WO2017163628A1

WO2017163628A1 - Powder dispensing device, powder supply device, and powder dispensing method

Info

Publication number: WO2017163628A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/003909
Authority: WO
Inventors: 古市　考次; 竜一半山
Original assignee: 株式会社Ｓｃｒｅｅｎホールディングス
Priority date: 2016-03-23
Filing date: 2017-02-03
Publication date: 2017-09-28

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to enable a fixed amount of powder to be dispensed in a uniformly spreading manner. Provided is a powder dispensing device comprising: a chute section 50 having a sloped flat surface 511 tilted relative to a horizontal plane, the sloped flat surface 511 allowing powder P to flow down along the sloped flat surface and dispensing the powder P downward from the lower end of the sloped flat surface; a vibration section 55 for vibrating the chute section; a first restriction section 56 having a facing portion which, in a width direction parallel to the sloped flat surface and being horizontal, faces the sloped flat surface with a constant first gap therebetween, and which forms a slit-like opening A1 between the facing portion and the sloped flat surface, the opening A1 having a longitudinal direction aligned with the width direction, the first restriction section 56 also having a barrier wall portion extending upward from the facing portion, the first restriction section 56 allowing powder accumulated between the barrier wall portion and the sloped flat surface to flow down from the opening along the sloped flat surface; and a second restriction section 57 which, between the portion of the sloped flat surface which faces the first restriction section and the lower end of the sloped flat surface, faces the sloped flat surface with a second gap therebetween, the second gap being constant in the width direction and being smaller than the first gap, the second restriction section 57 forming a slit-like opening A2 between the second restriction section 57 and the sloped flat surface, the opening A2 having a longitudinal direction aligned with the width direction.

Description

Granule delivery device, powder delivery device, and powder delivery method

This invention relates to a technique for uniformly delivering powder particles.

In some cases, it is necessary to form a thin and uniform layer of powder on the surface of the substrate for surface treatment such as device manufacturing or thin film formation. In constructing the powder delivery device for this purpose, it is required that the amount of the powder delivered is constant, and that the powder after delivery is spread uniformly without deviation depending on the position. Among these, as a technique for delivering a certain amount of powder particles, there is one described in Patent Document 1, for example.

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the bottom plate is disposed so as to face the lower end of the conduit through which the granular material is circulated with a minute gap. And the quantity of the granular material discharged | emitted little by little from a pipe line through a clearance gap is adjusted by controlling the frequency and amplitude of the vibration given to a pipe line and a baseplate. In Patent Document 2, a lithium ion electrode is manufactured by applying powder such as lithium cobaltate or graphite carbon as an active material to the surface of a metal foil constituting a screen electrode and fixing the powder. It is described. The above prior art is expected to be applied to such fields.

JP 2008-221116 A JP 2010-207780 A

The above prior art is intended to control the discharge amount of the granular material, and can accurately control the amount of the granular material discharged per unit time even when the delivery amount is very small. It is expected. On the other hand, the spread of the granular material after being discharged is not taken into consideration, and it is not possible to form a uniform layer from the discharged granular material.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of delivering a certain amount of powder particles with a uniform spread.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the granular material delivery device according to the present invention has an inclined plane inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and the granular material flows down along the inclined plane and faces downward from the lower end of the inclined plane. A shooter section that feeds the shooter, a vibration section that vibrates the shooter section, and a width direction parallel to the inclined plane and facing the inclined plane with a constant first gap in the horizontal width direction. And a barrier part extending upward from the opposing part, and the granular material stored between the barrier part and the inclined plane flows down from the opening along the inclined plane. A first regulating portion to be opposed to the inclined plane with a second gap that is constant in the width direction and smaller than the first gap between the opposed position of the first regulating portion and the lower end of the inclined plane, and is inclined Width between planes And a second regulating portion for forming a slit-shaped opening that the direction to the longitudinal direction.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the method of delivering a granular material according to the present invention inclines across a shooter portion having an inclined plane inclined with respect to a horizontal plane and a fixed first gap in a horizontal width direction parallel to the inclined plane. A first restricting portion having a facing portion that forms a slit-like opening having a longitudinal direction in a width direction between the facing portion and the inclined plane; and a barrier portion extending upward from the facing portion; A slit-like shape that is constant in the width direction between the position facing the restricting portion and the lower end and is opposed to the inclined plane with a second gap smaller than the first gap and having the width direction as the longitudinal direction between the inclined plane. From the opening between the first restricting portion and the inclined plane by arranging the second restricting portion forming the opening, and storing the granular material between the barrier portion and the inclined plane to vibrate the shooter portion. Along the inclined plane A step of flowing the granular material, a step of passing the flowing granular material through the opening between the second restricting portion and the inclined plane, and a powder passing through the opening between the second restricting portion and the inclined plane And delivering the body downward from the lower end of the inclined plane.

The granular material applicable to these inventions is, for example, a granular material having a number average particle diameter of 2 μm to 100 μm. As the material, for example, lithium cobaltate or graphite carbon can be used. According to the structure of this invention, a granular material is stored in the space between the inclination plane of a shooter part, and the barrier site | part of a 1st control part. And a vibration part vibrates a shooter part, and a part of the stored granular material passes along the inclined plane through the opening between the opposing site | part of a 1st control part, and the inclined plane of a shooter part. It flows down toward its lower end. It is expected that the powder particles are sent out with a constant amount and a relatively uniform spread in the width direction by flowing down the powder particles through an opening having a constant first gap in the width direction.

However, when the inventor of the present application has analyzed in detail the distribution in the width direction of the amount of the granular material sent from the opening between the first restricting portion and the inclined plane, it is relatively sent out at the central portion of the opening in the width direction. It was found that the amount was large and less at the edges. So, in this invention, a 1st control part is downstream from a 1st control part in the flow direction of a granular material between the opposing position with a 1st control part among inclination planes, and the lower end of an inclined plane. A second restricting portion facing the inclined plane with a second gap smaller than the first gap formed between the inclined plane and the inclined plane is provided. By passing through the opening between the second restricting portion and the inclined plane at a position closer to the lower end of the inclined plane, it is possible to suppress unevenness in the amount of powder particles sent in the width direction and to send out with a uniform spread. It becomes.

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the granular material supply device according to the present invention is a substrate holding means for holding the substrate in a horizontal posture, the granular material delivery device according to the present invention, and the granular material. A delivery device holding means for holding the delivery device with the lower end of the inclined plane facing the upper surface of the base material close to each other, and a moving means for relatively moving the base material and the granular material delivery device in the horizontal direction are provided.

In the granular material supply apparatus configured as described above, the granular material is transferred from the granular material supply apparatus to the substrate surface while relatively moving the base material and the granular material supply apparatus held in a horizontal posture in the horizontal direction. Is sent out. As described above, since the powder particles can be uniformly sent in the width direction from the powder material delivery device, it is possible to form a uniform layer of the powder materials on the surface of the substrate.

As mentioned above, according to this invention, the 2nd control part which has a 2nd gap smaller than a 1st gap for the granular material which flows down from the opening between the 1st control part which has a 1st gap, and an inclination plane. Through an opening between the flat surface and the inclined plane. By carrying out like this, a fixed amount of granular material can be sent out with uniform spread.

The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will become more fully apparent when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are for explanation only and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows one Embodiment of the granular material supply apparatus concerning this invention. It is a 1st figure which shows the structure of a granular material delivery head. It is a 2nd figure which shows the structure of a granular material delivery head. It is a 3rd figure which shows the structure of a granular material delivery head. It is a 4th figure which shows the structure of a granular material delivery head. It is a figure which shows typically the measurement example of the thickness of the layer of a granular material. It is a flowchart which shows the process for forming the layer of a granular material on a base material.

FIG. 1 is a view showing an embodiment of a powder and particle supply device according to the present invention. This granular material supply apparatus 1 is an apparatus for forming a surface layer of granular material by thinly and uniformly dispersing the granular material on the surface of the substrate S. For example, in order to form a thin film on the surface of the substrate S, it is used for the purpose of supplying a powdery or granular thin film material to the surface of the substrate S. A thin film can be formed on the surface of the substrate S by heating or pressurizing the dispersed layer of the granular material to adhere to the surface of the substrate S.

In this granular material supply apparatus 1, a stage moving mechanism 2 is provided on a base 11, and the stage 3 is supported by the stage moving mechanism 2 so as to be movable in the XY plane (horizontal plane) shown in FIG. . The stage 3 has a base material placement surface with a horizontal top surface, and holds the base material S placed on the top surface in a horizontal posture. Further, a support column 13 is erected upward from the base 11 that holds the substrate S, and a granular material delivery head 5 described later is attached to the support column 13.

The stage moving mechanism 2 includes an X-direction moving mechanism 21 that moves the stage 3 in the X direction, a Y-direction moving mechanism 22 that moves the stage 3 in the Y direction, and a θ-rotation mechanism that rotates around an axis that faces the Z direction. 23. The X-direction moving mechanism 21 has a structure in which a ball screw 212 is connected to a motor 211 and a nut 213 fixed to the Y-direction moving mechanism 22 is attached to the ball screw 212. When the guide rail 214 is fixed above the ball screw 212 and the motor 211 rotates, the Y-direction moving mechanism 22 moves smoothly along the guide rail 214 in the X direction along with the nut 213.

The Y-direction moving mechanism 22 also has a motor 221, a ball screw mechanism, and a guide rail 224. When the motor 221 rotates, the θ-rotation mechanism 23 moves in the Y direction along the guide rail 224 by the ball screw mechanism. The θ rotation mechanism 23 rotates the stage 3 about the axis facing the Z direction by the motor 231. With the above configuration, the relative movement direction and orientation of the powder body delivery head 5 with respect to the base material S can be changed. Each motor of the stage moving mechanism 2 is controlled by a stage control unit 61 provided in the control unit 6 that controls the operation of each unit of the apparatus.

The granular material delivery head 5 is attached to a support column 13 extending upward from the base 11. The granular material sending head 5 stores therein the granular material to be dispersed on the substrate S, and sends the granular material to the surface of the substrate S so as to spread uniformly in the Y direction. It is. The stage moving mechanism 2 moves the substrate S held on the stage 3 at a constant speed in the X direction in a state in which a certain amount of particles is delivered from the particle delivery head 5. A layer having a certain thickness can be formed on the surface by a granular material.

FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, FIG. 3A, and FIG. 3B are diagrams showing the structure of the powder body delivery head. More specifically, FIG. 2A is a side sectional view of the granular material delivery head 5, and FIG. 2B is a top view of the granular material delivery head 5 viewed from the direction of arrow V in FIG. 2A. 3A is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2B.

As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the granular material delivery head 5 includes a casing 50 having a box shape with an upper part and a front part opened. More specifically, the housing 50 includes a bottom plate 51 having a flat upper surface 511, a back plate 52 rising from the (+ X) side end surface of the bottom plate 51, and the (+ Y) side and (−Y) side of the bottom plate 51. The outer shape is a combination of

side plates

53 and 54 rising from the end face. The casing 50 may be a combination of the above-described parts manufactured as separate members, or may be integrally formed in advance.

Near the center of the upper surface of the bottom plate 51, a rectangular plate-shaped first regulating plate 56 is provided substantially perpendicular to the inner bottom surface 511 of the bottom plate 51. Surrounded by the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51, the (−X) side surface of the back plate 52, the (+ Y) side surface of the side plate 53, the (−Y) side surface of the side plate 54, and the (+ X) side surface 561 of the first regulating plate 56. The created space forms a storage space SP, and the granular material P is stored in the storage space SP. The upper part of the storage space SP is open, and it is possible to replenish the powder P afterwards. A top plate that covers the upper portion of the storage space SP may be separately provided.

The lower end surface 562 of the first regulating plate 56 is not in contact with the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51, and a minute gap is provided between the first regulating plate 56 and the bottom plate 51. Specifically, the lower end surface 562 of the first regulating plate 56 is a plane parallel to the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51, and the lower end surface 562 of the first regulating plate 56 and the upper surface of the bottom plate 51 are shown in FIG. 3A. 511 is in close proximity to each other with a certain small gap G1 in the horizontal direction. For this reason, a slit-like opening A1 whose longitudinal direction is the Y direction is formed by the lower end portion of the first regulating plate 56 and the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 in the lower part of the storage space SP. It leaks out of the storage space SP through the opening A1.

A vibration unit 55 is attached to the housing 50, and the vibration unit 55 is driven and controlled by a vibration control unit 62 provided in the control unit 6. In response to a control command from the vibration control unit 62, the vibration unit 55 generates vibration with an appropriate frequency and amplitude, for example, ultrasonic vibration, thereby vibrating the housing 50 in the direction of arrow Dv shown in FIG. 2A. When the bottom plate 51 vibrates, the leakage of the granular material P from the storage space SP through the opening A1 is promoted. When a constant vibration is applied, a certain amount of powder P leaks continuously from the opening A1.

The housing 50 is supported by the support mechanism 14 so that the bottom plate 51 has a predetermined gradient with respect to the horizontal plane. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 3A, an elevating member 141 of a support mechanism 14 is attached to a support column 13 extending upward from the base 11 so as to be movable up and down. The elevating member 141 is attached with a rotating member 142 that is rotatable about an axis parallel to the Y direction with respect to the elevating member 141. Then, the rotating member 142 is attached to the (+ Y) side surface of the casing 50 of the granular material delivery head 5 to support the casing 50. The elevating member 141 and the rotating member 142 function as the support mechanism 14.

The height of the elevating member 141 from the base 11, that is, the position in the Z direction, and the rotation angle of the rotation member 142 are adjusted as appropriate by the operator's prior adjustment work. By changing the height of the elevating member 141, the distance between the granular material delivery head 5 and the substrate S in the Z direction can be changed. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately adjust the height of the granular material delivery head 5 with respect to the base material S having various thicknesses. In addition, by changing the rotation angle of the rotation member 142, it is possible to adjust the tilt angle of the powder delivery head 5 and control the flow rate of the powder P to be described later.

The casing 50 is supported by such a support mechanism 14 so that the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 has a downward slope from the storage section SP side toward the (−X) direction. Therefore, the granular material P leaked from the opening A1 is conveyed in the (−X) direction along the upper surface 511 by the vibration of the bottom plate 51. More precisely, the conveying direction of the granular material P is the lower left direction in the figure as shown by the arrow Dt in FIG. 2A. That is, the transport direction Dt is a direction parallel to the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51, and includes a (−X) direction component and a (−Z) direction component. More generally, the direction in which the gradient of the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 is the largest, that is, the direction in which the sphere placed on the upper surface 511 rolls is the transport direction Dt.

In this way, by applying vibration to the housing 50, a certain amount of the powder P is continuously sent out from the opening A1, and the powder P is downstream in the transport direction Dt along the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51. It is conveyed toward the side. As shown in FIG. 2B, both

side plates

53 and 54 rising from the bottom plate 51 are parallel, and the width of the bottom plate 51, that is, the length in the Y direction is constant regardless of the position in the X direction. Therefore, the width of the flow path of the granular material P going from the opening A1 to the downstream along the transport direction Dt is constant. Therefore, the granular material P delivered from the opening A1 is directly conveyed in the conveyance direction Dt without colliding with the side wall. As a result, the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 is thinly and uniformly covered with the granular material P on the downstream side of the opening A1 in the transport direction Dt. Thus, the layer of the granular material P that covers the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 with a certain thickness is further conveyed downstream.

Hereinafter, a direction parallel to the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 and perpendicular to the conveying direction Dt of the powder P is referred to as a “width direction” Dw. In this example, the Y direction and the width direction Dw coincide, but more generally, the width direction Dw is a direction parallel to and parallel to the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51. The width direction Dw and the conveyance direction Dt are orthogonal to each other. According to such a definition, the longitudinal direction of the opening A1 coincides with the width direction Dw.

In the conveying direction Dt of the granular material P, the second regulating plate 57 is disposed on the downstream side of the opening A1, more specifically, slightly upstream of the lower end portion 512 of the bottom plate 51. Similar to the first restriction plate 56, the second restriction plate 57 is a flat plate member that is supported perpendicular to the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51. The lower end surface 572 of the second restricting plate is a plane parallel to the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 and is in close proximity to the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 with a certain small gap G2 in the horizontal direction. For this reason, a slit-like opening A <b> 2 whose longitudinal direction is the Y direction is formed between the second regulating plate 57 and the bottom plate 51.

The gap G2 is set to a smaller value than the gap G1. Therefore, a part of the layer of the granular material P conveyed along the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 is scraped off by the (+ X) side surface 571 of the second regulating plate 57 and has a thickness corresponding to the gap G2. Only is conveyed downstream from the opening A2. The layer of the granular material P conveyed downstream of the opening A2 falls downward from the lower end portion 512 of the bottom plate 51. The end side of the lower end portion 512 of the bottom plate 51 has a linear shape parallel to the width direction Dw. Thus, the granular material P is finally delivered from the granular material delivery head 5. Thus, the housing | casing 50 has the function as a shooter which sends out the granular material P uniformly by predetermined width.

When the base material S is located immediately below the powder body delivery head 5, the powder body P falling from the lower end portion 512 of the bottom plate 51 lands on the surface of the base material S. When the substrate S is horizontally conveyed in the conveyance direction Dx at a constant speed by the stage moving mechanism 2, the landing position of the granular material P on the surface of the substrate S changes every moment, whereby the surface of the substrate S is changed. It will be covered by the layer of the granular material P.

The thickness of the layer of the granular material P formed on the surface of the base material S is the amount of the granular material P delivered from the granular material delivery head 5 per unit time (delivery amount), and the thickness of the base material S. It depends on the moving speed. In order to stabilize the thickness of the layer of the granular material P, it is preferable that the conveying speed of the granular material P in the granular material delivery head 5 and the moving speed of the base material S are substantially matched. Accordingly, the layer thickness of the granular material P is substantially controlled by the amount of the granular material P delivered from the granular material delivery head 5. If the conveyance speed of the granular material P and the moving speed of the base material S in the granular material delivery head 5 are substantially the same, the granular material delivered from the opening A2 between the second regulating plate 57 and the bottom plate 51. The layer thickness of P is approximately the layer thickness of the granular material P on the surface of the substrate S.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the second restriction plate 57 is fixed to the housing 50 by a fixing member 573 such as a screw or a clamp (in this embodiment, fixed to the side plates 53 and 54). It is possible to temporarily relax or release the fixing by the fixing member 573 and change the distance from the bottom plate 51. For example, the gap G2 can be adjusted by fixing the second restriction plate 57 with the fixing member 573 with a shim or spacer having an appropriate thickness interposed between the bottom plate 51 and the second restriction plate 57, for example. is there. By adjusting the gap G2 in this way, it is possible to increase or decrease the layer thickness of the granular material P delivered from the granular material delivery head 5.

Also, in order to control the layer thickness of the powder P at the opening A2, it is necessary that a necessary and sufficient amount of the powder P is stably supplied to the upstream side of the opening A2. For example, this purpose can be achieved by adjusting the gradient of the bottom plate 51 to control the flow speed of the powder P. Since the fluidity of the powder P varies depending on the type, it is desirable that the gradient of the bottom plate 51 is set according to the type of the powder P. Further, in order to prevent the falling granular material P from scattering and the layer thickness from fluctuating, it is desirable that the distance between the lower end portion 512 of the bottom plate 51 and the surface of the substrate S is as small as possible. The support mechanism 14 can be used for these purposes.

Next, the reason why the flow of the granular material P is regulated by the first regulating plate 56 and the second regulating plate 57 will be described. By sending the granular material P from the opening A1 between the first regulating plate 56 and the bottom plate 51 having the constant gap G1 in the width direction Dw, it is uniform in the width direction Dw on the downstream side of the opening A1 in the transport direction Dt. It is expected that a layer of fine powder P will be formed. However, in the experiment of the present inventor, such a result was not always obtained.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an actual measurement example of the layer thickness of the granular material. As shown in FIG. 4, in an experiment in which the second regulating plate 57 is not provided and the layer thickness regulation of the granular material P is attempted only by the first regulating plate 56 adjusted to the layer thickness to which the gap G1 is finally sent out. In addition, there was a tendency that the layer thickness was larger at the center of the opening A1 than at the end in the width direction Dw. For example, it is estimated that one of the causes is that the gap size fluctuates due to vibration of each member due to vibration.

On the other hand, in the case where the second regulating plate 57 facing the bottom plate 51 with a smaller gap G2 is provided on the downstream side of the first regulating plate 56 facing the bottom plate 51 with a relatively wide gap G1 as in the above embodiment. A substantially uniform layer thickness corresponding to the size of the gap G2 was obtained. This is considered to be because even if there is some unevenness in the layer thickness on the upstream side of the opening A2, the portion thicker than the gap G2 is rubbed off by the second restricting plate 57 and is made uniform on the downstream side. .

For the gap G1 of the opening A1, it is sufficient if a necessary and sufficient amount of the granular material P can be stably delivered to the upstream side of the opening A2. When the gap G1 is too small, a sufficient amount of the granular material P is not delivered, and when it is too wide, the uniformity of the layer thickness in the width direction Dw is deteriorated. According to the knowledge of the present inventor, the size of the gap G1 is suitably about 5 to 20 times the particle diameter of the powder P. In this case, when the gap G2 is about 1 to 10 times the particle diameter (where G1> G2), a layer thickness substantially equal to the gap G2 can be obtained. In addition, when the granular material P has a dispersion | variation in a particle diameter, a particle diameter can be represented, for example by a number average particle diameter.

That is, in this embodiment, the supply amount of the granular material P is adjusted by regulating the layer of the granular material P to a certain thin layer at the opening A1 formed between the first regulating plate 56 and the bottom plate 51. And the layer thickness of the granular material P finally sent out by opening A2 which the 2nd control board 57 forms between the baseplates 51 is prescribed | regulated. By carrying out like this, the thin layer of the granular material P with little thickness nonuniformity can be formed also in the width direction Dw.

In addition, in order to control the layer thickness of the granular material P finally sent from the granular material sending head 5, the particle size distribution of the used granular material P is as small as possible, that is, the particle diameter is as small as possible. It is desirable that they are well aligned. For this reason, it is preferable to use the granular material P classified using an appropriate classification method.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process for forming a granular material layer on a substrate by the granular material supply device. First, based on conditions such as the type of granular material used and the layer thickness to be formed, the operating conditions of each part of the apparatus are set (step S101). The operating conditions to be set are the height and inclination of the powder and particle sending head 5, the size of the gap G2, the frequency and amplitude of the vibration generated by the vibration unit 55, and the like. The relationship between these operating conditions and the layer thickness to be formed can be obtained experimentally in advance.

After each part of the apparatus is adjusted according to the set operating conditions, the base material S is placed on the stage 3 and the granular material P is put into the storage space SP (step S102). Then, when the vibration control unit 62 starts the vibration to the housing 50 by the vibration unit 55 (step S103), the granular material P in the storage space SP leaks from the opening A1, and the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 is discharged. The flow down in the conveyance direction Dt is started. The layer of the granular material P is finally regulated in thickness by the second regulating plate 57 and falls from the lower end portion 512 of the bottom plate 51. The stage control unit 61 operates the stage moving mechanism 2 at an appropriate timing to move the base material S on the stage 3 (step S104), whereby the powder P from the powder feed head 5 to the base S is transferred. Supply is started and the granular material P adheres to the surface of the base material S.

While the granular material P is sent uniformly from the granular material sending head 5 in the width direction Dw, the stage moving mechanism 2 horizontally moves the base material S at a constant speed, so that the surface of the base material S is made uniform. A layer of the granular material P having such a thickness is formed. When the base material S reaches a predetermined end position (step S105), the vibration and stage movement are sequentially stopped (steps S106 and S107), and the supply of the granular material P to the base material S is stopped. . In this way, a uniform layer of the powder body P can be formed on the substrate S.

As described above, in the granular material supply apparatus 1 of the above-described embodiment, the granular material supply head 5 functions as the “powder supply apparatus” of the present invention. Further, the stage 3 functions as the “base material holding means” of the present invention, and the stage moving mechanism 2 functions as the “moving means” of the present invention. And the support | pillar 13 and the support mechanism 14 function as the "sending-device holding means" of this invention integrally.

Further, in the granular material delivery head 5, the housing 50, particularly the bottom plate 51 functions as the “shooter portion” of the present invention, the upper surface 511 of the bottom plate 51 is the “inclined plane” of the present invention, and the lower end portion 512. Corresponds to the “lower end” of the present invention. Further, the vibration unit 55 functions as the “excitation unit” of the present invention. The first restricting plate 56 functions as the “first restricting portion” of the present invention, and the side surface 561 and the lower end surface 562 correspond to the “barrier part” and the “opposing part” of the present invention, respectively. The second restricting plate 57 functions as the “second restricting portion” of the present invention. The gaps G1 and G2 correspond to the “first gap” and the “second gap” of the present invention, respectively.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the above embodiment is configured as a “powder supply device” that forms a thin layer of the powder P on the substrate S, and the “substrate holding means” and “movement means” of the present invention. And the like. However, the present invention may be embodied as a mere “powder delivery device” that does not have these configurations. That is, the granular material delivery head 5 in the above-described embodiment can function alone as the “powder material delivery device” of the present invention.

For example, the above embodiment does not have a mechanism for adjusting the gap G1 between the first regulating plate 56 and the bottom plate 51. However, as in the case of the second restriction plate 57, the first restriction plate 56 may be configured to be able to approach and separate from the bottom plate 51. Further, the method for fixing these restricting plates is not limited to the above embodiment and is arbitrary.

Further, the first restriction plate 56 and the second restriction plate 57 in the above embodiment are provided perpendicular to the bottom plate 51. However, it is not always necessary that these restricting plates are strictly perpendicular to the bottom plate 51. However, if these restricting plates are tilted too much with respect to the bottom plate 51, the powder P that has been scraped out flows over the upper portion of the restricting plate to the downstream side, or the powder P that is originally to be scraped is restricted. It may happen that it is guided by the opening while being compressed by the plate and conveyed downstream. These are all phenomena that cause the disturbance of the layer thickness of the powder P.

In the above-described embodiment, the layer thickness of the granular material P sent out by performing the two-step layer thickness regulation by the first regulation plate 56 and the second regulation plate 57 is intended to be uniform. It is possible to further increase the number of thickness regulation steps. However, according to the experiment by the present inventor, even if the number of layers for regulating the layer thickness is set to three or more, no obvious improvement in effect is recognized in terms of the uniformity of the layer thickness.

Moreover, although the base material S in the said embodiment is a plate-shaped thing, it is possible to apply this invention also to the use which forms the layer of the granular material P on the sheet-like base material surface. In this case, various transport mechanisms capable of transporting the sheet-like base material may be combined with the granular material delivery head 5, for example, using a sheet-like base material that is transported in a so-called roll-to-roll system. Is possible.

As described above, the specific embodiment has been described by way of example. In the granular material delivery device of the present invention, for example, the length in the width direction of the inclined plane is lower than the position facing the first restricting portion. It may be constant during the period. According to such a configuration, since the granular material that has passed through the opening between the first restricting portion and the inclined plane is conveyed along the inclined plane, it is possible to prevent disturbance of the layer thickness during conveyance. it can.

Also, for example, the second restricting portion may be movable relative to the inclined plane, and the size of the second gap may be adjustable by changing the distance between the second restricting portion and the inclined plane. According to such a structure, it becomes possible to adjust the layer thickness of the granular material sent out by the magnitude | size of a 2nd gap.

Further, for example, the size of the first gap may be 5 to 20 times the number average particle size of the granular material. When the first gap is too small, the supply amount of the granular material is insufficient, and when it is too wide, the uniformity of the layer thickness in the width direction is deteriorated. According to the knowledge of the present inventor, when the first gap is in the above numerical range, it is possible to manage the layer thickness of the granular material with good controllability in the second gap.

Further, for example, each of the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion may be a flat plate member perpendicular to the inclined plane. According to such a configuration, since the configuration is simple, the apparatus cost can be reduced. Further, by scraping excess powder particles in a plane perpendicular to the inclined plane, the powder particles passing through the opening are prevented from being compressed by the first or second restricting portion.

For example, the lower end of the inclined plane may have a straight side parallel to the width direction. According to such a structure, it is possible to send a granular material from the lower end of an inclined plane, maintaining a uniform layer in the width direction.

Moreover, in the granular material supply device according to the present invention, for example, the delivery device holding means may be capable of changing the gradient of the inclined plane. According to such a structure, the delivery speed | rate of a granular material can be adjusted with the magnitude | size of the gradient of an inclined plane. Thereby, for example, the delivery amount of the granular material per unit time can be increased or decreased.

Also, for example, at least one of the substrate holding means and the delivery device holding means may be capable of adjusting the gap between the lower end of the inclined plane and the substrate upper surface. According to such a structure, it becomes possible to supply the granular material to a base material, maintaining a suitable gap corresponding to the base material of various thickness.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in a limiting sense. Reference to the description of the invention, as well as other embodiments of the present invention, various modifications of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to include such modifications or embodiments without departing from the true scope of the invention.

The present invention is suitable for applications in which powder particles are sent out uniformly and particularly thinly, and can be applied to various industrial fields depending on the type of powder particles used. For example, it is suitable for the purpose of manufacturing an electrode of a chemical battery such as a lithium ion battery by applying a granular active material to the surface of a metal foil.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Powder supply apparatus 2 Stage moving mechanism (moving means)
3 stages (base material holding means)
5 Powder and particle sending head (powder and powder sending device)
13 Post (sending device holding means)
14 Support mechanism (delivery device holding means)
50 Housing (shooter)
51 Bottom plate (of the housing 50) (shooter part)
55 Vibration unit (excitation unit)
56 First restriction plate (first restriction part)
57 Second restriction plate (second restriction part)
511 Upper surface (inclined plane) of the bottom plate 51
512 Lower end (lower end) of bottom plate 51
561 Side surface (barrier part) of first regulating plate 56
562 (first restriction plate 56) lower end surface (opposite part)
A1, A2 opening G1 first gap G2 second gap

Claims

A shooter unit having an inclined plane inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and causing powder particles to flow along the inclined plane and to be sent downward from a lower end of the inclined plane;
An excitation unit that vibrates the shooter unit;
A facing part that forms a slit-like opening with the width direction as a longitudinal direction between the inclined plane and the inclined plane with a constant first gap in a horizontal width direction parallel to the inclined plane; A first restricting portion that has a barrier portion extending upward from the facing portion, and causes the granular material stored between the barrier portion and the inclined plane to flow down from the opening along the inclined plane;
The inclined plane is opposed to the inclined plane with a second gap that is constant in the width direction and smaller than the first gap between a position facing the first restricting portion of the inclined plane and the lower end. And a second regulating part that forms a slit-like opening with the width direction as a longitudinal direction between the first and second parts.
The granular material delivery device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the inclined plane in the width direction is constant from a position facing the first restricting portion to the lower end.
The second restricting portion is movable relative to the inclined plane, and the size of the second gap can be adjusted by changing a distance between the second restricting portion and the inclined plane. 3. The granular material delivery device according to 1 or 2.
The granular material delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the size of the first gap is 5 to 20 times the number average particle diameter of the granular material.
Each of the said 1st control part and the said 2nd control part is a flat member perpendicular | vertical with respect to the said inclined plane, The granular material delivery apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 4.
The powder body delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the lower end of the inclined plane has a linear side parallel to the width direction.
A substrate holding means for holding the substrate in a horizontal position;
The powder and granular material delivery device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A delivery device holding means for holding the powder body delivery device with the lower end of the inclined plane facing the upper surface of the substrate;
A granular material supply apparatus comprising a moving means for relatively moving the base material and the granular material delivery apparatus in a horizontal direction.
The powder supply apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the delivery device holding means is capable of changing a slope of the inclined plane.
The granular material supply apparatus according to claim 7 or 8, wherein at least one of the substrate holding means and the delivery device holding means is capable of adjusting a gap between a lower end of the inclined plane and the upper surface of the substrate.
A shooter portion having an inclined plane inclined with respect to a horizontal plane, and a longitudinal direction extending between the inclined plane and the inclined plane facing the inclined plane with a constant first gap in a width direction parallel to and parallel to the inclined plane. A first restricting portion having a facing portion that forms a slit-shaped opening as a direction and a barrier portion extending upward from the facing portion; a position facing the first restricting portion of the inclined plane; and the inclined plane A slit-shaped opening having a width direction as a longitudinal direction is formed between the lower end and the lower end of the inclined plane that is opposed to the inclined plane with a second gap that is constant in the width direction and smaller than the first gap. A step of arranging a second restricting portion to be performed;
The powder particles are stored between the barrier portion and the inclined plane, and the shooter portion is vibrated, and the particles along the inclined plane from the opening between the first restricting portion and the inclined plane. A process of flowing down the body,
Passing the flowed down granular material through the opening between the second restricting portion and the inclined plane;
A method of delivering a granular material, the method comprising: delivering the granular material that has passed through the opening between the second restricting portion and the inclined plane downward from the lower end.