KR20140005761A - Film forming apparatus and carrier tray for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided in the present invention is a film forming apparatus which is to simplify driving equipment and to control the quality degradation of a film forming substrate by reducing the concerns over the attachment of particles to a substrate. The film forming apparatus has a returning device (10) including multiple returning rollers (11) for returning the substrate (101), and has a simple structure. The returning rollers (11) are placed in the lower part of the substrate (101). Therefore, even when particles are generated by the rotation of the returning rollers (11), the possibility of the attachment of the particles to the substrate (101) placed at a higher position than the returning roller (11) is reduced. In addition, driven rollers (12, 13) rotate by being in contact with the wall surface of a groove unit (30) formed on the upper part of a returning tray (20). The returning tray (20) and the substrate (101) can be smoothly returned by regulating the position of the returning tray (20) from the upper side.

Description

Film forming apparatus and carrier tray for film forming apparatus {Film forming apparatus and carrier tray for the same}

The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus and a conveying tray for a film forming apparatus.

For example, in the film-forming apparatus which forms into a film on objects, such as a board | substrate, a board | substrate is mounted (supported) on a tray and conveyed. The substrate moves between the plurality of vacuum chambers, and the film formation and the like are performed. In recent years, with the increase in size of solar cells and liquid crystal display panels, the size of substrates has also increased. In the film-forming apparatus compatible with the enlarged board | substrate, the apparatus which conveys a board | substrate and a tray in a vertical position is known (for example, refer patent document 1).

In the apparatus of patent document 1, the drive gear was provided in the upper side of a vacuum chamber, and the rack which meshed with this drive gear was formed in the upper end side of a tray. The tray was moved in the horizontal direction by rotating the drive gear on the vacuum chamber side. The substrate moves in the vacuum chamber together with the tray.

(Patent Literature)

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 1-268870

However, in the technique of the said patent document 1, since the rack pinion system drive mechanism is employ | adopted and a structure is complicated, simplification is calculated | required. In the above conventional technique, since the rack pinion drive mechanism is disposed above the substrate, there is a fear that particles generated in the drive mechanism adhere to the substrate when falling, resulting in deterioration of the film formation quality.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and the film forming apparatus and the film forming apparatus capable of simplifying the driving mechanism and reducing the quality deterioration of the film forming substrate by reducing the risk of adhesion of particles to the substrate. It is an object to provide a conveyance tray.

The present invention is a film forming apparatus for performing a film forming process on a substrate, comprising: a vacuum vessel capable of accommodating the substrate, and a state in which the substrate is in an upright state or inclined from an upright state such that the plate thickness direction of the substrate is in a horizontal direction in the vacuum vessel. And a conveying means for conveying the conveying tray for supporting the substrate in a conveying direction intersecting with the sheet thickness direction, the conveying means being disposed at the lower end side of the substrate and around the first axis line extending along the sheet thickness direction. A plurality of conveying rollers rotating and conveying a conveying tray, and a plurality of driven rollers disposed on an upper end side of the substrate and rotating around a second axis line extending along a direction intersecting the plate thickness direction and the conveying direction, The upper end surface of a conveyance tray is provided with the groove part which continues in a conveyance direction, and the driven roller contacts the wall surface in a groove part, and forms into a film which rotates with the movement of a conveyance tray. Provide value.

According to such a film-forming apparatus, since it is a structure which has a conveying apparatus provided with the some conveyance roller which conveys a board | substrate, it can be set as the apparatus of a simple structure. For example, it can be set as a simple structure compared with the conventional rack pinion drive mechanism. Moreover, in the film-forming apparatus, since a conveyance roller is arrange | positioned at the lower end side of a board | substrate, even if a particle generate | occur | produced by the rotation of a conveyance roller, it is unlikely that a particle will adhere to the board | substrate arrange | positioned above a conveyance roller. Thereby, the possibility that a particle adheres to a board | substrate can be reduced and the quality deterioration of a film-forming board can be suppressed. Further, since the driven roller is configured to abut against the wall surface in the groove formed in the upper end of the conveying tray, the position of the conveying tray can be regulated from above, and the conveying tray and the substrate can be conveyed stably and smoothly.

The lower end surface of a conveyance tray may extend in the conveyance direction, and may be provided with the rail part which can contact the circumferential surface of a conveyance roller. If the rail part is provided in the lower end surface of a conveyance tray, the running of a conveyance tray can be stabilized.

The plurality of driven rollers includes a first driven roller that abuts on one side of the pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion, and a second driven roller that abuts on the other side of the pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion. It is preferable that two driven rollers are alternately arrange | positioned in a conveyance direction. In the film-forming apparatus of this structure, a 1st driven roller abuts only one side of a pair of wall surface in the groove part of a conveyance tray, and a 2nd driven roller abuts only the other side of a pair of wall surface in the groove part of a conveyance tray. As a result, since the first driven roller and the second driven roller always rotate in different directions, respectively, the rotational direction of the driven roller is prevented from being reversed. For this reason, since frictional resistance at the time of conveyance of the conveyance tray 20 can be reduced, smooth conveyance of a conveyance tray can be implement | achieved.

Moreover, in the plate thickness direction, the distance between the position of the one side of a pair of wall surfaces of the circumferential surface of a 1st driven roller, and the position of the side of the other side of a pair of wall surfaces of the circumferential surface of a 2nd driven roller is Is smaller than the distance between a pair of wall surfaces of the groove portion. According to the film forming apparatus of this configuration, the transfer tray and the substrate can be shifted with respect to the driven rollers stably and smoothly, and the frictional resistance between the driven roller and the groove wall of the groove can be reduced. It becomes easy to improve a conveyance speed.

Moreover, it is preferable that a conveyance roller protrudes outward in the radial direction of the said conveyance roller, and it has a pair of jaws arrange | positioned so that the both sides of a conveyance tray may be interposed between 1st axial direction. According to the film forming apparatus of this configuration, since the pair of jaws arranged to sandwich the lower end of the conveying tray from both sides in the plate thickness direction is formed in the conveying roller, the position of the conveying tray relative to the conveying roller can be stabilized. Can be. Thereby, the attitude | position of a conveyance tray and a board | substrate can be stabilized and it can convey smoothly.

The film forming apparatus may have a gate valve section including a valve body capable of sealing an opening through which the conveyance tray of the vacuum container passes, and the gate valve section may be provided with a driven roller. In the film forming apparatus of this configuration, since the driven roller is disposed in the gate valve portion, the posture of the conveying tray and the substrate can be stabilized and smoothly conveyed.

The present invention is a conveyance tray for a film forming apparatus capable of supporting a substrate when the substrate is conveyed in a direction intersecting the plate thickness direction in a state in which the substrate is upright or inclined from the upright state so that the plate thickness direction of the substrate becomes a horizontal direction. The upper end support part which supports the upper end part of a board | substrate, the lower end support part which supports a lower end part of a board | substrate, and the connection part which connects an upper end support part and a lower end support part are provided, and the upper end surface of the upper end support part is provided with the groove part which continues in a conveyance direction. Provided is a conveying tray for a film forming apparatus.

Such a transport tray for the film forming apparatus is applicable to the film forming apparatus described above. In this film forming apparatus conveying tray, since the groove part which continues in a conveyance direction is formed in the upper end surface of an upper end support part, the driven roller of the said film forming apparatus can be arrange | positioned in a groove part. According to the conveyance of a conveyance tray, the wall surface of a groove part and a driven roller abut, and a driven roller rotates. The driven roller can guide the conveyance direction of a conveyance tray suitably at the time of board | substrate conveyance.

It is preferable that the inclination part formed so that the width | variety of the said groove part may become wide toward the edge part is suitable at the edge part in the conveyance direction of a groove part. In the film forming apparatus conveying tray of this configuration, the width of the end portion at the inlet side when the driven roller enters the groove portion is narrower and narrower as it enters the inner side in the conveying direction, so that the influence of misalignment can be reduced and conveyed smoothly. . Even if the position shift of the conveyance tray with respect to a driven roller generate | occur | produces, it can prevent conveyance of a driven roller and can convey.

The lower end surface of the lower end support portion may be provided with a rail portion extending in the conveying direction. If the rail part is provided in the lower end surface of a conveyance tray, the running of a conveyance tray can be stabilized.

The present invention can provide a film forming apparatus which can simplify the drive mechanism and can reduce the risk of adhesion of particles to the substrate and suppress the deterioration of the film formation substrate.

In addition, the present invention is applicable to the above-mentioned film forming apparatus, and it is possible to simplify the drive mechanism of the film forming apparatus, and to reduce the risk of adhesion of particles to the substrate and to suppress the deterioration of the film forming substrate. It is possible to provide a conveying tray for use.

1 is a schematic side view showing a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is sectional drawing which shows the inside of a chamber from the side.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing the film formation chamber from the front in the conveyance direction.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing an upper end of a conveyance tray.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing the lower end of the conveyance tray.
6 is a plan view illustrating an upper end of a conveyance tray.
7 is a plan view showing an inclined portion formed at an upper end of a conveyance tray.

A film forming apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that words indicating directions such as "up" and "down" are based on the states shown in the drawings and are convenient. 1 to 7 also show an XYZ rectangular coordinate system for ease of explanation.

(Film forming device)

1 is a schematic side view illustrating a film forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, it shows from the side of the conveyance direction Y of the board | substrate 101 (refer FIG. 2). The film forming apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for performing a film forming process or the like on the substrate 101 (for example, a glass substrate). The film forming apparatus 100 is, for example, an apparatus for forming a film by the RPD method (reactive plasma deposition method). The film forming apparatus 100 includes a plasma gun 140 that generates plasma, ionizes the film forming material using the generated plasma, and deposits the film by depositing particles of the film forming material on the surface of the substrate 101. .

The film forming apparatus 100 is applied to, for example, a solar cell manufacturing device for manufacturing a solar cell, a liquid crystal display device manufacturing device for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, a flat panel input device manufacturing device for manufacturing a flat panel input device (touch panel), and the like. can do.

The film forming apparatus 100 includes a load lock chamber 121, a buffer chamber 122, a film forming chamber (film forming chamber) 123, a buffer chamber 124, and a load lock chamber 125. These chambers 121 to 125 are arranged side by side in this order. All the chambers 121-125 are comprised with a vacuum container, and the opening-closing gates 131-136 are provided in the entrance and exit of the chambers 121-125. The film forming apparatus 100 may have a configuration in which a plurality of buffer chambers 122 and 124 and a film forming chamber 123 are arranged.

A vacuum pump (not shown) is connected to each of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 to make the inside a proper pressure. Moreover, each vacuum chamber 121-125 is provided with two (for example, two) vacuum gauges (not shown) for monitoring the pressure in a chamber. The vacuum exhaust pipe connected to the vacuum pump is connected to each chamber 121-125, and the vacuum system is provided in this vacuum exhaust pipe.

As shown in FIG. 2, the film forming apparatus 100 is provided with a conveying apparatus 10 for conveying the conveying tray 20 supporting the substrate 101. The conveying apparatus 10 is an apparatus which conveys the board | substrate 101 and the conveyance tray 20 in the state which stood up in the vacuum chamber 121-125 (it mentions later).

Next, various vacuum chambers 121 to 125 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The load lock chamber 121 is a chamber in which the substrate 101 to be opened and processed and the transfer tray 20 supporting the substrate 101 are introduced by opening the opening / closing gate 131 provided on the inlet side. to be. The outlet side of the load lock chamber 121 is connected to the inlet side of the buffer chamber 122 through the opening / closing gate 132.

The buffer chamber 122 is a pressure adjusting chamber in which the substrate 101 passing through the load lock chamber 121 is introduced into communication with the load lock chamber 121 by opening the opening / closing gate 132 provided on the inlet side. . The outlet side of the buffer chamber 122 is connected to the inlet side of the film formation chamber 123 through the opening / closing gate 133. The buffer chamber 122 is provided with a heater (not shown) for heating the substrate 101. This heater is arrange | positioned facing the film-forming surface in order to heat the film-forming surface (film-formed surface) of the board | substrate 101. FIG. In this embodiment, since the board | substrate 101 is arrange | positioned in an upright state, the film-forming surface is arrange | positioned along the up-down direction. In the buffer chamber 122, it heats so that a substrate temperature may be about 200 degreeC, for example. The buffer chamber 122 is provided at the front end of the film formation chamber 123 and functions as a heating chamber for heating the substrate 101.

As the heater, for example, a lamp heater can be used. The lamp heater forms a rod shape and extends in the vertical direction (Z). A plurality of lamp heaters (for example, twelve) are provided in the buffer chamber 122, and are arranged at predetermined intervals in the conveying direction (Y). The heat of the heater is transferred to the substrate 101 so that the substrate 101 is heated.

The film formation chamber 123 opens the opening / closing gate 133 provided at the inlet side, thereby communicating with the buffer chamber 122 and introducing the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 passing through the buffer chamber 122. This is a processing chamber for forming a thin film layer on the substrate 101. The outlet side of the film formation chamber 123 is connected to the inlet side of the buffer chamber 124 via the opening / closing gate 134. As shown in FIG. 3, the deposition chamber 123 is provided with a vapor deposition apparatus 140 for forming a film formation material (thin film layer) on the substrate 101. The vapor deposition apparatus 140 is comprised from the main hearth which supports film-forming material, the plasma gun which irradiates a plasma beam with a main hearth, etc. In addition, the film forming chamber 123 is provided with a heater for heating the substrate 101. This heater is provided so that the board | substrate 101 may be heated, for example from the back surface 101f (surface on the opposite side to film-forming surface 101e) of the board | substrate 101. FIG. In the film formation chamber 123, the substrate temperature is maintained at, for example, about 200 ° C.

The buffer chamber 124 shown in FIG. 1 communicates with the film formation chamber 123 by opening the opening / closing gate 134 provided at the inlet side, and supports the substrate 101 formed by the film formation chamber 123 and supports it. It is a pressure adjustment chamber in which the conveyance tray 20 is introduced. The outlet side of the buffer chamber 124 is connected to the inlet side of the load lock chamber 125 via the opening / closing gate 135. The buffer chamber 124 is provided with a cooling plate (not shown) for cooling the substrate 101. The cooling plate is disposed to face the film formation surface of the substrate 101 in order to cool the film formation surface of the substrate 101. The structure provided with the cooling plate which cools the board | substrate 101 from the back surface 101f side of the board | substrate 101 may be sufficient. In the buffer chamber 124, it cools so that a substrate temperature may be about 120 degreeC, for example. The buffer chamber 124 is provided at the rear end of the film formation chamber 123 and functions as a cooling chamber for cooling the substrate 101. However, the structure in which the cooling means is not provided in the buffer chamber 124 may be sufficient. In the atmospheric pressure environment after exiting a vacuum chamber, the structure which cools (air-cools) the board | substrate 101 by air | atmosphere may be sufficient.

The cooling plate functions as cooling means for cooling the substrate 101. The cooling plate is formed of, for example, a copper plate, forms a plate shape, and is disposed to face the substrate 101. The cooling plate is provided with a cooling tube (not shown) through which cooling water passes. Heat of the substrate 101 is transferred to the cooling plate, heat transferred to the cooling plate is transferred to the cooling tube, and the cooling tube is cooled by the cooling water flowing in the tube. As a result, the cooling plate is cooled to cool the substrate 101.

The load lock chamber 125 is a chamber in which the substrate 101 passing through the buffer chamber 124 is introduced into communication with the buffer chamber 124 by opening the opening / closing gate 135 provided at the inlet side. On the outlet side of the load lock chamber 125, an opening / closing gate 136 is provided, and by opening the opening and closing gate 136, the load lock chamber 125 is opened to the atmosphere. In the load lock chamber 125, it cools by air | atmosphere opening, and is cooled to 100 degrees C or less at the time of conveyance of the board | substrate 101 out of a chamber.

(Return tray)

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2-7, the conveyance tray 20 used by the film-forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment is demonstrated. The conveyance tray 20 supports the substrate 101 when conveying the substrate 101 in an upright state. The state in which the substrate 101 is upright is a state in which the plate thickness direction X of the substrate 101 becomes the horizontal direction. At this time, the film formation surface of the substrate 101 is disposed along the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. However, the structure which supports the board | substrate 101 in the state inclined from the state which the board | substrate 101 stood up may be sufficient. The plate thickness direction X of the board | substrate 101 may be a substantially horizontal direction, and may be inclined rather than the horizontal direction. The plate thickness direction X is a direction orthogonal to the up-down direction Z and perpendicular to the conveyance direction Y of the substrate 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance tray 20 is formed as a rectangular frame body which supports the edge part of the board | substrate 101. As shown in FIG. The transfer tray 20 includes an upper end support 21 for supporting the upper end 101a of the substrate 101, a lower end support 22 for supporting the lower end 101b of the substrate 101, and a substrate 101. A pair of side end support part 23 which supports the side end part 101c is provided. The conveyance tray 20 of this embodiment is comprised so that one board | substrate 101 may be supported. The conveyance tray 20 may be a structure which can support the several board | substrate 101 (for example, two sheets). The conveyance tray may support the entire circumference of the edge portion of the substrate 101 or may partially support the edge portion of the substrate 101. As a material of the upper end support part 21, the lower end support part 22, and the side end support part 23, stainless steel can be used, for example.

(Top support)

The upper end support 21 is disposed along the upper end 101a of the substrate 101. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper end support part 21 is provided with the support plate 21a which supports the board | substrate 101, and the board | substrate pressing member 21b for supporting the board | substrate 101 with respect to the support plate 21a. have.

The support plate 21a supports the upper end portion 101a of the substrate 101 from the side opposite to the film formation surface 101e of the substrate 101. The board | substrate pressing member 21b supports the board | substrate 101 by pressing the upper end part 101a of the board | substrate 101 from the film-forming surface 101e side. The upper end portion 101a of the substrate 101 is sandwiched between the support plate 21a and the substrate pressing member 21b from both sides in the plate thickness direction X. The upper end support part 21 should just be a structure which can prevent the position shift of the board | substrate 101. FIG.

(Guide groove)

As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the guide groove 30 for defining the conveyance direction (Y direction) of the conveyance tray 20 in the top surface (upper surface) 21c of the upper end support part 21 is shown. Is formed. The guide groove 30 is a structure which the driven rollers 12 and 13 (guide roller) mentioned later can enter. The guide groove 30 is formed over the entire length of the upper end support part 21 in the Y direction. The guide groove 30 is formed to be concave downward. The guide groove 30 may be formed by cutting the top surface 21c of the upper end support 21, for example, or may be formed by assembling a plurality of members.

The upper end support part 21 has a pair of guide plates 32 and 33 which protrude upward from the support plate 21a for supporting the substrate 101. The pair of guide plates 32 and 33 are disposed to face each other in the X direction. The opposing wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the pair of guide plates 32 and 33 are a pair of wall surfaces in the guide groove 30. The pair of guide plates 32 and 33 are fixed to the main body 31 by, for example, bolts 34. 6 and 7, the illustration of the bolt 34 is omitted.

(Slope)

7 is a plan view showing an inclined portion formed at an upper end portion of the conveyance tray 20. As shown in FIG. 7, inclination parts 32b and 33b are formed in the guide groove 30 of the upper end support part 21. As shown in FIG. Inclined parts 32b and 33b are formed in the edge part of the pair of guide plates 32 and 33 in the Y direction. The inclined portions 32b and 33b are formed so that the width of the guide groove 30 widens toward the end portion in the Y direction. The inclined portions 32b and 33b are formed so that the width of the guide groove 30 narrows toward the center of the Y direction. The opposing wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the guide plates 32 and 33 are formed in parallel except for the inclined portions 32b and 33b.

(Bottom support)

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower end support part 22 is disposed along the lower end 101b of the substrate 101. The lower end support part 22 is arrange | positioned facing the upper end support part 21 in an up-down direction (Z direction). The lower end support part 22 is provided with the support plate 22a which supports the board | substrate 101, and the board | substrate pressing member 22b for supporting the board | substrate 101 with respect to the support board 22a, as shown in FIG. have.

The support plate 22a supports the lower end portion 101b of the substrate 101 from the side opposite to the film formation surface 101e of the substrate 101. The board | substrate pressing member 22b supports the board | substrate 101 by pressing the lower end part 101b of the board | substrate 101 from the film-forming surface 101e side. The lower end portion 101b of the substrate 101 is sandwiched between the support plate 22a and the substrate pressing member 22b from both sides in the plate thickness direction X. The lower end support part 22 should just be a structure which can prevent the position shift of the board | substrate 101. FIG.

The lower end surface of the lower end support part 22 is provided with the rail part 26 which extends in the conveyance direction Y, and is able to contact the circumferential surface 11b of the conveyance roller 11. The rail part 26 is formed linearly over the full length of the longitudinal direction Y of the conveyance tray 20. As shown in FIG. Since the rail part 26 is provided in the conveyance tray 20, conveyance of the conveyance tray 20 can be stabilized. As a material of the rail part 26, stainless steel can be used, for example.

(Side end support)

The side end support part 23 (connection part) is arrange | positioned along the side end part 101c of the board | substrate 101. FIG. The side end support 23 is, for example, similar to the upper end support 21 and the lower end support 22, a support plate for supporting the substrate 101, and a substrate pressing member for supporting the substrate 101 with respect to the support plate. Equipped with. The side end support 23 may be configured to prevent misalignment and deformation of the substrate 101. And the pair of side end part support parts 23 connect the edge part of the upper end support part 21 and the lower end support part 22 in the Y direction, and forms the rectangular frame body. The upper end support part 21, the lower end support part 22, and the side end support part 23 may be integrally molded, or may connect a separate body.

2-5, the opening part 25 which exposes the back surface 101f (surface opposite to the film-forming surface 101e) of the board | substrate 101 is formed in the conveyance tray 20. As shown to FIG. The opening part 25 is enclosed and formed by the upper end support part 21, the lower end support part 22, and a pair of side end support part 23, for example. Since the opening part 25 is formed in the conveyance tray 20, the heating efficiency and cooling efficiency of the board | substrate 101 can be improved.

(Vacuum chamber)

Next, the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The vacuum chambers 121 to 125 form a box shape, and have a top plate 51, a bottom plate 52, a front wall 53 (see FIG. 1), a back wall 54, an inlet side wall 55, and an outlet. The side wall 56 is provided. The top plate 51 and the bottom plate 52 are walls arranged to face each other in the vertical direction Z. As shown in FIG. The inlet side wall 55 and the outlet side wall 56 are walls arranged opposite to the conveyance direction Y. As shown in FIG. The inlet side wall 55 is the inlet side wall which is a side into which the board | substrate 101 and the conveyance tray 20 are carried in in the vacuum chamber 121-125. The outlet side wall 56 is a wall on the outlet side which is a side from which the substrate 101 and the conveying tray 20 are carried out of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. The front wall 53 and the back wall 54 are walls arranged to face each other in the plate thickness direction X of the substrate 101. 3, illustration of the front wall 53 is abbreviate | omitted.

An inlet (opening) 55a is formed in the inlet side wall 55 for carrying the conveying tray 20 and the substrate 101 into the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. The outlet side wall 56 is provided with an outlet (opening portion) 56a for carrying out the conveying tray 20 and the substrate 101 out of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125.

In FIG. 3, the cross section of the film-forming chamber 123 is shown. The film formation chamber 123 is arranged such that the rear wall 54 protrudes outwardly (to the side opposite to the substrate 101), whereby the recess 54a is formed. The vapor deposition apparatus 140 is disposed in the recess 54a. In the film forming chamber 123, plasma is generated by a plasma gun, and the film forming material supported on the main hearth is heated and evaporated. The film forming material is evaporated and ionized, so that the particles of the film forming material are diffused into the recess 54a. Particles of the film formation material diffused in the recess 54a fly toward the substrate 101 and adhere to the surface (film formation surface 101e) of the substrate 101.

The top plate 51 and the bottom plate 52 are joined to the inlet side wall 55 at one end of the conveying direction Y, and the outlet side wall 56 at the other end of the conveying direction Y. ) Is bonded. The front wall 53 and the back wall 54 are joined to the inlet side wall 55 at one end of the conveying direction Y, and the outlet side wall at the other end of the conveying direction Y. 56). The top plate 51 and the bottom plate 52 are joined to the front wall 53 on the front side, and to the back wall 54 on the back side. These walls 51-56 are integrally joined by welding, for example. However, in order to perform maintenance in the film-forming chamber 123, some wall (for example, the front wall 53) may be hinged, and it may be set as the structure which can be opened and closed.

(Conveyer)

Next, the conveying apparatus 10 which conveys the board | substrate 101 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the conveying apparatus 10 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 11 disposed on the lower end side of the substrate 101 and a plurality of driven rollers disposed on the upper end side of the substrate 101. (12, 13) is provided.

The some conveyance roller 11 is arrange | positioned at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction Y, as shown to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the conveyance roller 11 is being fixed to the rotating shaft 14 extended in the X direction. The rotating shaft 14 is rotatably supported by the pair of bearings 62. The support part 61 for supporting the pair of bearings 62 is fixed to the bottom plate 52.

In the back wall 54 of the vacuum chambers 121-125, as shown in FIG. 3, the opening part 54b for inserting the rotating shaft 14 through is formed. An opening 54b is provided with a shaft rod 15 for rotatably supporting the rotating shaft 14 to seal the space between the vacuum chamber and the external environment. As the shaft rod device 15, for example, a magnetic fluid bearing can be used. The rotating shaft 14 penetrates through the back wall 54 and extends from the inside of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 to the outside. In addition, the rotating shaft 14 may be comprised as an integral body, and may be comprised by connecting several member in the axial direction.

On the outside of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125, a drive source (for example, an electric motor) 16 for rotationally driving the rotary shaft 14 is provided. The driving force output from the drive source 16 is transmitted to the plurality of rotation shafts 14 by a power transmission mechanism having a belt car 17 and an endless belt 18. A plurality of belt cars 17 are attached to end portions disposed outside the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 of the rotating shaft 14. The endless belt 18 hangs on the belt car 17 provided in the rotating shaft 14 adjacent to the conveyance direction Y. As shown in FIG. Similarly, the belt car 17 is attached to the output shaft of the drive source 16, and the endless belt 18 hangs on the belt car 17 attached to the belt car 17 and the adjacent rotating shaft 14 of the output shaft. . Thereby, the drive force output from the drive source 16 can be distributed, and the some rotation shaft 14 can be driven to rotate. However, the power transmission mechanism is not limited to the endless belt 18 and the belt car 17, but may be any other power transmission mechanism. For example, it may be provided with a chain and a sprocket, or may be provided with the other power transmission shaft.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the conveyance roller 11 protrudes outward in the radial direction of the said conveyance roller 11, and opposes the conveyance tray 20 in the axial direction (X direction) of the rotating shaft 14. As shown in FIG. It has a pair of jaw parts 11a arrange | positioned so that both sides of the lower end support part 22 (rail part 26) of () may be interposed. The jaw portion 11a abuts against the side surface (surface facing in the X direction) of the rail portion 26 of the conveyance tray 20 to regulate the position of the conveyance tray 20.

Next, the driven rollers 12 and 13 are demonstrated. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are arrange | positioned at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction Y. As shown in FIG. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are rotatably supported by the fixed shaft 71 which extends in a Z direction, as shown in FIG. In addition, although only the 1st driven roller 12 is shown in FIG. 4, the 2nd driven roller 13 is also the same structure. As the driven rollers 12 and 13, a rolling bearing can be used. The fixed shaft 71 is supported by the support member 72 fixed to the top plate 51, as shown to FIG. 2 and FIG. The supporting member 72 extends in the conveyance direction Y and supports the plurality of fixed shafts 71. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are not limited to rolling bearings, and other rotating bodies may be sufficient as them. It is preferable that the driven rollers 12 and 13 have a small rotational inertia in order to smoothly perform the rotation at the time of contact with the transfer tray 20 without impact.

As shown in FIG. 6, the driven rollers 12 and 13 have the 1st driven roller 12 and the 2nd driven roller 13 arrange | positioned in a different position in a X direction. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are arranged in a zigzag pattern when viewed from the Z direction. The 1st driven roller 12 is arrange | positioned in the position which can contact the wall surface 32a of the guide plate 32 arrange | positioned at the one side in the X direction. The 2nd driven roller 13 is arrange | positioned in the position which can contact the wall surface 33a of the guide plate 33 arrange | positioned at the other side in the X direction. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are not connected to the drive device. When the driven rollers 12 and 13 contact with the wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the conveyance tray 20, they rotate according to the movement of the wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the conveyance tray 20 which abuts against the circumferential surface. .

The rotation center O ₁₂ of the first driven roller ₁₂ is disposed on the axis L ₁₂ , and the rotation center O ₁₃ of the second driven roller ₁₃ is disposed on the axis L ₁₃ . It is. The axes L ₁₂ and L ₁₃ are arranged at different positions in the X direction.

The first driven roller 12 abuts against the wall surface 32a of the guide plate 32 and rotates in accordance with the movement of the conveyance tray 20. The second driven roller 13 abuts against the wall surface 33a of the guide plate 33 and rotates in accordance with the movement of the transfer tray 20. The 1st driven roller 12 and the 2nd driven roller 13 are alternately arrange | positioned in the conveyance direction Y. As shown in FIG. The 1st driven roller 12 and the 2nd driven roller 13 may not be arrange | positioned alternately in the conveyance direction Y. FIG. For example, in the conveyance direction Y, after arrange | positioning two 1st driven roller 12, you may arrange | position two 2nd driven roller 13. As shown in FIG.

The outer diameters of the first driven roller 12 and the second driven roller 13 are smaller than the width W ₃₀ of the guide groove 30. A predetermined gap d ₁ is formed between the first driven roller 12 and the guide plate 33. A predetermined gap d ₂ is formed between the second driven roller 13 and the guide plate 32.

Moreover, in the X direction, the position of the outermost wall surface 32a side (one side of the pair of wall surfaces of the groove portion) of the peripheral surface of the first driven roller 12 and the peripheral surface of the second driven roller 13 The distance W ₁ from the position of the most wall surface 33a side (the other side of the pair of wall surfaces of the groove portion) is between the pair of guide plates 32 and 33 of the guide groove 30 (a pair of groove portions). Is smaller than the distance (W ₃₀ ).

Next, the effect | action of the film-forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment is demonstrated. First, the substrate 101 is introduced into the load lock chamber 121. In the load lock chamber 121, the opening / closing gates 131 and 132 are closed and closed, and the pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure. The substrate 101 is conveyed in the load lock chamber 121 and introduced into the adjacent buffer chamber 122.

The film forming apparatus 100 heats the substrate 101 in the buffer chamber 122 into which the substrate 101 is introduced. For example, the buffer chamber 122 is heated to a predetermined temperature before the substrate 101 is introduced.

The substrate 101 is introduced into the buffer chamber 122. In the buffer chamber 122, the opening / closing gates 132 and 133 are closed and closed, and the pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure (same pressure as the film forming chamber 123). After the board | substrate 101 is heated to the temperature suitable for film-forming, the board | substrate 101 is conveyed in the buffer chamber 122 and is introduce | transduced into the adjacent film-forming chamber 123. FIG.

The film formation chamber 123 is in a reduced pressure state suitable for film formation before the substrate 101 is introduced. When the substrate 101 is introduced into the deposition chamber 123, the opening and closing gates 133 and 134 are closed to be in a sealed state. In addition, the film formation chamber 123 is heated by a heater, and the substrate temperature is maintained. And a film-forming process is performed on the board | substrate 101, and a metal film (thin film layer) is formed on the board | substrate 101. FIG.

The film forming apparatus 100 cools the substrate 101 in the buffer chamber 124 into which the substrate 101 is introduced. For example, the buffer chamber 124 is cooled to a predetermined temperature before the substrate 101 is introduced. However, cooling does not have to be performed in the buffer chamber 124.

The substrate 101 is introduced into the buffer chamber 124. In the buffer chamber 124, the opening / closing gates 134 and 135 are closed and closed, and the pressure is reduced to a predetermined pressure. After the substrate 101 is cooled, the substrate 101 is transported in the buffer chamber 124 and introduced into the adjacent load lock chamber 125.

In the load lock chamber 125, the opening / closing gate 136 is opened, and the board | substrate 101 is cooled by air | atmosphere opening. After the board | substrate 101 is cooled, the board | substrate 101 is conveyed in the load lock chamber 125, and is led out of the load lock chamber 125. FIG.

In the film-forming apparatus 100, the driving force output from the drive source 16 is transmitted using the belt car 17 and the endless belt 18, and the conveyance roller 11 rotates. By rotating the conveyance roller 11, the conveyance tray 20 which supports the board | substrate 101 is conveyed. The conveying tray 20 is driven by the plurality of conveying rollers 11 arranged in the conveying direction Y, and moves in the vacuum chambers 121 to 125.

In the film-forming apparatus 100, when the driven rollers 12 and 13 arrange | positioned at the upper side of the vacuum chambers 121-125 contact the guide plates 32 and 33, it is for conveyance of the conveyance tray 20. Rotate accordingly. At this time, the first driven roller 12 abuts on only one guide plate 32 and rotates. That is, the first driven roller 12 rotates in the same direction. The second driven roller 13 abuts on the other guide plate 33 and rotates. That is, the second driven roller 13 rotates in the same direction. The same driven rollers 12 and 13 rotate only toward the same side, thereby stably guiding the conveyance tray 20 without disturbing the substrate conveyance.

The first driven roller 12 abuts against the wall surface 32a of the guide groove 30, and the second driven roller 13 abuts against the wall surface 33a of the guide groove 30. The attitude of the conveyance tray 20 and the board | substrate 101 can be stabilized.

Since the film-forming apparatus 100 is equipped with the some conveyance roller 11 which conveys the board | substrate 101 and the conveyance tray 20, it can be set as the apparatus of a simple structure. Compared with the conventional rack pinion drive mechanism, it can be made simple. In the film forming apparatus 100, the conveying roller 11 is disposed on the bottom plate 52 side (below the lower end of the substrate 101) of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125, so that the conveying roller 11 Even if particles are generated by the rotation, the possibility of particles adhering to the substrate 101 disposed above the conveying roller 11 is lowered. Thereby, the possibility that a particle adheres to the board | substrate 101 can be reduced, and the quality deterioration of a film-forming board can be suppressed.

Since the jaw part 11a is formed in the conveyance roller 11, the position of the conveyance tray 20 with respect to the conveyance roller 11 can be stabilized. Thereby, the attitude | position of the conveyance tray 20 and the board | substrate 101 can be stabilized and it can convey smoothly. Since the jaw part 11a is provided in the conveyance roller 11, it is not necessary to provide a side roller and other guide rollers for defining the position of a X direction on the lower side of the board | substrate 101. FIG. For this reason, a simple structure can be attained.

Since the film-forming apparatus 100 is the structure by which the driven rollers 12 and 13 contact and rotate with the pair of guide plates 32 and 33 formed in the upper end part of the conveyance tray 20, the conveyance tray 20 from upper direction is carried out. ) Can be regulated to prevent the transfer tray 20 from falling down. Thereby, the conveyance tray 20 and the board | substrate 101 can be conveyed stably and smoothly.

In addition, the driven rollers 12 and 13 are arranged in the guide grooves 30, and the driven rollers 12 and 13 abut on portions which are not formed. Since the film-forming material adheres to the outer surface side of the conveyance tray 20 after passing through the film-forming chamber 123, when a roller touches the outer surface of the conveyance tray 20, a film-forming material will peel and a particle will generate | occur | produce. In the present embodiment, since the driven rollers 12 and 13 touch the wall surfaces 32a and 33a in the guide groove 30, generation of particles can be suppressed.

The plurality of driven rollers 12 and 13 includes a first driven roller 12 in contact with one guide plate 32 and a second driven roller 13 in contact with the other guide plate 33. Since the 1st driven roller 12 and the 2nd driven roller 13 are arrange | positioned alternately in the conveyance direction Y, the conveyance tray 20 during conveyance is the 1st driven roller 12 and the 2nd. The driven roller 13 alternately abuts. Thereby, the attitude | position of the conveyance tray 20 and the board | substrate 101 can be stabilized more, and it can convey smoothly. Thereby, the conveyance speed can be improved. Since the driven rollers 12 and 13 always rotate in different directions when they rotate, the rotation direction of the driven rollers 12 and 13 does not switch to reverse rotation, and the conveyance tray 20 can be conveyed. The frictional resistance at the time can be reduced. For this reason, smooth conveyance of the conveyance tray 20 can be implement | achieved.

The film forming apparatus 100 is located at the position of the most wall surface 32a of the circumferential surface of the first driven roller 12 in the X direction, and at the side of the wall surface 33a of the circumferential surface of the second driven roller 13. The distance W ₁ from the position of is smaller than the distance W ₃₀ between the pair of wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the guide groove 30. Thereby, the position shift of the conveyance tray 20 with respect to the driven rollers 12 and 13 is permissible, and the conveyance tray 20 and the board | substrate 101 can be conveyed stably smoothly. In addition, the frictional resistance between the driven rollers 12 and 13 and the wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the guide groove 30 can be reduced to improve the conveyance speed.

In the conveyance tray 20 of this embodiment, since the guide groove which continues in the conveyance direction Y is formed in the upper end surface 21c, the driven rollers 12 and 13 of the film-forming apparatus 100 guide the guide grooves. It can arrange | position to 30. According to the substrate conveyance, the wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the guide groove 30 and the driven rollers 12 and 13 abut, and the driven rollers 12 and 13 rotate so that the conveyance of the conveying tray 20 is suitable. Can guide you.

Moreover, since the inclined parts 32b and 33b are formed in the guide groove 30 of the conveyance tray 20, the edge part at the inlet side when the driven rollers 12 and 13 enter the guide groove 30 is provided. It is possible to make the width of the wider and narrower as it enters the inner side of the conveying direction. Thereby, even if the position shift of the conveyance tray 20 with respect to the driven rollers 12 and 13 generate | occur | produces, it can prevent conveyance of the driven rollers 12 and 13, and conveyance can be performed.

As mentioned above, although this invention was concretely demonstrated based on the embodiment, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. The film forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the ion plating method, and other film forming methods (for example, a sputtering method) may be applied.

The film-forming apparatus and the conveyance tray for film-forming apparatus of this invention are not limited to conveying a board | substrate upright, The board | substrate may be inclined and conveyed. For example, the structure which conveys an inclined board | substrate may be inclined by tilting said film-forming apparatus and a conveyance tray. For example, the peripheral surface of the conveying roller may be formed to intersect the rotation axis. The film-forming apparatus which conveys a board | substrate may be used using the conveyance tray which inclines and supports a board | substrate. The inclination angle at the time of inclining a board | substrate can be made into about 0 to 15 degrees with respect to a perpendicular direction.

Moreover, the film-forming apparatus may have the gate valve part provided with the valve body which seals the opening part of a vacuum container in the casing, and may be the structure provided with the driven roller in the casing of the said gate valve part. Conventionally, the conveyance means could not be provided in the casing of the gate valve part arrange | positioned in the vacuum period because of the small space. In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, a driven roller may be provided in the casing of the gate valve portion to appropriately guide the conveyance direction of the conveyance tray and the substrate.

Moreover, the thickness of the conveyance tray 20 can be made thin by making the outer diameter of a driven roller small. Thereby, the magnitude | size of the opening part which the conveyance tray 20 passes can be suppressed.

10 Carrier
11 conveying roller
11a jaw
11b circumference
12, 13 driven rollers
14 axis of rotation
20 return tray
21 Upper part support
22 Lower part support
23 Side end support (connection)
26 rail section
30 Guide groove
32, 33 guide plate
32a, 33a wall (wall in groove)
51 top plate
52 sole plate
53 Front Wall
54 rear wall
55 Entrance side wall
56 Exit Side Wall
100 Deposition Device
101 substrate
121, 125 Load lock chamber (vacuum container)
122, 124 buffer chamber (vacuum container)
123 Deposition chamber (vacuum container)
140 deposition equipment

Claims (9)

A film forming apparatus for forming a film on a substrate,
A vacuum container accommodating the substrate,
A conveying direction in which the conveying tray for supporting the substrate crosses the plate thickness direction in the inclined state from the upright state or the upright state so that the plate thickness direction of the substrate becomes a horizontal direction in the vacuum vessel. A conveying means for conveying by
The conveying means,
A plurality of conveying rollers disposed on the lower end side of the substrate and rotating around a first axis line extending along the plate thickness direction to convey the conveying trays;
A plurality of driven rollers disposed on an upper end side of the substrate and rotating around a second axis line extending along a direction intersecting the plate thickness direction and the conveying direction,
On the upper end surface of the conveyance tray, a groove portion continuous along the conveyance direction is formed,
The film-forming apparatus which the said driven roller abuts against the wall surface in the said groove part, and rotates with the movement of the said conveyance tray. The method of claim 1,
A film forming apparatus is provided on a lower end surface of the conveying tray and extends in the conveying direction and is provided with a rail portion capable of contacting a circumferential surface of the conveying roller. 3. The method of claim 2,
The plurality of driven rollers,
A first driven roller in contact with one of the pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion;
A second driven roller in contact with the other side of the pair of wall surfaces in the groove,
The film-forming apparatus in which the said 1st driven roller and the said 2nd driven roller are alternately arrange | positioned in the said conveyance direction. The method of claim 3, wherein
A position on one side of the pair of wall surfaces of the circumferential surface of the first driven roller and a position on the other side of the pair of wall surfaces of the circumferential surface of the second driven roller in the plate thickness direction; The film forming apparatus, wherein the distance between the grooves is smaller than the distance between the pair of wall surfaces of the groove portion. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The conveying roller has a pair of jaws arranged so as to project outward in the radial direction of the conveying roller and to sandwich both sides of the conveying tray opposite to the first axial direction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A gate valve portion having a valve body capable of sealing an opening through which the conveyance tray of the vacuum container passes,
The film forming apparatus is provided with the driven roller in the gate valve portion. Carrying tray for film-forming apparatus which can support the said board | substrate at the time of conveyance to the conveyance direction which cross | intersects the said plate | board thickness direction in the state which inclined from the upright state or the upright state so that the board thickness direction of a board | substrate may become a horizontal direction. as,
An upper end support for supporting an upper end of the substrate;
A lower end support for supporting a lower end of the substrate;
A connection part connecting the upper end support and the lower end support;
The conveyance tray for film-forming apparatus in which the groove part continued in a conveyance direction is formed in the upper end surface of the said upper end support part. The method of claim 7, wherein
A conveyance tray for a film forming apparatus, wherein an inclined portion is formed at an end portion in the conveying direction of the groove portion so as to widen the width of the groove portion toward the end portion. 9. The method according to claim 7 or 8,
The lower end surface of the said lower end support part is a conveyance tray for film-forming apparatuses provided with the rail part extended in the said conveyance direction.

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