TW201433651A - Thin film deposition device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a film deposition device for depositing a thin film such as DLC (diamond-like carbon) films, etc. with excellent gas barrier properties on the inner surface, the outer surface or both surfaces of a container such as a PET bottle. The film deposition device is provided with: a film deposition chamber (6), the interior of which is kept under vacuum and which performs film deposition on multiple containers using heating elements disposed in the chamber at least one gate chamber (2, 4, 8, 10) that communicates with the film deposition chamber (6) and the interior of which is evacuated and conveyor mechanisms (41 - 45) for passing handling containers (56), which hold multiple containers, through the gate chambers (2, 4, 8, 10) and into the film deposition chamber (6) and transporting same out from the film deposition chamber (6). The film deposition in the film deposition chamber (6) is performed with the multiple containers being held by the handling containers (56).

Description

Film forming device

The present invention relates to a film having a high gas barrier property such as a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) film, a SiOx film, a SiOC film, a SiOCN film, a SiNx film, or an AlOx film, which is formed into a PET bottle (PET). Any of the inner surface and the outer surface of the container such as terephthalate (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle or the film forming device of both.

In the past, in order to fill a cool drink, etc., a lightweight plastic hollow container including a PET bottle was used, and the expansion of the use of plastic containers in the field of beverages and foods has been rapidly developed according to convenience and cost. Special bottles have occupied a significant portion of the total container. However, when compared with a metal can or a glass bottle, the plastic container has a low gas barrier property, and oxygen may intrude into the container or the carbon dioxide gas may be released to the outside of the container, and the quality retention property of the contents may deteriorate. Therefore, an attempt has been made to form a film having a high gas barrier property such as a DLC film on the inner surface of the container. A film having a high gas barrier property such as a DLC film can be subjected to plasma CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), metal vapor deposition, heating CVD, or sputtering in a vacuum chamber under vacuum decompression. The plating method or the like is formed on the inner surface or the outer surface of the container, so that gas barrier properties such as the flow of oxygen into the container or the release of carbonic acid gas to the outside of the container can be dramatically improved.

[Previous Technical Literature]

[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2008-127054

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-107781

When it is desired to mass-produce a container in which a film having a DLC film or the like is formed on the surface, the film formation of the container is repeated in a vacuum chamber maintained in a vacuum state, and after the film formation is completed, the vacuum chamber is returned to the atmospheric pressure and taken out. After the treated container, the next container is placed in a vacuum chamber for vacuum treatment to form a film. Therefore, when the vacuum processing of the vacuum chamber is performed, since the vacuum processing is often performed from atmospheric pressure, the vacuum processing time of the vacuum chamber becomes long, and there is a problem that the cycle time is delayed. In order to shorten the vacuum processing time and to shorten the cycle time, a large vacuum pump is required, and there is a problem that equipment cost and use cost increase.

Further, the heating element CVD method is also called a hot-wire CVD method, a hot filament CVD method, or a catalytic chemical vapor deposition method, and in the step of forming a film on the surface of the container, heat is placed in the vicinity of the container. Since the body is subjected to a film forming process, the heat generating body is placed in the vacuum chamber. Since the vacuum chamber returns to atmospheric pressure after the film forming step is completed, the heating element is periodically exposed to the air. As a result, there is a problem that the heating element is accelerated and deteriorated by oxidation or the like, thereby reducing the film forming function.

Furthermore, the film forming apparatus for plastic containers in the field of beverages and foods forms a film on the surface of the container by plasma CVD, and in the case of the prior film forming apparatuses, the containers are individually supplied to the vacuum chamber and individually. The film formation treatment is carried out, and there is a problem in that it is impossible to perform film formation treatment on a plurality of containers at the same time.

Further, in the case of the film forming apparatus of the prior film, the unprocessed container is carried into the vacuum chamber from the conveying device, for example, the conveyor, and the processed container is carried out from the vacuum chamber and returned to the conveying device, For example, in the case of a conveyor, the untreated container or the processed container is placed in standby at a plurality of positions, and there is a problem that the bottle processing is inefficient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum which can prevent deterioration of a heat generating body used when a film is formed on a surface of a container, and can shorten a vacuum when vacuuming a chamber during film formation Film forming apparatus for processing time.

A first aspect of the present invention for solving the above problems is a film forming apparatus which is formed by forming a film on a surface of a container, and includes a film forming chamber in which a vacuum is maintained and a configuration is used. Forming a plurality of containers in the inner heating element; at least one gate chamber communicating with the film forming chamber and internally vacuum-treated; and a transfer mechanism that is maintained via the gate chamber A processing container of a plurality of containers is carried into the film forming chamber and carried out from the film forming chamber; and a film forming system in the film forming chamber is held in a state in which a plurality of containers are held in the processing container.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, the at least one gate chamber is a plurality of gate chambers.

A preferred aspect of the present invention is characterized in further comprising a vacuum exhausting mechanism that independently vacuum-treats the plurality of gate chambers.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the film forming chamber is disposed on an upper side of the gate chamber, and an opening is formed at a lower end of the gate chamber; and the film forming device further includes a gate chamber sealed The flat plate of the opening; the conveying mechanism is configured to elevate and lower the flat plate.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the film forming apparatus further includes: a lifting platform that is disposed on the flat plate and that is movable independently of the flat plate; and the conveying device that performs the above process of holding a plurality of containers The lifting platform of the container is raised and lowered to move a plurality of containers between the gate chamber and the film forming chamber.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, the film forming apparatus further includes a carry-in/out unit for carrying the processing container holding the plurality of containers into the gate chamber.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the loading/unloading unit includes a supply unit disposed adjacent to the container insertion conveyor, and is disposed adjacent to the container discharge conveyor. a discharge unit and an intermediate unit disposed between the supply unit and the discharge unit, wherein the carry-in unit is in the supply unit, and a plurality of containers are loaded into the processing container from the container insertion conveyor. In the intermediate unit, the processing container holding a plurality of containers is carried into the gate chamber from the supply unit, and in the intermediate unit, the processing container holding the plurality of containers forming the film is from the above The gate chamber is carried out to the discharge unit, and a plurality of containers through which the film is formed are discharged to the bottle discharge conveyor in the discharge unit.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the film forming device is formed by one or both of an inner surface and an outer surface of a container by using a heat generating body under vacuum pressure, and is provided with a first vacuum. The preliminary chamber is vacuum-treated in a pressure region including a range from atmospheric pressure to a specific first vacuum pressure; and the first loading interlock chamber is included in the first vacuum pressure from the first vacuum pressure to the first Vacuum processing is performed in a pressure region of a range of a specific second vacuum pressure at which the vacuum pressure is low; and a film forming chamber for forming a film of the container using the heat generating body located under the second vacuum pressure; a first vacuum preparation chamber is connected to the first load lock chamber, the first load lock chamber is connected to the film forming chamber, and the container sequentially passes through the first vacuum preparation chamber and the first loading The chamber is transferred to the film forming chamber.

A preferred aspect of the present invention is characterized in further comprising: a second vacuum pre-chamber that is vacuum-treated in a pressure region including a range from atmospheric pressure to the first vacuum pressure; and a second loading interlock chamber The vacuum processing is performed in a pressure region including a range from the first vacuum pressure to the second vacuum pressure; the second vacuum preparation chamber is connected to the second load lock chamber, and the second loading chamber The lock chamber is connected to the film forming chamber, and the container formed in the film forming chamber is sequentially transported to the air space via the second load lock chamber and the second vacuum chamber.

In a preferred aspect of the present invention, the first vacuum pre-chamber and the first load-lock chamber are connected to the first vacuum exhaust mechanism and the second vacuum exhaust mechanism, and are divided into Do not vacuum it independently.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the second load lock chamber and the second vacuum reserve chamber are connected to the third vacuum exhaust mechanism and the fourth vacuum exhaust mechanism, and are independently vacuum-treated. .

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the container is a plurality of containers, and the plurality of containers are sequentially held in the state of the platen container via the first vacuum preparation chamber and the first load lock chamber. Transfer to the film forming chamber described above.

In a preferred aspect of the invention, the platen container has a plurality of storage spaces, and the bottoms of the plurality of containers are respectively housed in the plurality of storage spaces.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recovery mechanism for recovering the platen container after the film forming process of the container.

A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the container is placed in a vacuum chamber to perform vacuum processing of the vacuum chamber, and a heat generating body is used in the vacuum chamber to form a film on the surface of the container. a film forming apparatus, wherein the vacuum chamber comprises: a film forming dedicated chamber for holding the heat generating body in a vacuum state and performing film formation of a plurality of containers; and a container standby chamber for use in the film forming special cavity a plurality of containers are placed in the chamber; and a vacuum isolation mechanism is disposed between the film forming dedicated chamber and the container standby chamber; and the film forming dedicated chamber and the container standby chamber are connected to the vacuum row The air mechanism is configured to carry out a film forming system in which a plurality of containers and a plurality of containers in the film forming dedicated chamber are carried out in the container standby chamber to store a plurality of containers in the processing container. The heat-generating system itself is substantially non-volatile, and has a main surface having a metal surface which can be chemically reacted by a catalyst and/or decomposed into chemical species by heat, for example, niobium, tantalum carbide, tungsten, Tungsten carbide, nickel-chromium alloy, or carbon as the main component of the surface layer.

According to the present invention, the vacuum chamber is divided into a dedicated film forming chamber for holding the heat generating body in a vacuum state and film forming, and a film forming special chamber is placed in the take-out container. Since the container is in the standby chamber, the film-forming chamber can be maintained in a vacuum state at all times. Therefore, deterioration of the heat generating body can be prevented without lowering the film forming function. Further, since only the container standby chamber is repeatedly opened to the vacuum and the atmosphere, and the film forming dedicated chamber is always in a vacuum state, only the container standby chamber may be vacuum-processed at the time of film formation. Therefore, the vacuum processing time of the entire vacuum chamber at the time of film formation can be shortened, so that the cycle time can be shortened.

According to the present invention, a plurality of containers can be arranged in a processing container, and a processing container that accommodates a plurality of arranged containers can be used as a unit to perform a film forming process for carrying in and out of the vacuum chamber and the vacuum chamber. By unit management of a plurality of containers by using the processing container as described above, positioning of a plurality of containers can be performed accurately and easily. Further, by accommodating a plurality of containers, it is possible to perform a film forming process on a plurality of containers at the same time, thereby achieving high throughput. There is no upper limit to the number of processing containers as long as the vacuum chamber can be accommodated, but in the case of a typical 500 ml bottle, it is actually 150 or less.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the film forming dedicated chamber is disposed on the upper side, the container standby chamber is disposed on the lower side, and the lower end of the container standby chamber is opened, and is movable up and down The flat plate seals the lower end opening of the container standby chamber.

According to the present invention, the container standby chamber can be set to a closed state or an open state by lifting the flat plate. In other words, since the flat plate itself functions as a switch gate, the useless device can be suppressed, and the film forming apparatus can be downsized and the device cost can be reduced.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the processing container in which a plurality of containers are accommodated is placed on the flat plate, and the processing container is carried into the container standby chamber by the lifting and lowering of the flat plate.

According to the present invention, the processing container in which a plurality of containers are accommodated can be carried out into the container standby chamber by using an elevator lifting plate provided externally. By thus positioning the elevator outside of the vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber can be minimized and the vacuum processing time can be shortened.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, a lifting platform that can be raised and lowered independently of the flat plate is disposed on the flat plate, and the processing container that houses the plurality of containers is placed on the lifting platform. The lifting and lowering of the lifting table causes a plurality of containers housed in the processing container to move between the bottle waiting chamber and the film forming dedicated chamber. In particular, if the mechanism for adjusting the lifting speed is set, the film formation time of each part of the container can be adjusted according to the shape of the container, the heat resistance of the container, or the performance required for the container, and the barrier property or the appearance of the container can be easily adjusted. The present invention is better.

According to the present invention, the lifting mechanism for moving the plurality of containers accommodated in the processing container between the bottle standby chamber and the film forming dedicated chamber can be disposed outside the vacuum chamber, thereby minimizing the vacuum chamber. Thus, the vacuum processing time can be shortened.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the first elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the flat plate and the second elevating mechanism for elevating and lowering the elevating table are disposed below the vacuum chamber.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the film forming dedicated chamber and the container standby chamber are respectively coupled to an individual vacuum exhausting mechanism.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the film forming chamber is always maintained in a vacuum state.

According to the present invention, since the heat-generating body is always maintained in a vacuum state while maintaining the vacuum-imparting chamber, the heat-generating body is prevented from deteriorating, and the film-forming function is not lowered.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the container standby chamber is vacuum-treated at atmospheric pressure at the time of film formation of the container to be in a vacuum state, and returns to atmospheric pressure when the container is taken out after the film formation is completed.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, a loading and unloading unit for transporting the processing container in which a plurality of containers are accommodated into the vacuum chamber is disposed on both sides of the vacuum chamber.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the two loading/unloading units disposed on both sides of the vacuum chamber alternately carry the processing containers in which a plurality of containers are accommodated into the vacuum chamber.

According to the present invention, since the loading and unloading unit is disposed on both sides of the vacuum chamber, the processing containers in which the plurality of containers are accommodated can be alternately carried out into the vacuum chamber from the two loading and unloading units. Therefore, there is almost no waiting time in the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum chamber can be operated substantially continuously. Moreover, since the transfer of the processing container into and out of the processing container by the container can be performed in the film forming step of the container of the vacuum chamber, there is almost no waiting time in the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum chamber can be made. It runs roughly continuously.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the loading/unloading unit includes: a supply unit that is disposed adjacent to the container insertion conveyor; and a discharge unit that is disposed adjacent to the container discharge conveyor; and a unit disposed between the supply unit and the discharge unit; and the plurality of containers are loaded into the processing container from the container insertion conveyor in the supply unit, and the plurality of containers are received and received from the supply unit in the intermediate unit The processing container of the plurality of containers is carried into the vacuum chamber, and the processing unit that accommodates a plurality of containers that have been formed in the vacuum chamber is received from the vacuum chamber in the intermediate unit, and is carried out to the discharge unit. In the discharge unit, a plurality of containers in the processing container are discharged to the container discharge conveyor.

The first aspect of the present invention exerts the effects listed below.

(1) Since the heating element can be always kept in a vacuum state, deterioration of the heating element can be prevented, and the film forming function does not decrease.

(2) Since only the gate chamber is repeatedly opened to the vacuum and the atmosphere, and the film forming chamber is always in a vacuum state, only the gate chamber can be vacuum-treated at the time of film formation. Therefore, the vacuum processing time of the entire film forming chamber at the time of film formation can be shortened, and the cycle time can be shortened.

The second aspect of the present invention exerts the effects listed below.

(1) Since the heating element can be always kept in a vacuum state, deterioration of the heating element can be prevented, and the film forming function does not decrease.

(2) By gradually decompressing the first vacuum pre-chamber and the first load-lock chamber, the container can be transported to the film forming chamber at a shorter time interval. Therefore, the cycle time of film formation can be shortened to increase the throughput.

(3) By using a platen container, a plurality of containers can be transported as one unit and formed into a film. Therefore, the number of processes per unit time can be increased.

The third aspect of the present invention exerts the effects listed below.

(1) Since the heating element can be always kept in a vacuum state, deterioration of the heating element can be prevented, and the film forming function does not decrease.

(2) Since only the container standby chamber is repeatedly opened to the vacuum and the atmosphere, and the film forming dedicated chamber is always in a vacuum state, only the container standby chamber may be vacuum-treated at the time of film formation. Therefore, the vacuum processing time of the entire vacuum chamber at the time of film formation can be shortened, and the cycle time can be shortened.

(3) A plurality of containers may be arranged in a processing container, and a processing container that accommodates a plurality of arranged containers may be used as a unit to perform a film forming process for carrying in and out of the vacuum chamber and the vacuum chamber. By unit management of a plurality of containers by using the processing container as described above, positioning of a plurality of containers can be performed accurately and easily. In addition, a plurality of PET bottles can be simultaneously subjected to a film forming process, and a high throughput can be achieved. There is no upper limit to the number of processing containers as long as the vacuum chamber can be accommodated, but in the case of a typical 500 ml bottle, it is actually 150 or less.

(4) By arranging the loading and unloading unit on both sides of the vacuum chamber, the processing containers in which a plurality of containers are accommodated can be alternately carried in and out of the vacuum chamber from the two loading and unloading units. Thereby, there is almost no waiting time in the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum chamber can be operated substantially continuously.

(5) The transfer of the processing container in which the container is loaded, withdrawn, and stored in the processing container can be performed in the film forming step of the container in the vacuum chamber, so that the vacuum chamber hardly exists. The waiting time allows the vacuum chamber to operate substantially continuously.

(6) The handling of the vacuum chamber by the processing container in which the container is housed can be realized by lifting and lowering the lift provided by the outside. By thus positioning the elevator outside of the vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber can be minimized and the vacuum processing time can be shortened.

(7) The vacuum chamber can be sealed or opened by raising and lowering the flat plate on which the processing container in which the container is placed. In other words, since the flat plate itself functions as a switch gate, the useless device can be suppressed, and the film forming apparatus can be downsized and the device cost can be reduced.

1‧‧‧ film forming device

2‧‧‧1st vacuum preparation chamber

4‧‧‧1st load lock chamber

5‧‧‧ arrow symbol

6‧‧‧filming chamber

6a‧‧‧Linking Department

7‧‧‧ arrow symbol

8‧‧‧2nd load lock chamber

10‧‧‧2nd vacuum preparation chamber

20‧‧‧1st gate valve

22‧‧‧2nd gate valve

24‧‧‧3rd gate valve

26‧‧‧4th gate valve

28‧‧‧5th gate valve

30‧‧‧6th gate valve

32‧‧‧vacuum pipeline

33‧‧‧vacuum pipeline

35‧‧‧vacuum pipeline

36‧‧‧vacuum pipeline

40‧‧‧Transportation agency

41‧‧‧Transportation agency

42‧‧‧Transportation agency

43‧‧‧Transportation agency

44‧‧‧Transportation agency

45‧‧‧Transportation agency

50‧‧‧Pet Bottle

55‧‧‧ moving into the conveyor

56‧‧‧ platen container

56a‧‧‧Baffle

61‧‧‧heating body

62‧‧‧ gas supply pipe

65‧‧‧heating unit

67‧‧‧Support desk

69‧‧‧ Lifting mechanism

70‧‧‧ Support shaft

71‧‧‧Moving motor

73‧‧‧Atmospheric open valve

75‧‧‧Removing conveyor

80‧‧‧lift conveyor

82‧‧‧Transfer track

85‧‧‧ hook

87‧‧‧Roller

89‧‧‧stops

90‧‧‧Down conveyor

92‧‧‧Atmospheric open valve

101‧‧‧ film forming device

103‧‧‧Bottle conveyor

104‧‧‧Bottle Discharge Conveyor

110‧‧‧ film forming unit

110A‧‧‧film forming unit

110B‧‧‧film forming unit

110C‧‧‧ film forming unit

112‧‧‧ bottle standby chamber

112a‧‧‧Connecting Department

113‧‧‧ Lifts

114‧‧‧ tablet

115‧‧‧ Lifting table

121‧‧‧1st lifting shaft

122‧‧‧2nd lifting shaft

123‧‧‧ gate valve

130‧‧‧ Moving in and out of the unit

131‧‧‧Supply unit

132‧‧‧Intermediate unit

133‧‧‧Discharge unit

A‧‧‧ arrow symbol

B‧‧‧arrow symbol

VP1‧‧‧ vacuum pump

VP2‧‧‧ vacuum pump

VP3‧‧‧ vacuum pump

VP4‧‧‧ vacuum pump

VP5‧‧‧ vacuum pump

VP6‧‧‧ vacuum pump

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of a film forming apparatus for a film according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view of the film forming apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention as seen from above.

Figure 3 is a top view of the platen container.

Fig. 4 is a top view showing the other example of the platen container.

Fig. 5 is a view showing changes in vacuum pressure in the first vacuum chamber and the first load lock chamber.

Fig. 6 is a view showing changes in vacuum pressure in the second vacuum pre-chamber and the second load-lock chamber.

Fig. 7 is a view schematically showing a cross section of a film forming chamber.

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a film forming apparatus for a film according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the details of the film forming unit.

Fig. 11A is a view showing the operation of the film forming unit shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 11B is a view showing the operation of the film forming unit shown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 11C is a view showing the operation of the film forming unit shown in Fig. 10.

Figure 12 shows that the lifting platform is raised to a specific position and the heating element is inserted into the receiving pressure. A schematic cross-sectional view of the state of the plate container.

Fig. 13 is a view showing the overall operation of the film forming apparatus of the film according to the second embodiment of the present invention, which is constructed as shown in Figs. 8 to 12 .

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a film forming apparatus for a film of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 7 .

Fig. 1 is a schematic view showing the overall configuration of a film forming apparatus 1 of the film of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the film forming apparatus 1 as viewed from above. As shown in FIG. 1, the film forming apparatus 1 includes a first vacuum pre-chamber 2, a first load lock chamber 4, a film forming chamber 6, a second load lock chamber 8, and a second vacuum pre-chamber. 10. The first vacuum pre-chamber 2, the first load-lock chamber 4, the film-forming chamber 6, the second load-lock chamber 8, and the second vacuum-preparation chamber 10 are connected in series in this order. The first vacuum pre-chamber 2 and the first load-lock chamber 4 constitute a gate chamber that communicates with the film forming chamber 6 and is internally vacuum-treated. The second vacuum pre-chamber 10 and the second load-lock chamber 8 are also identical, and constitute a gate chamber that communicates with the film forming chamber 6 and is internally vacuum-treated.

As shown in FIG. 2, the PET bottle 50 as a container is carried into the film forming apparatus 1 by the carry-in conveyor 55. Further, the PET bottle 50 sequentially passes through the first vacuum preparation chamber 2, the first load lock chamber 4, the film formation chamber 6, the second load lock chamber 8, and the second vacuum preparation chamber 10, Then, it is carried out by the carry-out conveyor 75. The first vacuum pre-chamber 2 and the first load-lock chamber 4 are disposed on the upstream side of the film forming chamber 6 in the flow direction of the PET bottle 50, and the second loading interlock chamber 8 and the second vacuum chamber The chamber 10 is disposed on the downstream side of the film forming chamber 6.

A first gate valve 20 as a first vacuum isolation mechanism is provided between the first vacuum chamber 2 and the air space (surrounding space), and the first gate valve 20 is opened to carry the PET bottle 50 into the first vacuum. Prepared in the chamber 2. The first vacuum preparation chamber 2 is disposed adjacent to the first load lock chamber 4 . Between the first vacuum preparation chamber 2 and the first load lock chamber 4, a second gate valve 22 as a second vacuum isolation mechanism is provided, and the first gate valve 22 is opened to make the first true The empty preparation chamber 2 is in communication with the first load lock chamber 4. The first load lock chamber 4 is disposed adjacent to the film forming chamber 6. A third gate valve 24 as a third vacuum isolation mechanism is disposed between the first load lock chamber 4 and the film formation chamber 6, and the first load lock chamber 4 is opened by opening the third gate valve 24. It is in communication with the film forming chamber 6.

The second load lock chamber 8 is disposed adjacent to the film formation chamber 6. Between the film forming chamber 6 and the second load lock chamber 8, a fourth gate valve 26 as a fourth vacuum isolating mechanism is provided, and by opening the fourth gate valve 26, the film forming chamber 6 and the second chamber are provided. The load lock chamber 8 is in communication. The second vacuum preparation chamber 10 is disposed adjacent to the second load lock chamber 8 . Between the second load lock chamber 8 and the second vacuum reserve chamber 10, a fifth gate valve 28 as a fifth vacuum isolation mechanism is provided, and the second load lock chamber is opened by opening the fifth gate valve 28. The chamber 8 is in communication with the second vacuum preparation chamber 10. A sixth gate valve 30 is provided between the second vacuum preparation chamber 10 and the air space, and the sixth gate valve 30 is opened to carry the PET bottle 50 out of the second vacuum preparation chamber 10 to the air space.

The first vacuum pre-chamber 2 is connected to a vacuum pump VP1 as a vacuum exhaust mechanism via a vacuum line 32, and a vacuum is formed in the first vacuum pre-chamber 2 by the vacuum pump VP1. Similarly, the first load lock chamber 4, the second load lock chamber 8, and the second vacuum reserve chamber 10 are respectively connected to vacuum pumps VP2, VP3, which are vacuum exhaust mechanisms, via vacuum lines 33, 35, 36, VP4, and vacuum is formed in the first load lock chamber 4, the film forming chamber 6, the second load lock chamber 8, and the second vacuum reserve chamber 10 by the vacuum pumps VP2, VP3, and VP4. With this configuration, each of the chambers 2, 4, 8, and 10 is independently evacuated by the vacuum pumps VP1, VP2, VP3, and VP4. Further, by driving the vacuum pump VP2 in a state where the third gate valve 24 is opened, the first load lock chamber 4 and the film forming chamber 6 can be vacuum-processed simultaneously.

An atmosphere opening valve 92 is attached to the first vacuum chamber 2, and the atmosphere in the first vacuum chamber 2 is opened by opening the atmosphere opening valve 92. Similarly, an atmosphere opening valve 73 is installed in the second vacuum chamber 10, and the atmosphere opening valve 73 is opened. 2 The atmosphere in the vacuum preparation chamber 10 is open.

A conveyance mechanism 40 including a belt conveyor or the like is disposed between the first vacuum preparation chamber 2 and the carry-in conveyor 55. Further, in the first vacuum preparation chamber 2, the first load lock chamber 4, the film formation chamber 6, the second interlock pressure chamber 8, and the second vacuum preparation chamber 10, respectively, The conveying mechanisms 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45 including a belt conveyor are included. By driving the transport mechanisms 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, the PET bottle 50 is sequentially arranged in the first vacuum preparation chamber 2, the first load lock chamber 4, the film forming chamber 6, and the second The loading lock chamber 8 and the second vacuum preparation chamber 10 are transported.

As shown in Fig. 1, the PET bottle 50 carried by the carry-in conveyor 55 is placed on a platen container 56 prepared in advance by a jig (not shown). Figure 3 is a top plan view of the platen container 56. As shown in Fig. 3, the platen container 56 has a plurality of separators 56a. The bottom of the PET bottle 50 is stored one by one in a plurality of storage spaces formed by the partitions 56a. By using such a platen container 56, the PET bottle 50 can be managed as one unit, and the positioning of the PET bottle 50 can be performed accurately and easily. The storage space is not limited to this example, and may be constituted, for example, by a circular recess formed in the bottom of the platen container 56. Further, in the illustrated example, the 16 PET bottles 50 are placed on the platen container 56 as one unit and transported. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example, and the present invention can be used based on The capacity of the film forming chamber 6 maintains more of the platen container of the PET bottle. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a platen container 56 that holds 56 PET bottles 50 can also be used.

The untreated PET bottle 50 is transferred from the atmospheric space to the film forming chamber 6 where the vacuum pressure is formed, via the first vacuum pre-chamber 2 and the first load-lock chamber 4. Further, the processed bottle 50 is transported from the film forming chamber 6 to the atmosphere through the second load lock chamber 8 and the second vacuum reserve chamber 10. In order to realize the transfer of the PET bottle 50 between the atmospheric space and the film forming chamber 6, the pressure in the chambers 2, 4, 8, 10 varies with the movement of the PET bottle 50.

5 is a view showing changes in the vacuum pressure in the first vacuum chamber 2 and the first load lock chamber 4, and FIG. 6 is a view showing the second vacuum chamber 10 and the second load lock chamber 8 True A diagram of the change in air pressure. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first vacuum pre-chamber 2 and the second vacuum pre-chamber 10 are vacuum-treated in a pressure region from atmospheric pressure to at least a first specific vacuum pressure, and the first loading interlock chamber 4 and the second load lock chamber 8 are vacuum-treated in a pressure region from a first vacuum pressure to a specific second vacuum pressure lower than the first vacuum pressure. The film forming chamber 6 is always maintained at a specific target vacuum pressure (in this example, the second vacuum pressure).

Hereinafter, the fluctuation of the vacuum pressure in each chamber which occurs as the transfer of the PET bottle 50 is described in detail. When the first gate valve 20 is opened, the transfer mechanisms 40 and 41 are driven to transport the PET bottle 50 together with the platen container 56 to the first vacuum chamber 2 . After the PET bottle 50 is transferred into the first vacuum pre-chamber 2, the first gate valve 20 is closed, and the inside of the first vacuum pre-chamber 2 is made airtight. In this state, the first vacuum pre-chamber 2 is vacuum-treated to a specific third vacuum pressure by driving the vacuum pump VP1 connected to the vacuum line 32. The third vacuum pressure system is higher than the pressure of the first vacuum pressure.

The first load lock chamber 4 is vacuum-treated to the second vacuum pressure by the vacuum pump VP2, and a vacuum higher than the first vacuum reserve chamber 2 is formed in the first load lock chamber 4. When the second gate valve 22 is opened in this state, the first vacuum reserve chamber 2 communicates with the first load lock chamber 4, and the pressures in the chambers 2, 4 become the third vacuum pressure and the second vacuum pressure. The intermediate pressure is the first vacuum pressure.

While the second gate valve 22 is being opened, the transfer mechanisms 41 and 42 are driven to transport the PET bottle 50 together with the platen container 56 from the first vacuum supply chamber 2 to the first load lock chamber 4. During the transfer of the PET bottle 50, the vacuum pumps VP1 and VP2 continue the vacuum exhaust operation, whereby the pressure in the first vacuum reserve chamber 2 and the first load lock chamber 4 is further lowered from the first vacuum pressure. When the transfer of the PET bottle 50 is completed, the second gate valve 22 is closed. The vacuum pump VP2 vacuum-treats the first load lock chamber 4 to the second vacuum pressure.

The inside of the film forming chamber 6 is vacuum-treated in advance by the vacuum pump VP2, and a second vacuum pressure is formed in the film forming chamber 6. The third gate valve 24 is opened in a state where the vacuum pressures in the first load lock chamber 4 and the film forming chamber 6 are substantially the same, and the treasures are transferred by the transfer mechanisms 42 and 43. The special bottle 50 is carried together with the platen container 56 from the first loading lock chamber 4 to the film forming chamber 6. After the transfer of the PET bottle 50 to the film forming chamber 6 is completed, the third gate valve 24 is closed. Next, the PET bottle 50 is subjected to a film forming process under vacuum pressure in the film forming chamber 6 as will be described later.

The film-forming PET bottle 50 is transferred from the film forming chamber 6 to the second load lock chamber 8. More specifically, the second load lock chamber 8 is vacuum-treated to the second vacuum pressure by the vacuum pump VP3, and substantially the same as the film formation chamber 6 is formed in the second load lock chamber 8. Vacuum degree. When the fourth gate valve 26 is opened in this state, the PET bottle 50 is transferred from the film forming chamber 6 to the second load lock chamber 8 by the transfer mechanisms 43 and 44 together with the platen container 56. At this time, the second vacuum pre-chamber 10 is vacuum-treated by the vacuum pump VP4 to the third vacuum pressure (third vacuum pressure > first vacuum pressure > second vacuum pressure). When the transfer of the PET bottle 50 to the second load lock chamber 8 is completed, the fourth gate valve 26 is closed, and thereafter the fifth gate valve 28 is opened. As a result, the second load lock chamber 8 communicates with the second vacuum reserve chamber 10, and the pressure in the chambers 8 and 10 becomes the first vacuum pressure which is the intermediate pressure between the third vacuum pressure and the second vacuum pressure. .

While the fifth gate valve 28 is being opened, the transfer mechanisms 44 and 45 are driven to transport the PET bottle 50 together with the platen container 56 from the second load lock chamber 8 to the second vacuum reserve chamber 10. When the transfer of the PET bottle 50 is completed, the fifth gate valve 28 is closed. Next, the atmosphere opening valve 73 is opened, whereby the second vacuum pre-chamber 10 is opened to the atmosphere. Thereafter, the sixth gate valve 30 is opened, and the PET bottle 50 is transferred from the second vacuum preparation chamber 10 to the atmospheric space together with the platen container 56.

The processed bottle 50 that has been transported to the atmospheric space is transported to the carry-out conveyor 75 by a jig (not shown). The platen container 56 after the bottle 50 is taken out is raised to the transfer rail 82 by the lift conveyor 80. The lift conveyor 80 includes a plurality of hooks 85 fixed to the belt conveyor, and the plurality of platen containers 56 can be continuously hung on the hooks 85 and lifted to the transport rails 82.

The transport rail 82 is inclined downward on the one hand and extends from the lift conveyor 80 to the lower conveyor 90 on the one hand. The transport rail 82 has a plurality of freely rotatable drums 87 that are moved toward the descending conveyor 90 by a plurality of rollers 87 by their own weight. Under Before the down conveyor 90, a stopper 89 is disposed, and the stopper container 89 stops the movement of the platen container 56 toward the descending conveyor 90. The stopper 89 is configured to draw the platen containers 56 one by one to the lowering conveyor 90 at a specific interval. Therefore, the plurality of platen containers 56 are lowered by the descending conveyor 90 at a predetermined interval, and are placed on the conveying mechanism 40. Next, the next PET bottle 50 is carried by the carry-in conveyor 55 and placed on the platen container 56. Thus, the platen container 56 is recovered after the film formation of the PET bottle 50, and is used in the film forming step of the subsequent PET bottle 50. In the present embodiment, the lift conveyor 80, the conveyance rail 82, and the down conveyor 90 constitute a recovery mechanism for collecting the platen container 56.

The first treasure special bottle 50 is transferred from the first vacuum preparation chamber 2 to the first load lock chamber 4, and after closing the second gate valve 22, the atmosphere open valve 92 is opened, thereby the first vacuum preparation chamber Room 2 is open to the atmosphere. Next, the subsequent PET bottle 50 is carried into the first vacuum preparation chamber 2 together with the platen container 56, and the above steps are repeated.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first vacuum pre-chamber 2 is vacuum-treated in a pressure region from atmospheric pressure to at least the first vacuum pressure, and the first load-lock chamber 4 is from the first vacuum to the second. Vacuum treatment is performed in the pressure region of the vacuum pressure (<1st vacuum pressure). The film forming chamber 6 is always maintained at the second vacuum pressure. In this manner, the first vacuum chamber 2 and the first load lock chamber 4 are stepped down in a stepwise manner, and the one load lock chamber is disposed on the upstream side of the film forming chamber 6. The PET bottle 50 can be transported to the film forming chamber 6 at a shorter time interval. Therefore, the cycle time of film formation can be shortened, and the throughput can be increased.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second vacuum pre-chamber 10 is vacuum-treated from atmospheric pressure to at least the first vacuum pressure, and the second load-lock chamber 8 is from the first vacuum to the second vacuum. Vacuum treatment is performed in the pressure region of the pressure (<1st vacuum pressure). In this manner, by gradually depressurizing the second load lock chamber 8 and the second vacuum reserve chamber 10, and placing one load lock chamber on the downstream side of the film forming chamber 6, In comparison, the PET bottle 50 can be carried out from the film forming chamber 6 at a shorter time interval. Therefore, the cycle time of film formation can be shortened, and the throughput can be increased.

Next, the configuration of the film forming chamber 6 will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 7 is a view schematically showing a cross section of the film forming chamber 6. As shown in FIG. 7, a heating element unit 61 including a heating element 61 and a gas supply pipe 62 for supplying a material gas into the PET bottle 50 is disposed in the film forming chamber 6. Electric power is supplied from a power source (not shown) in the heating unit 65, whereby the heating element 61 generates heat. Further, since the heating of the heating element is facilitated by electric conduction, it is possible to use a combination of a high-frequency power source and an integrator used in the plasma CVD method to supply a lower-cost AC or DC power source.

The so-called heating system itself is substantially non-volatile, and the raw material gas can be decomposed into chemical species by chemical reaction of the catalyst and/or by heat, for example, niobium, tantalum carbide, tungsten, tungsten carbide, nickel-chromium. A wire that is an alloy or carbon as the main component of the surface layer. In the present embodiment, 16 sets of heating element units 65 are arranged for the 16 PET bottles 50 (only four sets of heating elements 65 are illustrated in FIG. 7), but the number of the heating elements 65 can be configured according to The number of the PET bottles 50 on the platen container 56 is appropriately changed.

The PET bottle 50 conveyed into the film forming chamber 6 is lifted together with the platen container 56 by the elevating mechanism 69. The elevating mechanism 69 includes a support base 67 on which the platen container 56 is placed, a support shaft 70 that supports the support base 67, and a lift motor 71 that is coupled to the support shaft 70. A sealing member (not shown) is disposed in a portion of the support shaft 70 that penetrates the film forming chamber 6. By driving the lifting motor 71, the support table 67 is moved up and down, and the platen container 56 placed on the support table 67 and the PET bottle 50 held by the platen container 56 are lifted and lowered.

The film formation of the PET bottle 50 will be described. At the same time as the closing of the third gate valve 24, the platen container 56 and the PET bottle 50 are raised by the elevating mechanism 69, and as shown in Fig. 7, the heating element 61 and the gas supply pipe 62 are inserted into the platen container 56. Baote bottle 50 inside. Next, the material gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 62 in the PET bottle 50, and an electric current flows through the heating element 61. Thereby, the heating element 61 becomes a high temperature, and the heating element 61 becomes a thermal contact medium. The material gas blown from the gas supply pipe 62 is in contact with the heat generating body 61 serving as a heat contact medium, and is decomposed into chemical species by catalytic reaction of the catalyst and/or by heat. The chemical species reaches the inner surface of the PET bottle 50 and forms a film on the inner surface of the PET bottle 50. a film of a specific film thickness is formed on the film After the inner surface of the bottle 50, the platen container 56 and the PET bottle 50 are lowered by the lifting mechanism 69.

Each of the PET bottles 50 is inserted into and removed from each of the PET bottles 50 by the elevating mechanism 69 at a predetermined speed. At the time of film formation, the lifting speed of the lifting and lowering of the bottle 50 can also be adjusted. According to this configuration, the film formation time of each part of the container can be adjusted according to the shape of the container, the heat resistance of the container, or the performance required for the container, so that the barrier property or the appearance of the container can be easily adjusted. Instead of the PET bottle 50, the heating element 61 can be moved up and down by a lifting mechanism (not shown), whereby the heating element 61 can be inserted and removed for the PET bottle 50.

By disposing the heating element 61 on the outer side of the PET bottle 50, a film can be formed on the outer surface of the PET bottle 50 as well. Further, by disposing the heating element 61 inside and outside the PET bottle 50, a film can be formed on both the inner surface and the outer surface of the PET bottle 50.

According to the present invention, the inside of the film forming chamber 6 in which the heat generating body 61 is disposed is always maintained at a vacuum pressure. Therefore, deterioration of the heat generating body 61 can be prevented, and the film forming function of the heat generating body 61 is not lowered.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a film forming apparatus for a film according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 8 to 13 . In the drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated.

Fig. 8 is a plan view showing the overall configuration of a film forming apparatus for a film according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX of Figure 8. As shown in Fig. 8, the film forming apparatus 101 for a film is placed in a bottle-input conveyor (loading conveyor) 103 into which the container 50 is to be processed, and a bottle for discharge of the bottle 50 which has been discharged. Between the conveyors (out of the conveyor) 104.

In order to achieve a higher processing capacity, for example, a processing capacity of 600 per minute, the film forming apparatus 101 of the film is configured to use a platen container 56 that can accommodate a plurality of PET bottles 50, for example, 8 to 64 PET bottles, and The platen container 56 containing the plurality of PET bottles 50 is moved inside the device The film formation process is performed. In the present embodiment, the platen container 56 can accommodate 28 (4 rows x 7 columns) PET bottles 50. The platen container 56 constitutes a processing container for carrying out a plurality of PET bottles 50 into the vacuum chamber and performing a film forming process on the plurality of PET bottles 50.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the film forming apparatus 101 includes a film forming unit 110 disposed at a central portion and configured to perform a film forming process on the PET bottle 50, and a loading/unloading unit 130 and 130. To the left and right of the film forming unit 110, the untreated PET bottle 50 is carried into the film forming unit 110, and the processed PET bottle 50 is carried out from the film forming unit 110. Since the left and right loading and unloading units 130 and 130 have the same configuration, only the right loading and unloading unit 130 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 8, the carry-in/out unit 130 includes a supply unit 131 disposed adjacent to the bottle insertion conveyor 103, a discharge unit 133 disposed adjacent to the bottle discharge conveyor 104, and a supply unit 131 and a discharge unit. Intermediate unit 132 between 133. The supply unit 131 can mount a plurality of platen containers 56 juxtaposed. In the present embodiment, three platen containers 56 are placed on the supply unit 131. The plurality of platen containers 56 on the supply unit 131 are sequentially loaded into the bottle 50 of the bottle feeding conveyor 103 by an input mechanism (not shown). When a specific number (28) of PET bottles 50 are loaded into all of the platen containers 56 on the supply unit 131, the supply unit 131 delivers a plurality of platen containers 56 to the intermediate unit 132.

The intermediate unit 132 can mount a plurality of platen containers 56 arranged in parallel. In the present embodiment, three platen containers 56 are placed on the intermediate unit 132. The intermediate unit 132 supplies a plurality of platen containers 56 received from the supply unit 131 to the film forming unit 110. Further, the intermediate unit 132 receives a plurality of platen containers 56 containing the processed PET bottles 50 formed in the film forming unit 110 from the film forming unit 110, and delivers the received plurality of platen containers 56 to the discharge. Unit 133. The discharge unit 133 can mount a plurality of platen containers 56 arranged in parallel. In the present embodiment, three platen containers 56 are placed on the discharge unit 133. The specified number (28) of the processed pouches contained in the platen container 56 placed in the discharge unit 133 The bottle 50 is sequentially discharged to the bottle discharge conveyor 104 by a discharge mechanism (not shown). Further, the bottle insertion conveyor 103 (loading conveyor) and the bottle discharging conveyor (loading conveyor) 104 preferably include a conveyor corresponding to the left loading and unloading unit 130 and a loading and unloading unit corresponding to the right side. Two conveyors for the 130 conveyor.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the film forming unit 110 includes a plurality of film forming units. In the present embodiment, each of the 28 platen containers 56 received in the three platen containers 56 received from the supply unit 131 can be accommodated. The bottle 50 is simultaneously subjected to a film forming process, and includes three constituent film units 110A, 110B, and 110C. Since the three constituent film units 110A, 110B, and 110C include the vacuum chamber having the same configuration, only the film forming unit 110B (the unit surrounded by the broken line in Fig. 9) will be described below.

Fig. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the details of the film forming unit 110B. As shown in FIG. 10, the film forming unit 110B includes two chambers of the film forming chamber 6 and the bottle standby chamber 112. The film forming chamber 6 is disposed on the upper side, and the bottle standby chamber 112 is disposed on the lower side. The film forming chamber 6 and the bottle standby chamber 112 are coupled via a gate valve 123. The bottle standby chamber 112 constitutes a gate chamber that communicates with the film forming chamber 6 and is internally vacuum-treated.

The film forming chamber 6 is connected to a vacuum pump VP5 as a vacuum exhausting mechanism via a connecting portion 6a, and the inside of the film forming chamber 6 is vacuum-treated by a vacuum pump VP5. In the film forming chamber 6, in order to simultaneously form a film forming process on the plurality of PET bottles 50 accommodated in the platen container 56, a plurality of heat generating units 65 including the linear heating elements 61 are disposed. The base of the linear heating element includes a copper rod-shaped member (not shown), and is configured to be substantially not heated when the heating element 61 generates heat. Electric power is supplied from a power source (not shown) in the heating unit 65, whereby the heating element 61 generates heat. Further, since the heating of the heating element is facilitated by electric conduction, it is possible to use a combination of a high-frequency power source and an integrator used in the plasma CVD method, and a lower-cost AC or DC power source. Each of the heating elements 61 is inserted into each of the PET bottles 50 which are held in the film forming chamber 6 in an upright state. In the present embodiment, 28 heat generating unit 65s are disposed, and in the film forming chamber 6, a total of 28 PET bottles 50 accommodated in the platen container 56 can be formed.

Further, the bottle standby chamber 112 is connected to the vacuum exhaust via the connecting portion 112a. The vacuum pump VP6 of the mechanism and the chamber standby chamber 112 are vacuum-treated by a vacuum pump VP6.

In the state shown in FIG. 10, the lower surface of the bottle standby chamber 112 is opened, and a flat plate 114 configured to be lifted and lowered by the elevator 113 is provided below the bottle standby chamber 112. By opening the lower end of the bottle standby chamber 112 by raising the flat plate 114 by the lifter 113, the inside of the bottle standby chamber 112 can be sealed, and the flat plate 114 becomes the lower surface of the chamber. Further, a sealing member (not shown) such as an O-ring is provided on the upper surface of the flat plate 114, and when the flat plate 114 closes the lower end opening in the bottle standby chamber 112, the bottle standby chamber 112 is hermetically held.

A lifting table 115 is provided on the upper surface of the flat plate 114 which is the lower surface of the chamber, and a platen container 56 in which the PET bottle 50 is housed is placed on the lifting table 115. The elevating table 115 can be lifted and lowered integrally with the flat plate 114 by lifting and lowering the flat plate 114 by the lifter 113. Further, the elevating table 115 can be independently moved up and down independently of the flat plate 114. In other words, the lifter 113 is provided with a double lifting mechanism. By actuating the first elevating mechanism, the flat plate 114 can be moved up and down together with the elevating table 115, and the elevating table 115 can be moved up and down by the second elevating mechanism. Further, although the elevating shaft of the second elevating mechanism passes through the flat plate 114, a sealing mechanism is provided in the penetrating portion, so that the flat plate 114 can airtightly maintain the bottle standby chamber 112.

The operation of the film forming unit configured as shown in Fig. 10 will be described with reference to Figs. 11A to 11C.

As shown in Fig. 11A, the inside of the film forming chamber 6 is always in a vacuum state, and the heat generating body 61 located in the film forming chamber 6 is always held in a vacuum state. At this time, the gate valve 123, which is a vacuum isolation mechanism between the film forming chamber 6 and the bottle standby chamber 112, is closed, and the film forming chamber 6 is disconnected from the bottle standby chamber 112. The platen container 56 in which the plurality of PET bottles 50 are housed is supplied from the intermediate unit 132 to the lifting table 115 of the film forming unit 110B. At this time, the lower surface of the bottle standby chamber 112 is open.

Next, the first elevating mechanism of the elevator 113 is actuated to raise the first elevating shaft 121, and the flat plate 114 is raised together with the elevating table 115 on which the platen container 56 is placed, as shown in Fig. 11B. As shown, the inside of the bottle standby chamber 112 is sealed by closing the lower end opening of the bottle standby chamber 112 by the flat plate 114. Thereby, the platen container 56 which is located in the elevating table 115 and accommodates the plurality of PET bottles 50 is placed in the bottle standby chamber 112. In this state, the vacuum pump VP6 is actuated to start the vacuum processing in the bottle standby chamber 112.

By the action of the vacuum pump VP6, the vacuum pressure in the bottle standby chamber 112 is lower than that in the film forming chamber 6. When the specific vacuum pressure is reached, the gate valve 123 is opened to make the film forming chamber 6 and the bottle standby chamber. 112 connected. Thereby, the vacuum pressure in the bottle standby chamber 112 rises to be equal to the vacuum pressure in the film forming chamber 6. Therefore, the vacuum processing time of the bottle standby chamber 112 can be shortened.

Next, as shown in FIG. 11C, the second elevating mechanism of the elevator 113 is actuated to raise the second elevating shaft 122, and the elevating table 115 on which the platen container 56 is placed is separately raised, and a plurality of PET bottles are accommodated. A platen container 56 of 50 is supplied into the film forming chamber 6. When the elevating table 115 is raised to a specific position, each of the heating elements 61 is inserted into each of the PET bottles 50. Each of the PET bottles 50 is inserted and removed in each of the PET bottles 50 by raising and lowering at a predetermined speed by the lifting table 115.

FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state in which the elevating table 115 is raised to a specific position and the heating element 61 is inserted into the PET bottle 50 housed in the platen container 56. In FIG. 12, the heating element 61 and the gas supply pipe 62 of the heating unit 65 are inserted into the PET bottle 50 by the raising and lowering of the lifting table 115. During the above-described insertion and extraction steps, the film forming chamber 6 reaches a vacuum pressure at which film formation is possible, and the material gas is supplied from the gas supply pipe 62 into the PET bottle 50, and a current flows through the heating element 61. Thereby, the heating element 61 becomes a high temperature, and the heating element 61 becomes a thermal contact medium. The material gas blown from the gas supply pipe 62 is brought into contact with the heat generating body 61 serving as a heat contact medium, and is decomposed into chemical species by catalytic reaction of the catalyst and/or by heat. The chemical species reaches the inner surface of the PET bottle 50 and forms a film on the inner surface of the PET bottle 50. After a film having a specific film thickness is formed on the inner surface of the PET bottle 50, film formation is completed.

According to the present invention, it is set to adjust the height of the lifting and lowering of the PET bottle 50 The film formation time of each part of the container can be adjusted according to the shape of the container, the heat resistance of the container, or the performance required for the container, so that the barrier property or the appearance of the container can be easily adjusted.

Then, the second elevating mechanism 122 of the elevator 113 is actuated to lower the second elevating shaft 122, and the platen container 56 containing the processed PET bottle 50 is taken out from the film forming chamber 6 and returned to the bottle standby chamber 112. The gate valve 123 is closed. This state is the same as that shown in Fig. 11B except that the untreated PET bottle 50 becomes the treated PET bottle 50. Thereafter, a vacuum break valve (atmospheric open valve) (not shown) provided in the bottle standby chamber 112 is actuated to open the atmosphere in the bottle standby chamber 112. At this time, the inside of the film forming chamber 6 is always in a vacuum state, and the heat generating body 61 located in the film forming chamber 6 is always held in a vacuum state.

Then, the first elevating mechanism of the lifter 113 is actuated to lower the first elevating shaft 121, and the flat plate 114 is lowered together with the elevating table 115 on which the platen container 56 is placed, and is taken out from the bottle standby chamber 112. Baote bottle 50. This state is the same as that shown in Fig. 11A except that the untreated PET bottle 50 becomes the treated PET bottle 50. Next, the platen container 56 containing the processed PET bottle 50 is taken out from the lifting table 115 to the intermediate unit 132 of the loading and unloading unit 130. Next, the platen container 56 containing the new PET bottle 50 is supplied from the intermediate unit 132 to the lifting table 115. After the platen container 56 is supplied onto the elevating table 115, the step of carrying in the film forming chamber 6 of the above-described PET bottle 50 and the film forming step of the PET bottle 50 are repeated.

Next, the overall operation of the film forming apparatus of the film configured as shown in Figs. 8 to 12 will be described with reference to Fig. 13 .

Fig. 13 is a schematic plan view showing the flow of the PET bottle 50 to be processed in the film forming apparatus 101 of the film. Since the left and right loading and unloading units 130 and 130 perform the same operation, the operation of the loading/unloading unit 130 on the right side will be mainly described below. As shown in FIG. 13, the bottle 50 to be processed is conveyed in the direction of the arrow symbol A by the bottle insertion conveyor 103. At this time, three empty platen containers 56 are placed on the supply unit 131. The bottle 50 on the bottle feeding conveyor 103 is sequentially loaded by an input mechanism (not shown) as indicated by an arrow symbol 1 The platen container 56 on the supply unit 131.

When a specific number (28) of PET bottles 50 are loaded into all of the platen containers 56 on the supply unit 131, the supply unit 131 delivers the three platen containers 56 to the intermediate unit 132 as indicated by the arrow 2. The intermediate unit 132 carries the three platen containers 56 received from the supply unit 131 into the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C as indicated by an arrow symbol 3. In the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C, the film forming steps shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C are performed, and a film having a specific film thickness is formed into 28 pieces of the PET bottles 50 housed in the three platen containers 56, respectively. surface.

After the film formation is completed, the intermediate unit 132 receives the three platen containers 56 in which the processed PET bottles 50 are housed from the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C as indicated by the arrow symbol 4. After the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C carry out the three platen containers 56 in which the processed PET bottles 50 are stored, as shown by the arrow 5, the three platen containers 56 in which the untreated PET bottles 50 are accommodated are placed. The intermediate unit 132 from the loading/unloading unit 130 on the left side is carried into the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C. The three platen containers 56 that house the PET bottles 50 that have been subjected to the film forming process in the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C are taken out to the intermediate unit 132 of the loading/unloading unit 130 on the left side. In other words, in the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C, the three platen containers 56 in which the untreated PET bottles 50 are accommodated are alternately carried in from the left and right loading and unloading units 130 and 130.

On the other hand, the intermediate unit 132 of the loading/unloading unit 130 on the right side is delivered to the discharge unit 133 by the three pressure plate containers 56 in which the processed PET bottles 50 are stored, as indicated by the arrow symbol 6. The PET bottle 50 accommodated in the three platen containers 56 placed in the discharge unit 133 is sequentially discharged to the bottle discharge conveyor 104 by a discharge mechanism (not shown) as indicated by an arrow 7 . The bottle discharge conveyor 104 conveys the processed PET bottle 50 in the direction of the arrow symbol B.

As described above, in the film forming apparatus 101 of the film shown in FIGS. 8 to 13, a plurality of PET bottles 50 can be arranged in the platen container 56, and a plurality of PET bottles arranged in a row can be accommodated. The platen container 56 of 50 is carried into and out of the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C as one unit, and the film forming process in the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C is performed. By unit management of a plurality of PET bottles 50 by using the platen container 56 as described above, the positioning of the plurality of PET bottles 50 can be performed accurately and easily. In the present embodiment, the platen container 56 in which the 28 PET bottles 50 are accommodated can be used as one unit, and three units (=84 units) can be transferred (loaded in and out) and film-formed as a group. .

By arranging the carry-in/out unit 130 on both sides of the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C, the three units (=84) can be alternately carried in and out of the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C from the two loading/unloading units 130. . Thereby, the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C have almost no waiting time, and the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C can be operated substantially continuously. Further, the transfer of the platen container 56 into which the PET bottle 50 is loaded, withdrawn, and stored with the PET bottle 50 can be carried out in the film forming step of the PET bottle 50 in the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C. Therefore, there is almost no waiting time for the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C, and the film forming units 110A, 110B, and 110C can be operated substantially continuously.

The platen container 56 in which the PET bottle 50 is accommodated can be carried out into the respective film forming units (vacuum chambers) 110A, 110B, and 110C by the elevator lifting plate 114 provided outside. By thus positioning the elevator outside of the vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber can be minimized and the vacuum processing time can be shortened.

Further, in the vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber can be sealed by raising the flat plate 114 on which the platen container 56 in which the plurality of PET bottles 50 are placed. In other words, since the flat plate itself functions as a switch gate, the useless device can be suppressed, and the film forming apparatus can be downsized and the device cost can be reduced.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the outer surface of the container can be formed into a film by disposing the heat generating body outside the container.

[Industrial availability]

The present invention can be used for forming a film having a high gas barrier property such as a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) film, a SiOx film, a SiOC film, a SiOCN film, a SiNx film, or an AlOx film in a PET bottle. A film forming apparatus such as either or both of the inner surface and the outer surface of the container.

1‧‧‧ film forming device

2‧‧‧1st vacuum preparation chamber

4‧‧‧1st load lock chamber

6‧‧‧filming chamber

8‧‧‧2nd load lock chamber

10‧‧‧2nd vacuum preparation chamber

20‧‧‧1st gate valve

22‧‧‧2nd gate valve

24‧‧‧3rd gate valve

26‧‧‧4th gate valve

28‧‧‧5th gate valve

30‧‧‧6th gate valve

32‧‧‧vacuum pipeline

33‧‧‧vacuum pipeline

35‧‧‧vacuum pipeline

36‧‧‧vacuum pipeline

40‧‧‧Transportation agency

41‧‧‧Transportation agency

42‧‧‧Transportation agency

43‧‧‧Transportation agency

44‧‧‧Transportation agency

45‧‧‧Transportation agency

50‧‧‧Pet Bottle

55‧‧‧ moving into the conveyor

56‧‧‧ platen container

71‧‧‧Moving motor

73‧‧‧Atmospheric open valve

75‧‧‧Removing conveyor

80‧‧‧lift conveyor

82‧‧‧Transfer track

85‧‧‧ hook

87‧‧‧Roller

89‧‧‧stops

90‧‧‧Down conveyor

92‧‧‧Atmospheric open valve

VP1‧‧‧ vacuum pump

VP2‧‧‧ vacuum pump

VP3‧‧‧ vacuum pump

VP4‧‧‧ vacuum pump

Claims (7)

A film forming apparatus characterized in that it is formed on a surface of a container to form a film; and comprises: a film forming chamber in which a vacuum is maintained, and a plurality of containers are formed by using a heat generating body disposed inside; at least a gate chamber connected to the film forming chamber and internally vacuum-treated; and a transfer mechanism for carrying a processing container holding a plurality of containers into the film forming chamber via the gate chamber And ejecting from the film forming chamber; the film forming system in the film forming chamber is carried out in a state in which a plurality of containers are held in the processing container. The film forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one gate chamber is a plurality of gate chambers. The film forming apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a vacuum exhausting mechanism that vacuum-processes the plurality of gate chambers independently. The film forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein the film forming chamber is disposed on an upper side of the gate chamber, and an opening is formed at a lower end of the gate chamber; and the film forming device further comprises a sealing chamber The flat plate of the opening; the conveying mechanism is configured to elevate and lower the flat plate. The film forming apparatus of claim 4, wherein the film forming apparatus further includes an elevating table disposed on the flat plate independently of the flat plate and movable up and down; and the transfer device is configured to carry the above process of holding a plurality of containers The lifting platform of the container is raised and lowered to move a plurality of containers between the gate chamber and the film forming chamber. The film forming apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a carry-in/out unit for carrying the processing container holding the plurality of containers into the gate chamber. The film forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the carry-in unit includes a supply unit that is disposed adjacent to the container insertion conveyor, and a discharge unit that is disposed adjacent to the container discharge conveyor; and an intermediate unit; The loading/unloading unit is configured to load a plurality of containers from the container insertion conveyor into the processing container in the feeding unit; and to maintain the plurality of containers in the intermediate unit The processing container of the plurality of containers is carried into the gate chamber from the supply unit; and in the intermediate unit, the processing container holding the plurality of containers forming the film is carried out from the gate chamber to the discharge In the above discharge unit, a plurality of containers through which the film is formed are discharged to the bottle discharge conveyor.