapor deposition raw materials 41, 42, and 340. it can. In the first vapor deposition chamber 200, not only the two vapor deposition materials 41 and 42 are vaporized simultaneously, but only one of the electron guns 30 and 31 may be operated to perform vapor deposition using one vapor deposition material. Further, in this example, an opening / closing base 303 which is an opening / closing mechanism for taking out the coat dome 2 is provided in the second vapor deposition chamber. However, the second vapor deposition is not provided in the second vapor deposition chamber via the connection port. A vacuum chamber that is secretly connected to the chamber is further provided. After the coat dome 2 is moved from the second vapor deposition chamber to the vacuum chamber, the coat dome 2 is taken out from the opening / closing mechanism provided in the vacuum chamber. Also good. Moreover, although this example is a case where the vapor deposition chambers arrange | positioned continuously are two, one or three or more may be sufficient.

  Next, the first vapor deposition chamber of the above-described continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus will be described in more detail. FIG. 2 shows a first vapor deposition chamber 200 and a control device 12 that serve as a first film formation chamber.

  In the first vapor deposition chamber 200, the coat dome 2 that has moved from the preheating chamber 100 is positioned at the upper part in the first vapor deposition chamber 200, which is a predetermined position, by the transport means 500.

  An optical film thickness meter 10 for detecting a thin film formation state is installed at a predetermined position above the first vapor deposition chamber 200, and the monitor glass 51 constituting the optical film thickness meter 10 is arranged in the first vapor deposition chamber 200. It is possible to receive the vapor of the vapor deposition raw materials 41 and 42 by being arranged at a predetermined position.

  In the lower part of the first vapor deposition chamber 200, a hearth part 400 having a container 40 composed of a crucible or a hearth for housing antireflection film vapor deposition raw materials (film deposition materials) 41, 42, and vapor deposition raw materials 41, 42 for the containers. In order to improve the strength and film quality (denseness, etc.) of the thin film to be deposited, the electron guns 30 and 31 that are vaporized by applying an electron beam, the shutter 5 that selectively blocks the vapor of the vapor deposition raw materials 41 and 42 An ion gun 14 as an ion source that generates and emits an ion beam from the ionized gas (such as nitrogen or oxygen), a gas supply device 15 that supplies the ion gun 14 with an ionized gas, and an organic substance at the time of forming the hybrid film An organic gas supply device (gas unit) 16 that generates an organic gas serving as a vapor deposition raw material, and an organic gas generated by the organic gas supply device 16 is introduced into the first vapor deposition chamber 200. Machine gas supply line 1604, and the like.

  In the present invention, the organic gas is a vaporized organic substance or a mixed gas of the vaporized organic substance and a low activity gas such as an inert gas or nitrogen. Specific examples of the organic substance that is the raw material of the organic gas will be described later.

  The ion gun 14 is provided with a shutter (ion gun shutter) 141 for protecting the main body of the ion gun 14, and an ion beam can be irradiated when the shutter 141 is opened. Further, the shutter 5 and the shutter 141 are provided with actuators (not shown), and are controlled by a control device 12 described later. Further, the vapor deposition materials 41 and 42 are different kinds of materials, for example, the vapor deposition material 41 is a low refractive index material, and the vapor deposition material 42 is a high refractive index material.

  In the vicinity of the upper coat dome 2, a substrate thermometer 6 is provided for measuring the temperature of the lens 20 as a film formation object held by the coat dome 2, and the atmospheric pressure in the first vapor deposition chamber 200 is further provided. A vacuum gauge 7 for measuring (vacuum degree) and a vacuum device 8 for reducing the pressure in the first vapor deposition chamber 200 to make a vacuum are provided. Further, a heater 9 for heating the lens 20 held on the coat dome 2 is provided. The heater 9 is composed of a halogen heater or the like.

  The control device 12 includes a sequencer unit and a computer including a CPU (processor) that sends a command to the sequencer unit, a memory, a disk device, and the like. As will be described later, the control device 12 includes the preheating chamber 100, the first Control of each device in the vapor deposition chamber 200 and the second vapor deposition chamber 300 is performed as described later.

  The control device 12 is connected to an input / output unit 12a including a keyboard, a mouse, a display and the like for sending commands to each device, and the above-described electron guns 30, 31, shutter 5, vacuum device 8, heater 9, ion Control objects such as a gun 14, a shutter 141, a gas supply device 15, and an organic gas supply device 16 are connected to sensors such as a substrate thermometer 6, a vacuum gauge 7, and an optical film thickness meter 10 (film thickness monitor 11). The control device 12 controls the control target based on input information from each sensor. Further, the control device 12 includes a heater 102 in the preheating chamber 100, a heater 302 in the second vapor deposition chamber 300, a transfer means 500 that connects the preheating chamber 100 through the first vapor deposition chamber 200 to the second vapor deposition chamber 300, the preheating chamber 100, and Elevating devices (not shown) of the open / close bases 103 and 303 of the second vapor deposition chamber 300 are connected to each other. Further, the control device 12 includes a display device (not shown) for displaying the operation state of each vapor deposition device.

    The control device 12 controls the vacuum device 8, the electron guns 30 and 31, and the ion gun 14 based on the information of the vacuum gauge 7 to make the inside of the first vapor deposition chamber 200 a vacuum at a predetermined atmospheric pressure. Further, the control device 12 controls the heater 9 based on the information of the substrate thermometer 6 to bring the lens 20 as the film formation body to a predetermined temperature. Then, the control device 12 stores the light quantity value every time depending on the optical film thickness of the thin film formed on the monitor glass 51 of the optical film thickness meter 10 in the reference light quantity value data storage means. In some cases, power (current and / or voltage) applied to the electron guns 30 and 31 is controlled so as to be equal to a certain value. Depending on the type of thin film to be formed and the type of vapor deposition materials 41 and 42 to be vaporized, the ion gun 14 is supplied with an ionized gas and irradiated with an ion beam, and an organic substance is deposited like a hybrid film. When forming the film, the control device 12 controls the generation of the organic gas in the organic gas supply device 16 and the supply of the generated organic gas into the first vapor deposition chamber 200. Details of the control of the organic gas supply device 16 by the control device 12 will be described later.

  Further, the coat dome 2 can be rotated by an actuator (not shown), and is rotated in order to reduce variation in the distribution of the evaporated material heated and scattered in the vapor deposition chamber and to eliminate heating unevenness.

  The electron guns 30 and 31 evaporate by heating the vapor deposition raw materials (substances) 41 and 42 accommodated in the container, and deposit the vapor deposition raw material (substance) on the lens 20 and the monitor glass 51 to form a thin film. Form.

  The container 40 is a water-cooled crucible or hearth liner used to hold the vapor deposition materials 41 and 42.

  The shutter 5 is controlled so as to be opened when the vapor deposition is started or closed when the vapor deposition is completed, and facilitates control of the thin film. The heater 9 is a heating unit that heats the lens 20 to an appropriate temperature in order to obtain physical properties such as adhesion of a thin film deposited on the lens 20.

  The optical film thickness meter 10 utilizes a phenomenon in which when a transparent substrate having a transparent thin film formed thereon is irradiated with light, the reflected light from the surface of the thin film and the reflected light from the surface of the transparent substrate interfere with each other due to the phase difference between the two. It is a thing. That is, the phase difference changes depending on the refractive index and optical thickness of the thin film, the state of interference changes, and the amount of reflected light changes depending on the refractive index and optical thickness of the thin film. If the reflected light changes, the transmitted light also inevitably changes. Therefore, the same can be done by measuring the amount of the transmitted light, but the case where the reflected light is used will be described below.

  The optical film thickness meter 10 irradiates light of a predetermined wavelength onto the monitor glass 51 held substantially at the center of the coat dome 2 and measures the reflected light. Since the thin film formed on the monitor glass 51 can be considered to be subordinate to the thin film formed on each lens 20, it is possible to obtain information capable of estimating (reproducing) the thin film formed on each lens 20. it can. About the measurement of the film thickness formed in the monitor glass 51, it is the same as that of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2003-202404 etc., and based on the number of the peak of the light quantity which the light reception sensor detected, the increase in film thickness (progress of film formation) ) Can be detected.

<Organic gas supply device>
Next, the organic gas supply device 16 that supplies the organic gas to the first vapor deposition chamber 200 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The organic gas supply device 16 is a device that is controlled by the control device 12 to generate an organic gas and supply the generated organic gas to the first vapor deposition chamber 200.

  The organic gas supply device 16 includes a tank 160 that contains the organic liquid 170 and generates an organic gas, a gas cylinder 161 that supplies a gas such as an inert gas or nitrogen (hereinafter also referred to as bubbling gas) to the tank 160, and a gas cylinder A mass flow controller for bubbling gas 162 that controls the flow rate of gas (bubbling gas) supplied from 161 to the tank 160, and a mass flow controller for organic gas 163 that controls the flow rate of supplying organic gas from the tank 160 to the first deposition chamber 200, The tank heater 164 that evaporates the organic gas 170 by heating the organic liquid 170 in the tank 160, the pressure sensor 165 that measures the pressure in the tank, and the temperature sensor 166 that measures the temperature in the tank are mainly configured. The

  The mass flow controller 162 for bubbling gas is connected to the gas cylinder 161 via the pipe line 1601 and is connected to the tank 160 via the pipe line 1602. A mass flow meter (flow rate sensor) for measuring the flow rate (mass flow rate) of bubbling gas gas supplied from the gas cylinder 161 to the tank 160 and a flow rate control valve are provided, and the flow rate (bubbling gas measurement flow rate) measured by the mass flow meter is a control device. The flow rate control valve is controlled so that the flow rate commanded from 12 (the bubbling gas set flow rate) is reached, and the flow rate (mass flow rate) of the bubbling gas supplied to the tank 160 is controlled.

  The organic gas mass flow controller 163 is connected to the tank 160 via a pipe line 1603 and is connected to the first vapor deposition chamber 200 via a pipe line 1604. A mass flow meter (flow rate sensor) for measuring the flow rate (mass flow rate) of the organic gas 180 generated in the tank 160 and supplied from the tank 160 to the first vapor deposition chamber 200 and a flow rate control valve are provided and measured by the mass flow meter. The flow rate control valve is controlled such that the flow rate (organic gas measurement flow rate) to be the flow rate (organic gas set flow rate) commanded by the control device 12 is supplied to the first vapor deposition chamber 200 via the organic gas conduit 1604. The flow rate (mass flow rate) of the organic gas 180 is controlled.

  The inside of the tank 160 is composed of a liquid phase portion made of the organic liquid 170 and a gas phase portion above it, and the organic liquid 170 in the tank 160 is heated and vaporized by the tank heater 164. Further, the bubbling gas supplied to the tank 160 is supplied into the organic liquid 170 from a gas introduction pipe 167 provided at the bottom of the tank 160, rises in the organic liquid 170 as bubbles, and moves to the gas phase portion. Thereby, vaporization of the organic liquid 170 is promoted by the contact between the bubble made of the bubbling gas and the organic liquid 170. In this way, the organic gas 180 that is a mixed gas of the bubbling gas and the gas obtained by vaporizing the organic liquid is generated in the gas phase portion of the tank 160. The pressure sensor 165 measures the pressure of the gas phase in the tank 160 and sends the measured value to the control device 12, and the temperature sensor 166 measures the temperature of the liquid phase in the tank 160 and measures it. The value is sent to the control device 12. The control device 12 controls the tank heater 164 based on the measured value of the temperature sensor 166 so that the temperature in the tank 160 becomes constant at a predetermined temperature.

  Since the tank 160 is maintained at a pressure higher than that of the first vapor deposition chamber, the organic gas 180 generated in the tank 160 is organically supplied from the organic gas collection pipe 168 provided in the upper part of the tank 160 through the pipe 1603. The gas flows into the gas mass flow controller 163, the flow rate is controlled by the organic gas mass flow controller 163, and is supplied to the first vapor deposition chamber via the pipe line 1604.

  As conditions for supplying the organic gas 180 to the first vapor deposition chamber 200, the organic gas supply device 16 maintains the internal pressure of the tank 160 (hereinafter referred to as tank pressure) at a predetermined value (for example, 50 Torr), and the organic gas 180. It is necessary to introduce a predetermined flow rate (for example, 12 sccm) into the first vapor deposition chamber 200.

  In order to keep the internal pressure of the tank 160 at a predetermined value and supply the organic gas 180 into the first vapor deposition chamber 200 at a predetermined flow rate, the set flow rate of the organic gas mass flow controller 163 is set to a predetermined value, and the bubbling gas The set flow rate of the mass flow controller 162 is controlled by feedback control such as PD control based on the difference between the predetermined value of the internal pressure of the tank 160 and the measured value of the pressure sensor 165, so that the pressure in the tank 160 is predetermined. Kept at the value.

  Here, as described in the above problem, in the organic gas mass flow controller 163 that controls the flow rate of the organic gas 180, the mass flow meter that measures the flow rate of the organic gas 180 may be clogged with an organic gas liquid. The measured value deviates from the actual flow rate of the organic gas 180, and the high-performance antireflection film may not be formed normally.

Therefore, in the present invention, without installing a new mass flow meter downstream of the organic gas mass flow controller 163, the controller 12 is a mass flow controller for measuring flow rate and bubbling gas mass flow controller 163 for pressure and organic gas in the tank 160 The measured flow rate of 162 is monitored for an abnormality of the organic gas mass flow controller 163 (for example, clogging of the mass flow meter), and a warning is generated from the input / output unit 12a when an abnormality is detected.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to easily monitor the presence / absence of an abnormality in the organic gas mass flow controller 163, and when an abnormality occurs, the control device 12 can automatically output an alarm to the input / output unit 12a. Since it is not necessary to inspect the mass flow meter of the organic gas mass flow controller 163 every time the vapor deposition process is started, the tact time can be shortened and the productivity of the continuous vacuum vapor deposition apparatus 1 can be improved. is there.

  Below, the control performed by the control apparatus 12 is explained in full detail.

<Outline of control>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of processing performed by the control device 12 when performing vapor deposition processing for forming an antireflection film on the lens 20 in the first vapor deposition chamber 200. FIG. 4 shows parent threads that function in the vapor deposition process, and each parent thread generates a child thread to control each device in the first vapor deposition chamber 200.

  The electron gun operation unit S1 controls ON / OFF of the electron guns 30 and 31 for heating and vaporizing the deposition materials 41 and 42 of the hearth unit 400, the output, the scanning range, and the like, and also controls the opening and closing of the shutter 5. Then, the deposition of the deposition materials 41 and 42 on the lens 20 of the coat dome 2 is controlled.

  The ion gun operation unit S2 controls ON / OFF and output of the ion gun 14, controls opening / closing of the shutter 141, and controls the gas supply device 15, and controls irradiation of the ion beam onto the lens 20 of the coat dome 2.

  The organic gas supply device operation unit S3 controls the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162, the organic gas mass flow controller 163, and the tank heater 164 with respect to the organic gas supply device 16 as described later, and enters the first vapor deposition chamber 200. Control is performed so that the organic gas 180 is supplied at a predetermined flow rate. When the organic gas supply device operation unit S3 determines that an abnormality such as clogging has occurred in the organic gas mass flow controller 163, it outputs a warning to the input / output unit 12a.

  In addition, the operation unit S4 controls the vacuum device 8 and the heater 9 in the first vapor deposition chamber 200 to control the atmospheric pressure and temperature of the first vapor deposition chamber 200 to a predetermined range. Since these controls are the same as in the conventional example, they will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

  The processor of the control device 12 executes the operation units S <b> 1 to S <b> 4 in parallel to control each device in the first vapor deposition chamber 200, and forms a predetermined film on the lens 20.

<Outline of gas supply device operation unit>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the organic gas supply device operation unit S3 shown in FIG. The organic gas supply device operating unit S3 is a unit control procedure S11 for instructing various devices of the organic gas supply device 16 such as a bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 and an organic gas mass flow controller 163 to command and start a target value. A monitoring procedure S12 for monitoring whether there is no abnormality in the measured flow rate of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 or the organic gas mass flow controller 163, the temperature in the tank 160, and the like, and the tank pressure is a predetermined value (or a predetermined range) Bubbling feedback (F / B) control procedure S13 for adjusting the flow rate of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 by feedback control or the like, and whether or not an abnormality such as clogging of the mass flow meter has occurred in the organic gas mass flow controller 163 The Balance check procedure S14 based on the measurement flow rate of the ring gas mass flow controller 162, the measurement flow rate of the organic gas mass flow controller 163, the tank 160 pressure, etc., and the internal pressure of the tank 160 is set to a predetermined value before starting the vapor deposition. It consists of a tank pressure adjustment procedure S15 to be adjusted. The tank pressure adjustment procedure S15 is a process issued by the organic gas supply apparatus operation unit S3 that is a parent thread when the vapor deposition process is not performed. Therefore, during the vapor deposition process, four child threads of the unit control procedure S11 to the balance check procedure S14 are issued from the organic gas supply device operation unit S3 and executed in parallel by the processor of the control device 12.

  In the unit control procedure S11, activation of the organic gas mass flow controller 163, command of the flow rate of the organic gas 180 supplied from the organic gas mass flow controller 163 into the first deposition chamber 200, activation of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162, The bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 controls the flow rate of the bubbling gas supplied to the tank 160, and energization control of the tank heater 164 is performed so that the temperature of the organic liquid 170 falls within a predetermined range.

  In the monitoring procedure S12, the deviation amount of the measurement flow rate of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 and the organic gas mass flow controller 163 with respect to the target flow rate and the deviation amount of the temperature measurement value in the tank 160 with respect to the target value are monitored to exceed the allowable range. An error is displayed when

    The bubbling F / B control procedure S13 monitors the tank pressure and the bubbling gas flow rate during the vapor deposition process (while supplying the organic gas to the first vapor deposition chamber), and sets the bubbling flow rate to PD so that the tank pressure falls within a predetermined range. Control.

  The balance check procedure S14 calculates the change amount of the theoretical tank pressure from the change amount of the bubbling gas flow rate and the change amount of the organic gas flow according to the gas state equation, and the change amount of the actually measured tank pressure is calculated. When the difference is equal to or larger than the allowable range, it is determined that a failure of the organic gas mass flow controller 163 has occurred, and a warning is issued.

  Details of each process will be described below.

<Tank pressure adjustment procedure>
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the tank pressure adjustment procedure shown in S15 of FIG. The control device 12 sets the internal pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the tank 160 to a preset target tank pressure Ttp (for example, 50 Torr) before starting vapor deposition (before starting supply of the organic gas 180 to the first vapor deposition chamber 200). The bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 supplies bubbling gas to the tank 160 and discharges organic gas from the tank 160 to adjust the tank pressure.

  In step S21, the control device 12 reads the tank pressure measurement value Tp from the pressure sensor 165 that measures the atmospheric pressure in the tank 160, and obtains a preset target tank pressure Ttp.

  Next, in step S22, a difference ΔPt between the tank pressure measurement value Tp and the target tank pressure Ttp is obtained, and it is determined whether the difference ΔPt is within a preset allowable range. The allowable range is configured with a predetermined upper limit value and lower limit value, and is set as appropriate in consideration of measurement accuracy and the like. If the difference ΔPt between the measured tank pressure value Tp and the target tank pressure Ttp is within the allowable range ΔPth, the tank pressure Tp is maintained in the vicinity of the target tank pressure Ttp, and the tank pressure adjustment procedure is terminated.

  If the difference ΔPt between the tank pressure measurement value Tp and the target tank pressure Ttp is not within the allowable range ΔPth, the process proceeds to step S23 in order to adjust the tank pressure Tp of the tank 160. In step S23, it is determined whether the tank pressure measurement value Tp is less than the target tank pressure Ttp. If the tank pressure measurement value Tp is less than the target tank pressure Ttp, the process proceeds to step S24, and a predetermined value (constant value) is commanded as the bubbling gas flow rate of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 to open the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162. Then, the internal pressure of the tank 160 is increased by supplying the bubbling gas to the tank 160.

  On the other hand, if the tank pressure measurement value Tp is equal to or higher than the target tank pressure Ttp, the process proceeds to step S25, where a predetermined value (a constant value) is set as the organic gas flow rate of the organic gas mass flow controller 163, and the organic gas mass flow controller 163 is set. The internal pressure of the tank 160 is reduced by opening the valve and releasing the organic gas 180.

  Next, in step S26, after waiting for a predetermined time, the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 or the organic gas mass flow controller 163 opened in step S24 or S25 is closed. Then, returning to step S21, the above processing is performed until the difference ΔPt between the tank pressure measurement value Tp and the target tank pressure Ttp falls within the allowable range ΔPth.

  By executing the tank pressure adjustment procedure before starting the vapor deposition process, the tank pressure Ttp of the tank 160 is set in the vicinity of the target tank pressure Ttp.

<Bubbling F / B procedure>
Next, in the process of introducing the organic gas 180 from the organic gas supply device 16 to the first vapor deposition chamber 200 with the start of the vapor deposition process, the organic gas flow rate of the organic gas mass flow controller 163 is set to a target value, and the organic gas The bubbling F / B procedure S13 of FIG. 5 for feedback control of the bubbling gas flow rate of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 so that the tank 160 pressure is maintained at the target value while 180 is supplied to the first vapor deposition chamber 200 is performed. Done.

  An example of processing of the bubbling F / B procedure is shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, in a normal state where the organic gas mass flow controller 163 supplies the organic gas 180 to the first vapor deposition chamber 200 at the organic gas target flow rate, in step S31, the tank pressure measurement value Tp is read from the pressure sensor 165, and the organic gas The organic gas flow rate (measured flow rate) Mf is read from the mass flow controller 163, and a preset target tank pressure Ttp is read.

  In step S32, it is determined whether the tank pressure measurement value Tp exceeds the target tank pressure Ttp and the organic gas flow rate (measurement flow rate) Mf is less than a predetermined value Mfth set in advance. When the tank pressure measurement value Tp exceeds the target tank pressure Ttp and the organic gas flow rate Mf is less than the predetermined value Mfth, in order to prevent the internal pressure of the tank 160 from rising excessively, the process proceeds to step S33 and the mass flow for bubbling gas The controller 162 is closed and the supply of the bubbling inert gas to the tank 160 is stopped.

  On the other hand, if the condition of step S32 is not satisfied, the tank pressure measurement value Tp is equal to or lower than the target tank pressure Ttp or the mass flow flow rate Mf is equal to or higher than the predetermined value Mfth, so the process proceeds to step S34.

  In step S34, it is determined whether or not the difference ΔPt between the tank pressure measurement value Tp and the target tank pressure Ttp is larger than a preset allowable range ΔPth. If the tank pressure measurement value Tp is within the allowable range ΔPth with respect to the target tank pressure Ttp, the process proceeds to step S39, and if not, the process proceeds to step S35.

  In step S35, it is determined whether or not the tank pressure measurement value Tp exceeds the target tank pressure Ttp. If the tank pressure measurement value Tp exceeds the target tank pressure Ttp, the process proceeds to step S36, where the bubbling flow rate Bf of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 is set to the preset minimum flow rate, and the increase in the internal pressure of the tank 160 is suppressed. To do. On the other hand, when the tank pressure measurement value Tp is equal to or less than the target tank pressure Ttp, the process proceeds to step S37, where the bubbling flow rate Bf of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 is set to a preset maximum flow rate, and the internal pressure of the tank 160 is increased. . These steps S36 and S37 are for quickly adjusting the tank pressure because the tank pressure measurement value Tp exceeds the allowable range ΔPth in step S34.

  In step S39, since the tank pressure measurement value Tp is within the allowable range ΔPth, the bubbling flow rate Bf is set by feedback control such as PD control.

Next, in step S40, the valve is opened to supply the bubbling gas from the gas cylinder 161 to the tank 160 at the bubbling flow rate Bf set in any of S36, S37, and S40. When the valve opening of the gas cylinder 161 is completed at the bubbling flow rate Bf, the valve opening amount is controlled so as to achieve the bubbling flow rate Bf of S36, S37, and S40.
By repeatedly executing the above processing, the bubbling gas flow rate is feedback-controlled in real time based on the difference between the tank pressure measurement value and the tank pressure target value, so that the tank pressure is maintained at the target tank pressure. Accordingly, the introduction of the organic gas 180 into the first vapor deposition chamber 200 is performed stably.

<Balance check procedure>
In the control device 12, the balance check procedure S14 shown in FIG. 5 is executed in parallel with the bubbling F / B procedure, and the occurrence of an abnormality due to clogging of the organic liquid 170 in the organic gas mass flow controller 163 is detected.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the balance check procedure. This process is repeated until the vapor deposition process is completed.

  First, in step S41, the control device 12 reads the tank pressure measurement value Tp from the pressure sensor 165, reads the organic gas flow rate Mf from the organic gas mass flow controller 163, and reads the bubbling gas flow rate Bf from the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162. Further, the control device 12 acquires the time when the previous balance check procedure was started and the current time.

  In step S42, it is determined whether it is the first balance check. If the value of the counter Ct is 0, it can be determined that the current balance check is the first time. If it is the first balance check, the process proceeds to step S43 to initialize each parameter. On the other hand, if it is the second and subsequent balance checks, the process proceeds to step S44.

  In step S43 in the first case, a theoretical tank pressure change amount ΔTp, which is a theoretical value calculated by the gas state equation for the pressure change amount of the tank 160, is set to 0, and the tank pressure measurement obtained in step S41 is set to the initial tank pressure Tp0. A value Tp is set, 0 is set in Smf of the sum of the flow rate of the bubbling gas supplied to the tank 160 and the flow rate of the organic gas released from the tank 160 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the sum of the flow rates), and the step is performed at the initial time T0. The current time acquired in S41 is set. Also, the counter Ct is incremented. When the initialization in step S43 is completed, the balance check process is terminated, and in the next control start, the processes after step S44 are performed.

  In step S44 executed in the balance check process for the second and subsequent times, calculation of the total flow rate Smf and increment of the counter Ct are performed. Incrementing the counter Ct adds 1 to the counter Ct.

  The total flow rate Smf is obtained as follows when a value obtained by subtracting the previous time from the current time is defined as a time change amount ΔTime.

ΔSmf = (Bf−Mf) × ΔTime (1)
Smf = ΣΔSmf (2)
Next, in step S45, the value of the counter Ct is compared with a predetermined value (specified number), and it is determined whether or not the number of balance checks has reached the specified number. If the number of balance checks has not reached the specified number, the process is terminated to prepare for the next balance check process. On the other hand, if the number of balance checks has reached the specified number, the process proceeds to step S46.

In step S46, the actual tank pressure change ΔTpr is calculated from the difference between the current tank pressure measurement value Tp and the initial tank pressure Tp0.
ΔTpr = Tp−Tp0 (3)
Calculate from

  The theoretical tank pressure change amount ΔTp is obtained as follows.

  Now, assuming that the pressure in the tank 160 is P, the volume (gas portion) of the tank 160 is V, the temperature in the tank 160 is T, and the gas constant is R, the gas equation of state PV = nRT (n is the mole of gas) Number) holds. The volume of the gas portion of the tank 160 is a fixed value when the liquid level height (distance from the bottom surface to the liquid level, etc.) of the organic liquid 170 is constant, and the liquid level of the organic liquid 170 varies. In some cases, a sensor for measuring the level (height) of the liquid level may be provided, and the volume of the gas portion of the tank 160 may be obtained according to the detection value of this sensor. Since the change amount of is very small, it can be regarded as constant and treated as a constant. Further, since the temperature T of the tank 160 is also maintained at a substantially constant temperature by the tank heater 164, there is almost no change, so that it can be treated as a constant.

  Here, the theoretical tank pressure change amount ΔTp is obtained by the following equation.

ΔTp = K × Smf (4)
Here, K is a proportionality constant (including V and T).

  Next, in step S47, whether the difference between the actual tank pressure change amount ΔTpr and the theoretical tank pressure change amount ΔTp determined above is within a preset allowable range pressure amount ΔPthm is determined based on the following equation. judge.

| ΔTpr−ΔTp | ≦ ΔPthm (5)
If you are satisfied equation (5), the tank 160 so that along the gas state equation, the organic gas mass flow controller 163 abnormality can be determined to no. On the other hand, if the above formula (5) is not satisfied, that is, if the difference between the theoretical tank pressure change amount ΔTpt and the actual tank pressure change amount ΔTpr is not within the allowable range pressure amount ΔPthm, the flow rate of the organic gas mass flow controller 163 It is determined that the control is not normally performed, and the process proceeds to step S49 to output a warning indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the input / output unit 12a.

  Next, in step S48, the value of the counter Ct is initialized and the number of balance check processes is reset to prepare for the next balance check process.

  As described above, in the balance check procedure, each time the specified number of times is reached, the tank 160 is calculated from the flow rate of the bubbling gas flowing into the tank 160 and the flow rate of the organic gas 180 discharged from the tank 160 based on the gas state equation. The theoretical tank pressure change amount that is predicted to change the internal pressure of the gas is obtained. If the theoretical tank pressure change amount and the actually measured actual tank pressure change amount exceed the predetermined range, the organic gas mass flow controller 163 is clogged. It is possible to easily determine in real time that an abnormality relating to the flow rate has occurred.

  In addition, although the example which outputs a warning to the input-output part 12a of the control apparatus 12 when abnormality occurred in the organic gas supply apparatus 16 above was shown, although progress is not shown, progress of vapor deposition of the 1st vapor deposition chamber 200 is shown. You may make it stop.

  As described above, in the present invention, the clogging of the organic gas mass flow controller 163 and the abnormality of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 are detected while performing the lens deposition process without providing a flow sensor downstream of the organic gas mass flow controller 163. Thus, it is possible to stably supply the organic gas 180 and form a high-quality antireflection film on the lens 20 while reducing the time required for checking the organic gas mass flow controller 163 and the like. . Moreover, since it is not necessary to provide a new sensor, an increase in capital investment can be suppressed.

Next, the cycle for performing the balance check process in step S47 will be considered. When measuring the organic gas supply device 16 in the first vapor deposition chamber 200 that is known to operate normally, it takes 120 seconds for the pressure in the tank to change by 10 Torr, and the flow rate of the mass flow controller 162 is measured. The value was 30 sccm. From the above equation (1),
10 = K × 30 × 120
From this, the constant K is
K = 10 / (30 × 120) ≈0.002778 [Torr / sccm × sec]
It becomes.

  Here, considering that the internal pressure of the tank 160 changes by 0.1 Torr, assuming that the atmospheric pressure resolution of the control device 12 is 4095, the 4095 resolution is 0-100%, so 4095 × 0.1 / 100. = 4.095, which is about 4 in the numerical value in the control device 12. Therefore, although it changes 0.1 Torr (resolution 4), 1.2 sec. (Organic gas flow rate 30 sccm), 0.1 Torr (resolution 4), 3.6 sec. (Organic gas flow rate 10 sccm), 0.25 Torr (resolution 10). (Organic gas flow rate 10 sccm).

  Therefore, in order to see (determine) the change in the resolution of 10, the process of step S47 may be performed approximately every 10 seconds. This period is short enough to monitor the organic gas supply device 16 in real time (because the vapor deposition time of the vapor deposition layer is short, from several tens of seconds to several hundred seconds).

  As described above, if the deviation of the gas equation is monitored during the film formation, it can be easily determined that there is a problem in the flow rate of the mass flow controller 163 for organic gas.

  Here, when both the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 and the organic gas mass flow controller 163 are clogged to the same extent, the above-mentioned gas equation of state is satisfied, and therefore there is a possibility that the balance check procedure cannot detect it.

  However, in step S27 of the monitoring procedure shown in the above figure, by monitoring (confirming) the time until the tank pressure is adjusted to a predetermined tank pressure (for example, 50 Torr), either of the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 or the organic gas mass flow controller 163 is selected. It can be determined that there is a problem.

  Therefore, if an error does not occur in the tank pressure adjustment procedure S15 and a large deviation occurs in the gas state equation in the balance check procedure S14, either the bubbling gas mass flow controller 162 or the organic gas mass flow controller 163 is clogged. Thus, it can be determined that a failure has occurred. In addition, since the mass flow controller 162 for the bubbling gas does not handle the organic gas, clogging is extremely rare. Therefore, the organic gas mass flow controller 163 is mainly monitored by the balance check procedure S14, so that It is possible to suppress problems during film formation for supplying gas.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a continuous vapor deposition apparatus has been described. However, the present invention may be applied to a batch type vapor deposition apparatus.

  As described above, the present invention can be applied to a vapor deposition apparatus that supplies an organic gas, and is particularly suitable for a vapor deposition apparatus that forms an antireflection film on the lens 20.

1 is a schematic view of a continuous vacuum deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Schematic of a 1st vapor deposition chamber. The block diagram which shows the structure of an organic gas supply apparatus. The block diagram which shows the software structure of a control apparatus. The block diagram which shows the content of the organic gas supply apparatus operation part. The flowchart which shows an example of the tank pressure automatic adjustment procedure of an organic gas supply apparatus operation part. The flowchart which shows an example of the bubbling F / B control procedure of an organic gas supply apparatus operation part. The flowchart which shows an example of the balance check procedure of an organic gas supply apparatus operation part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Continuous type vacuum evaporation apparatus 8 Vacuum apparatus 12 Control apparatus 14 Ion gun 15 Gas supply apparatus 16 Organic gas supply apparatus 20 Lens 30, 31 Electron gun 41, 42 Deposition raw material 160 Tank 161 Gas cylinder 162 Mass flow controller 163 for bubbling gas For organic gas Mass flow controller 165 Pressure sensor 170 Organic liquid 180 Organic gas 200 First vapor deposition chamber

Claims (2)

In a vapor deposition apparatus that forms a vapor deposition film on the surface of a lens,
A deposition chamber for storing the lens;
An organic gas supply unit for supplying an organic gas into the vapor deposition chamber;
A control unit for controlling the front organic gas supply unit,
The organic gas supply unit
A bubbling gas supply unit for supplying a bubbling gas composed of a low-active gas or an inert gas;
A tank that contains the organic liquid, generates an organic gas obtained by mixing the gas that vaporizes the organic liquid and the bubbling gas, and supplies the organic gas to the vapor deposition chamber;
A first flow rate control unit for controlling the flow rate of the bubbling gas, including a first flow rate sensor for measuring the mass flow rate of the bubbling gas supplied from the bubbling gas supply unit to the tank;
A second flow rate control unit for controlling the flow rate of the organic gas, including a second flow rate sensor for measuring the mass flow rate of the organic gas supplied from the tank to the deposition chamber;
A pressure sensor for measuring the atmospheric pressure in the tank,
The controller is
A pressure adjustment unit that obtains a measurement value of the pressure sensor as a tank pressure measurement value, and commands the flow rate to the first flow rate control unit so that the tank pressure measurement value becomes a preset target tank pressure; ,
From the mass flow rate of the bubbling gas measured by the first flow rate sensor, the mass flow rate of the organic gas measured by the second flow rate sensor, and the volume of the gas phase portion in the tank, based on the gas equation of state. The amount of change in the tank internal pressure is calculated as the theoretical tank pressure change amount, the amount of change in the tank pressure measurement value measured by the pressure sensor is calculated as the actual tank pressure change amount, and the theoretical tank pressure change amount and the actual tank pressure change amount are calculated. If the difference is not within a preset allowable range, a balance check unit that determines that an abnormality has occurred in the organic gas supply unit; and
The vapor deposition apparatus characterized by including. In a method of forming a deposited film on the surface of a lens using a deposition apparatus,
The vapor deposition apparatus includes a vapor deposition chamber for storing a lens;
A heating section for heating and vapor-depositing a vapor deposition material made of an inorganic material;
An organic gas supply unit for supplying an organic gas into the vapor deposition chamber,
The organic gas supply unit
A bubbling gas supply unit for supplying a bubbling gas composed of a low-active gas or an inert gas;
A tank that contains the organic liquid, generates an organic gas obtained by mixing the gas that vaporizes the organic liquid and the bubbling gas, and supplies the organic gas to the vapor deposition chamber;
A first flow rate control unit for controlling the flow rate of the bubbling gas, including a first flow rate sensor for measuring the mass flow rate of the bubbling gas supplied from the bubbling gas supply unit to the tank;
A second flow rate control unit for controlling the flow rate of the organic gas, including a second flow rate sensor for measuring the mass flow rate of the organic gas supplied from the tank to the deposition chamber;
A pressure sensor for measuring the atmospheric pressure in the tank,
The organic gas supply unit, the supplies organic gas into the deposition chamber while depositing a deposition material composed of an inorganic material, to form a hybrid layer formed of an organic material and an inorganic material,
From the mass flow rate of the bubbling gas measured by the first flow rate sensor, the mass flow rate of the organic gas measured by the second flow rate sensor, and the volume of the gas phase portion in the tank, based on the gas equation of state. The amount of change in the tank internal pressure is calculated as the theoretical tank pressure change amount, the amount of change in the tank pressure measurement value measured by the pressure sensor is calculated as the actual tank pressure change amount, and the theoretical tank pressure change amount and the actual tank pressure change amount are calculated. If the difference is not within a preset allowable range, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the organic gas supply unit.

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