JP7221758B2 - Film forming apparatus and film forming method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a film forming method for forming a thin film on a substrate.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a barrier film in which a barrier layer is formed on the surface of a plastic film for the purpose of, for example, preventing oxidation and preventing contamination by moisture has been used in protective films for food, flexible solar cells, and the like.

Patent Literature 1 describes a configuration in which a thin film of a barrier layer is formed on the surface of a substrate made of a strip-shaped plastic film while conveying the substrate by a roll-to-roll method.

Patent Document 1: JP 2017-179411 A

However, the method described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the film-forming surface of the barrier layer (functional layer) may be damaged due to contact with a roller or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems and prevent the formed barrier layer (functional layer) from being damaged.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on the surface of a substrate,
a conveying unit capable of conveying the base material in both forward and reverse directions;
a functional film deposition unit that forms a functional film on the substrate being transported in the forward direction or the reverse direction by the transport unit;
a protective film forming unit that is provided downstream in the forward direction from the functional film forming unit and that forms a protective film that protects the functional film on the substrate that is being conveyed in the forward direction or the reverse direction by the conveying unit;
When α is the forward transport distance and β is the reverse transport distance, α is transported in the forward direction so that α > β. a control unit that controls to alternately carry out the distance β backward transport ,
The functional film and the protective film are formed on the substrate being conveyed in the forward conveying distance α, and the protective film and the functional film are formed on the substrate conveying in the reverse conveying distance β. The present invention provides a film forming apparatus characterized by:

With this configuration, by forming the protective film on the functional film, it is possible to prevent the formed functional film from being damaged.

The control unit may be configured to perform control such that the formation of the functional film and the protective film is alternately performed a plurality of times.

With this configuration, the multi-layered protective film is laminated on the multi-layered functional film, so that the effect of the functional film can be sufficiently exhibited, and the functional film can be reliably protected by the multi-layered protective film.

The functional film deposition unit may be configured by a CVD apparatus for depositing a functional film, and the protective film deposition unit may be configured by a CVD apparatus for deposition of a protective film.

With this configuration, it is possible to form a good functional film and a protective film.

The substrate may be strip-shaped, wound on rolls at both ends, delivered from one roll, and taken up by the other roll so that the substrate can be continuously transported.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a film forming method for forming a thin film on the surface of a substrate,
A forward direction conveying step of conveying the base material in the forward direction by a distance α;
Forming a functional film on the substrate being transported in the forward transport step in the functional film deposition unit, and performing the forward transport in the protective film deposition unit on the downstream side of the functional film deposition unit in the forward direction. a forward film forming step of forming a protective film for protecting the functional film on the base material being transported in the process;
A reverse direction conveying step of conveying the base material by a distance β in a direction opposite to the forward direction;
In the protective film forming section, the protective film is formed on the substrate being conveyed in the reverse conveying step, and in the functional film forming section, the functional film is formed on the substrate being conveyed in the reverse conveying step. A reverse film formation step of forming a film,
alternately performing the forward transport step and the forward film forming step at the distance α and the reverse transport step and the reverse film forming step at the distance β ;
The film forming method is characterized in that the distance α is greater than the distance β.

With this configuration, by forming the protective film on the functional film, it is possible to prevent the formed functional film from being damaged.

The forward transporting step and the forward film forming step, and the reverse transporting step and the reverse film forming step may be alternately repeated a plurality of times to stack the functional film and the protective film respectively. .

With this configuration, the multi-layered protective film is laminated on the multi-layered functional film, so that the effect of the functional film can be sufficiently exhibited, and the functional film can be reliably protected by the multi-layered protective film.

The film forming apparatus and film forming method of the present invention can prevent the formed functional film from being damaged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure explaining the film-forming apparatus in Example 1 of this invention, and the film-forming method. It is a figure explaining the film-forming method in Example 1 of this invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the deposition state of a functional film and a protective film in Example 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how a functional film and a protective film are laminated by the film forming method according to Example 1 of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a functional film and a protective film are laminated in Example 1 of the present invention; It is a figure explaining the film-forming apparatus in Example 2 of this invention, and the film-forming method.

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a film forming apparatus and a film forming method in Example 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a film forming method in Example 1 of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the film formation state of the functional film and the protective film in Example 1 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining how a functional film and a protective film are laminated by the film forming method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the functional film and the protective film are laminated in Example 1 of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a strip-shaped base material K made of a plastic film is continuously transported from left to right in the drawing by a transport section 11 . Here, in the first embodiment, the transport direction from left to right in FIG. 1 is defined as the forward direction, and the transport direction from right to left is defined as the reverse direction. The conveying unit 11 includes a main roll 14, an unwinding roll 12, a winding roll 13, free rolls 18 and 19, and the like. It is transported along the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 via the free roll 19 and wound in the forward direction by the take-up roll 13 via the free roll 19 . The free rolls 18 and 19 are provided in order to ensure a sufficient embrace angle with the main roll 14. - 特許庁The figure shows a functional film forming unit 15 for forming a functional film on the substrate K conveyed along the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 and a protective film forming unit 16 for forming a protective film for protecting the functional film. 1 is provided with an opening width of about 250 mm in the depth direction. Both the functional film forming section 15 and the protective film forming section 16 are positioned sufficiently away from the free rolls 18 and 19, and the protective film forming section 16 is positioned downstream of the functional film forming section 15 in the positive direction. is provided.

The transport unit 11 can be controlled by the control unit 17 so that the substrate K can be transported in both the forward direction (from left to right in FIG. 1) and the reverse direction (from right to left in FIG. 1). . The control unit 17 can also control the execution and stop of the film forming operation and the film forming rate in the functional film forming unit 15 and the protective film forming unit 16 .

The functional film forming section 15, the protective film forming section 16, and the transfer section 11 are provided in a chamber (not shown), and the pressure inside the chamber can be kept constant. A vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to this chamber to control the pressure in the chamber. By thus providing the transfer section 11, the functional film forming section 15, and the protective film forming section 16 in the chamber, it is possible to avoid exposing the base material K and the base material K after the film formation to the atmospheric conditions.

The functional film forming unit 15 and the protective film forming unit 16 are both for forming a thin film on the substrate K by a vacuum film forming method, and in Example 1, it is a kind of vacuum film forming method. A thin film is formed (film-formed) on the substrate K by a CVD apparatus that implements the plasma CVD method. The types of gas supplied to the functional film forming unit 15 and the protective film forming unit 16 are different. In the functional film forming unit 15, an SiO2 film as a functional film is formed on the substrate K by supplying oxygen gas in addition to the source gas HMDS (hexamethyldisilazane) gas, and in the protective film forming unit 16, , an SiCN film as a protective film is formed on the substrate K by supplying argon gas and hydrogen gas in addition to the source gas HMDS gas. A SiO2 film as a functional film is a barrier film for the purpose of preventing oxidation, preventing water from entering, and the like.

Here, the substrate K is heated due to exposure to the plasma for film deposition. If the transport speed is slow, the heat received by the base material K increases, causing damage such as wrinkles and deformation. I do.

As a result, when the base material K is conveyed from the unwinding roll 12 to the winding roll 13 along the main roll 14 in the forward direction or the reverse direction, the functional film forming unit 15 and the protective film forming unit 16 perform constant A thick functional film v1 and a protective film b1 are formed on the surface of the substrate K. As shown in FIG.

A method of forming a functional film and a protective film will be described with reference to FIG. In Example 1, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. and the protective film forming section 16 on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 is t.

First, the conveying unit 11 carries out a forward-direction conveying step of conveying the base material K in the forward direction by a distance α at a constant speed. In Example 1, since the distance α is 4t, the functional film forming section 15 and the protective film forming section 16 are conveyed by four times the distance on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 . The functional film forming section 15 and the protective film forming section 16 carry out the forward direction film forming process during this forward transport process. FIG. 2(1) shows the length and relative relationship of the functional film v1 and the protective film b1 which are formed in the normal direction film forming process. That is, the functional film forming section 15 forms the functional film v1 indicated by the hatched bar by a length of 5t while the base material K is conveyed from the point A0 to the point A1. In addition, the protective film forming unit 16 forms a protective film b1 indicated by a dot bar during the same transport by a length of 5t, partly on the functional film v1 and partly on the base material K. . Here, the movement distance of the base material K is 4t, and by adding the opening length t of the functional film forming unit 15 or the protective film forming unit 16 to this, the functional film v1 and the protective film formed are The length of b1 is 5t.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2(1), the protective film b1 is partly formed on the functional film v1 and partly formed on the substrate K (portion indicated by *1). In FIG. 2, the protective film b1 formed on the base material K is not shown so as to be in contact with the base material K. be done. In FIG. 2, the state of film formation is indicated by a straight bar in order to make the length of film formation easy to understand.

The conveying unit 11 temporarily stops after completing the forward conveying step of the base material K for the distance α, and immediately performs the backward conveying step of continuously conveying the base material K in the reverse direction by the distance β. In Example 1, the distance β is 3t, and the substrate K at point A1 is transported to point A2. The functional film forming section 15 and the protective film forming section 16 perform the reverse film forming process during this reverse conveying process. FIG. 2(2) shows the length and relative relationship of the protective film b2 and the functional film v2 formed in the reverse direction film forming process. In other words, the protective film forming section 16, while the base material K is conveyed by 3t in the opposite direction from point A1 to point A2, includes the length of the opening of the protective film forming section 16, with a bar of dots. A protective film b2 shown is formed on the protective film b1 with a length of 4t. In addition, the functional film deposition unit 15 deposits a functional film v2 indicated by a hatched bar in the same reverse transport process by a length of 4t, partly on the protective film b2 and partly on the functional film v1. is deposited on the In FIG. 2 as well, the functional film v2 is shown by a straight bar, but in reality there is no gap between the functional film v1 and the functional film v2, and the functional film v2 is laminated on the functional film v1. .

That is, in Example 1, since the conveying distance α in the forward direction is greater than the conveying distance β in the reverse direction and the distance α is 4t, and the distance β is 3t, the substrate K is gradually conveyed in the forward direction. will be

The functional film v1 is formed on the substrate K at the time when each of the forward conveying step, the forward film forming step, the reverse conveying step, and the reverse film forming step is performed once, and is further protected on the functional film v1. A film b1 is deposited. Even in this state, since the protective film b1 is formed on a part of the functional film v1, the possibility of the functional film v1 being damaged even if it comes into contact with the free roll 19 is reduced. And, by alternately performing the film formation process in the forward direction, the transport process in the reverse direction, and the film formation process in the reverse direction a plurality of times, respectively, multilayer protective films can be laminated to minimize the possibility of damage to the functional film. It is possible to form a film of high quality.

That is, when the first reverse film forming process is completed, the transport unit 11 temporarily stops transporting the base material K. As shown in FIG. Then, immediately, the second transfer process in the forward direction is carried out. At this time, immediately before the transport is stopped or during the re-transport operation after the stop, the transport speed decreases and the film thickness becomes thicker than in the case of the constant-speed transport. The control unit 17 sometimes controls the amount of gas supplied to the CVD apparatus so as to keep the film formation rate constant. The control unit 17 performs the same control when moving from the forward transporting process to the reverse transporting process.

When the second forward transporting step is performed and the forward film forming step is performed, the base material K is transported from point A2 to point A3, and as shown in FIG. is deposited. At this time, part of the functional film v3 is formed on the base material K, and most of the other part is formed on the functional film v2. A portion of the protective film b3 is deposited on the protective film b2, and the other portion is deposited on the functional film v3.

Next, when the second reverse direction conveying step is performed and the reverse direction film forming step is performed, the substrate K is transported from point A3 to point A4, and as shown in FIG. A functional film v4 is deposited. At this time, the protective film b4 is deposited on the protective film b3. A portion of the functional film v4 is deposited on the functional film v3, and the other portion is deposited on the protective film b4.

When the forward transporting process and the forward film forming process and the reverse transporting process and the reverse film forming process are alternately performed a plurality of times, a multi-layered functional film and a protective film are formed as shown in FIG. filmed. That is, as described above with reference to FIG. a forward conveying step and a second forward film forming step, a second reverse conveying step and a second reverse film forming step, a third forward conveying step and a third forward film forming step, Third reverse transfer step and third reverse film formation step Fourth forward transfer step and fourth forward film formation step Fourth reverse transfer step and fourth reverse film formation step When the above is finished, the functional films v1 to v4 and the protective films b1 to b4 are laminated on the substrate. After that, the forward transporting step and the forward film forming step and the reverse transporting step and the reverse film forming step are alternately repeated until the 5th, 6th, . . . 21st times, as shown in FIG. , the functional films v1 to v21 and the protective films b1 to b21 are laminated on the base material K.

The range indicated by X in FIG. 4, that is, the range from 2t to 6t in the figure, is a range in which the number of layers of the functional film and the protective film is constant. Two layers of protective films, two layers of functional films thereon, two layers of protective films thereon, two layers of functional films thereon, and five layers of protective films thereon are laminated. For example, when confirming in the range of 5t to 6t, five layers of functional films indicated by oblique bars in FIG. is laminated with two layers b5 and b6, two functional films v6 and v7 are laminated thereon, two protective films b7 and b8 are laminated thereon, and a functional film v8 is laminated thereon. , v9, and five protective films b9, b10, b11, b12, and b13 are laminated thereon. This lamination state is shown in FIG. 5 in an easy-to-understand manner. This lamination state is the same in the range from 2t to 5t in FIG. At each iteration, the multi-layer lamination described above can be realized in the range indicated by X.

Thus, by laminating the multilayer protective film on the multilayer functional film, the effect of the functional film can be sufficiently exhibited, and the functional film can be reliably protected by the multilayer protective film.

Note that the right side of the bar of the dots of the protective films b1, b2, and b3 in FIG. 4 beyond 10t is omitted.

In addition, in Example 1, a band-shaped base material made of a plastic film transported by roll-to-roll was used, but the base material is not necessarily limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, a strip-shaped substrate made of a metal film may be used. Also, instead of roll-to-roll transport, substrates made of ceramics that are not belt-shaped and transported in a straight line may be used as substrates.

In addition, in Example 1, the functional film forming section and the protective film forming section are configured by the CVD apparatus, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, the functional film forming section and the protective film forming section may be configured by a sputtering device.

In Example 1, a barrier film was formed as a functional film for the purpose of preventing oxidation, preventing water from entering, etc., but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this and can be changed as appropriate. For example, a transparent conductive film, an antireflection film, or the like may be formed as a functional film.

As described above, in Example 1, the film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on the surface of a base material includes: a conveying section capable of conveying the base material in both forward and reverse directions; a functional film deposition unit for forming a functional film on a substrate being transported; and a functional film deposition unit provided downstream in the forward direction from the functional film deposition unit and applied to the substrate being transported in the forward direction or the reverse direction by the transport unit. a protective film deposition unit that forms a protective film that protects the functional film; A protective film is formed on a functional film by a film forming apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls to laminate the functional film and the protective film by alternately performing transport and reverse transport. By forming the film, it is possible to prevent the formed functional film from being damaged.

In addition, in Example 1, a film formation method for forming a thin film on the surface of a base material is provided, comprising: a forward-direction conveying step of conveying the base material in the forward direction by a distance α; A functional film is formed on the base material in the functional film forming section, and in the protective film forming section on the downstream side in the forward direction from the functional film forming section, on the base material being conveyed in the forward conveying step , a forward direction film formation step of forming a protective film for protecting the functional film, a reverse direction transport step of transporting the substrate by a distance β in a direction opposite to the normal direction, and transport in the reverse direction transport step. In the reverse direction film forming section, the protective film is formed on the base material inside, and the functional film is formed on the base material being conveyed in the reverse direction conveying step in the functional film forming section. and alternately performing the forward transporting step and the forward film forming step, and the reverse transporting step and the reverse film forming step, wherein the distance α is greater than the distance β. By forming the protective film on the functional film by the film forming method characterized by the above, it is possible to prevent the formed functional film from being damaged.

In Example 1, the opening length on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll of the functional film forming section and the protective film forming section, and the gap on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll between the functional film forming section and the protective film forming section In contrast to the case where both distances and distances are t, the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the first embodiment in that the conveying distances of the forward conveying process and the reverse conveying process are expressed more generally. there is A second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a film forming apparatus and a film forming method in Example 2 of the present invention.

In the second embodiment, the direction of transport from left to right in FIG. 6 is the forward direction, and the direction of transport from right to left is the reverse direction. As shown in FIG. 6, a strip-shaped base material K is transported in the positive direction from left to right in the figure by the transport unit 11 . The conveying unit 11 includes a main roll 14, an unwinding roll 12, a winding roll 13, free rolls 18 and 19, and the like. It is transported along the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 through the free roll 19 and wound in the positive direction by the take-up roll 13 via the free roll 19 . A functional film forming unit 15 and a protective film forming unit 16 are provided with an opening width of about 250 mm in the depth direction of FIG. ing. Both the functional film forming section 15 and the protective film forming section 16 are positioned sufficiently away from the free rolls 18 and 19, and the protective film forming section 16 is positioned downstream of the functional film forming section 15 in the positive direction. is provided.

The transport unit 11 can be controlled by the control unit 17 so that the substrate K can be transported in both the forward direction (from left to right in FIG. 1) and the reverse direction (from right to left in FIG. 1). . The control unit 17 can also control the execution and stop of the film forming operation and the film forming rate in the functional film forming unit 15 and the protective film forming unit 16 .

Here, in Example 2, the distance on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 from the free roll 18 to the upstream end portion of the functional film forming section 15 in the positive direction is defined as L1, and the opening portion of the functional film forming section 15 is defined as L1. The distance on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 is defined as Ld1, and the distance on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 from the positive direction downstream end of the functional film forming section 15 to the positive direction upstream end of the protective film forming section 16 is Let Li be the distance on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll at the opening of the protective film forming unit 16, and Ld2 be the distance on the outer peripheral surface of the main roll 14 from the positive direction downstream end of the protective film forming unit 16 to the free roll 19 Let the distance be L2.

First, the forward transporting process is carried out, and the forward film forming process is carried out while the wafer is being transported in the positive direction by α to form the functional film and the protective film. Next, a reverse transport step is performed, and a reverse film forming step is performed during transport in the reverse direction by β to form a functional film and a protective film.

Here, in Example 2, the transport distances α and β are transported so as to satisfy the following equations 1 and 2 so that the functional film does not come into contact with the free rolls 18 and 19 . Expression 1: β≦L1 By satisfying Expression 1, it is possible to prevent the formed functional film from coming into contact with the free roll 18 due to reverse transport. Expression 2: α≦Li+Ld2+L2 By satisfying Expression 2, it is possible to prevent the protective film formed in the forward transport step and the forward film formation step from coming into contact with the free roll 19 only once. That is, it is possible to prevent contact with the free roll 19 before the protective film has a sufficient thickness to protect the functional film. However, α>β is the same as in the first embodiment.

In addition, the portion of the base material K where forward transport is switched to reverse transport in the opening of the functional film forming unit 15 in the process of forming the functional film or the protective film forming unit 16 in the process of forming the protective film. Furthermore, when the reverse transport is switched to the forward transport in the functional film forming section 15 or the protective film forming section 16, there is a risk that the base material K exposed to the plasma for a long time will be deformed. 3 or Equation 4 is desirable. Formula 3: β≧Ld1 (where Ld1>Ld2) Formula 4: β≧Ld2 (where Ld1<Ld2)

In Example 2, the substrate K is conveyed toward the take-up roll 13 by (α−β) by one forward conveying step, one forward film forming step, one reverse conveying step, and one reverse film forming step. is transported in the positive direction. Further, the forward transporting process and the forward film forming process, and the reverse transporting process and the reverse film forming process are alternately repeated a plurality of times to stack the multilayer functional films and the protective films. Accordingly, by forming the protective film on the functional film, it is possible to prevent the formed functional film from being damaged.

Thus, in Example 2, the formed functional film did not come into contact with the roll, and the protective film was formed on the functional film, so that the formed functional film was not damaged. can be prevented.

The film forming apparatus and film forming method of the present invention can be widely used in the field of thin film forming.

11: Conveying unit 12: Unwinding roll 13: Winding roll 14: Main roll 15: Functional film forming unit 16: Protective film forming unit 18: Free roll 19: Free roll 17: Control unit v1 to v21: Functional film b1 to b22: protective film K: base material

Claims (6)

A film forming apparatus for forming a thin film on the surface of a substrate,
a conveying unit capable of conveying the base material in both forward and reverse directions;
a functional film deposition unit that forms a functional film on the substrate being transported in the forward direction or the reverse direction by the transport unit;
a protective film forming unit provided downstream of the functional film forming unit in the forward direction and forming a protective film for protecting the functional film on the substrate being conveyed in the forward direction or the reverse direction by the conveying unit;
When α is the forward transport distance and β is the reverse transport distance, α is transported in the forward direction so that α > β. a control unit that controls to alternately carry out distance β backward transport ,
The functional film and the protective film are formed on the substrate being conveyed in the forward conveying distance α, and the protective film and the functional film are formed on the substrate conveying in the reverse conveying distance β. A film forming apparatus characterized by: 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs control to alternately form the functional film and the protective film a plurality of times. 3. The film formation according to claim 1, wherein said functional film forming section comprises a CVD device for forming a functional film, and said protective film forming section comprises a CVD device for forming a protective film. Device. The substrate of claim 1-3 is characterized in that the substrate is strip-shaped, both ends are wound on rolls, and the substrate can be continuously transported by being sent out from one roll and taken up by the other roll. The film forming apparatus according to any one of the above. A film forming method for forming a thin film on the surface of a base material,
A forward direction conveying step of conveying the base material in the forward direction by a distance α;
Forming a functional film on the substrate being transported in the forward transport step in the functional film deposition unit, and performing the forward transport in the protective film deposition unit on the downstream side of the functional film deposition unit in the forward direction. a forward film forming step of forming a protective film for protecting the functional film on the base material being transported in the process;
A reverse direction conveying step of conveying the base material by a distance β in a direction opposite to the forward direction;
In the protective film forming section, the protective film is formed on the substrate being conveyed in the reverse conveying step, and in the functional film forming section, the functional film is formed on the substrate being conveyed in the reverse conveying step. A reverse film formation step of forming a film,
alternately performing the forward transport step and the forward film forming step at the distance α and the reverse transport step and the reverse film forming step at the distance β ;
The film forming method, wherein the distance α is larger than the distance β. The forward transporting step and the forward film forming step, and the reverse transporting step and the reverse film forming step are alternately repeated a plurality of times to laminate the functional film and the protective film, respectively. The film forming method according to claim 5.

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