JP2018150611A - Vacuum treatment apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vacuum treatment apparatus capable of achieving easily smooth transportation, high quality treatment, and a cost reduction at a facility side.SOLUTION: In a vacuum treatment apparatus including an approach path 11 positioned at the center, and return paths 12 positioned on both sides of the approach path 11, only a transport path 14 for transferring a glass substrate 13 is disposed on the approach path 11, and a film deposition chamber 15 for depositing a film in a vacuum state onto the glass substrate 13 is disposed on the return path 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vacuum processing apparatus including a processing chamber that performs processing in a vacuum state on an object to be processed, and a conveyance path that transfers the object to be processed.

  For example, a vacuum processing apparatus such as a vacuum deposition apparatus, a sputtering apparatus, or a plasma CVD apparatus employs a back-type substrate processing apparatus that employs a vertical transport system that stands and transports a substrate that is an object to be processed (see Patent Document 1). And a film forming apparatus (see Patent Document 2).

  The Inter-back type substrate processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a plurality of processing chambers partitioned by a gate valve and a main part configured by a transfer line set through each processing chamber.

  The transport line consists of an outward transport line that goes to the reverse position and a return transport line that returns from the reverse position. The forward transport line and the backward transport line are different parallel paths, and the return transport line branches into two parallel lines. Yes.

  On the other hand, the film forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 is provided with two transport paths including a first transport path (forward path) and a second transport path (return path) for a plurality of vacuum processing chambers. Yes.

  The first transport path is a forward path through which the substrate tray is transported from the load chamber to each vacuum processing chamber. The second transfer path is a return path in which the substrate tray is transferred from each vacuum processing chamber to the unload chamber via the heating chamber.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-203885 Japanese Patent No. 5596853

  Incidentally, the conventional vacuum processing apparatuses disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 have the following problems.

  Since the inter-back type substrate processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a transfer line set through a plurality of processing chambers, the transfer of the substrate is interrupted in the transfer line for each gate valve before and after the processing chamber. become. As a result, it becomes difficult to smoothly transport the substrate on the transport line.

  Further, in the inter-back type substrate processing apparatus of Patent Document 1, the processing chamber and the transfer line are not independent, and in one processing chamber, the substrate on the forward transfer line and the substrate on the return transfer line are arranged. Individual processes are being executed.

  Therefore, there is a possibility that the film quality on the substrate on the other transfer line is affected by the influence of the gas pressure on the substrate on one transfer line. Further, the film on the substrate on one transport line may diffuse and adhere to the substrate on the other transport line.

  On the other hand, also in the film-forming apparatus of patent document 2, the 1st conveyance path and the 2nd conveyance path are interrupted by the door valve. Therefore, it is difficult to smoothly transport the substrate through the first transport path and the second transport path.

  Moreover, in the film-forming apparatus of patent document 2, since the two conveyance path | route which consists of a 1st conveyance path | route and a 2nd conveyance path | route is provided, the cost increase of the film-forming apparatus will be caused on an installation surface.

  Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described problems, and its object is to provide a vacuum processing apparatus that can easily realize smooth conveyance, high-quality processing, and cost reduction in terms of equipment. There is to do.

  As a technical means for achieving the above-described object, the vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention includes an outbound path located in the center and return paths positioned on both sides of the outbound path, and only a transport path for transferring an object to be processed. Is disposed in the forward path, and a processing chamber for performing processing on the workpiece in a vacuum state is disposed in the backward path.

  In the present invention, since only the transfer path for transferring the object to be processed is provided in the forward path located at the center, no gate valve is provided in the transfer path. Therefore, the object to be processed can be smoothly transported without interruption of the transport path.

  Further, in the present invention, the transfer path and the processing chamber are made independent by disposing a processing chamber for performing processing on the workpiece in a vacuum state on the return path located on both sides of the forward path. Therefore, high-quality processing can be executed in the processing chamber.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, since the transport path provided in the forward path is single, it is easy to reduce the cost in terms of equipment.

  In the present invention, a first buffer area for transferring the object to be processed to the conveying path and carrying out the object to be processed from the processing chamber is disposed on both sides of the starting end of the conveying path, and the processing chamber is disposed on both ends of the conveying path. A structure in which a second buffer area for carrying an object to be processed is disposed on is desirable.

  If such a structure is adopted, the load, transfer, processing, and unloading of the object to be processed is performed by a path including the first buffer area, the transport path, the second buffer area, the processing chamber, and the first buffer area. Can be executed continuously.

  In the present invention, a structure including a heater for heating an object to be processed is desirable in the middle of the conveyance path.

  If such a structure is adopted, the object to be processed can be preheated by the heater before the object is processed in the processing chamber, so that the object can be efficiently processed. Can do.

  In the present invention, a structure in which a plurality of processing chambers are continuously provided in the return path is desirable.

  By adopting such a structure, it becomes easy to perform multiple processing on the workpiece in a plurality of processing chambers.

  According to the present invention, since the gate valve is not provided in the conveyance path, the workpiece can be smoothly conveyed without interruption of the conveyance path. In addition, since the transfer path and the processing chamber are independent, high-quality processing can be performed in the processing chamber. Furthermore, since there is a single transport path, it is easy to reduce costs in terms of equipment.

1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a vacuum processing apparatus in an embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram which shows the conveyance mechanism between the 1st and 2nd buffer area and a conveyance path by A arrow view and B arrow view of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the whole structure of the vacuum processing apparatus in other embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of a vacuum processing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In the following embodiments, for example, a sputtering apparatus that forms an ITO film on a glass substrate by sputtering an ITO on the glass substrate using an ITO sintered body as a target is exemplified.

  Note that the present invention can be applied to other thin film forming apparatuses such as a vacuum evaporation apparatus and a plasma CVD apparatus in addition to the above-described sputtering apparatus. Further, the present invention can be applied to other vacuum processing apparatuses other than the thin film forming apparatus.

  The sputtering apparatus of this embodiment is an in-line type sputtering apparatus of a vertical transfer that eliminates the deflection of a large-sized glass substrate and realizes a stable transfer of the glass substrate in order to transfer the glass substrate in an inclined state. is there.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sputtering apparatus includes an outward path 11 located at the center and two return paths 12 positioned on both the left and right sides of the forward path 11. In the forward path 11, a transport path 14 for transferring a glass substrate 13 that is an object to be processed is disposed. The return path 12 is provided with a film forming chamber 15 which is a processing chamber for forming a thin film on the glass substrate 13 in a vacuum state.

  On both sides of the starting end of the transport path 14, a first buffer area 16 is provided for transferring the glass substrate 13 to the transport path 14 and for transporting the glass substrate 13 out of the film forming chamber 15. A second buffer area 17 for carrying the glass substrate 13 into the film forming chamber 15 is disposed on both sides of the end of the transfer path 14.

  A heater 18 for preheating the glass substrate 13 is installed in the middle of the conveyance path 14 to configure a heating area 19. In the film forming chamber 15, a sputtering source 20 for supplying a target to the untreated glass substrate 13 is provided.

  Gate valves 21 are provided on the loading side and unloading side of the film forming chamber 15. The gate valve 21 opens and closes between the buffer areas 16 and 17 and the film forming chamber 15.

  In the buffer area 16, a load / unload chamber 22 for carrying in / out the glass substrate 13 to / from the sputtering apparatus is connected via a gate valve 23. The gate valve 23 opens and closes between the load / unload chamber 22 and the buffer area 16. A door valve 24 is provided at the loading / unloading port of the load / unload chamber 22.

  FIG. 2 shows a transport mechanism 25 for the glass substrate 13 in the buffer area 16. The transport mechanism 25 is provided with a moving table 27 in the buffer area 16 so as to be freely movable by a linear guide 26 (in the directions of arrows XY in FIGS. 1 and 2). The moving table 27 is connected to a linear cylinder 28 attached to the buffer area 16.

  A pulley 29 is rotatably supported on the movable table 27. A drive motor 30 is coaxially connected to the pulley 29. Further, a transport carriage 32 is placed on the pulley 29 via a rail 31. A glass substrate 13 held in an inclined state by a tray 33 is placed on the transport carriage 32.

  The transport mechanism 25 having the above configuration is also installed in the buffer areas 17 located on both ends of the transport path 14. Note that a pinion and a rack can be used instead of the pulley 29 and the rail 31 in the transport mechanism 25.

  In addition, although not shown in the drawing, a conveyance mechanism including a drive motor, a pulley, and a rail (or a pinion and a rack) is installed in the conveyance path 14, and the conveyance carriage 32 in which the glass substrate 13 is held by the tray 33 is conveyed to the conveyance path 14. 14 can go straight along.

  In the sputtering apparatus of this embodiment, conveyance and film formation of the glass substrate 13 are performed in the following manner.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an untreated glass substrate 13 is supplied from a door valve 24 in the load / unload chamber 22. The glass substrate 13 is carried into the buffer area 16 from the load / unload chamber 22 through the gate valve 23. As shown in FIG. 2, the glass substrate 13 is carried in as the transport carriage 32 moves along the rail 31 by the rotation of the drive motor 30 of the transport mechanism 25.

  When the glass substrate 13 is placed at the load / unload position P of the buffer area 16, the glass substrate 13 is transferred to the start end position Q of the transfer path 14 by the transfer mechanism 25 (see the arrow X in FIG. 1). The glass substrate 13 is transferred by moving the moving base 27 along the linear guide 26 by driving the linear cylinder 28 of the transport mechanism 25 (see the X arrow in FIG. 2).

  When the glass substrate 13 is disposed at the start position Q of the transport path 14, the glass substrate 13 is transferred to the end position R of the transport path 14 by a transport mechanism (not shown). In the middle of the transport path 14, the glass substrate 13 is preheated by the heater 18 in the heating area 19.

  Since only the transport path 14 is provided in the forward path 11 of the sputtering apparatus, no gate valve is provided in the transport path 14. Therefore, the glass substrate 13 can be smoothly conveyed without the conveyance path 14 being interrupted.

  Further, since the film forming chamber 15 is disposed in the return path 12 of the sputtering apparatus, the transfer path 14 and the film forming chamber 15 are made independent. Therefore, since the gas pressure and the like can be controlled independently in the film forming chamber 15, it is possible to form a film with an appropriate film quality.

  Further, since the film does not diffuse in the transport path 14, the film does not adhere to the untreated glass substrate 13 on the transport path 14. As a result, high quality film formation can be obtained. Moreover, since the conveyance path 14 is single, the cost in terms of equipment can be reduced.

  When the glass substrate 13 is transferred to the end position R of the conveyance path 14, the glass substrate 13 is transferred to the loading position S of the buffer area 17 by the conveyance mechanism 25 (see the Y arrow in FIG. 1). The glass substrate 13 is transferred by moving the moving base 27 along the linear guide 26 by driving the linear cylinder 28 of the transport mechanism 25 (see the Y arrow in FIG. 2).

  When the glass substrate 13 is arranged at the carry-in position S of the buffer area 17, the glass substrate 13 is carried into the film forming chamber 15 through the gate valve 21 by the transfer mechanism 25. The glass substrate 13 is carried in as the transport carriage 32 moves along the rail 31 by the rotation of the drive motor 30 of the transport mechanism 25.

  Here, the return path 12 is provided on both the left and right sides of the transport path 14 of the forward path 11. Therefore, the glass substrate 13 transported through the transport path 14 is transported to the loading position S of both buffer areas 17 so as to be alternately distributed to the left return path 12 and the right return path 12.

  As described above, by providing the two return paths 12 on the left and right sides of the transport path 14 of the forward path 11 and disposing the film forming chambers 15 in the respective return paths 12, it is possible to improve the film forming throughput. Further, even when the sputtering source 20 in one film forming chamber 15 is maintained, the sputtering source 20 in the other film forming chamber 15 can be operated, and the operating efficiency can be improved.

  In addition, the glass substrate 13 transferred from the load / unload chamber 22 is also alternately arranged from the left and right buffer areas 16 to the start end position Q of the transport path 14.

  In the film forming chamber 15, an ITO film is formed on the glass substrate 13 by sputtering ITO on the glass substrate 13 using the ITO sintered body of the sputtering source 20 as a target. When the film formation is completed, the glass substrate 13 is carried out to the buffer area 16 through the gate valve 21 by the transport mechanism 25. The unloading of the glass substrate 13 is performed by the transport carriage 32 moving along the rail 31 by the rotation of the drive motor 30 of the transport mechanism 25.

  When the glass substrate 13 is placed at the unloading position T of the buffer area 16, the glass substrate 13 is transferred to the loading / unloading position P of the buffer area 16 by the transport mechanism 25. The glass substrate 13 is transferred by moving the moving base 27 along the linear guide 26 by driving the linear cylinder 28 of the transport mechanism 25.

  When the glass substrate 13 is transferred to the load / unload position P of the buffer area 16, the glass substrate 13 is transferred to the load / unload chamber 22 by the transfer mechanism 25. The glass substrate 13 is transferred by moving the transport carriage 32 along the rail 31 by the rotation of the drive motor 30 of the transport mechanism 25.

  The glass substrate 13 on which film formation has been completed as described above is taken out from the door valve 24 of the load / unload chamber 22.

  In the above embodiment, the case where one film forming chamber 15 is provided in the return path 12 of the sputtering apparatus has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sputtering apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIG. Also good.

  The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 exemplifies a case where two film forming chambers 15 are connected to the return path 12 of the sputtering apparatus. The number of the film forming chambers 15 may be a plurality other than two, and the number is arbitrary. Thus, it is effective to form a multilayer film on the glass substrate 13 by providing a plurality of film forming chambers 15 in series.

  The same parts as those of the sputtering apparatus of the embodiment shown in FIG.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can of course be implemented in various forms without departing from the gist of the present invention. It includes the equivalent meanings recited in the claims and the equivalents recited in the claims, and all modifications within the scope.

11 Outward path 12 Return path 13 Processed object (glass substrate)
14 Transfer path 15 Processing chamber (deposition chamber)
16 First buffer area 17 Second buffer area 18 Heater

Claims (4)

  A forward path located in the center and a return path located on both sides of the forward path are provided, and only a transport path for transferring an object to be processed is disposed in the forward path, and the process is performed in a vacuum state. A vacuum processing apparatus, wherein a processing chamber is disposed in the return path.   A first buffer area is provided on both sides of the starting end of the transfer path to transfer the object to be transferred to the transfer path and to remove the object to be processed from the processing chamber. The vacuum processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a second buffer area for carrying a processed material is provided.   The vacuum processing apparatus of Claim 1 or 2 provided with the heater which heats a to-be-processed object in the middle of the said conveyance path.   The vacuum processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of processing chambers are continuously provided in the return path.

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