JPH06330292A - Apparatus for production of thin film and production method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently produce thin films of a multilayered structure having excellent film characteristics, such as recording and reproducing characteristics by enhancing the efficiency of utilizing the atoms of an evaporating source. CONSTITUTION:A shielding plate 9 arranged between an electron beam evaporating source 7 and band-shaped substrate traveling space of the apparatus for production of the thin films for forming the thin films by an electron beam vapor deposition method on the band-shaped substrate 4 moving along the surfaces of an endless band body 5 in a vacuum is provided with plural openings A1, A2 and the thin films are formed plural times on the band-shaped substrate 4 by the same electron beam evaporating source 7.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for producing a thin film such as a magnetic tape.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Thin films play an extremely important role in modern society, and their fields of use are wide-ranging, and thin films are used in various fields of daily life. Also in the field of magnetic tapes, research and development of thin film magnetic recording media have been actively conducted with the aim of increasing the density of recording media. Among the high-density thin film magnetic recording media, the Co-based oxide thin film has already been commercialized as a video tape and has attracted attention.

As a method for producing a tape-shaped Co-based oxide thin film recording medium, the continuous winding vacuum vapor deposition method is particularly superior in productivity. According to this method
As shown in FIG. 2, while the long strip-shaped polymer substrate 4a travels along the circumferential surface of the cylindrical can 5a, the electron beam 6
A magnetic layer can be formed by vapor deposition using the evaporation source 7a irradiated with a, and mass production of magnetic recording media can be performed. A long magnetic tape can be produced by using Co or Co—Ni that evaporates from the electron beam evaporation source 7a as a magnetic material and performing evaporation in an atmosphere of oxygen supplied from the oxygen gas supply port 8a.

[0004]

When the thin film magnetic layer is formed on the substrate 4a by the vacuum deposition method, the substrate 4 is used.
The incident direction of the vapor on the a-plane has a great influence on the magnetic characteristics and the recording / reproducing property. Therefore, in the Co-based oxide thin film tape, a magnetic layer is formed by oblique vapor deposition, and multi-layering of the magnetic layer is under study to reduce noise.

However, when oblique vapor deposition is performed by the method shown in FIG. 2, if the incident angle of vapor is limited to an appropriate range in order to improve the recording / reproducing characteristics, the effect of utilizing vaporized atoms becomes very small. . Further, when the magnetic layer is formed in multiple layers, the number of steps is increased and the cost is increased. The present invention aims to solve these problems.

[0006]

The present invention provides an electron beam evaporation source and an electron beam evaporation source in a thin film manufacturing apparatus for forming a thin film on a belt-like substrate moving along the surface of an endless belt in vacuum by an electron beam evaporation method. A plurality of openings are provided in a shield plate arranged between the strip substrate traveling space and the same electron beam evaporation source is used to form a thin film on the strip substrate a plurality of times. The relation between the position of the opening of the electron beam and the installation position of the electron beam evaporation source increases monotonically with the change in the incident angle of the vapor incident on the strip substrate from the electron beam evaporation source through multiple thin film formations. , Is specified so that it does not decrease monotonically.

Further, the present invention is a thin film manufacturing method for forming a thin film by an electron beam evaporation method on a belt-shaped substrate which moves along the surface of an endless belt in vacuum, in a plurality of times during one run of the belt-shaped substrate. A thin film is formed by vapor deposition from an electron beam evaporation source, and the total minimum and maximum changes in the vapor incident angle over the entire traveling path are two or more.

[0008]

According to the present invention, since the endless strip is used and the strip-shaped substrate is made to travel along the endless strip, the vapor incident angle is optimized in the traveling direction of the strip-shaped substrate at each of a plurality of vapor deposition positions. It is possible to set it to be in the range,
Further, by making the traveling direction of the belt-shaped substrate linear, for example, it is possible to perform good vapor deposition in a state in which the change in the incident angle of vapor is relatively small. Then, while the strip-shaped substrate travels once along the endless strip, the incident angle of vapor at the time of forming the rear layer is returned to the initial incident angle side at the time of forming the front layer so that thin films can be laminated, and the formation of a multilayer film. Can be done efficiently.

[0009]

EXAMPLE The example shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In the vacuum tank 2 evacuated by the exhaust system 1, the strip-shaped substrate 4 which is a long polymer substrate unwound from the unwinding roll 3 along the rotation direction 12 is wound by the guide roll 11. While traveling along the surface of the endless metal thin strip (endless strip) 5, the electron beam evaporation source 7 irradiated with the electron beam 6 evaporates at the openings A ₁ and A ₂ of the shield plate 9. After being received, it is taken up by the take-up roll 10.

In order to enhance the adhesiveness between the strip-shaped substrate 4 and the metal ribbon 5, the strip-shaped substrate 4 is pressed against the metal ribbon 5 by the nip rolls 16, and then the electron gun 13 for electron emission is used before the thin film is formed. The beam 14 is irradiated. The nip roll 16 and the contact electron gun 13 can be omitted if unnecessary. A thin film can be formed by reactive vapor deposition by installing a gas introduction nozzle 8 and introducing oxygen from here.

As shown in FIG. 1, the endless metal thin strip 5 is suspended by five guide rolls 11 to rotate endlessly, and the strip-shaped substrate 4 supplied from the unwinding roll 3.
To the lower right of the slant, where the first vapor deposition is performed, then to the upper part, and then to the lower right of the slant again, where the second
The vapor deposition is performed for the second time, and then it is guided upward and passed to the winding roll 10. The first vapor deposition is performed using the first opening A ₁ of the shield plate 9, and the vapor incident angle is changed from 70 degrees to 50 degrees with respect to the substrate normal. Second
The second vapor deposition is performed using the second opening A ₂ of the shield substrate 9, and in this case also, the vapor incident angle is changed from 70 degrees to 50 degrees with respect to the substrate normal.

Polyethylene terephthalate was used as the strip-shaped substrate 4, and a Co—O magnetic layer was formed twice as a thin film. With the conventional method shown in FIG. 2, the vapor incident angle is changed from 70 degrees to 5 degrees.
In order to form a two-layer magnetic layer at 0 degree, 2
Although the process was required, the use of the method of this embodiment can realize this in one step as described above. In order to compare the one obtained by the method of this example with the one obtained by the conventional method, MI
A comparative test of recording and reproducing characteristics was performed using a G head, and it was found that the one obtained by the method of this example had lower noise. As a result of analysis by Auger depth profile, it is considered that the oxide obtained by the method of this example has a thinner oxide layer between the magnetic layers and contributes to noise reduction.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the evaporation source is 1
Although the shielding plate 9 has two openings, the present invention is effective even when an evaporation source or an opening is added or a base layer is previously formed on the strip substrate.
Further, in the embodiments, the case where the Co—O magnetic layer is formed as the thin film is described, but the present invention is effective when the Co—Ni—O is used as the magnetic layer or when the thin film other than the magnetic layer is formed. is there.

[0014]

According to the present invention, it is possible to efficiently obtain a thin film having a multilayer structure having excellent film characteristics such as recording / reproducing characteristics by enhancing the effect of utilizing vaporized atoms.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a thin film manufacturing apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a conventional thin film manufacturing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 Belt-shaped substrate 5 Endless strip 7 Evaporation source 8 Gas introduction nozzle A ₁ , A ₂ opening

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A thin film manufacturing apparatus for forming a thin film on a belt-shaped substrate moving along the surface of an endless belt in a vacuum by an electron beam evaporation method, wherein an electron beam evaporation source and a belt-shaped substrate running space are provided. The shield plate is provided with a plurality of openings, and the same electron beam evaporation source is used to form a thin film on the belt-shaped substrate a plurality of times. The change in the three positions of the installation position of the beam evaporation source caused by the thin film formation of the incident angle of the vapor entering the strip substrate from the electron beam evaporation source is not monotonically increasing or monotonically decreasing. The thin-film manufacturing apparatus characterized in that 2. A thin film manufacturing method for forming a thin film by an electron beam evaporation method on a belt-shaped substrate moving along the surface of an endless belt in a vacuum, wherein electron beam evaporation is performed a plurality of times during one run of the belt-shaped substrate. A method for producing a thin film, characterized in that a thin film is formed by vapor deposition from a source, and the sum of the minimum and maximum changes in the vapor incident angle over the entire traveling path is 2 or more. 3. The method for producing a thin film according to claim 2, wherein a polymer substrate is used as the strip substrate, and a magnetic layer containing Co and O or Co, Ni and O as main components is formed as the thin film. .