TW201404914A - Film-forming apparatus and delivery tray used in film-forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a film-forming apparatus which can realize the simplification of a driving mechanism, reduce the risk of particles attaching to the substrate and suppress the quality loss of a film-forming substrate. Said film-forming apparatus (100) has a delivery device (10) provided with a plurality of delivery rollers (11) to carry out delivery of the substrate (101), and has a simple structure. Furthermore, the delivery rollers (11) are installed at the lower end side of the substrate (101). Thereby, the probability of particle attaching to the substrate (101) arranged closer to the top than the delivery rollers is smaller, even if the rotation of the delivery rollers (11) is accompanied by the production of particles. In addition, the film-forming apparatus is constructed to have driven rollers (12, 13) that are abutted against the wall face of a groove part (30) formed at the top end part of the delivery tray (20) to form rotation, and it can restrain the position of the delivery tray (20) from the top and can stably and smoothly carry out delivery of the delivery tray (20) and the substrate (101).

Description

Film transfer device and film transfer device transfer tray

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

For example, in a film forming apparatus that forms an object such as a substrate, the substrate is mounted (held) on a tray and transported. The substrate is moved between a plurality of vacuum chambers and processed into a film or the like. In recent years, as the size of solar cells and liquid crystal display panels has increased, the number of substrates has also increased. In a film forming apparatus that can cope with a large-sized substrate, a device that transports a substrate and a tray in a vertical position is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the drive gear is provided on the upper side of the vacuum chamber, and the rack meshing with the drive gear is formed on the upper end side of the tray. The tray is moved in the horizontal direction by rotating the drive gear on the vacuum chamber side. The substrate moves with the tray within the vacuum chamber.

(previous technical literature) (Patent Literature)

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-268870

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the structure of the drive mechanism using the rack and pinion type is complicated, and therefore the request is simplified. Further, in the above-described conventional technique, since the drive mechanism of the rack and pinion type is disposed above the substrate, there is a possibility that the film is adhered to the substrate when the particles generated by the drive mechanism are dropped, and the quality of the film formation is lowered.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus and a film forming apparatus which are capable of simplifying the driving mechanism and reducing the risk of particles adhering to the substrate and suppressing deterioration of the quality of the film forming substrate. Transfer the tray.

The present invention provides a film forming apparatus which is a film forming apparatus which performs a film forming process on a substrate, and is characterized in that it includes a vacuum container capable of accommodating a substrate, and a conveying means that intersects the thickness direction in the vacuum container. The transport tray is transported in a transport direction, and the transport tray holds the substrate in a state in which the substrate is erected so that the thickness direction of the substrate is horizontal, or in a state of being inclined from an upright state, and the transport means includes a plurality of transport rollers And disposed on the lower end side of the substrate, rotates around the first axis extending along the thickness direction, and transports the transfer tray; and a plurality of driven rollers are disposed on the upper end side of the substrate, and are arranged along the The second axis extending in the direction in which the thickness direction and the transport direction intersect each other is rotated, and the upper end surface of the transport tray is formed with a groove portion continuous along the transport direction, and the driven roller abuts against the wall surface in the groove portion and rotates with the movement of the transport tray .

According to such a film forming apparatus, since it has a structure which has a conveying apparatus which has a plurality of conveying rollers which convey the board|substrate, it is set as the simple structure. For example, it can be set as a simple structure in comparison with a conventional rack and pinion type drive mechanism. Further, in the film forming apparatus, since the conveying roller is disposed on the lower end side of the substrate, even if particles are generated in association with the rotation of the conveying roller, the possibility that the particles adhere to the substrate disposed above the conveying roller is also low. Thereby, the risk of the particles adhering to the substrate can be reduced, and the deterioration of the quality of the film formation substrate can be suppressed. In addition, since the driven roller is in contact with the wall surface formed in the groove portion of the upper end portion of the transport tray, the position of the transport tray can be restricted from above, and the transport tray and the substrate can be transported stably and smoothly.

The lower end surface of the transport tray may be provided with a rail portion that extends in the transport direction and that can abut against the circumferential surface of the transport roller. When the rail portion is provided on the lower end surface of the transport tray, the travel of the transport tray can be stabilized.

Here, the plurality of driven rollers include: a first driven roller that abuts against one of a pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion; and a second driven roller that abuts against the other of the pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion, It is preferable that the first driven roller and the second driven roller are alternately arranged in the transport direction. In the film forming apparatus of the above configuration, the first driven roller abuts only one of the pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion of the transfer tray, and the second driven roller abuts only the other of the pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion of the transfer tray. . Thereby, since the first driven roller and the second driven roller are always rotated in different directions, it is possible to prevent the rotation direction of the driven roller from being reversed in the reverse direction. Therefore, the frictional resistance when the transport tray 20 is transported can be reduced, so that the transport of the transport tray can be smoothly performed.

Further, in the thickness direction, the distance from the position on the side of the pair of wall surfaces of the first driven roller to the position on the other side of the pair of wall surfaces of the second driven roller is the ratio The distance between the pair of wall faces of the groove portion is preferably small. According to the film forming apparatus of the above configuration, the position of the transfer tray relative to the driven roller is allowed to deviate, and the transfer tray and the substrate can be stably and smoothly conveyed, and the frictional resistance between the driven roller and the groove wall surface can be reduced, which is easy to increase. Transfer speed.

Further, the transport roller has a pair of flange portions, and the pair of flange portions are disposed to protrude outward in the radial direction of the transport roller, and are preferably opposed to each other in the first axial direction and sandwiching both sides of the transport tray. According to the film forming apparatus of this configuration, since one of the lower end portions of the transport tray is sandwiched between the both sides in the thickness direction and the flange portion is formed on the transport roller, the position of the transport tray with respect to the transport roller can be stabilized. Thereby, the posture of the transfer tray and the substrate can be stably and smoothly conveyed.

The film forming apparatus may include a gate valve portion, and the gate valve portion includes a valve body through which an opening portion through which the transfer tray of the vacuum container can pass, and a gate roller portion is 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 transfer tray and the substrate can be stably and smoothly conveyed.

The present invention provides a transporting tray for a film forming apparatus which is capable of erecting a substrate in a horizontal direction in a direction in which the thickness direction of the substrate is horizontal, or tilting from an upright state, when transporting in a direction intersecting the thickness direction of the substrate In the state of the present invention, the transfer tray for a film forming apparatus of the substrate is provided, comprising: an upper end holding portion that holds an upper end portion of the substrate; and a lower end portion of the holding substrate The end holding portion; and a connecting portion that connects the upper end holding portion and the lower end portion holding portion, and the upper end surface of the upper end portion holding portion is formed with a groove portion continuous in the conveying direction.

Such a film forming apparatus transfer tray can be applied to the above film forming apparatus. In the transporting tray for a film forming apparatus, a groove portion continuous in the transport direction is formed on the upper end surface of the upper end portion holding portion. Therefore, the driven roller of the film forming apparatus can be disposed in the groove portion. With the conveyance of the conveyance tray, the groove wall surface abuts against the driven roller, and the driven roller rotates. The driven roller can appropriately guide the conveyance direction of the conveyance tray at the time of substrate conveyance.

It is preferable that the end portion of the groove portion in the conveying direction is formed with an inclined portion formed so that the width of the groove portion expands toward the end portion. In the transporting tray for a film forming apparatus of this configuration, the width of the inlet side end portion when the driven roller enters the groove portion is wide, and the inside is narrower toward the inside in the conveying direction. Therefore, the effect of the positional deviation can be reduced and the conveying can be smoothly performed. Even if the position of the transfer tray is deviated from the driven roller, collision of the driven roller can be prevented and transported.

The lower end surface of the lower end holding portion may be provided with a rail portion extending in the conveying direction. When the rail portion is provided on the lower end surface of the transport tray, the travel of the transport tray can be stabilized.

The present invention can provide a film forming apparatus which can simplify the driving mechanism and reduce the risk of particles adhering to the substrate and suppress deterioration of the quality of the film forming substrate.

Moreover, the present invention can provide a transport tray for a film forming apparatus, which The film forming apparatus can be applied to the above, and the driving mechanism of the film forming apparatus can be simplified, and the risk of particles adhering to the substrate can be reduced, and the quality of the film forming substrate can be suppressed from deteriorating.

10‧‧‧Transporting device

11‧‧‧Transport roller

11a‧‧‧Flange

11b‧‧‧Week

12, 13‧‧‧ driven roller

14‧‧‧Rotary axis

20‧‧‧Transport tray

21‧‧‧Upper Department Keeping Department

22‧‧‧Bottom keeping department

23‧‧‧ Side end holding part (connection part)

26‧‧‧ Track Department

30‧‧‧ guiding slot

32, 33‧‧‧ guide board

32a, 33a‧‧‧ wall (wall in the groove)

51‧‧‧ top board

52‧‧‧floor

53‧‧‧ positive wall

54‧‧‧Back wall

55‧‧‧ into the side wall

56‧‧‧Out of the side wall

100‧‧‧ film forming device

101‧‧‧Substrate

121, 125‧‧‧Transition chamber (vacuum container)

122, 124‧‧‧ buffer chamber (vacuum container)

123‧‧‧ filming chamber (vacuum container)

140‧‧‧Vapor deposition unit

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the chamber from the side.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the inside of the film forming chamber from the front in the conveying direction.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the upper end portion of the transfer tray.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the lower end portion of the transfer tray.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the upper end portion of the transport tray.

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing an inclined portion formed at an upper end portion of the transfer tray.

The film forming apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the words "upper", "lower", etc., which indicate directions, are based on the state shown in the drawings, and are used for convenience of understanding. Further, in the first to seventh figures, an XYZ rectangular coordinate system is also shown for convenience of explanation.

(film forming device)

Fig. 1 is a view showing a film forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Slightly side view. In the first drawing, the side of the transport direction Y of the substrate 101 (see FIG. 2) is shown. The film forming apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1 is for performing processing such as film formation on the substrate 101 (for example, a glass substrate). The film forming apparatus 100 is a device that performs film formation based on, for example, the RPD method (reactive ion plating method). The film forming apparatus 100 includes a plasma gun (140) that generates plasma, and ionizes the film forming material using the generated plasma, and adheres particles of the film forming material to the surface of the substrate 101 to form a film.

The film forming apparatus 100 can be applied to, for example, a solar cell manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a solar cell, a liquid crystal display element manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element, and a planar input element manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a planar input element (touch panel).

The film forming apparatus 100 includes a transition chamber 121, a buffer chamber 122, a film forming chamber (film forming chamber) 123, a buffer chamber 124, and a transition chamber 125. The chambers 121 to 125 are arranged in this order. All of the chambers 121 to 125 are constituted by vacuum vessels, and the opening and closing gates 131 to 136 are provided at the entrances and exits of the chambers 121 to 125. The film forming apparatus 100 may have a structure in which a plurality of buffer chambers 122, 124 and a film forming chamber 123 are arranged.

A vacuum pump (not shown) for setting the inside to an appropriate pressure is connected to each of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. Further, a plurality of (for example, two) vacuum gauges (not shown) for monitoring the pressure in the chamber are provided in each of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. Each of the chambers 121 to 125 is connected to a vacuum exhaust pipe connected to a vacuum pump, and a vacuum gauge is disposed on the vacuum exhaust pipe.

As shown in FIG. 2, the film forming apparatus 100 is provided with a transport holding base. The plate 101 is used to transport the transfer device 10 of the tray 20. The conveying device 10 is a device that conveys the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 in a state in which the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 are erected in the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 (details will be described later).

Next, various vacuum chambers 121 to 125 will be described with reference to Fig. 1 . The transition chamber 121 is a chamber that opens and closes the opening and closing gate 131 provided on the inlet side, thereby opening the atmosphere and introducing the substrate 101 to be processed and the transfer tray 20 holding the substrate 101. The outlet side of the transition chamber 121 is connected to the inlet side of the buffer chamber 122 via the opening and closing gate 132.

The buffer chamber 122 is a pressure adjustment chamber that opens and closes the opening and closing gate 132 provided on the inlet side, thereby communicating with the transition chamber 121 and introducing the substrate 101 passing through the transition chamber 121. The outlet side of the buffer chamber 122 is connected to the inlet side of the film forming chamber 123 via the opening and closing gate 133. Further, the buffer chamber 122 is provided with a heater (not shown) for heating the substrate 101. In order to heat the film formation surface (surface to be formed) of the substrate 101, the heater is disposed to face the film formation. In the present embodiment, since the substrate 101 is placed in an upright state, the film formation surface is arranged in the vertical direction. In the buffer chamber 122, the substrate temperature is heated to, for example, about 200 °C. The buffer chamber 122 is provided in the front stage of the film forming 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 has a rod shape and extends in the up and down direction Z. The lamp heater is provided in plural (for example, twelve) in the buffer chamber 122, and is disposed at a predetermined interval in the transport direction Y. The heat of the heater is transferred to the substrate 101 to heat the substrate 101.

The film forming chamber 123 is a processing chamber that opens and closes the opening and closing gate 133 provided on the inlet side, thereby communicating with the buffer chamber 122, introducing the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 that pass through the buffer chamber 122, and forming a thin film layer on the substrate 101. . The outlet side of the film forming chamber 123 is connected to the inlet side of the buffer chamber 124 via the opening and closing gate 134. As shown in FIG. 3, the film forming chamber 123 is provided with a vapor deposition device 140 for forming a film forming material (thin film layer) on the substrate 101. The vapor deposition device 140 is composed of a main hearth that holds a film forming material, a plasma gun that irradiates a plasma beam to the main hearth, and the like. Further, the film forming chamber 123 is provided with a heater for heating the substrate 101. This heater is provided, for example, to heat the substrate 101 from the side of the back surface 101f of the substrate 101 (the surface on the opposite side to the film formation surface 101e). In the film forming chamber 123, the substrate temperature is maintained at, for example, about 200 °C.

The buffer chamber 124 shown in Fig. 1 is a pressure adjusting chamber that opens and closes the opening and closing gate 134 provided on the inlet side, thereby communicating with the film forming chamber 123, and introducing the film forming chamber 123 into a film. The substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 holding the substrate. The outlet side of the buffer chamber 124 is connected to the inlet side of the transition chamber 125 via an opening and closing gate 135. Further, the buffer chamber 124 is provided with a cooling plate (not shown) for cooling the substrate 101. In order to cool the film formation surface of the substrate 101, the cooling plate is disposed to face the film formation of the substrate 101. It may be configured to include a cooling plate that cools the substrate 101 from the side of the back surface 101f of the substrate 101. In the buffer chamber 124, the substrate temperature is cooled to, for example, about 120 °C. The buffer chamber 124 is provided in the rear stage of the film forming chamber 123, and functions as a cooling chamber for cooling the substrate 101. In addition, it can be in the buffer chamber 124 The structure of the cooling means is not provided. It is also possible to cool the substrate 101 by air (air cooling) under an atmospheric pressure environment after exiting from the vacuum chamber.

The cooling plate functions as a cooling means for cooling the substrate 101. The cooling plate is formed, for example, of a copper plate, and has a plate shape, and is disposed to face the substrate 101. The cooling plate is provided with a cooling pipe (not shown) through which cooling water can flow. The heat of the substrate 101 is transferred to the cooling plate, and the heat transferred to the cooling plate is transferred to the cooling pipe, and the cooling pipe is cooled by the cooling water flowing through the pipe. Thereby, the cooling plate is cooled to cool the substrate 101.

The transition chamber 125 is a chamber that opens and closes the opening and closing gate 135 on the inlet side, thereby communicating with the buffer chamber 124 and introducing the substrate 101 through the buffer chamber 124. An opening and closing gate 136 is provided on the outlet side of the transition chamber 125 to open the opening and closing gate 136, whereby the transition chamber 125 is opened in the atmosphere. The transition chamber 125 is air-cooled by opening the atmosphere, and is cooled to 100 ° C or lower when the substrate 101 is transported to the outside of the chamber.

(transport tray)

Next, the transfer tray 20 used in the film forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 7 . The transport tray 20 holds the substrate 101 when the substrate 101 is transported in an upright state. The state in which the substrate 101 is erected means a state in which the thickness direction X of the substrate 101 is in the horizontal direction. At this time, the film formation surface of the substrate 101 is arranged along the vertical direction Z. In addition, the structure of the substrate 101 can be maintained in a state of being inclined from the state in which the substrate 101 is erected. The plate thickness direction X of the substrate 101 can be a substantially horizontal square It can also be tilted from the horizontal direction. The plate thickness direction X is a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction Z and orthogonal to the conveyance direction Y of the substrate 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transport tray 20 is formed as a rectangular frame that holds the end of the substrate 101. The transport tray 20 includes an upper end portion holding portion 21 that holds the upper end portion 101a of the substrate 101, a lower end portion holding portion 22 that holds the lower end portion 101b of the substrate 101, and a pair of side end portion holding portions that hold the side end portion 101c of the substrate 101. twenty three. The transfer tray 20 of the present embodiment is configured to hold one substrate 101. The transfer tray 20 may be configured to hold a plurality of (for example, two) substrates 101. The transport tray can hold the entire circumference of the edge portion of the substrate 101, or can be a part of the edge portion of the substrate 101. For the material of the upper end holding portion 21, the lower end portion holding portion 22, and the side end portion holding portion 23, for example, stainless steel can be used.

(upper end holding portion)

The upper end holding portion 21 is disposed along the upper end portion 101a of the substrate 101. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper end holding portion 21 includes a support plate 21a that supports the substrate 101, and a substrate pressing member 21b that holds the substrate 101 with respect to the support plate 21a.

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 substrate pressing member 21b holds the substrate 101 by pressing the upper end portion 101a of the substrate 101 from the side of the film formation surface 101e. The upper end portion 101a of the substrate 101 is sandwiched by the support plate 21a and the substrate pressing member 21b from both sides in the thickness direction X. The upper end holding portion 21 may be configured to prevent the position of the substrate 101 from being deviated.

(guide groove)

As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7, the top surface (upper end surface) 21c of the upper end holding portion 21 is formed with a guide groove 30 for defining the conveyance direction (Y direction) of the conveyance tray 20. The guide groove 30 is configured to be able to enter the driven rollers 12 and 13 (guide rollers) which will be described later. The guide groove 30 is formed over the entire length of the upper end holding portion 21 in the Y direction. The guide groove 30 is formed to be recessed downward. The guide groove 30 can be formed, for example, by cutting the top surface 21c of the upper end holding portion 21, or by assembling a plurality of members.

The upper end holding portion 21 has a pair of guide plates 32, 33 that protrude upward from the support plate 21a of the support substrate 101. The pair of guide plates 32, 33 are disposed opposite each other in the X direction. The opposing wall faces 32a, 33a of the pair of guide plates 32, 33 are a pair of wall faces in the guide groove 30. The pair of guide plates 32, 33 are fixed to the main body 31 by, for example, bolts 34. In addition, in FIGS. 6 and 7, the illustration of the bolt 34 is omitted.

(inclined part)

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing an inclined portion formed at an upper end portion of the transport tray 20. As shown in Fig. 7, inclined portions 32b and 33b are formed in the guide groove 30 of the upper end holding portion 21. The inclined portions 32b and 33b are formed at the ends of the pair of guide plates 32 and 33 in the Y direction. The inclined portions 32b and 33b are formed such that the width of the guide groove 30 expands toward the end in the Y direction. The inclined portions 32b and 33b are narrowed in such a manner that the width of the guide groove 30 is narrowed toward the center in the Y direction. form. The opposite side walls 32a, 33a of the guide sheets 32, 33 are formed to be parallel to the outside of the inclined portions 32b, 33b.

(lower end holding portion)

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower end holding portion 22 is disposed along the lower end portion 101b of the substrate 101. The lower end holding portion 22 and the upper end holding portion 21 are disposed to face each other in the vertical direction (Z direction). As shown in FIG. 5, the lower end holding portion 22 includes a support plate 22a for supporting the substrate 101, and a substrate pressing member 22b for holding the substrate 101 with respect to the support plate 22a.

The support plate 22a supports the lower end portion 101b of the substrate 101 from the opposite side of the film formation surface 101e of the substrate 101. The substrate pressing member 22b holds the substrate 101 by pressing the lower end portion 101b of the substrate 101 from the side of the film formation surface 101e. The lower end portion 101b of the substrate 101 is sandwiched by the support plate 22a and the substrate pressing member 22b from both sides in the thickness direction X. The lower end holding portion 22 may be configured to prevent the position of the substrate 101 from being deviated.

The lower end surface of the lower end holding portion 22 is provided with a rail portion 26 that extends in the transport direction Y and that can abut against the circumferential surface 11b of the transport roller 11. The rail portion 26 is formed linearly over the entire length of the longitudinal direction Y of the transport tray 20. Since the conveyance tray 20 is provided with the rail part 26, the conveyance of the conveyance tray 20 can be stabilized. For the material of the rail portion 26, for example, stainless steel can be used.

(side end holding portion)

The side end portion holding portion 23 (connection portion) is disposed along the side end portion 101c of the substrate 101. With the upper end holding portion 21 and the lower end holding portion 22 The side end portion holding portion 23 includes, for example, a support plate that supports the substrate 101 and a substrate pressing member that holds the substrate 101 with respect to the support plate. The side end portion holding portion 23 may be configured to prevent the position of the substrate 101 from being displaced or deformed. Further, the pair of side end holding portions 23 connect the end portions of the upper end portion holding portion 21 and the lower end portion holding portion 22 in the Y direction to each other to form a rectangular frame body. The upper end holding portion 21, the lower end portion holding portion 22, and the side end portion holding portion 23 may be integrally formed or may be connected to separate members.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the transport tray 20 is formed with an opening 25 for exposing the back surface 101f of the substrate 101 (the surface on the opposite side to the film formation surface 101e). The opening portion 25 is formed, for example, by being surrounded by the upper end portion holding portion 21, the lower end portion holding portion 22, and the pair of side end portion holding portions 23. Since the opening portion 25 is formed in the transfer tray 20, the heating efficiency and the cooling efficiency of the 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 are box-shaped and include a top plate 51, a bottom plate 52, a front wall 53 (see FIG. 1), a rear wall 54, an inlet side wall 55, and an exit side wall 56. The top plate 51 and the bottom plate 52 are wall bodies that are disposed opposite to each other in the vertical direction Z. The entrance side wall 55 and the exit side wall 56 are wall bodies which are disposed opposite to each other in the conveyance direction Y. The inlet side wall 55 is an inlet side wall body that is carried into the side of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 as the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20. The exit side wall 56 serves as the substrate 101 and the transfer tray 20 to the vacuum chamber 121~ The exit side wall body of the side that is carried out on the outside of 125. The front wall 53 and the back wall 54 are wall bodies which are disposed opposite to each other in the thickness direction X of the substrate 101. In addition, in FIG. 3, illustration of the front wall 53 is abbreviate|omitted.

An inlet (opening) 55a for carrying the transfer tray 20 and the substrate 101 into the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 is formed in the inlet side wall 55. An outlet (opening) 56a for carrying out the transfer tray 20 and the substrate 101 to the outside of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 is formed in the exit side wall 56.

The cross section of the film forming chamber 123 is shown in Fig. 3. The film forming chamber 123 is formed with a concave portion 54a by being disposed such that the back surface wall 54 protrudes outward (to the opposite side of the substrate 101). The vapor deposition device 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 held in the main hearth is heated and evaporated. The film forming material is evaporated and ionized, and the particles of the film forming material diffuse into the concave portion 54a. The particles of the film formation material diffused into the concave portion 54a fly toward the substrate 101 and adhere to the surface of the substrate 101 (film formation surface 101e).

The top plate 51 and the bottom plate 52 are joined to the inlet side wall 55 at one end portion of the conveying direction Y, and joined to the outlet side wall 56 at the other end portion of the conveying direction Y. The front wall 53 and the rear wall 54 are joined to the inlet side wall 55 at one end of the conveying direction Y, and joined to the outlet side wall 56 at the other end of the conveying direction Y. The top plate 51 and the bottom plate 52 are joined to the front wall 53 on the front side and joined to the back wall 54 on the back side. The wall bodies 51 to 56 are integrally joined by welding, for example. Further, in order to perform maintenance in the film forming chamber 123, a structure in which a local wall body (for example, the front wall 53) is hinge-bonded and opened and closed can be used.

(transport device)

Next, the conveying device 10 that transports the substrate 101 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the transport apparatus 10 includes a plurality of transport rollers 11 in which the transport rollers are disposed on the lower end side of the substrate 101, and a plurality of driven rollers 12 and 13 disposed on the upper end side of the substrate 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 5, a plurality of conveyance rollers 11 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction Y. As shown in Fig. 5, the conveying roller 11 is fixed to a rotating shaft 14 that extends in the X direction. The rotating shaft 14 is supported to be rotatable by a pair of bearings 62. A support portion 61 for supporting a pair of bearings 62 is fixed to the bottom plate 52.

As shown in FIG. 3, the back wall 54 of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 is formed with an opening portion 54b through which the rotating shaft 14 is inserted. The opening portion 54b is provided with a shaft sealing device 15 that rotatably supports the rotating shaft 14 and seals between the vacuum chamber and the external environment. The shaft sealing device 15 can use, for example, a magnetic fluid bearing. The rotating shaft 14 penetrates the back wall 54 and extends from the inside of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 to the outside. Further, the rotating shaft 14 may be formed as a single body or may be formed by connecting a plurality of members in the axial direction.

A drive source (for example, an electric motor) 16 for driving the rotation of the rotary shaft 14 is provided outside the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. The driving force output from the drive source 16 is transmitted to the plurality of rotating shafts 14 by the power transmission mechanism having the conveying pulley 17 and the endless conveying belt 18. A plurality of transport pulleys 17 are attached to the end portions of the rotary shaft 14 disposed outside the vacuum chambers 121 to 125. Assume An endless conveyor belt 18 is placed on the transport pulley 17 that is placed adjacent to the rotary shaft 14 in the transport direction Y. Similarly, the conveyance pulley 17 is attached to the output shaft of the drive source 16, and the conveyance pulley 17 of the output shaft and the conveyance pulley 17 attached to the adjacent rotary shaft 14 are provided with the endless conveyance belt 18. Thereby, the driving force output from the drive source 16 can be distributed to drive the plurality of rotation shafts 14 to rotate. Further, the power transmission mechanism is not limited to the one having the endless conveyance belt 18 and the conveyance pulley 17, and may be another power transmission mechanism. For example, a chain and a sprocket may be provided, and other power transmission shafts may be provided.

Further, as shown in Fig. 5, the conveying roller 11 has a pair of flange portions 11a which are arranged to protrude outward in the radial direction of the conveying roller 11, and in the axial direction of the rotary shaft 14 (X direction) The upper side of the lower end holding portion 22 (the rail portion 26) of the transport tray 20 is gripped and held. The flange portion 11a abuts against the side surface of the rail portion 26 of the transport tray 20 (the surface facing the crucible in the X direction) and restricts the position of the transport tray 20.

Next, the driven rollers 12 and 13 will be described. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are arranged at a predetermined interval in the transport direction Y. As shown in Fig. 4, the driven roller 12 (13) is rotatably supported by a fixed shaft 71 extending in the Z direction. In addition, in the fourth drawing, only the first driven roller 12 is shown, but the second driven roller 13 has the same configuration. The driven rollers 12, 13 can use rolling bearings. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the fixed shaft 71 is supported by the support member 72 fixed to the top plate 51. The support member 72 extends in the conveying direction Y and supports a plurality of fixed shafts 71. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are not limited to the rolling bearing, and may be other rotating bodies. Smooth and unloaded pallets The rotation at the time of contact of 20 is preferable because the rotational inertia of the driven rollers 12 and 13 is small.

As shown in Fig. 6, the driven rollers 12 and 13 have the first driven roller 12 and the second driven roller 13 disposed at positions different in the X direction. When viewed in the Z direction, the driven rollers 12 and 13 are alternately arranged. The first driven roller 12 is disposed at a position that can abut against the wall surface 32a of the guide plate 32 disposed on one side in the X direction. The second driven roller 13 is disposed at a position that can abut against the wall surface 33a of the guide plate 33 disposed on the other side in the X direction. The driven rollers 12 and 13 are not coupled to the driving device. When the wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the transport tray 20 come into contact with each other, the driven rollers 12 and 13 rotate in accordance with the movement of the wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the transport tray 20 that abuts on the circumferential surface thereof.

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 . The axes L ₁₂ and L _{13 are} disposed at positions different 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 transport 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 transport tray 20. The first driven roller 12 and the second driven roller 13 are alternately arranged in the transport direction Y. The first driven roller 12 and the second driven roller 13 may not be alternately arranged in the transport direction Y. For example, after the two first driven rollers 12 are disposed in the transport direction Y, the two second driven rollers 13 are disposed.

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.

In the X direction, the position of the circumferential surface of the first driven roller 12 closest to the wall surface 32a (the side of the pair of wall surfaces of the groove portion) and the circumferential surface of the second driven roller 13 are closest to the wall surface 33a side ( W from the other side of the position of the pair of wall surfaces of the groove portions) of _1, than the guide grooves 30 of the pair of guide plates 32 and 33 between (the groove between the pair of wall portions) ₃₀ a small distance W.

Next, the operation of the film forming apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described. First, the substrate 101 is introduced into the transition chamber 121. The opening and closing gates 131 and 132 are closed in the transition chamber 121 in a sealed state, and are depressurized to a predetermined pressure. The substrate 101 is transported in the transition 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, before the substrate 101 is introduced, the inside of the buffer chamber 122 is heated to a predetermined temperature.

The substrate 101 is introduced into the buffer chamber 122. The inside of the buffer chamber 122 is closed by closing the shutters 132 and 133, and is decompressed to a predetermined pressure (the same pressure as the film forming chamber 123). After the substrate 101 is heated to a temperature suitable for film formation, the substrate 101 is transported in the buffer chamber 122 and introduced into the adjacent film forming chamber 123.

Before the introduction of the substrate 101, the inside of the film forming chamber 123 is set to a reduced pressure state suitable for film formation. When the substrate 101 is introduced into the film forming chamber 123, the opening and closing gates 133 and 134 are closed and placed in a sealed state. Further, the inside of the film forming chamber 123 is heated by the heater to maintain the temperature of the substrate. Further, a film formation process is performed on the substrate 101 to form gold on the substrate 101. Is a membrane (film layer).

The film forming apparatus 100 cools the substrate 101 in the buffer chamber 124 into which the substrate 101 is introduced. For example, before the substrate 101 is introduced, the inside of the buffer chamber 124 is cooled to a predetermined temperature. Additionally, cooling may not be performed within the buffer chamber 124.

The substrate 101 is introduced into the buffer chamber 124. The inside of the buffer chamber 124 is closed by closing the opening and closing gates 134 and 135, and is depressurized 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 transition chamber 125.

The opening and closing gate 136 is opened, and the atmosphere in the transition chamber 125 is opened, thereby cooling the substrate 101. After the substrate 101 is cooled, the substrate 101 is transported in the transition chamber 125 and is led out to the transition chamber 125.

In the film forming apparatus 100, the driving force output from the drive source 16 is transmitted by the transport pulley 17 and the endless conveyance belt 18, whereby the conveyance roller 11 rotates. The conveyance tray 20 holding the substrate 101 is transported by 10 by the rotation of the drive conveyance roller 11. The conveyance tray 20 is driven by a plurality of conveyance rollers 11 arranged in the conveyance direction Y, and moves in each of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125.

In the film forming apparatus 100, when the guide sheets 32 and 33 are in contact with each other, the driven rolls 12 and 13 disposed on the upper side of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 are rotated by the conveyance of the transfer tray 20. At this time, the first driven roller 12 rotates only by abutting against one of the guide plates 32. That is, the first driven roller 12 rotates in the same direction. The second driven roller 13 rotates only in contact with the other guide plate 33. That is, the second driven roller 13 rotates in the same direction. The same from The moving rollers 12 and 13 rotate only in the same direction, thereby stably guiding the transport tray 20 without hindering the substrate conveyance.

The first driven roller 12 is in contact with 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, whereby the posture of the transport tray 20 and the substrate 101 in the upright state can be stabilized. .

Since the film forming apparatus 100 includes a plurality of transport rollers 11 that transport the substrate 101 and the transport tray 20, it is possible to provide a device having a simple structure. Compared with the conventional rack and pinion type drive mechanism, it can be set as a simple structure. Further, in the film forming apparatus 100, the transport roller 11 is disposed on the bottom plate 52 side of the vacuum chambers 121 to 125 (below the lower end of the substrate 101). Therefore, even if particles are generated in association with the rotation of the transport roller 11, the particles are lowered. It is likely to adhere to the substrate 101 disposed above the conveyance roller 11 . Thereby, the risk of the particles adhering to the substrate 101 can be reduced, and the deterioration of the quality of the film formation substrate can be suppressed.

Since the flange portion 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 postures of the transport tray 20 and the substrate 101 can be stabilized and can be smoothly transported. Since the flange portion 11a is provided on the conveying roller 11, it is not necessary to provide a side roller or another guide roller for defining a position in the X direction on the lower side of the substrate 101. Therefore, it can be set as a simple structure.

The film forming apparatus 100 is configured such that the driven rollers 12 and 13 are rotated by abutting against the guide sheets 32 and 33 at one of the upper end portions of the transport tray 20, so that the position of the transport tray 20 can be restricted from above and the transport tray can be prevented. 20 dumping. Thereby, the transport tray 20 and the substrate can be stably and smoothly 101 carries on the transfer.

Further, the driven rollers 12 and 13 are disposed in the guide groove 30, and the driven rollers 12 and 13 are in contact with the unformed portion. Since the film forming material adheres to the outer surface side of the transfer tray 20 after the film forming chamber 123, if the roll collides with the outer surface of the transfer tray 20, the film forming material is peeled off to generate particles. In the present embodiment, since the driven rollers 12 and 13 abut against the wall faces 32a and 33a in the guide groove 30, generation of particles can be suppressed.

The plurality of driven rollers 12 and 13 include a first driven roller 12 that is in contact with one of the guide plates 32, and a second driven roller 13 that is in contact with the other guide plate 33, and the first driven roller 13 Since the roller 12 and the second driven roller 13 are alternately arranged in the transport direction Y, the transport tray 20 during transport alternately abuts the first driven roller 12 and the second driven roller 13 . Thereby, the postures of the transport tray 20 and the substrate 101 can be further stably and smoothly conveyed. Thereby, the conveyance speed can be improved. Since the driven rollers 12 and 13 are always rotated in different directions at the time of rotation, the rotational directions of the driven rollers 12 and 13 are not reversely rotated, and the frictional resistance when the transport tray 20 is transported can be reduced. Therefore, smooth conveyance of the conveyance tray 20 can be achieved.

W closest distance side of the wall surface 33a of 100, in the X direction, the circumferential surface of the first driven roller 12 closest to the side wall 32a of the deposition apparatus and the second circumferential surface position of _a driven roller 13, than The distance W ₃₀ between the pair of wall faces 32a, 33a of the guide groove 30 is small. Thereby, the position of the conveyance tray 20 with respect to the driven rollers 12 and 13 is allowed to be shifted, and the conveyance tray 20 and the board|substrate 101 can be conveyed stably and smoothly. Further, the frictional resistance between the driven rollers 12 and 13 and the wall faces 32a and 33a of the guide groove 30 can be reduced, and the conveyance speed can be increased.

Since the transport tray 20 of the present embodiment has the guide grooves continuous in the transport direction Y on the upper end surface 21c, the driven rollers 12 and 13 of the film forming apparatus 100 can be disposed in the guide grooves 30. With the substrate conveyance, the wall surfaces 32a and 33a of the guide groove 30 abut against the driven rollers 12 and 13, and the driven rollers 12 and 13 rotate. Therefore, the conveyance of the transport tray 20 can be appropriately guided.

Further, since the inclined portions 32b and 33b are formed in the guide groove 30 of the transport tray 20, the width of the inlet-side end portion when the driven rollers 12 and 13 enter the guide groove 30 can be wide, and the inside of the transport direction can be entered. The narrower. Thereby, even if the position of the conveyance tray 20 with respect to the driven rollers 12 and 13 is shifted, collision of the driven rollers 12 and 13 can be prevented and conveyed.

The present invention has been specifically described above based on the embodiments thereof, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The film forming apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the ion plating method, and other film forming methods (for example, sputtering methods) can be applied.

The film forming apparatus and the film forming apparatus transfer tray of the present invention are not limited to being carried by the substrate upright, and may be transported by tilting the substrate. For example, it is possible to transport the inclined substrate by tilting the film forming apparatus and the transfer tray. For example, the circumferential surface of the conveying roller may be formed to intersect the rotation axis. It is also possible to use a film forming apparatus that transports a substrate by using a transfer tray that supports the substrate to be tilted. The inclination angle when the substrate is inclined can be set to about 0 to 15 degrees with respect to the vertical direction.

Further, the film forming apparatus may be a gate valve portion having a valve body having an opening for sealing the vacuum container in the casing, and the casing of the gate valve portion is provided with a driven roller. In the past, in the housing of the gate valve portion disposed between the vacuum containers The space is small, so the transfer method cannot be set. In the film forming apparatus of the present invention, the driven roller can be provided in the casing of the gate valve portion, and the transport direction of the transport tray and the substrate can be appropriately guided.

Moreover, the thickness of the transfer tray 20 can be made thinner by reducing the outer diameter of the driven roller. Thereby, the size of the opening part through which the conveyance tray 20 passes can be suppressed.

10‧‧‧Transporting device

11‧‧‧Transport roller

12‧‧‧ driven roller

13‧‧‧ driven roller

14‧‧‧Rotary axis

15‧‧‧ shaft sealing device

16‧‧‧Drive source

17‧‧‧Transportation pulley

18‧‧‧Circular conveyor belt

21‧‧‧Upper Department Keeping Department

21a‧‧‧Support board

21b‧‧‧Substrate pressing member

22‧‧‧Bottom keeping department

22a‧‧‧Support plate

22b‧‧‧Substrate pressing member

23‧‧‧ Side end holding part (connection part)

25‧‧‧ openings

30‧‧‧ guiding slot

51‧‧‧ top board

52‧‧‧floor

54‧‧‧Back wall

54a‧‧‧ recess

54b‧‧‧ openings

61‧‧‧Support

62‧‧‧A pair of bearings

71‧‧‧Fixed shaft

72‧‧‧Support members

100‧‧‧ film forming device

101‧‧‧Substrate

101e‧‧‧film formation

101f‧‧‧back

140‧‧‧Vapor deposition unit

123‧‧‧ filming chamber (vacuum container)

Claims (9)

A film forming apparatus which is a film forming apparatus for performing a film forming process on a substrate, comprising: a vacuum container capable of accommodating the substrate; and a conveying means that intersects the thickness direction in the vacuum container The transport tray is transported in the transport direction, and the transport tray holds the substrate in a state in which the substrate is erected so that the thickness direction of the substrate is horizontal, or in a state of being inclined from an upright state. The transport means includes: a plurality of conveying rollers disposed on a lower end side of the substrate, rotating around a first axis extending in the thickness direction, and conveying the transfer tray; and a plurality of driven rollers disposed on the substrate The upper end side rotates around a second axis extending in a direction intersecting the thickness direction and the conveyance direction, and an upper end surface of the transfer tray is formed with a groove portion continuous along the conveyance direction, and the driven roller abuts The wall surface in the groove portion rotates in accordance with the movement of the transfer tray. The film forming apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the lower end surface of the transport tray is provided with a rail portion that extends in the transport direction and is capable of abutting against a circumferential surface of the transport roller. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of driven rollers are provided with a pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion a first driven roller that abuts one; and a second driven roller that abuts against the other of the pair of wall surfaces in the groove portion; the first driven roller and the second driven roller alternate in the transport direction Configuration. The film forming apparatus according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein the circumferential surface of the first driven roller is located at a position closest to a side of the pair of wall surfaces and the second driven roller The distance between the circumferential surface and the other side of the pair of wall surfaces is smaller than the distance between the pair of wall surfaces of the groove portion. The film forming apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspect, wherein the conveying roller has a pair of flange portions, and the pair of flange portions are disposed to protrude outward in a radial direction of the conveying roller. And facing each other in the first axial direction and sandwiching both sides of the transport tray. The film forming apparatus according to any one of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the film forming apparatus includes a gate valve portion, and the gate valve portion includes a valve that can seal an opening through which the transfer tray of the vacuum container passes The body of the gate valve portion is provided with the driven roller. In the transporting tray for a film forming apparatus, when the paper is conveyed in the transport direction intersecting the thickness direction, the substrate can be erected in a horizontal direction in the thickness direction of the substrate, or can be inclined from an upright state. In the state of holding the transfer tray for the film forming apparatus of the substrate, the characteristics thereof An upper end portion holding portion that holds an upper end portion of the substrate, a lower end portion holding portion that holds a lower end portion of the substrate, and a connecting portion that connects the upper end portion holding portion and the lower end portion holding portion, and the upper end portion holding portion The end surface is formed with a groove portion continuous in the conveying direction. The transport tray for a film forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the groove portion has an inclined portion formed at an end portion in the transport direction, and the inclined portion is expanded toward the end portion by a width of the groove portion. The way is formed. The transfer tray for a film forming apparatus according to the seventh aspect of the invention, wherein the lower end surface of the lower end holding portion is provided with a rail portion extending in the transport direction.