JPH06173001A - Vacuum deposition device for continuously forming film - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the initial cost of equipment, to prevent the contamination of a clean room and to improve working efficiency. CONSTITUTION:A vacuum deposition vessel 1 is provided on the outside B of a clean room opposed to the corner section C of the room to apply vacuum deposition on the plural substrates held by a base jig 4. The inlet and outlet vessels 2 and 3 are furnished on the outside of the corner section C with the vessel 1 in-between, and a station 5 is furnished at the corner section C to introduce the base jig 4 into the inlet vessel 2 and to recover the base jig 4 from the outlet vessel 3. The inlet vessel 2 is communicated with the outlet vessel 3 through the vessel 1 and a communicating passage 6 with a gate valve 7 interposed between the vessel and the corner section C.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus for continuous film formation in which a substrate, which is required to be transported in a clean environment, is continuously supplied into a vapor deposition tank to form a film and then recovered. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vacuum deposition apparatus for continuous film formation of this type, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of substrates (not shown) held by a substrate jig e are kept under vacuum. The vapor deposition tank a for performing vapor deposition, the inlet tank b provided on one side of the vapor deposition tank a, and the outlet tank c provided on the other side of the vapor deposition tank a are provided. The outlet tank c and the outlet tank c are arranged in a straight line so as to communicate with the vapor deposition tank a through the gate valve d, and the substrate jig e is inserted into each of the tanks a, b and c. A transfer means (not shown) is provided on a transfer path for transferring from the inside of the tank b through the inside of the vapor deposition tank a to the outside of the outlet tank c, and the substrate jig e is introduced into the above-mentioned inlet tank b. It is known that an introducing station f and a collecting station g for collecting the substrate jig e from the outlet tank c are separately provided. There.

Further, the above-mentioned vacuum deposition apparatus for continuous film formation is
Since it is required to introduce and recover the substrate in a clean environment, a recess h that is recessed toward the room AX side is formed in the side wall RX of the clean room, and the vapor deposition tank a, the entrance tank b, and the exit tank c are formed in the recess h. Are accommodated, and an introduction station f and a recovery station g are provided at both sides of the recess h on the side of the room AX via gate valves i, respectively. Furthermore, in order to create a vacuum in each tank a, b, c, each tank a,
An exhaust pump j is connected to b and c from the outside BX side of the clean room. This exhaust pump j is for each tank a,
Since it occupies a considerable area facing the side walls of b and c, the maintenance door k required for cleaning or inspecting the inside of the vapor deposition tank a is the interior AX of the clean room of the vapor deposition tank a.
It is provided on the side wall facing the side.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, the introduction station f and the recovery station g are arranged at positions separated from each other, so that the operator can move between the stations f and g. Space to move,
Moreover, there is a problem that a space is required for a worker to work on each of the stations f and g, and these spaces increase the area of the clean room and raise the initial cost of the equipment.

Further, since the introducing station f and the collecting station g are arranged at positions separated from each other, after collecting the substrate from the substrate jig e at the collecting station g,
It is necessary to set a new substrate before film formation on this substrate jig e and carry the substrate jig e again to the introduction station f. However, if the apparatus is large, the distance for carrying the substrate jig e becomes long, There is also a problem of reducing work efficiency.

Further, since the maintenance door k of the vapor deposition tank a faces the inside of the clean room, the vapor deposition tank a
There is also a problem that dust in the vapor deposition tank a may enter the clean room during the cleaning or inspection of the above to contaminate the room AX of the clean room.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to reduce the initial cost of equipment, prevent contamination of the interior of a clean room, and improve work efficiency. The present invention is intended to provide a vacuum deposition apparatus for continuous film formation.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a continuous film forming vacuum vapor deposition apparatus of the present invention faces a substrate jig for holding a substrate and a corner portion on the indoor side of a clean room. A vapor deposition tank for performing vacuum vapor deposition on the substrate provided on the outside of the clean room, an inlet tank and an outlet tank provided so as to sandwich the vapor deposition tank on the outside of the corner portion, A station provided at the corner for introducing the substrate jig into the inlet tank and collecting the substrate jig from the outlet tank, wherein the inlet tank and the outlet tank each have an opening / closing means. The corner portion and the vapor deposition tank are communicated with each other by the communication path, and the substrate jig is carried from the station to the station by sequentially passing through the inlet tank, the vapor deposition premises, and the outlet tank. The conveying path is formed to be, it is on the conveying path in which characterized in that a conveying means for conveying the substrate jig.

Further, the vapor deposition tank may be provided with a maintenance door for maintenance on the side wall on the outside of the clean room other than facing the inlet tank and the outlet tank.

Further, the station is provided with a conveying means supported by an elevating means rotated by a rotating means,
It is effective to introduce the substrate into the inlet tank and collect it from the outlet tank by the transfer means.

[0011]

With the above construction, in the invention according to claim 1,
The substrate jig on which the substrate is set is introduced from the station into the inlet tank by the transfer means, is then transferred to the vapor deposition tank, is supported in the vapor deposition tank, and is subjected to film formation by vacuum vapor deposition on the substrate. . After the film formation, the substrate jig is transported to the station again through the exit tank by the transporting means, and is collected at this station. At the station, only the substrate after film formation and the substrate before film formation are exchanged, and the substrate jig with the substrate set does not have to be transferred from the outlet tank to the inlet tank, but from the station to the inlet tank. be introduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the vapor deposition tank provided facing the corner portion of the clean room, a maintenance door is provided on the outside wall of the clean room other than facing the inlet tank and the outlet tank. It is provided, and at the time of maintenance, the above maintenance door is opened and the inside of the vapor deposition tank is cleaned and inspected.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 4 show a vacuum deposition apparatus for continuous film formation according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is a room A in a clean room.
One wall R ₁ and the other wall R ₂ that are adjacent walls that partition the side and the outdoor side B are the interior A of the clean room.
A side corner portion C is formed, and a station 5 described later is provided in this corner portion C.

On the outside B side of the clean room, a vapor deposition tank 1 is provided at a position facing the corner C,
An inlet tank 2 and an outlet tank 3 are provided outside the corner portion C so as to sandwich the vapor deposition tank 1 therebetween.

Side walls of the vapor deposition tank 1 and the inlet tank 2 facing each other are communicated with each other by a communication passage 6 having a gate valve 7 as an opening / closing means interposed therebetween, and the gate valve 7 can open and close the communication passage 6. it can. Also, the vapor deposition tank 1 and the outlet tank 3
And the side walls facing each other are communicated with each other through a communication passage 6 in which a gate valve 7 as an opening / closing means is interposed.
The communication passage 6 can be opened and closed by the. Further, the inlet tank 2 has its side wall facing _one wall R ₁ of the clean room communicated with a corner portion C by a communication passage 6 having a gate valve 7 interposed therebetween, and the outlet tank 3 has the other side of the clean room. The side wall facing the wall R ₂ is connected to the corner portion C by a communication passage 6 with a gate valve 7 interposed.

That is, the inlet tank 2 and the outlet tank 3 are
The corner portion C and the vapor deposition tank 1 are communicated with each other by a communication passage 6 having a gate valve 7 as an opening / closing means, whereby the substrate jig 4 is moved from the station 5 into the inlet tank 2. A transfer path is formed to sequentially pass through the vapor deposition tank 1 and the outlet tank 3 to the station 5.

The inlet tank 2 and the outlet tank 3 are respectively connected to an exhaust pump 12 arranged on the outside B side of the clean room for evacuating the inside of each tank 2, 3. Also,
Since the vapor deposition tank 1 is provided on the outside B side facing the corner portion C of the clean room, almost half of the side walls other than facing the inlet tank 2 and the outlet tank 3 are on the outside B side of the clean room. An exhaust pump 12 connected to the vapor deposition tank 1 for evacuating the interior of the vapor deposition tank 1 and a maintenance door 13 are provided on the side wall facing the outdoor side B. The maintenance door 13 is opened when performing maintenance such as cleaning and inspection of the vapor deposition tank 1.

As shown in FIG. 2, the station 5 is provided with a conveyer 8 as a conveying means for introducing the substrate jig 4 into the inlet tank 2 and collecting it from the outlet tank. The conveyor 8 of the present embodiment is supported by a lifter 10 which is an ascending / descending means that is rotated by a rotating means 9, and is rotated forward and backward by about 90 degrees by the rotating means 9 so that the inlet tank 2 is rotated. The substrate jig 4 is introduced into the inlet tank 2 or the substrate jig 4 carried out from the outlet tank 3 is collected depending on whether the substrate jig 4 faces the outlet tank 3 or the outlet tank 3. , With this lifter 10,
It is possible to move up and down between a lower position where the substrate is attached to and detached from the substrate jig 4 and an upper position when the substrate jig 4 is introduced into the inlet tank 2 and when the substrate jig 4 is recovered from the outlet tank 3. It is like this.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the vapor deposition tank 1 is provided with an evaporation source 1a at the lower portion of the drawing, and the substrate jig supported by a substrate jig holding member 18 on the upper wall. A rotation driving means 15 for rotating the tool 4 around the vertical line is provided.

The rotation driving means 15 includes a deceleration motor 16 mounted on the upper surface of the vapor deposition tank 1, a drive shaft 17 which projects the driving force of the deceleration motor 16 into the vapor deposition tank 1, and a drive shaft thereof. The substrate jig holding member 18 is fixed to the free end side of 17. The substrate jig holding member 18 is provided above the transfer space of the substrate jig 4 sent on the transfer conveyor 11, and has a central portion 19 fixed to the drive shaft 17 and the central portion. A plurality of suspending arms 20 radially extending from 19 to 3 are provided, and a connecting claw 21 is provided at the tip of each suspending arm 20 so as to project inward.

Around the substrate jig 4, locking claws 22 which are locked to the connecting claws 21 of the suspension arm 20 are provided at three locations corresponding to the connecting claws 21 of the suspension arm 20. ing.

In the vapor deposition tank 1, the transfer conveyor 1
Elevating means (not shown) for elevating the substrate jig 4 on the lifting arm 20 is provided. The substrate jig 4 is moved by the elevating means so that each of the suspension arms 20
The connection claw 21 is lifted to a height above the plane of rotation. In this state, the rotation driving means 15 is activated to rotate the suspension arm 20 by a predetermined amount, and the connecting claws 2 are moved.
When the elevating means is operated after arranging 1 under the locking claws 22, the connecting claws 21 and the locking claws 2 are moved.
2 are engaged with each other, and the substrate jig 4 moves to the suspension arm 20.
It is supposed to be hung on.

As is clear from the above description, the station 5, the inlet tank 2, the vapor deposition tank 1 and the outlet tank 3 at the corner C are communicated with each other by the communication passage 6 with the gate valve 7 interposed therebetween, and the substrate treatment is performed. A transfer path for transferring the tool 4 from the station 5 through the inlet tank 2, the vapor deposition tank 1 and the outlet tank 3 to the station is formed, and the transfer means is provided on the transfer path. The substrate jig 4 can be transported by the transfer conveyor 11.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.
Substrate jig 4 introduced from the station 5 into the inlet tank 2
After being transferred to the vapor deposition tank 1 by the transfer conveyor 11,
The substrate is supported in the vapor deposition tank 1 and a film is formed on the substrate by vapor deposition. After the film formation, the substrate jig 4 is conveyed to the outlet tank 3 by the transfer conveyor 11, and then returns to the station 5 to be collected at the station 5. Needless to say, the substrate jig 4 conveys by passing between the transfer conveyors 11 adjacent to each other while sequentially opening or closing the gate valves 7 to sequentially open or close the communication passages 6. To do.

In the station 5, only the substrate after film formation and the substrate before film formation are exchanged, and the substrate jig 4 on which the substrate is set is moved from the outlet tank 3 to the inlet tank 2 as in the above conventional technique.
Since it can be introduced into the inlet tank 2 from the station 5 without needing to be transferred to the station 5, the work efficiency can be improved, and the work space can be reduced by eliminating the movement space of the worker, and the initial cost of the equipment can be reduced. Can be made.

Further, during maintenance of the vapor deposition tank 1,
Since the maintenance door 13 can be opened from the outside B side of the clean room to clean and inspect the vapor deposition tank 1, dust inside the vapor deposition tank 1 will not enter the room A of the clean room and contamination of the room A can be prevented. it can.

[0028]

As described above, according to the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus for continuous film formation of claim 1, in the station, only the substrate after film formation and the substrate before film formation are exchanged, and the substrate is not changed. Since it is not necessary to transfer the set substrate jig from the outlet tank to the inlet tank, it is possible to improve the work efficiency, eliminate the movement space of the worker, and reduce the work space.
The initial cost of equipment can be reduced.

According to the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus for continuous film formation of the second aspect, at the time of maintenance of the vapor deposition tank, the maintenance door can be opened from the outside of the clean room to clean or inspect the vapor deposition tank. It can prevent pollution in the clean room.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a vacuum deposition apparatus for continuous film formation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view on arrow XX in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line YY of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line ZZ in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a conventional vacuum vapor deposition apparatus for continuous film formation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 vapor deposition tank 2 inlet tank 3 outlet tank 4 substrate jig 5 station 6 communication passage 7 gate valve 8 conveyor 11 transfer conveyor 12 exhaust pump 13 maintenance door A clean room indoor B clean room outdoor C corner

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Koji Sawamura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Takahiro Numata 3-43 Shirute, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Shinmeiwa Industry Co., Ltd. Sales Headquarters (72) Inventor Shinichi Yamabe 1-1 Shinmeiwacho, Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture Shinmeiwa Industry Co., Ltd. Industrial Machinery Division (72) Inventor Kao Nakamura Shinmeiwa Town, Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture 1-1 No. 1 Industrial Machinery Division, Shinmeiwa Industry Co., Ltd. (72) Nobuhiro Haji 1-1-1 Shinmeiwacho, Takarazuka-shi, Hyogo Prefecture Industrial Machinery Business Division Shinmeiwa Industry Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A substrate jig for holding a substrate, and a vapor deposition tank for performing vacuum vapor deposition on the substrate provided on the outside of the clean room facing the corner portion on the indoor side of the clean room. An inlet tank and an outlet tank provided outside the clean room so as to sandwich the vapor deposition tank therebetween, and for introducing the substrate jig into the inlet tank and recovering the substrate jig from the outlet tank. And a station provided in the corner section of the substrate jig, wherein the inlet tank and the outlet tank are communicated with the corner section and the vapor deposition tank by communication passages with opening and closing means interposed therebetween, and the substrate jig is connected to the station. A transport means for transporting the substrate jig to the station through the inside of the inlet tank, the inside of the deposition chamber, and the inside of the outlet tank in sequence, and the carrier means for transporting the substrate jig on the transport path. A vacuum deposition apparatus for continuous film formation, characterized by being provided. 2. The continuous formation according to claim 1, wherein the vapor deposition tank is provided with a maintenance door for maintenance on an outer side wall of the clean room other than facing the inlet tank and the outlet tank. Vacuum deposition equipment for film. 3. The station is provided with a transfer means supported by an elevating means rotated by a rotating means, and the substrate is introduced into the inlet tank and recovered from the outlet tank by the transfer means. The vacuum vapor deposition device for continuous film formation according to claim 1 or 2.