JP7377682B2 - Sealing equipment, vacuum equipment, film forming equipment, and multilayer film manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sealing device, a vacuum device, a film forming device, and a multilayer film manufacturing method.

For example, in the production of multilayer films such as vapor-deposited films, a process is required in which the web is placed in a space with a pressure different from atmospheric pressure. This processing process is carried out by batch processing, in which a reel wound with a web is transported into a processing chamber, the web is unwound and processed in a specified manner, and the reel wound with the processed web is taken out of the processing chamber. It was done. In order to efficiently perform batch processing by keeping the pressure inside the processing chamber constant during loading and unloading of reels, a front chamber (load lock) is provided adjacent to the processing chamber, and the pressure in this front chamber is transferred to the outside. Film forming apparatuses that increase and decrease the pressure between the pressure and the pressure of a processing chamber are known.

However, even if a front chamber is provided, productivity cannot be sufficiently improved in batch processing, so the web is continuously fed into a pressurized or depressurized space, and the processed web is transferred to the pressurized or depressurized space. There is a need for a continuous process that continuously discharges wastewater.

When performing continuous web processing, an opening (slit) for the web to pass through is required in the partition wall that separates two spaces with different pressures, but through this opening the atmospheric gas in the space on the high pressure side enters the space on the low pressure side. flows into. Therefore, in order to efficiently maintain the pressure in each space at a required pressure, a technique is known in which a sealing device for suppressing the movement of atmospheric gas is provided in the opening through which the web passes. For example, when manufacturing an optical film by forming a film on a web, if a method is adopted in which a sealing member made of rubber or the like is slid on the web, fine scratches may be created on the web, or particles caused by abrasion of the sealing member. This may cause the product to become defective. Therefore, there is a need for a sealing device that can maintain the differential pressure between the two spaces without sliding the sealing member on the web.

A sealing device that does not allow the sealing member to slide on the web includes a roller that guides the web, and a housing that accommodates the roller and is open to a space on the low pressure side and a space on the high pressure side, forming a small gap between the roller and the roller. There is a device that includes a roller and a housing and is configured to suck gas in a gap between the roller and the housing toward the housing (for example, see Patent Document 1). With this configuration, the amount of gas flowing into the low-pressure side space can be reduced by forcibly discharging the gas that is about to pass through the gap between the roller and the housing to the outside of the system.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-131470

In the sealing device described in Patent Document 1, the piping of the vacuum pump for exhausting gas from the gap between the roller and the housing is complicated, and the vacuum pump has a large size in order to set the pressure in the low-pressure space low. ability is required. Therefore, the sealing device described in Patent Document 1 has the disadvantage of requiring an expensive vacuum pump or a plurality of vacuum pumps. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sealing device and a vacuum device that can form a large pressure difference at a relatively low cost, as well as a film forming device and a multilayer film manufacturing method that can form a film at a relatively low cost.

A sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention is a sealing device that enables continuous conveyance of a web while isolating a first space and a second space whose pressure is lower than that of the first space, wherein the first space and the second space have a lower pressure than the first space. a frame body disposed on a partition wall dividing the space from the second space, communicating with the first space and the second space, and having a conveyance opening through which the web passes; and a frame body disposed inside the conveyance opening. a sealing roller that guides the web; and a shutter portion that seals a gap between the frame and the sealing roller, the shutter portion facing a circumferential surface of the sealing roller and The sealing member includes a distal end edge that is curved convexly or concavely toward the sealing roller in accordance with the deflection of the sealing roller during steady operation.

In the sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the shutter section may further include a holding mechanism that adjustably holds a distance between the sealing member and the sealing roller.

In the sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the holding mechanism may include an elastic member that urges the sealing member to protrude toward the sealing roller.

In the sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the frame body has an exhaust flow that opens in an inner wall of the conveyance opening, is connected to a low pressure source, and discharges gas in a space between the frame body and the sealing roller to the outside. It may have a path.

In the sealing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the exhaust flow path may be opened in a portion of the inner wall of the conveyance opening that faces a peripheral surface on a side where the sealing roller guides the web.

A vacuum device according to another aspect of the present invention includes the sealing device and a reduced pressure chamber defining the second space.

A film forming apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes the vacuum device and a film forming mechanism that is provided in the reduced pressure chamber and that laminates different materials on the surface of the web.

A multilayer film manufacturing method according to yet another aspect of the present invention includes the step of laminating different materials on the surface of the web using the film forming apparatus.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sealing device and a vacuum device that can form a large pressure difference at a relatively low cost, as well as a film forming device and a multilayer film manufacturing method that can form a film at a relatively low cost.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a film forming apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view perpendicular to the axis showing the sealing device of FIG. 1 in detail. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a force acting on a sealing roller of the sealing device of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the shapes of a sealing roller and a sealing member during steady operation of the sealing device of FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a film forming apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view perpendicular to the axis showing the sealing device of FIG. 5 in detail. FIG. 7 is a schematic axial cross-sectional view of the sealing device of FIG. 6;

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding parts in each drawing. Further, for convenience, hatching, member symbols, etc. may be omitted, but in such cases, other drawings will be referred to.

[First embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a film forming apparatus M according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The film forming apparatus M is an apparatus that laminates a film on the surface of the web W. The film forming apparatus M includes a vacuum apparatus U that forms a second space having a lower pressure than a first space that is a surrounding space, and a film forming mechanism F that is disposed inside the vacuum apparatus U. The vacuum device U is an embodiment of the vacuum device according to the present invention. Note that the term "vacuum" is not limited to so-called high vacuum, but also includes low vacuum, and is a concept that broadly encompasses states where the pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure.

In the film forming apparatus M, the web W is continuously conveyed so as to pass through the reduced pressure chamber R. Although the web W is not particularly limited, a resin film is typically considered. Specific materials for the resin film include, for example, polycarbonate, polymethacrylate, polyacrylonitrile, polymethylmethacrylate, polyacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyimide, polyamide, Examples include polyetherketone, polyolefin, triacetyl cellulose, and the like. Further, the resin film may be any type of film, such as one having a protective film on both sides, one having it on one side, and one without a protective film.

The vacuum device U is provided in a decompression chamber R that defines a second space, a portion where the web W enters the decompression chamber R, and a portion where the web W exits the decompression chamber R, and isolates the first space and the second space. and two sealing devices 1 that can continuously convey the web W. The sealing device 1 is an embodiment of the sealing device according to the present invention.

The decompression chamber R has a partition wall P that partitions the first space and the second space. A low pressure source V1 is connected to the reduced pressure chamber R for discharging the gas inside the second space. Thereby, the pressure in the second space is reduced to a lower pressure than the first space, which is maintained at atmospheric pressure. The low pressure source V1 can be configured by, for example, an evacuation device such as a vacuum pump or an ejector.

The film forming mechanism F forms a film by laminating different materials on the surface of the web W. In the illustrated example, the film forming mechanism F includes a drum D around which the web W is wound, and a sputtering device E that supplies and laminates another material onto the surface of the web W wound around the drum D.

<Seal device>
Hereinafter, the sealing device 1 of the film forming apparatus M will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2. Furthermore, among the spaces on both sides of the sealing device 1, the one with higher pressure is called a first space, and the one with lower pressure is called a second space. Therefore, regarding the sealing device 1 disposed on the upstream side of the decompression chamber R in the conveyance direction of the web W, the upstream space is the first space and the downstream space is the second space, while the depressurization Regarding the sealing device 1 disposed on the downstream side of the chamber R, the downstream space is the first space, and the upstream space is the second space. Therefore, the sealing device 1 disposed downstream of the decompression chamber R is formed in a mirror image of the sealing device 1 of FIG. 2 (the conveyance direction of the web W may be considered to be the opposite direction).

The sealing device 1 includes a frame body 10 that is disposed on a partition wall P, communicates with a first space and a second space, and has a conveyance opening 11 through which the web W passes; a sealing roller 20 that guides the web W, two shutter parts 30 that seal the gap between the frame 10 and the sealing roller 20, a pair of guide rollers 40 that guide the web W before and after the sealing roller 20, Equipped with

The frame body 10 holds a bearing (not shown) that supports the sealing roller 20 and the like. The frame 10 may be airtightly attached to the partition wall P, or may be formed integrally with the partition wall P.

It is preferable that the surface of the inner wall of the conveyance opening 11 facing the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 is formed into a cylindrical surface concentric with the sealing roller 20, and the distance from the sealing roller 20 is constant. Moreover, it is preferable that the surface of the inner wall of the conveyance opening 11 that faces the end surface of the sealing roller 20 is formed in a planar shape with a minimum distance from the sealing roller 20 .

The sealing roller 20 is placed inside the conveyance opening 11 and seals the conveyance opening 11 while leaving a slight gap around the sealing roller 20 . In other words, one radial side of the sealing roller 20 is exposed to the first space, and the other radial side is exposed to the second space. The diameter of the sealing roller 20 is preferably larger than the thickness of the frame 10 at the conveyance opening 11.

The sealing roller 20 determines the position of the web W when it passes through the conveyance opening 11 by supporting the web W within a predetermined angular range on its circumferential surface. Thereby, the sealing roller 20 keeps the distance between the web W and the inner wall of the conveyance opening 11 constant and at a minimum. In other words, the web W enters the conveyance opening 11 in close contact with the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20, and exits from the conveyance opening 11 while remaining in close contact with the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20.

The sealing roller 20 may be configured to be able to be heated or cooled in order to adjust the temperature of the web W. Specifically, the sealing roller 20 may have a heater inside for heating, may have a resistance heating element pattern formed near its surface, and may have an excitation coil disposed adjacent to it. The metal layer may include a metal layer that generates heat due to the high frequency magnetic field applied. By heating the web W in advance in the first space to remove water, it is possible to prevent the web W from slipping on the sealing roller 20 due to evaporation of water due to reduced pressure. By providing a locally narrow portion such as the shutter portion 30, even if the length of the gap between the web W and the conveyance opening 11 is shortened, the conductance is lowered and the amount of air intrusion can be suppressed. The membrane device M can be designed to be small. Further, the sealing roller 20 may have a flow path through which a refrigerant is inserted for cooling. When the web W containing moisture enters the second space where the pressure is low, the web W is cooled by the sealing roller 20 and the saturated vapor pressure is lowered. This suppresses moisture from evaporating from the web W as the pressure decreases, and prevents the web W from being lifted by water vapor and slipping on the sealing roller 20.

The sealing roller 20 bends due to its own weight and the differential pressure between the first space and the second space. FIG. 3 illustrates a force Fg acting on the sealing roller 20 due to its own weight and a force Fp acting on the sealing roller 20 due to the differential pressure between the first space and the second space. Note that the force Fp acting due to the differential pressure is calculated by multiplying the area A1 of the sealing roller 20 exposed to the first space by the internal pressure of the first space, and the area A2 exposed to the second space multiplied by the internal pressure of the second space. It can be calculated as the difference between the multiplied value. Although it varies depending on the structure of the sealing roller 20 and the set pressures of the first space and the second space, the force acting on the sealing roller 20 is dominated by a component due to the differential pressure between the first space and the second space. There are many things. Therefore, the resultant force Ft that deflects the sealing roller 20 can be a force that acts approximately in the penetrating direction of the conveyance opening 11 .

The amount of radial deflection of the sealing roller 20 at the angular position where the shutter section 30 is disposed during steady operation of the film forming apparatus M (maximum displacement observed at the center in the length direction) is, for example, 1200 mm in length. The sealing roller 20 may have a thickness of about 30 μm. Furthermore, under the same conditions, if there is no differential pressure between the first space and the second space and the sealing roller 20 is deflected only by its own weight, the amount of deflection of the sealing roller 20 may be about 5 μ.

The first shutter section 30 is provided to face a portion of the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 that does not guide the web W, and the second shutter section 30 is provided to guide the web W on the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20. It is provided so as to face the part. Furthermore, the shutter section 30 is disposed on the first space side of the frame body 10.

The shutter section 30 includes a sealing member 31 whose distal end edge is brought close to the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20, and a holding mechanism 32 which holds the sealing member 31 so that the distance between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 can be adjusted.

It is preferable that at least the tip of the sealing member 31 close to the sealing roller 20 is formed into a square rod shape or a strip shape. It is preferable that the sealing member 31 is oriented such that its tip end surface is substantially parallel to the opposing portion of the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 when viewed in the direction of the rotation axis of the sealing roller 20 . This increases the flow path resistance of gas passing through the gap between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20, making it easier to increase the differential pressure between the first space and the second space. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the tip edge of the sealing member 31 is curved convexly or concavely toward the sealing roller 20 in accordance with the deflection of the sealing roller 20 during steady operation of the film forming apparatus M. There is.

As described above, when the sealing roller 20 is bent mainly due to the differential pressure between the first space and the second space, the circumferential surface of the portion of the sealing roller 20 where the first and second shutter parts 30 face each other The deflections in both cases are deflections that move the central portion in the axial direction away from the shutter section 30. Therefore, the distal edges of the seal members 31 of the first and second shutter sections 30 are both formed to be curved in a convex shape. If the dead weight of the sealing roller 20 is dominant in the deflection of the sealing roller 20, the tip edge of the sealing member 31 may be formed to be curved in a concave shape on the lower second shutter section 30.

The distance between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 during steady operation of the film forming apparatus M depends on the desired differential pressure between the first space and the second space, but may be set to, for example, 100 μm or less. may be necessary. When the distance between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 increases, gas in the first space may flow into the second space through the gap between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20, increasing the internal pressure of the second space. . Furthermore, if the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 come into contact with each other, the sealing member 31 or the sealing roller 20 may be worn out and abrasion powder may adhere to the web W. I have to try not to do that.

In the shutter section 30, the distal end edge of the sealing member 31 is curved, so that the distance between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 can be reduced overall. Conversely, if the tip edge of the sealing member 31 is straight, assembly errors and differences in the distance between the sealing member 31 at the end and the center of the sealing roller 20 due to the deflection of the sealing roller 20 may occur. If mechanical vibration or the like is applied, the distance between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 cannot be kept within the above range over the entire length of the sealing roller 20. The sealing device 1 having the sealing member 31 having a curved tip edge can reduce the amount of gas flowing from the first space to the second space, so even if the ability of the low pressure source to discharge the gas from the second space is small. The pressure difference between the first space and the second space can be made relatively large.

The seal member 31 can be made of steel, stainless steel, or the like. In addition, the sealing member 31 may come into contact with the sealing roller 20 due to unforeseen circumstances, such as when the vacuum pump suddenly stops due to a power outage and the pressure on the low pressure side suddenly increases, or when large vibrations are received for some reason. It is preferable that the tip end portion be coated with resin or the like so as not to damage the sealing roller 20 even if the sealing roller 20 is not damaged. As the resin covering the tip of the sealing member 31, it is preferable to use urethane resin, acrylic resin, styrene acrylic resin, epoxy resin, vinyl ester resin, polyurea resin, NBR resin, etc., which have high hardness and excellent wear resistance. The thickness of the resin covering the tip of the sealing member 31 is preferably about several tens of micrometers in order to suppress errors in the shape of the tip edge of the sealing member 31.

The sealing device 1 uses a holding mechanism 32 to bring the leading edge of the sealing member 31 close to the sealing roller 20 when the film forming apparatus M is in steady operation, and to keep the leading edge of the sealing member 31 close to the sealing roller 20 when the film forming apparatus M is stopped or in unsteady operation. The edge can be spaced apart from the sealing roller 20.

The holding mechanism 32 holds a base member 33 disposed on the frame 10 and the sealing member 31 so as to be able to protrude and retract in the radial direction of the sealing roller 20 , and also maintains a diameter of the sealing roller 20 with respect to the base member 33 . a movable support member 34 mounted so as to be movable in the direction; an adjusting section 35 for positioning the seal member 31 on the movable support member 34; The structure may include an elastic member 36 that exerts force.

The holding mechanism 32 reduces the gap between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 by causing the movable support member 34 to protrude toward the sealing roller 20 side using the adjustment section 35 in order to make the shutter section 30 exhibit a sealing effect. do. Furthermore, when the sealing roller 20 comes into contact with the sealing member 31 due to some unexpected situation where the deflection of the sealing roller 20 is reduced, the holding mechanism 32 resists the biasing force of the elastic member 36 and holds the sealing member 31 in place. By making it possible to retreat, damage to the sealing roller 20 and the sealing member 31 is prevented.

The base member 33 may be formed integrally with the frame 10 or may be airtightly attached to the frame 10. It is preferable that the movable support member 34 is airtightly attached to the base member 33 and holds the seal member 31 airtightly. The adjustment section 35 can be configured by, for example, a micrometer head. The elastic member 36 is normally disposed so as to press the movable support member 34 against the moving end on the sealing roller side, and can be constituted by, for example, a helical spring.

The adjustment unit 35 may be configured to automatically adjust the gap between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 according to the operating state of the vacuum device U, but may also be configured to be operated under the initiative of an operator. good. When the adjustment section 35 is configured to be operated manually, the shutter section 30 is preferably provided outside the first space, that is, the decompression chamber R, so that the operator can easily access it.

In addition, in order to quickly reduce the pressure in the second space when starting the vacuum device U, the seal is It is desirable to change the position of the member 31 from time to time. In this case, if the shutter section 30 is disposed on the first space side, even if the adjustment of the position of the sealing member 31 is delayed, the gap between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 will increase, so the sealing member 31 is brought into contact with the sealing roller 20 by mistake.

The guide roller 40 is disposed before and after the sealing roller 20 in order to bring the web W into close contact with the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 within a certain angular range by its tension.

The film forming apparatus M having the above configuration includes a sealing device 1 and a vacuum device that can form a large pressure difference at a relatively low cost, and therefore can form a film on the web W at a relatively low cost. In particular, the film forming apparatus M according to the present embodiment is capable of forming a film by using the sputtering device E to reduce the internal pressure of the reduced pressure chamber R adjacent to the first space at atmospheric pressure without arranging the sealing apparatus 1 in multiple stages. reduced to pressure. Thereby, the film forming apparatus M can be significantly downsized compared to conventional film forming apparatuses, and equipment costs can be significantly reduced.

<Multilayer film manufacturing method>
One embodiment of the multilayer film manufacturing method according to the present invention includes a step of laminating different materials on the surface of the web W using the film forming apparatus M shown in FIG. The web W can be continuously supplied to the first buffer chamber R1 of the film forming apparatus M from a reel (not shown) on which the web W is wound. Further, the processed web W (manufactured multilayer film) continuously discharged from the sixth buffer chamber R6 can be wound onto another reel (not shown) and recovered.

According to this multilayer film manufacturing method, the degree of vacuum in the decompression chamber R can be easily increased by the sealing device 1, so a high quality multilayer film can be manufactured by forming a film on the web W serving as a base material at a relatively low cost. can do.

In addition, by manufacturing a multilayer film using the film forming apparatus M, on the upstream and downstream sides of the film forming apparatus M, that is, under atmospheric pressure, an oven drying process, a coating process, an appearance inspection process, and a slit (film dividing process) are performed. ) process can be carried out. In other words, in the film forming apparatus M, only the processes that need to be performed under vacuum can be performed, so there is no need to install large-scale manufacturing equipment that can perform all processes under vacuum. Films can be produced continuously at lower cost.

[Second embodiment]
A film forming apparatus Ma according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The film forming apparatus Ma shown in FIG. 5 is an apparatus that laminates a film on the surface of the web W, similarly to the film forming apparatus M shown in FIG. In addition, regarding the film-forming apparatus Ma of FIG. 5, the same components as those of the film-forming apparatus M of FIG.

The film forming apparatus Ma includes a reduced pressure chamber Ra that defines a second space whose pressure is lower than the first space that is open to the atmosphere, and two sealing devices 1a disposed on a single partition wall Pa of the reduced pressure chamber Ra. The vacuum device Ua includes a vacuum device Ua having a vacuum device Ua, and a film forming mechanism F disposed inside a decompression chamber Ra of the vacuum device Ua. The vacuum device Ua is another embodiment of the vacuum device according to the present invention, and the seal device 1a is another embodiment of the seal device according to the present invention.

In this embodiment, the web W enters the reduced pressure chamber Ra through one of the sealing devices 1a, is turned back inside the reduced pressure chamber Ra, and leaves the other sealing device 1a in the opposite direction. Since the film forming apparatus Ma folds back and conveys the web W in the reduced pressure chamber Ra, the area occupied by the entire apparatus is relatively small.

The film forming apparatus Ma includes a low pressure source V1 that discharges gas inside the reduced pressure chamber R, and a plurality of low pressure sources V11, V12, and V13 each connected to the sealing device 1a. The low pressure sources V11, V12, and V13 can be configured by the same exhaust device as the low pressure source V1.

<Seal device>
Hereinafter, the sealing device 1 of the film forming apparatus M will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6.

As shown in detail in FIG. 6, the sealing device 1a includes a frame 10a that is disposed on the partition wall Pa, communicates with the first space and the second space, and has a transport opening 11a through which the web W passes; A sealing roller 20 that is disposed inside and guides the web W, one shutter portion 30a that seals the gap between the frame 10a and the side of the sealing roller 20 that does not guide the web W, and the sealing roller 20 A pair of guide rollers 40 are provided for guiding the web W before and after the web W.

The frame 10a holds a bearing (not shown) that supports the sealing roller 20. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the frame body 10a is opened at a portion of the inner wall of the conveyance opening 11a that faces the circumferential surface on the side that guides the web W of the sealing roller 20, and has low pressure sources V11, V12, and V13. A plurality of exhaust flow paths (first exhaust flow path 121, second exhaust flow path 122, and third exhaust flow path in order from the first space side) are connected to The exhaust flow path 123) and the inner wall of the conveying opening 11a facing the area for guiding the web W on the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 communicate with the exhaust flow paths 121, 122, and 123, respectively, and the rotation of the sealing roller 20 A plurality of communication suction grooves (first communication suction groove 131, second communication suction groove 132, and third communication suction groove 133 in order from the first space side) formed to extend in a direction substantially parallel to the axis, and a conveyance opening. A pair of inner walls facing the end surface of the sealing roller 20 of the conveyance opening 11a are continuous from the communication suction grooves 131, 132, and 133, respectively, and are opposed to an area for guiding the web W on the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 of the conveyance opening 11a. A plurality of side suction grooves (first side suction groove 141, second side suction groove 142, and third side suction groove 143) reaching the inner wall and a web W on the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 of the conveyance opening 11a. A plurality of opposing suction grooves (141, 142, 143) are formed on the inner wall facing the area for guiding the sealing roller 20, and are formed to extend in a direction substantially parallel to the rotation axis of the sealing roller 20, and connect between the pair of side suction grooves 141, 142, 143. A first opposing suction groove 151, a second opposing suction groove 152, and a third opposing suction groove 153).

The exhaust channels 121, 122, and 123 exhaust gas from between the web W guided by the sealing roller 20 and the lower inner wall of the conveyance opening 11a facing thereto. That is, by discharging a portion of the gas that has entered the gap between the conveyance opening 11a and the sealing roller from the first space to the outside through the exhaust channels 121, 122, and 123, the amount of gas flowing into the second space can be reduced. This makes it possible to reduce the factors that increase the internal pressure in the second space. The exhaust flow paths 121, 122, 123 may be connected to the low pressure sources V11, V12, V13 through the partition wall Pa, or may be connected by piping or the like that does not pass through the partition wall Pa. In order to reduce the pressure in order from the first space to the second space, it is necessary to lower the pressure inside the exhaust channels 121, 122, 123 toward the second space. For this reason, the exhaust flow paths 121, 122, 123 are preferably connected to independent low pressure sources V11, V12, V13, respectively, as shown in FIG. In addition, in order to reduce the exhaust resistance, as shown in FIG. may be provided.

If even a slight leak occurs between the exhaust flow paths 121, 122, 123 and the low pressure sources V11, V12, V13, the exhaust capacity will be significantly reduced. Strength is required for flow paths such as piping that connects these. Specifically, for example, a pipe, a flexible hose, or the like may be disposed between the exhaust flow paths 121, 122, 123 and the low pressure sources V11, V12, V13. These channels may be connected using pipe joints such as flanges. Further, as the material of the pipes and the like constituting these flow paths, stainless steel such as SUS304 and SUS316, carbon steel, titanium, nickel, etc. can be used.

At this time, since the communicating suction grooves 131, 132, and 133 are formed, the force for sucking gas from the space between the sealing roller 20 and the upper inner wall of the conveyance opening 11a is increased in the direction of the rotation axis of the sealing roller 20. averaged to Further, the gas between the end face of the sealing roller 20 and the opposing side wall of the conveyance opening 11a is discharged through the side suction grooves 141, 142, 143 continuous from the communication suction groove 13, and further, the side suction groove Gas is also discharged from the space between the sealing roller 20 and the upper inner wall of the conveyance opening 11a through the opposed suction grooves 151, 152, 153 continuous from the suction grooves 141, 142, 143. Due to flow path resistance, the suction force by the opposing suction grooves 151, 152, 153 may be smaller than the suction force by the communicating suction grooves 131, 132, 133, but the shutter portion 30a prevents the sealing roller 20 and the conveyance opening 11a. Since the amount of gas flowing between the sealing roller 20 and the upper inner wall of the transport opening 11a is suppressed, the amount of gas flowing into the second space from between the sealing roller 20 and the upper inner wall of the conveyance opening 11a is sufficiently suppressed.

The second side suction groove 142 is bent and extends so as to bypass the shaft or bearing of the sealing roller 20 . Further, the suction pressures of the plurality of exhaust flow paths 121, 122, and 123 may be configured to be independently adjustable. Thereby, the amount of gas flowing into the second space from the first space can be suppressed relatively efficiently.

The widths of the communicating suction grooves 131, 132, 133, the side suction grooves 141, 142, 143, and the opposing suction grooves 151, 152, 153 can be, for example, 5 mm or more and 25 mm or less. Further, the depths of the communicating suction grooves 131, 132, 133, the side suction grooves 141, 142, 143, and the opposing suction grooves 151, 152, 153 can be set to 1 to 3 times their respective widths. By making the widths of the communicating suction grooves 131, 132, 133, the side suction grooves 141, 142, 143, and the opposing suction grooves 151, 152, 153 relatively small, a gas flow path from the first space to the second space is created. Since the flow path resistance of the gap between the inner wall of the transport opening 11a and the sealing roller 20 can be increased, the amount of gas flowing into the second space can be suppressed.

The shutter section 30a includes a sealing member 31 whose distal end edge is brought close to the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20, and a holding mechanism 32a which holds the sealing member 31 so that the distance between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 can be adjusted.

The sealing device 1a uses a holding mechanism 32a to bring the tip edge of the sealing member 31 close to the sealing roller 20 when the film forming apparatus M is in steady operation, and to keep the tip edge of the sealing member 31 close to the sealing roller 20 when the film forming apparatus M is stopped or in unsteady operation. The edge can be spaced apart from the sealing roller 20.

The holding mechanism 32a holds a base member 33a disposed on the frame body 10 and the sealing member 31, and is arranged in a direction inclined with respect to the base member 33 between the circumferential direction and the radial direction of the sealing roller 20. It can be configured to include a movable support member 34a that is movably attached, and a pressure contact portion 37 that presses the movable support member 34a against the base member 33a and fixes it by frictional force. The holding mechanism 32a can adjust the distance between the sealing member 31 and the sealing roller 20 depending on the fixed position of the movable support member 34a with respect to the base member 33a.

The pressure contact portion 37 may include an adjustment screw 38 that is screwed into the base member 33a, and an elastic member 39 that is sandwiched between the head of the adjustment screw 38 and the movable support member 34a. The elastic member 39 is pressed against the base member 33a of the movable support member 34a. In other words, the elastic member 39 biases the seal member 31 in a direction to protrude toward the sealing roller 20, and if the seal member 31 comes into contact with the sealing roller 20 for some reason, the elastic member 39 does not move the seal member 31. It can be retracted together with the support member 34a.

In the sealing device 1a of the present embodiment, the shutter portion 30a is disposed only on the side of the circumferential surface of the sealing roller 20 that does not guide the web W, so the sealing member 31 does not come into contact with the web W even in the unlikely event. Therefore, even if an abnormal pressure change occurs in the decompression chamber Ra, the web W does not break in the film forming apparatus Ma, and operation can be easily restarted.

Furthermore, by combining the shutter section 30 and the side suction grooves 141, 142, 143 as shown in FIG. 6, the efficiency of discharging gas is improved, the load on the low pressure source V1 is reduced, and the reduced pressure chamber R is made smaller. Therefore, the equipment cost of the film forming apparatus M can be reduced.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made.

For example, in the film forming apparatus according to the present invention, the shutter section may be disposed on the second space side. As a result, when the film forming apparatus is stopped and the deflection of the sealing roller is reduced, the center part of the sealing roller moves in the direction away from the sealing member, so the adjustment part of the sealing apparatus can be omitted. There is.

In the sealing device according to the present invention, the holding mechanism that separates the sealing member from the sealing roller when stopped or the like is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. For example, the movable support member may be positioned with respect to the base member by the adjustment portion, and the seal member may be urged to protrude relative to the movable support member by the elastic member.

In the sealing device according to the present invention, the means for preventing damage caused by contact between the sealing member and the sealing roller is not limited to a configuration in which the sealing member is urged by an elastic member, and a sensor is used to prevent damage caused by contact between the sealing member and the sealing roller or the web. A mechanism may be provided for detecting contact between the sealing member and separating the sealing member from the sealing roller.

In the sealing device according to the present invention, even if the frame body is provided with an exhaust flow path, the third suction groove, the third suction groove and the side suction groove, or the third suction groove, the side suction groove and the communicating suction The groove may be omitted. This omission may be done differently for multiple exhaust channels. For example, a communication suction groove, a side suction groove, and a third suction groove that communicate with one exhaust flow path are formed, and all of the communication suction groove, side suction groove, and third suction groove are formed in the other exhaust flow path. Alternatively, a portion may not be formed.

Furthermore, the number of exhaust channels and the first to third suction grooves is arbitrary. Furthermore, an exhaust flow path may be provided in a portion of the inner wall of the conveyance opening facing the circumferential surface of the sealing roller on the side that does not guide the web, and an exhaust flow path may be provided in a portion of the inner wall of the conveying opening facing the end surface of the sealing roller. An open exhaust flow path may be provided.

The vacuum apparatus and film forming apparatus according to the present invention may be equipped with the sealing apparatus according to the present invention in multiple stages. In other words, by setting the second space on the low pressure side of the first sealing device as the first space in the second sealing device, the pressure in the second space in the second sealing device is reduced to the second space in the first sealing device. It can be even lower than that.

1, 1a Sealing device 10, 10a Frame 11, 11a Conveyance opening 121, 122, 123 Exhaust channel 131, 132, 133 Communication suction groove 141, 142, 143 Side suction groove 151, 152, 153 Opposing suction groove 20 Seal Stop roller 30, 30a Shutter part 31 Seal member 32, 32a Holding mechanism 33, 33a Base member 34, 34a Movable support member 35 Adjustment part 36 Elastic member 37 Pressure contact part 38 Adjustment screw 39 Elastic member 40 Guide roller D Drum E Sputtering device F Film forming mechanism M, Ma Film forming device P, Pa Partition wall R, Ra Decompression chamber U, Ua Vacuum device V1, V11 Low pressure source W Web

Claims (7)

A sealing device that enables continuous conveyance of a web while isolating a first space and a second space whose pressure is lower than that of the first space,
a frame body disposed on a partition wall separating the first space and the second space, communicating with the first space and the second space, and having a conveyance opening through which the web passes;
a sealing roller disposed inside the conveyance opening and guiding the web;
a shutter portion disposed on the frame body and sealing a gap between the frame body and the sealing roller;
Equipped with
The shutter portion has at least a tip portion shaped like a band plate, faces the peripheral surface of the sealing roller, and has a convex or concave shape on the side of the sealing roller in accordance with the deflection of the sealing roller during steady operation. 1. A sealing device comprising: a sealing member having a distal end edge curved in a curved manner; and a holding mechanism that holds the sealing member so as to be able to adjust a distance between the sealing member and the sealing roller. The sealing device according to claim 1 , wherein the holding mechanism further includes an elastic member that urges the sealing member to protrude toward the sealing roller. 3. The frame body has an exhaust flow path that opens in an inner wall of the conveyance opening, is connected to a low pressure source, and discharges gas in a space between the sealing roller and the sealing roller to the outside. sealing device. 4. The sealing device according to claim 3 , wherein the exhaust flow path opens in a portion of the inner wall of the conveyance opening that faces a peripheral surface on a side where the sealing roller guides the web. A vacuum device comprising the sealing device according to claim 1 and a reduced pressure chamber defining the second space. The vacuum device according to claim 5 ;
a film forming mechanism that is provided in the reduced pressure chamber and that laminates different materials on the surface of the web;
A film forming apparatus comprising: A multilayer film manufacturing method comprising the step of laminating different materials on the surface of the web using the film forming apparatus according to claim 6 .

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