JP7216752B2 - Measuring device, in-line vapor deposition device and adjustment method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a measuring device, an in-line vapor deposition device, and an adjusting method for adjusting the height of a conveying device.

In an in-line film deposition system that deposits a functional film on a substrate transported by a transport device such as a transport roller, it is important to adjust the height of the transport device that transports the substrate in order to achieve a uniform film thickness during deposition. is. However, even if the height is adjusted in an atmospheric environment, the height of the transfer device may change due to distortion in the vacuum chamber in the vacuum environment. It is difficult to do. In addition, even in film deposition equipment that has already started product production, if there is a deviation in the height of the transport device due to the sinking of the floor due to the self weight of the film deposition equipment, etc., the amount of deviation is measured under vacuum conditions. Therefore, the amount of deviation was estimated from the film thickness distribution of the substrate on which film formation was completed. In this case as well, it took a long time to adjust because the film thickness of the functional film formed on the substrate was not known until it was evaluated.

As a conventional technique for solving such a problem, Patent Document 1 discloses that a distance sensor for measuring the adjustment state of the conveying height is mounted on the side of the carrier traveling in the conveying device, and the carrier is moved under vacuum conditions. There is known a technique for measuring the height of a transport device by running

Special table 2019-533896

However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the distance to two adjacent transport devices is measured by a carrier, the difference in the distance to the two adjacent transport devices is measured, and alignment of the transport devices is determined. Therefore, even if the transport path itself is inclined, the adjustment is completed as long as the transport device and the carrier are kept parallel. Lowness was a problem.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a measuring device that improves convenience when adjusting the height of a conveying device with respect to a horizontal plane.

In order to solve the above problems, a measuring device according to the present invention is a measuring device that is transported in a vacuum by a plurality of transporting devices arranged inside a vacuum chamber, and detects the inclination of the measuring device with respect to a horizontal plane. and a second detection means for detecting the position of the measuring device with respect to the plurality of conveying devices.

Accordingly, it is possible to provide a measuring device that improves convenience when adjusting the height of the conveying device with respect to the horizontal plane.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a method of measuring the height of the conveying roller by the measurement carrier according to the present embodiment; Diagram showing the sensor arrangement of the metrology carrier Configuration diagram of the measurement carrier Diagram showing how to calculate the height of the transport roller A diagram showing an example of the measurement result of the height of the conveying roller. Diagram showing the position detection method of the measurement carrier Logic diagram of the position detection method shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an adjustment system for automatic adjustment of the height of the conveying roller; Flowchart showing an example of processing executed by the adjustment system Flowchart showing another example of processing performed by the coordination system (A) is a diagram showing the height of the conveying roller before adjustment, and (B) is a diagram showing the height of the conveying roller after adjustment. Diagram showing a variant of the metrology carrier Diagram showing a variant of the metrology carrier Side view of the measurement carrier according to the second embodiment Upper perspective view of the measurement carrier according to the second embodiment

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

<First embodiment>
In this embodiment, a measurement method using a measurement device (also referred to as a measurement carrier) that is transported by a transport device provided in an in-line film deposition apparatus and measures the height of the transport device during transport, and a measurement method are used. A method for automatically adjusting the height of the conveying device will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a method of measuring the height of a transport roller by a measurement carrier for measuring the deviation of a transport path formed by a transport device that transports a substrate or a mask from a horizontal plane reference. In FIG. 1, a measurement carrier 10, which is a measuring device, is transported along a transport path formed by a plurality of transport rollers 20 provided in a vacuum chamber 2 for discharging a vapor deposition material from a film forming apparatus 1 onto a substrate. It is transported in direction 4 (X direction in FIG. 1). The measurement carrier 10 is stopped at a position where the contact portion 11 of the measurement carrier 10 abuts on the two adjacent conveying rollers 20, and the inclination of the measurement carrier 10 at that time is measured by the angle measurement plate 12. A height difference of the conveying roller 20 is calculated from the distance of the conveying roller 20 . Subsequently, the measuring carrier 10 is moved by one pitch corresponding to the distance to the next conveying roller 20, and when the contact portion 11 comes into contact with the next conveying roller 20, the inclination of the measuring carrier 10 is measured. By sequentially performing this, the heights of the plurality of transport rollers 20 of the in-line film forming apparatus 1 can be measured. By controlling the adjusting unit 21 for adjusting the height of the conveying roller 20, the height of the conveying roller 20 can be adjusted to a constant height with reference to the horizontal plane.

FIG. 2 is a top view showing the configuration of the measurement carrier 10. FIG. The measurement carrier 10 has a frame structure in which left and right angle measurement plates 12L and 12R that contact the left and right conveying rollers 20 arranged in the conveying path are connected by a connecting member 206 in front and rear in the conveying direction. 2, the housing of the measurement carrier 10 such as the contact portion 11 is omitted.

Left and right angle measurement units 201L and 201R for measuring the inclination in the transport direction are arranged on the left and right angle measurement plates 12L and 12R (collectively referred to as angle measurement plates 12). An angle measuring unit 201</b>C for measuring the tilt angle between the left and right angle measuring plates 12 and the tilt between the conveying rollers 20 is arranged on the connecting member 206 . The angle measurement units 201L, 201R, and 201C are collectively called the angle measurement unit 201. FIG.

Each angle measurement unit 201 is composed of a metal housing containing a goniometer (level) for measuring an inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane (XY plane), and can measure an inclination angle even in a vacuum environment. The angle measurement units 201 are attached to the measurement carrier 10 at three locations. The angle measurement units 201L and 201R attached to the left and right angle measurement plates 12 measure the tilt angles of the left and right angle measurement plates 12 in the conveying direction. The angle measurement unit 201</b>C is attached to the connecting member 206 and measures the tilt angle between the left and right angle measurement plates 12 .

A circuit block including a control unit (also referred to as a PC unit) 202, an angle measurement unit 201, a battery unit 203 for supplying power, and a position detection unit 205, which will be described later, is arranged between the left and right angle measurement plates 12. FIG. These circuit blocks are connected by a flexible tube 204 .

The flexible tube 204 connects the battery unit 203 to the PC unit 202 , the battery unit 203 to each angle measurement unit 201 , the position detection unit 205 to the PC unit 202 and the battery unit 203 . The flexible tube 204 further accommodates a power cable that supplies power to each angle measurement unit 201 , PC unit 202 and position detection unit 205 . The flexible tube 204 also accommodates a communication cable for transmitting measurement data from each angle measurement unit 201 and position detection unit 205 to the PC unit 202 .

The PC unit 202 has a metal housing and includes a measurement processing PC 2021 and an input/output interface (I/F) 2022 in FIG. The measurement processing PC 2021 includes a wireless communication unit 2021a capable of transmitting the results of calculations to the outside, and a processing unit 2021b including a processor and a memory for specifying the conveying roller 20 to be measured and calculating its height. The input/output I/F 2022 supplies power to the angle measurement unit 201 and receives measurement data acquired by the angle measurement unit 201 . The position detection unit 205 includes a sensor for detecting on which conveying roller 20 the measurement carrier 10 is positioned by a position detection method to be described later. The position detection unit 205 is connected to the measurement processing PC 2021 via an input/output I/F 2022 .

The battery unit 203 accommodates a rechargeable battery 2031 for supplying power to the measurement processing PC 2021, a UPS controller 2032, and a UPS battery 2033.

The UPS controller 2032 switches between the battery 2031 and the UPS battery 2033 to supply power. The UPS battery 2033 is a backup power source for safely shutting down the measurement processing PC 2021 when power supply becomes impossible due to insufficient charging capacity of the battery 2031 or failure.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the measurement carrier 10. As shown in FIG. The PC unit 202 acquires the measured values from the goniometers of the angle measuring units 201L, 201R, and 201C and the measured values of the position detection unit 205 via the input/output interface 2022 . The PC unit 202 includes a measurement processing PC 2021 that specifies the transport roller 20 to be measured from the measurement result and calculates the height of the transport roller 20 . Further, the measurement result calculated by the measurement processing PC 2021 is transmitted to the built-in wireless communication unit 2021a, and wirelessly transmitted to the control device that controls the conveying roller 20 and the adjustment unit 21. FIG.

Since the metrology carrier 10 is transported through a vacuum chamber, it may be difficult or inefficient to supply power from the outside. Therefore, the measurement carrier 10 receives power supply from the battery 2031 . Battery 2031 is connected to UPS controller 2032 for monitoring the charge capacity of battery 2031 . The UPS controller 2032 detects that the battery capacity of the battery 2031 or the supplied voltage has fallen below the threshold, switches the power supply to the UPS battery 2033, and issues a shutdown signal to the measurement processing PC 2021. This allows the measurement processing PC 2021 to be safely shut down.

Each of the angle measurement units 201 and the input/output I/F 2022 of the PC unit 202 are connected via a data line via the battery unit 203 . The housings of the PC unit 202, the battery unit 203, and the angle measurement unit are made of metal and non-magnetic. Dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc., are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified. For example, the position detection unit 205 may not be accommodated in the PC unit 202, but may be accommodated in a housing separate from the measurement processing PC 2021.

Also, in FIG. 3, the flexible tube 204 is arranged to protect the power supply line or the data line. The scope is not limited to those only. For example, the flexible tube 204 may directly connect the PC unit 202 and the angle measurement unit 201 .

FIG. 4 shows a method of calculating the height of the conveying roller by the measurement carrier 10. In FIG. In FIG. 4, contact portions 401 and 402 are arranged below the angle measuring plate 12R so as to match the interval between the conveying rollers 20 in the conveying direction. With the contact portions 401 and 402 in contact with the two conveying rollers 20, the measurement carrier 10 is stationary with an inclination θ. Although FIG. 4 shows the right side in the conveying direction, a similar angle measuring plate 12L is also positioned on the left side in the same manner.

In this state, the measurement processing PC 2021 processes the output data output from the angle meter of the angle measurement unit 201 of the measurement carrier to specify the height of the conveying roller. That is, from the inclination angle θ of the measurement carrier 10 in the conveying direction and the interval between the conveying rollers 20, that is, the roller distance D, the height difference H=D×tan θ of the conveying rollers 20 can be specified. In this manner, the measurement carrier 10 is conveyed and stopped each time the contact portions 401 and 402 come into contact with the conveying rollers 20 , and the height of each conveying roller 20 is calculated sequentially.

As a result, according to the measurement carrier 10, the difference in height between two of the transport rollers 20 arranged on the transport path is measured, and the height difference is measured for all the transport rollers 20 on the transport path. can detect variations in height with respect to the horizontal reference plane.

In the example of FIG. 4, the measurement is performed for the adjacent conveying rollers 20. However, as shown in FIG. You can measure the difference. As a result, even when the distance between the adjacent conveying rollers 20 is narrow, the distance D between the conveying rollers 20 for measuring the inclination can be increased, thereby increasing the measurement accuracy.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, the contact portion 11 of the angle measurement plate 12R of the measurement carrier 10 is not formed in a convex shape, but is formed in a flat plate shape. If the length ML of the measurement carrier 10 in the conveying direction is greater than the interval between the adjacent rollers 20 and shorter than the interval between the two conveying rollers 20 located outside in the conveying direction, then even the contact portion 11 will Height differences between 20 can be measured. The range of application is widened and effective when the roller spacing is not constant.

In either case, the conveying roller 20 to be measured and its inclination or height information are measured in correspondence, and information for adjusting the height of the conveying roller 20 is sent to the conveying control device 800 as shown in FIG. Transmission is the same.

FIG. 5 plots measured values of the height of the transport rollers 20 arranged in the transport direction measured in FIG. In the example of FIG. 4, the height of the first conveying roller 20, that is, the conveying roller 20 at X=0 in FIG. Subsequently, the height in the Z direction is determined from the difference between the height of the second conveying roller 20 (the second black circle from the left in FIG. 5) and the height of the first conveying roller 20 . In this manner, by adding the difference in height from that of the transport roller 20 one upstream in the transport direction, the height relative to the first transport roller 20 can be determined.

In addition, the upper limit value 501 and the lower limit value 502 of the height of the conveying roller 20 that are allowable in terms of system configuration are set in the measurement processing PC 2021 in advance, and the rollers outside the upper and lower limit values are detected. can judge. By manually or automatically adjusting the conveying rollers 20 outside the upper and lower limits within the upper and lower limits, all the conveying rollers can be aligned at a constant height in the vertical direction (Z direction). As a result, even when the film is formed by vapor deposition or the like in a vacuum chamber, it is possible to prevent unevenness in the film thickness distribution and form a film with a uniform film thickness.

6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the position detection operation by the measurement carrier 10. FIG. This position detection operation is performed by the position detection unit 205 processing the outputs of count sensors 2051a, 2051b, and 2051c (collectively referred to as count sensors 2051) arranged on the lower surface of the angle measurement plate 12 facing the conveying roller 20. done by For example, the count sensor 2051a is an optical ranging sensor that detects an object approaching below the angle measurement plate 12 . In this case, when the conveying roller 20 is positioned below the angle measuring plate 12 and at a position corresponding to the distance measuring sensor, the count sensor 2051 detects an object and outputs "1". The count sensor 2051 outputs "0" when no object exists at the position corresponding to the distance measurement sensor. As a result, the count sensor 2051 outputs “1” only while the conveying roller 20 is positioned below the count sensor 2051 . Then, as will be described later, the moving direction of the measurement carrier 10 and the number of conveying rollers 20 that have passed can be specified based on the timing at which the outputs of the three count sensors 2051 change.

By counting the number of transport rollers 20 that the measurement carrier 10 has passed based on the output of the count sensor 2051, the position of the measurement carrier 10, that is, the position at which the contact portion 11 contacts the transport roller 20 on the transport path is determined. you can figure out if there is.

The count sensor 2051 is an optical sensor configured by, for example, a reflective fiber sensor that can be used in a vacuum environment, and is connected to the measurement processing PC 2021 . The output signal of the count sensor 2051 is used for conveying direction detection, roller counting, and conveying direction flag resetting. Also, by adding the roller count number to the measured value of the height of the conveying roller 20, it is possible to identify the number of the conveying roller on the conveying path and to easily identify the conveying roller 20 that needs to be adjusted. can do

FIG. 7 shows a position detection logic diagram. FIG. 2 is a logic diagram when the measurement carrier 10 is moved in the forward transport direction (transport direction 4 in FIG. 1); First, when the count sensor 2051a detects the conveying roller 20 and the measurement processing PC 2021 recognizes the rise of the detection signal 701 of the count sensor 2051a, the normal conveyance flag 704 is set to ON inside the measurement processing PC 2021. Further, when the measurement carrier 10 detects the transport roller 20 and the detection signal 702 from the count sensor 2051b rises, and the forward transport flag 704 is 1, the count of the transport roller 20 in the forward transport direction is incremented by one. Subsequently, the measurement carrier 10 moves in the forward transport direction, the count sensor 2051c detects the transport roller 20, and the forward transport flag 704 is set to 0 when the detection signal 703 rises. By repeating this series of cycles, the number of conveying rollers 20 passed by the leading edge of the measurement carrier 10 can be counted, and the measurement position of the measurement carrier 10 can be grasped.

In the case of reverse transport, since detection starts from the count sensor 2051c, the reverse transport flag can be set to 1 when the rise of the detection signal 703 of the count sensor 2051c is detected while the normal transport flag is 0. Reverse transport can be detected. When the count sensor 2051b detects the rising edge of the detection signal 702 while the reverse transport flag is 1, the forward transport roller 20 count is decremented by 1 or the reverse roller count is incremented by 1 to , can also be counted.

<Automatic height adjustment>
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an adjustment system that automatically adjusts the height of the conveying rollers 20 based on the measurement result of the measurement carrier 10. As shown in FIG. An adjustment unit 21 is attached to each transport roller 20 forming the transport path. Further, a transport control device 800 including a controller 801 that controls the transport rollers 20 and the adjustment unit 21 and a wireless communication unit 802 that receives the measurement value of the height of each transport roller 20 transmitted from the measurement carrier 10 is arranged. ing.

This allows the wireless communication unit 802 to receive information about the height of the transport roller 20 transmitted from the measurement carrier 10 . Further, the controller 801 calculates the height adjustment amount for each of the conveying rollers 20 that require height adjustment, and by controlling the adjusting unit 21, the height of the conveying rollers 20 can be automatically adjusted.

The measurement carrier 10 also transmits information for specifying the transport rollers 20 to be measured from the output of the position detection unit 205, for example, information (count) on the number of transport rollers that have passed. In addition, the measurement carrier 10 calculates the height information of the transport roller 20 corresponding to the count of the transport roller 20 from the detection result of the angle measurement unit 201 by the measurement processing PC 2021a, and transmits it to the transport control device 800 by the wireless communication unit 2021c. Send.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performed by the adjustment system. In the process shown in FIG. 9 , the transport control device 800 determines the adjustment amount of the height of the transport roller 20 based on the information about the height of the transport roller 20 measured by the measurement carrier 10 .

First, the height of the conveying roller is manually or automatically adjusted to the initial position (S1). When the height of the conveying roller is manually adjusted, the conveying control device 800 controls the adjusting unit 21 to set the height of the conveying roller 20 to the initial position. Subsequently, the measurement carrier 10 is placed on the transport path, and the position detection unit 205 is used to transport the measurement carrier 10 to the initial measurement start position where the contact portion 11 of the angle measurement plate 12 contacts (S2). Subsequently, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the measurement carrier 10 measures the inclination angles of two adjacent conveying rollers 20 (S3), and calculates the height difference between the conveying rollers based on the measured inclination angles. Calculate (S4). The measurement of the inclination angle and the calculation of the difference in height between two adjacent conveying rollers 20 are performed by the left and right angle measuring plates 12 respectively. It may be done in the direction of As a result, the height between the conveying direction and between the left and right conveying rollers 20 orthogonal to the conveying direction can be made uniform.

The measurement carrier 10 has a wireless communication unit 2021a, and transmits the height data of the transport rollers 20 calculated by the measurement processing PC 2021b to the transport control device 800 via the wireless communication unit 2021a. (S5).

The transport control device 800 transfers the height data of the transport rollers 20 received by the wireless communication unit 802 to the controller 801 . Then, the controller 801 determines whether the measurement result, ie, the height of the conveying roller 20, is within the allowable range or out of the allowable range (S6). If the height of the transport roller 20 is out of the allowable range (No in S6), a drive signal corresponding to the height adjustment amount is calculated for the transport roller 20 to be adjusted, The adjustment unit 21 of 20 is driven to adjust the height of the conveying roller 20 (S7). If the height of the conveying roller 20 to be adjusted is within the allowable range (Yes in S6), the process proceeds to S8.

After adjusting the height of the conveying rollers 20, it is determined whether or not there are still conveying rollers 20 to be measured or adjusted (S8). ) ends the flow. On the other hand, if there are still conveying rollers 20 to be measured, the measurement carrier 10 is moved by the distance of one conveying roller 20 (S9), and the height of the next conveying roller 20 is measured (to S3). and return). By repeating this cycle, the height of the conveying rollers 20 on the entire conveying path is adjusted.

In the example of FIG. 9, the description has been given assuming that the measurement and adjustment of the conveying roller 20 are performed in parallel. However, after measuring all the transport rollers 20 and measuring the height of all the transport rollers 20, the height of the transport rollers 20 may be adjusted.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing another example of processing executed by the adjustment system. In the process shown in FIG. 10 , the measurement carrier 10 measures the height of the transport roller 20 to determine the height adjustment amount, and transmits the adjustment amount to the transport control device 800 . The transport control device 800 adjusts the height of the transport roller 20 based on the received height adjustment amount.

In FIG. 10, the processing from S1 to S4 and the processing from S7 to S9 are the same as those in FIG. 9, so description thereof will be omitted. In the process of FIG. 10, after calculating the height of the conveying roller 20 in S4, the measurement carrier 10 determines whether the height of the conveying roller 20 is within the allowable range or out of the allowable range based on the measurement result in S51. When the measurement carrier 10 determines that the height of the transport roller 20 is out of the allowable range and adjustment is necessary (NG in S51), the measurement carrier 10 calculates the adjustment amount for the transport roller 20 to be adjusted (S61). If it is determined that the height of the transport roller 20 is within the allowable range and no adjustment is required (OK in S51), the measurement carrier 10 sets the adjustment amount to 0 for the transport roller 20 (S62). Thereafter, the process proceeds to S63, and each measurement carrier 10 transmits information indicating the adjustment amount to the transport control device 800 (S63). In one example, information corresponding to the index of the transport roller 20 is also transmitted to the transport control device 800 .

Then, the transport control device 800 operates the adjustment unit 21 of the target transport roller 20 to adjust the height of the transport roller 20 based on the received information about the adjustment amount of the transport roller 20 (S7). As a result, the amount of calculation of the transport control device 800 can be reduced.

11A shows the height of the conveying roller 20 before adjustment, and FIG. 11B shows the height of the conveying roller 20 after adjustment.

In FIG. 11A, the heights of the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th conveying rollers 20 are out of the allowable range. Therefore, the adjustment system adjusts the heights of the 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th conveying rollers 20 to be within the allowable range. The adjustment amount may be the difference from the reference height (Z=0). Alternatively, it may be determined based on a predetermined number of transport rollers 20 upstream in the transport direction of the transport roller 20 to be adjusted and positioned within the allowable range. For example, if the height of the transport roller 20 to be adjusted is Ht and the height of the transport roller 20 one upstream in the transport direction is H, the adjustment amount may be H-Ht.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 11B, the height of all the transport rollers 20 can be adjusted to be within the allowable range.

11A and 11B, the intervals between the conveying rollers 20 in the conveying direction are shown as equal intervals. In this case, the measurement carrier 10 or the transport control device 800 may hold information about the distance between the transport rollers 20 and identify the height difference between the transport rollers 20 based on the inclination between the two transport rollers 20. .

On the other hand, the distance between the transport rollers 20 in the transport direction may not be equal in order to adjust the positions of the members installed in the vacuum chamber, such as the attachment-prevention plate and the frame. In such a case, the measurement carrier 10 or the transport control device 800 may have data indicating the spacing of the transport rollers 20 in the transport direction.

In another example, the measurement carrier 10 may detect the distance between the transport rollers 20 in the transport direction. For example, the measurement carrier 10 stores the output of the acceleration sensor, and integrates the output of the acceleration sensor during the period from when one transport roller 20 is detected until when the next transport roller 20 is detected. The distance from one roller 20 to the next transport roller 20 may be calculated. Alternatively, the measurement carrier 10 may include a plurality of pressure-sensitive sensors on the angle measurement plate 12 for identifying the contact points with the conveying roller 20 . In this case, the measurement carrier 10 or the transport control device 800 has information about the distance between the plurality of pressure-sensitive sensors, and by specifying the contact point with the transport roller 20, the distance between the transport rollers 20 before and after the transport direction is determined. Intervals may be measured.

As described above, according to the measuring device according to the present embodiment, the height of the conveying device with respect to the horizontal plane can be specified, so that the convenience of adjusting the height of the conveying device with respect to the horizontal plane can be improved. can be done.

In addition, in the case of a large circulatory transfer apparatus with more than several tens of chambers, for example, the transfer height becomes inconsistent when connecting the first and last chambers of circulation, and rework is required to adjust the transfer height. There was a case where it was lost. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the height of the transport rollers can be matched by connecting the chambers at the beginning of circulation and the chamber at the end of circulation, which specify the height of the transport rollers between the chambers with respect to the horizontal plane. .

In addition, the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present embodiment has a film formation source, a vapor deposition source in the case of vapor deposition, a target in the case of sputtering, and an electrode and film formation gas flow path in the case of chemical vapor deposition (CVD). It can be used for adjusting the conveying rollers provided in the in-line vapor deposition apparatus provided with. In this case, the in-line vapor deposition apparatus includes a transport roller 20 in a vacuum chamber, and adjusts the height of the transport roller 20 by transporting the measurement carrier 10 with the transport path decompressed.

It should be noted that the measurement carrier 10 according to this embodiment can be used in both atmospheric and vacuum environments, and the dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative positions of the components described in this embodiment are not particularly specified. Unless explicitly stated, the scope of this invention is not intended to be limited thereto.

<Second embodiment>
According to the first embodiment, the measurement carrier has an angle measurement plate that is rigid and does not deform, and the method for measuring the height of the transport roller with respect to the horizontal plane by measuring the inclination with respect to the front and rear transport rollers in the transport direction will be described. bottom. In the second embodiment, the angle measuring plate is provided with a certain degree of flexibility (flexibility), and even if there are variations in the conveying direction and in the height between the left and right conveying rollers, the plate is in contact with each conveying roller. A method for measuring the height with respect to the horizontal plane between them will be explained. Note that the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations, processes, and functions as in the first embodiment, and descriptions thereof are omitted.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the measurement carrier 200 according to this embodiment as seen from the right side in the transport direction, and FIG. 15 is an upper perspective view. The measurement carrier 200 according to the present embodiment has an angle measurement plate 1400 having flexibility so as to fit and abut on irregularities due to variations in height of the plurality of conveying rollers 20 . Specifically, a stainless steel (SUS) sheet metal is bent into an L-shaped cross section to provide a certain amount of rigidity, while forming a long shape in the direction of the transport path. It has a structure that fits with flexibility to the height variation). In addition, on the lower surface of the front and rear ends of the angle measurement plate 1400, inclined surfaces 1401 are formed so that the plate can smoothly ride on the conveying rollers 20 and be conveyed.

As shown in FIG. 14, the measurement carrier 200 placed on the transport path abuts on each of the transport rollers 20 while being deformed by its own weight. Measure height. In other words, the angle measurement unit 201) needs to be accurately positioned by the position detection unit 205 at an intermediate position between the two transport rollers to be measured. The contact portion 11 functions as a contact portion 11 that contacts the conveying roller 20 to be measured, and changes depending on the interval (pitch) between the conveying rollers 20 .

According to this method, even if the pitch (interval) of the conveying rollers 20 changes, the deformation of the measurement carrier 200 itself is reproducible. Errors in measured values, that is, deviations and errors in measurement due to bending of the angle measurement plate can be canceled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the left and right angle measurement plates 12 are connected by connecting members 206 in front and rear in the conveying direction. An angle measuring unit 201C is arranged to detect the variation in . 15, the PC unit 202, the battery unit 203, and the flexible tube 204 are omitted. Along with the inclination (height variation) in the conveying direction of the left and right angle measurement plates 12, it is possible to measure the inclination (height variation) of the left and right two rows of conveying rollers 20 as well.

In addition, since the angle measurement plate 12 does not have a rigid structure as in the first embodiment but has flexibility (flexibility), the angle measurement plate 12 is affected by the twist due to the difference in the mutual angle. It is possible to measure without That is, it is possible to simultaneously calculate the variation in the height of the two-dimensional plane formed by the positional relationship of the four left and right conveying rollers 20 in both the conveying direction and the direction intersecting the conveying direction. By controlling the adjustment unit 21 so as to eliminate this height variation, it is possible to adjust the entire inclination to a horizontal plane without adjusting the individual conveying rollers 20 one by one.

It should be noted that the measurement carrier 200 according to the second embodiment has a height relative to the horizontal plane of the transport rollers 20 even when it is difficult to transport the measurement carrier with two transport rollers 20 in the transport direction, such as a plurality of transport rollers 20 with short intervals. can be measured.

10: measurement carrier, 20: conveying roller, 21: adjustment unit, 12: angle measurement plate, 201: angle measurement unit, 202: PC unit, 203: battery unit, 204: flexible tube

Claims (20)

A measuring device transported in a vacuum by a plurality of transport devices arranged inside a vacuum chamber,
a first detection means for detecting the inclination of the measuring device with respect to a horizontal plane;
a second detecting means for detecting the position of the measuring device with respect to the plurality of conveying devices;
A measuring device comprising: 2. The measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a communication unit for transmitting information regarding said inclination detected by said first detection means. specifying means for specifying a height relative to the reference plane along the horizontal plane based on the information about the inclination detected by the first detecting means;
a communication unit for transmitting the information about the height specified by the specifying means;
The measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising: a specifying means for specifying a height adjustment amount of the conveying device based on the inclination detected by the first detecting means;
a communication unit for transmitting information about the adjustment amount specified by the specifying means;
The measurement device according to claim 1, further comprising: 5. The measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein said communication unit further transmits information regarding said position detected by said second detection means. 6. The measuring device according to claim 5, wherein the information about the position is information indicating the number of conveying devices that the measuring device has passed. 7. The measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said second detection means includes a plurality of optical sensors arranged along the conveying direction. each of the plurality of optical sensors changes its output depending on whether an object is positioned below;
8. The measuring apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising direction detection means for detecting a conveying direction of said measuring apparatus based on the timing at which the outputs of said plurality of optical sensors change. each of the plurality of transport devices,
a conveying roller;
an adjusting unit for adjusting the position of the conveying roller;
including
9. The measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the measuring device has contact portions that contact the two conveying rollers positioned forward and backward in the conveying direction. 10. The measuring device according to claim 9, further comprising a pressure-sensitive sensor for detecting a location where the conveying roller is in contact with the contact portion. 11. The measuring device according to claim 9, wherein said first detection means is a spirit level that detects an inclination of said contact portion with respect to said horizontal plane. the information about the tilt detected by the first detection means and the information about the position detected by the second detection means are associated with each other;
The measuring device according to claim 1, characterized by: An in-line vapor deposition device,
a plurality of transport means for transporting the measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 12;
adjusting means for adjusting the position of each of the plurality of conveying means;
wireless communication means for receiving information about the inclination from the measuring device conveyed by the plurality of conveying means;
a control means for controlling the adjustment means based on the information received by the wireless communication means;
An in-line vapor deposition device comprising: the plurality of conveying means includes at least a first conveying means and a second conveying means downstream of the first conveying means in the conveying direction;
The wireless communication means receives information indicating inclinations of the first conveying means and the second conveying means with respect to the horizontal plane,
When the control means determines that the difference in height between the first conveying means and the second conveying means is not within a predetermined range based on the information indicating the inclination, the adjusting means 14. The in-line vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the is controlled. An in-line vapor deposition device,
a plurality of transport means for transporting the measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 12;
adjusting means for adjusting the position of each of the plurality of conveying means;
wireless communication means for receiving information about the height of the conveying means with respect to the horizontal plane from the measuring devices conveyed by the plurality of conveying means;
a control means for controlling the adjustment means based on the information received by the wireless communication means;
An in-line vapor deposition device comprising: The control means is
determining whether the height of each of the plurality of conveying means relative to a reference surface is within a predetermined range based on the information received by the wireless communication means;
16. The in-line vapor deposition apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the adjustment means is controlled when it is determined that the height with respect to the horizontal plane is not within a predetermined range. An in-line vapor deposition device,
a plurality of transport means for transporting the measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 12;
adjusting means for adjusting the position of each of the plurality of conveying means;
wireless communication means for receiving information about the adjustment amount of the conveying means from the measuring device conveyed by the plurality of conveying means;
a control means for controlling the adjustment means based on the information received by the wireless communication means;
An in-line vapor deposition device comprising: said wireless communication means receiving information about the position of said conveying means in a conveying direction;
18. The in-line vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the control means specifies the transport means to be adjusted based on information regarding the position of the transport means. 19. The in-line vapor deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 13 to 18, further comprising a vacuum chamber for decompressing a conveying path along which the measuring device is conveyed by the conveying means. A method for adjusting an in-line vapor deposition device comprising a plurality of transport devices arranged inside a vacuum chamber,
a step of transporting the measurement device in a vacuum by the plurality of transport devices;
an information acquisition step of acquiring, by the measuring device, information about the inclination of the measuring device with respect to a horizontal plane and information about the position of the measuring device with respect to the plurality of transport devices;
a selection step of selecting an adjustment target from the plurality of transport devices based on the position information;
an adjustment step of adjusting the position of the adjustment target based on the information about the inclination;
An adjustment method characterized by having

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