Sheet material processing apparatus and method for manufacturing allotropes

Abstract

The present invention provides a sheet material processing apparatus and a method for manufacturing allotropes that improve the efficiency of processing sheet materials. [Solution] The one-sided opening and closing mechanism of the sheet material processing device includes a fixed member having a plurality of first slit holes arranged at intervals in a first direction, with a plurality of layers of sheet material arranged inside each of the plurality of first slit holes, and a movable member having a plurality of second slit holes arranged adjacent to the plurality of first slit holes along the conveying direction of the sheet material, with a plurality of layers of sheet material arranged inside each of the plurality of second slit holes. The movable member is configured to move toward one side in the first direction, thereby reducing the overlapping area between the first slit holes and the second slit holes when viewed along the conveying direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sheet material processing apparatus and a method for manufacturing an allotrope thereof.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing carbon nanotubes by subjecting a stainless steel sheet to a predetermined treatment. The stainless steel sheet is an example of a sheet material, and the carbon nanotube is an example of an allotrope.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] It is preferable that the efficiency of processing the sheet material is high.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a sheet material processing apparatus and a method for manufacturing an allotrope thereof, which enhance the efficiency of processing the sheet material.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The sheet material processing apparatus according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is a sheet material processing apparatus for subjecting a long sheet material conveyed along a prescribed conveyance path by conveyance rollers to a prescribed treatment, a sheet material processing chamber for subjecting a plurality of stages of the sheet material in a conveyance stop state arranged at intervals along a first direction to the prescribed treatment, and one-side opening / closing mechanism arranged on one side in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and the width direction of the sheet material in the sheet material processing chamber, A one-side actuator for driving the one-side opening / closing mechanism, Equipped with, The aforementioned one-side opening / closing mechanism is A fixing member having a plurality of first slit holes arranged at intervals in the first direction, wherein the plurality of sheet materials are arranged inside each of the plurality of first slit holes, A movable member having a plurality of second slit holes formed therein, which are arranged adjacent to the plurality of first slit holes along the conveying direction of the sheet material, wherein the plurality of second slit holes are each a movable member in which the plurality of layers of sheet material are arranged inside, Includes, The movable member is configured to move toward one side in the first direction, thereby reducing the overlapping area between the first slit hole and the second slit hole when viewed along the transport direction.

[0007] A method for manufacturing an allotrope according to at least one embodiment of this disclosure is: A method for manufacturing allotropes using the sheet material processing apparatus described above, A sheet material loading step involves loading the sheet material on which the catalyst layer has been formed into the sheet material processing chamber and stopping it, After the sheet material loading step, the one-side opening / closing mechanism is activated to reduce the overlapping area between the first slit hole and the second slit hole in a closing step, After the closing step, the allotrope formation step involves filling the sheet material processing chamber with the processing gas and raising the temperature inside the sheet material processing chamber using the heater to form the allotrope on the catalyst layer, It is equipped with. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, a sheet material processing apparatus and a method for manufacturing an allotrope are provided that improve the efficiency of processing the sheet material. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of a sheet material processing device according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a cross-sectional view of the sheet material processing chamber in the direction of the arrow AA in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a cross-sectional view of the sheet material processing chamber in the direction of the arrow BB in Figure 1. [Figure 4] This is a cross-sectional view of the sheet material processing chamber in the direction of the CC line in Figure 1. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of a specific one-sided opening and closing mechanism. [Figure 6] This is a schematic enlarged view of the movable and fixed members (movable member: open position). [Figure 7] This is a schematic enlarged view of the movable and fixed members (movable member: closed state). [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of a modified version of the one-sided opening and closing mechanism. [Figure 9] This is a schematic diagram of a specific sheet material processing device. [Figure 10] This is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing CNTs according to one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, several embodiments of this disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, etc., of the components described or shown in the drawings as embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure, but are merely illustrative examples. For example, expressions describing relative or absolute arrangements such as "in a certain direction," "along a certain direction," "parallel," "orthogonal," "center," "concentric," or "coaxial" should not only strictly describe such arrangements, but also describe states of relative displacement with tolerances or angles or distances that allow for the same function to be achieved. For example, expressions such as "identical," "equal," and "homogeneous" that describe things being in an equal state not only describe a state of being strictly equal, but also describe a state in which there is a tolerance or a difference that is sufficient to achieve the same function. For example, expressions representing shapes such as a rectangular shape or a cylindrical shape not only represent the shapes of a rectangular shape or a cylindrical shape in a geometrically exact sense, but also represent shapes including concave and convex portions, chamfered portions, etc. within the range where the same effects can be obtained. On the other hand, the expressions "comprising", "including", or "having" for one component are not exclusive expressions excluding the existence of other components. Note that the same reference numerals may be assigned to the same configurations and the description thereof may be omitted.

[0011] <Overview of the sheet material processing apparatus 1> FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a sheet material processing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The sheet material processing apparatus 1 is configured to perform a prescribed process on a long sheet material 5 conveyed along a prescribed conveyance path C by conveyance rollers 7. The sheet material 5 in this example is formed of a metallic material such as stainless steel. The conveyance path C is a region through which the sheet material 5 passes and is defined in advance in the design of the sheet material processing apparatus 1. In FIG. 1, only the start end portion and the end end portion of the conveyance path C are illustrated for ease of viewing the drawing.

[0012] The prescribed process executed by the sheet material processing apparatus 1 may be any process as long as it involves gas supply or temperature adjustment. The prescribed process according to this example is a process of growing carbon nanotubes on the surface 5S of the sheet material 5 or a film forming process for forming a thin film, and more specifically, a film forming process using a chemical vapor method, that is, a CVD process. More specifically, a catalyst layer 14 is formed on the surface 5S of the sheet material 5, and a thin film-like allotrope is formed on the catalyst layer 14 through the CVD process.

[0013] More specifically, the surface 5S of the sheet material 5 includes a first surface 5a and a second surface 5b opposite to the first surface 5a. Before the sheet material 5 is brought into the sheet material processing chamber 20, a catalyst layer 14 is formed on the first surface 5a and the second surface 5b. Allotropes are formed on each catalyst layer 14. By forming allotropes on both sides of the sheet material 5, the amount of allotropes produced per unit time is increased, and the production efficiency of allotropes can be improved. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and allotropes may be formed on only one of the first surface 5a or the second surface 5b. In addition, a layer or film made of other materials may be formed between the surface 5S and the catalyst layer 14 (details will be described later).

[0014] Examples of allotropes include carbon allotropes, sulfur allotropes, or phosphorus allotropes. In the embodiments illustrated below, carbon nanotubes 4 (hereinafter referred to as "CNT4"), as an example of a carbon allotrope, are formed on the surface 5S of the sheet material 5. In this case, the catalyst layer 14 is a metal such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), or an alloy consisting of two or more of these. The catalyst layer 14 may also be a metal precursor such as a metal oxide or metal compound.

[0015] CNT4 may be either a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) or a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT). The number of layers in a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) is two or more, for example, two or more layers and up to 15 layers. When the number of layers is two, the multi-walled carbon nanotube is a double-walled carbon nanotube (DWNT). In other words, MWNT encompasses DWNTs.

[0016] The sheet material processing apparatus 1 comprises a conveyor roller 7 for conveying the sheet material 5 along a conveyor path C, a sheet material processing chamber 20 for performing CVD processing on the sheet material 5 brought in by the conveyor roller 7, a holding roller 33 for holding the sheet material 5 so that it is positioned in a predetermined position within the sheet material processing chamber 20, a one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 and a other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 for closing the space within the sheet material processing chamber 20, and a one-side actuator 49 and a other-side actuator 59 for driving both opening / closing mechanisms, respectively. The following describes these components of the sheet material processing apparatus 1.

[0017] <Conveyor roller 7> The conveying method for the sheet material 5 used in this example is a so-called roll-to-roll method, in which the sheet material 5 unwound from one roll is wound up by another roll. The conveying roller 7 includes an unwound roller 8 and a winding roller 9.

[0018] The feed roller 8 is positioned upstream of the conveying path C relative to the sheet material processing chamber 20. The feed roller 8 holds the feed roll 2 around which the sheet material 5 is wound, and is configured to rotate in the feed direction (arrow A1) that feeds out the sheet material 5 from the feed roll 2.

[0019] The winding roller 9 is positioned downstream of the conveying path C relative to the sheet material processing chamber 20. The winding roller 9 holds the winding roll 3 around which the sheet material 5 is wound, and is configured to rotate in the winding direction (arrow A2) that winds the sheet material 5.

[0020] The feed roller 8 and the winding roller 9 are each driven by two roller motors (not shown). In one embodiment, the catalyst layer 14 is formed on the surface 5S of the sheet material 5 as it is transported from the feed roll 2 toward the sheet material processing chamber 20. In another embodiment, the catalyst layer 14 may be formed in advance on the surface 5S of the sheet material 5 before it is fed from the feed roll 2. The sheet material 5 that has undergone CVD processing in the sheet material processing chamber 20 is then wound up by the winding roll 3.

[0021] In addition, some embodiments of the sheet material processing apparatus 1 may include a feed roll 2 and a winding roll 3 as components. In other words, the sheet material processing apparatus 1 may include a sheet material 5 as a component.

[0022] <Sheet material processing room 20> As shown in Figure 1, the sheet material processing chamber 20 includes a housing 21, a gas conduit 22 for introducing a processing gas into the housing 21, and a temperature controller 23 for adjusting the temperature of the internal space of the housing 21 in conjunction with the execution of the CVD process. The processing gas is a gas used in the CVD process. For example, the processing gas may be a hydrocarbon gas such as acetylene or methane, or a carbon gas such as carbon monoxide or alcohol. In this example, the temperature controller 23 is a heater 29 for raising the temperature inside the housing 21. The sheet material processing chamber 20 may also include an exhaust device (not shown) for discharging gas from inside the housing 21 before the start of the CVD process.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the housing 21 of the sheet material processing chamber 20 includes the first end wall 211 and the second end wall 212, which are the end walls in the first direction (arrow P1). In this example, the first direction is the vertical direction. The first end wall 211 is located above the second end wall 212.

[0024] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the housing 21 further includes the third end wall 213 and the fourth end wall 214, which are the end walls in the width direction (arrow W) of the sheet material 5. The width direction of the sheet material 5 is a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction and the first direction of the sheet material 5. Hereafter, the first end wall 211, the second end wall 212, the third end wall 213, and the fourth end wall 214 may be collectively referred to as "end wall 210". Also, "width direction of the sheet material 5" may be abbreviated as "sheet material width direction".

[0025] Returning to Figure 1, within the housing 21, multiple layers of sheet material 5 are arranged at intervals along the first direction (arrow P1). In other words, multiple elongated portions 5A included in the sheet material 5 are arranged at intervals along the first direction. The elongated portions 5A are the parts of the sheet material 5 that extend in the direction of transport of the sheet material 5. The arrangement of multiple layers of sheet material 5 within the housing 21 is made possible by the multiple holding rollers 33, which will be explained next. Note that multiple layers means two or more layers, for example, 3 to 13 layers.

[0026] In the following, "upstream side in transport route C" may be abbreviated as "upstream side," and "downstream side in transport route C" may be abbreviated as "downstream side." Also, "transport direction of sheet material 5" may be abbreviated as "transport direction."

[0027] <Multiple holding rollers 33> The multiple holding rollers 33 include a plurality of upstream holding rollers 31 arranged at intervals in a first direction upstream of the sheet material processing chamber 20, and a plurality of downstream holding rollers 32 arranged at intervals in a first direction downstream of the sheet material processing chamber 20. The upstream holding rollers 31 and the downstream holding rollers 32 are arranged alternately in the first direction. The upstream holding rollers 31 and the downstream holding rollers 32 are rotatably supported. In Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram, there are two of each of the upstream holding rollers 31 and the downstream holding rollers 32, but the disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number of each of the rollers may be one or three or more.

[0028] The sheet material 5 is held in a folded position by the upstream holding roller 31 and the downstream holding roller 32, respectively. In this example, by bridging the sheet material 5 across each of the multiple holding rollers 33, multiple long sections 5A of the sheet material 5 can be arranged at intervals in the first direction within the housing 21. The upstream holding roller 31 and the downstream holding roller 32 are designed to rotate together with the conveyance of the sheet material 5.

[0029] Furthermore, the sheet material processing apparatus 1 includes an upstream holding roller housing chamber 35 that houses the upstream holding roller 31, and a downstream holding roller housing chamber 36 that houses the downstream holding roller 32. The upstream holding roller housing chamber 35 includes a partition end wall 37, which is the end wall on the sheet material processing chamber 20 side, and the downstream holding roller housing chamber 36 includes a partition end wall 38, which is the end wall on the sheet material processing chamber 20 side. The partition end wall 37 separates the space inside the upstream holding roller housing chamber 35 from the space inside the sheet material processing chamber 20. The partition end wall 38 separates the space inside the downstream holding roller housing chamber 36 from the space inside the sheet material processing chamber 20.

[0030] Multiple end wall through holes 37A are arranged in the partition end wall 37 at intervals in the first direction (arrow P1), and multiple end wall through holes 38A are arranged in the partition end wall 38 at intervals in the first direction. Multiple elongated sections 5A included in the sheet material 5 are located inside the end wall through holes 37A and 38A. As the material is transported, each of the elongated sections 5A passes through each of the end wall through holes 37A and each of the end wall through holes 38A.

[0031] <One-sided opening / closing mechanism 40, one-sided actuator 49> The one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40 and the one-sided actuator 49 will be explained with reference to Figures 1 to 4. In the following, the direction perpendicular to the first direction and the sheet material width direction may be referred to as the "second direction" (arrow P2 in Figure 1). The second direction is parallel to the conveying direction, and in this example, it is the horizontal direction.

[0032] As shown in Figure 1, the one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40 is located on one side in the second direction (the left side of the paper in the example of Figure 1) within the sheet material processing chamber 20. More specifically, the one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40 is located on one side in the second direction with respect to the center of the housing 21 in the second direction.

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40 includes a projection 90 that protrudes inward from the end wall 210 of the housing 21. In this example, the projection 90 has a first projection 91, a second projection 92, a third projection 93, and a fourth projection 94.

[0034] The first projection 91 protrudes from the first end wall 211 toward the second end wall 212. The second projection 92 protrudes from the second end wall 212 toward the first end wall 211. The third projection 93 protrudes from the third end wall 213 toward the fourth end wall 214. The fourth projection 94 protrudes from the fourth end wall 214 toward the third projection 93.

[0035] The first projection 91, the second projection 92, the third projection 93, and the fourth projection 94 are positioned at the same location relative to each other in the second direction. The first projection 91 and the second projection 92 extend continuously along the width direction of the sheet material from the third end wall 213 to the fourth end wall 214. The third projection 93 and the fourth projection 94 extend continuously along the first direction from the first projection 91 to the second projection 92.

[0036] The first space H surrounded by the projection 90 is smaller than the space inside the housing 21 offset from the projection 90 in the transport direction (for example, the space indicated by the symbol S in Figure 1). The first space H is a space through which multiple layers of sheet material 5 (i.e., multiple long sections 5A) can pass during transport. The multiple layers of sheet material 5 are spaced apart from the projection 90.

[0037] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40 further includes a fixing member 45 fixed within the housing 21. The fixing member 45 is fixed to the end face 90a of the projection 90. The end face 90a includes the respective end faces 91a, 92a, 93a, and 94a of the first projection 91, the second projection 92, the third projection 93, and the fourth projection 94. The end faces 91a, 92a, 93a, and 94a face away from the gas outlet of the gas conduit 22 and the heater 29 in the transport direction. In this example, the fixing member 45 is fixed to the end face 90a so as to block the first space H.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3, the fixing member 45 has a plurality of first slit holes 41 that are spaced apart in the first direction. The first slit holes 41 extend in the sheet material width direction. The first slit holes 41 are open in the transport direction and also open on one side in the sheet material width direction (the right side of the paper in the example of Figure 3). In the sheet material width direction, the first slit holes 41 are longer than the first space H. Multiple layers of sheet material 5 (i.e., multiple elongated sections 5A) are arranged inside each of the plurality of first slit holes 41. However, this disclosure is not limited to the first slit holes 41 being open on one side in the sheet material width direction.

[0039] The fixing member 45 has a plurality of first slit holes 41 and a plurality of first wall portions 43 that are alternately arranged in a first direction. Two first wall portions 43 are arranged on both sides of each first slit hole 41 in the first direction. In other words, two adjacent first wall portions 43 in the first direction define one first slit hole 41. Each first wall portion 43 extends in the width direction of the sheet material.

[0040] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40 further includes a movable member 46. The movable member 46 is positioned opposite the fixed member 45. The movable member 46 has a plurality of second slit holes 42 that are spaced apart in the first direction. The second slit holes 42 extend in the sheet material width direction. The second slit holes 42 are open in the transport direction and also open on one side in the sheet material width direction (the right side of the paper in the example of Figure 4). In the sheet material width direction, the second slit holes 42 are longer than the first space H. The plurality of second slit holes 42 are arranged adjacent to the plurality of first slit holes 41 along the transport direction. The second slit holes 42 are the same size as the first slit holes 41. Inside each of the plurality of second slit holes 42, a plurality of layers of sheet material 5 (i.e., a plurality of elongated sections 5A) are arranged. Note that this disclosure is not limited to the second slit holes 42 being open on one side in the sheet material width direction.

[0041] The movable member 46 has a plurality of second slit holes 42 and a plurality of second wall portions 44 that are alternately arranged in the first direction. Two second wall portions 44 are arranged on each side of the second slit hole 42 in the first direction. In other words, two adjacent second wall portions 44 in the first direction define one second slit hole 42. Each second wall portion 44 extends in the sheet material width direction. Each of the plurality of second wall portions 44 has a main body portion 441 adjacent to the first wall portion 43 of the fixed member 45 in the conveying direction.

[0042] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 further includes a movable support 48 that supports the movable member 46. The movable support 48 has a support portion 481 that supports the movable member 46 and a connecting shaft 482 that extends from the support portion 481 toward the second end wall 212 of the housing 21. The connecting shaft 482 penetrates the second end wall 212 and is connected to the one-side actuator 49 located on the outside of the housing 21.

[0043] The one-sided actuator 49 illustrated in Figure 4 is a ball screw type motor. The motor comprises a ball screw that rotates with the first direction as the axial direction, a cylindrical part with a screw groove for screwing into the ball screw formed on the inner surface of one end, and a movable rod 491 connected to the other end of the cylindrical part. The operating principle is well known, so a detailed explanation will be omitted, but the motor is configured to convert the rotational motion of the ball screw into linear motion of the movable rod 491 in the first direction. The movable rod 491 is connected to the connecting shaft 482 via a coupling unit 60.

[0044] The operation overview of the one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40 will now be explained. When the one-sided actuator 49 is driven, the movable rod 491 moves together with the connecting shaft 482 to one side in the first direction (the upper side of the paper in the example of Figure 4). As a result, the movable support 48 moves together with the movable member 46 in the first direction. When the movable member 46 moves, the overlapping area of ​​the adjacent first slit hole 41 and second slit hole 42, when viewed along the transport direction, decreases. Specifically, the second wall portion 44 (main body portion 441) of the movable member 46 gradually closes the first slit hole 41, and the area of ​​the overlapping region R where the first slit hole 41 and the second slit hole 42 overlap, when viewed along the transport direction, decreases. Eventually, the first slit hole 41 is closed by the second wall portion 44. Note that in the example of Figure 4, only the two overlapping regions R located at both ends in the first direction are shown out of the five overlapping regions R.

[0045] Here, the closure of the first slit hole 41 in this disclosure is not necessarily conditional on the overlapping area (i.e., the area of ​​the overlapping region R) being zero. The overlapping area may be greater than zero as long as at least one of the leakage of the processing gas filling the housing 21 from the first slit hole 41, or the leakage of the heat contained in the processing gas inside the housing 21 from the first slit hole 41, is suppressed to the extent that the CVD treatment can be performed.

[0046] The closing of the first slit hole 41 will be explained in more detail. When the overlapping region R is largest in the first direction, the movable member 46 is in an open state that opens the first slit hole 41 (see Figure 4). As the movable member 46, which is in the open state, moves to one side in the first direction, the dimension of the overlapping region R in the first direction gradually decreases. In this disclosure, the thickness of the sheet material 5 (i.e., the dimension of the sheet material 5 in the first direction) is defined as D, and the dimension of the overlapping region R in the first direction is defined as Lv. The first slit hole 41 is considered to be closed, and the movable member 46 is considered to have switched to a closed state that closes the first slit hole 41, when the following equation (1) is satisfied. 0≦Lv≦D...Formula (1)

[0047] The actuator 49 on one side may be a solenoid or an air cylinder instead of a motor. Even in this case, the actuator 49 on the one side can move the movable support 48 in the first direction.

[0048] In Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram, both the fixed member 45 and the movable member 46 are positioned on one side of the heater 29 in the second direction, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the fixed member 45 may be positioned so as to overlap at least a portion of the heater 29 in the second direction, or it may be positioned on the other side of the heater 29 in the second direction.

[0049] <Other side opening / closing mechanism 50, other side actuator 59> Returning to Figure 1, the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 is located on the other side in the second direction (the right side of the paper in the example of Figure 1) within the sheet material processing chamber 20. More specifically, the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 is located on the other side in the second direction with respect to the center of the housing 21 in the second direction.

[0050] The other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 has a configuration symmetrical to the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 in the transport direction. That is, the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 includes a projection 90, a fixed member 45 fixed to the projection 90, a movable member 46, and a movable support 48. The movable support 48 of the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 is connected to the other-side actuator 59. When the other-side actuator 59 is driven, the movable member 46 can close the plurality of first slit holes 41 formed in the fixed member 45. The other-side actuator 59 in this example is a ball screw type motor. The other-side actuator 59 in other examples may be a solenoid or an air cylinder. Also, the fixed member 45 of the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 shown in Figure 1 may be arranged to overlap at least a portion of the heater 29 in a second direction, or it may be arranged to one side of the heater 29 in the second direction.

[0051] <Overview of Sheet Material Processing Device 1 Operation> The CVD process performed by the sheet material processing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1 is outlined below. The sheet material 5 on which the catalyst layer 14 is formed is transported into the sheet material processing chamber 20 by the transport roller 7. Subsequently, the transport roller 7 stops moving, and the sheet material 5 in the sheet material processing chamber 20 stops moving. Then, the one-side actuator 49 and the other-side actuator 59 are driven, causing the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 and the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 to operate, and the movable member 46, which was in the open state, moves to one side in the first direction. As a result, the multiple first slit holes 41 formed in the movable member 46 of the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 are closed, and similarly, the multiple first slit holes 41 formed in the movable member 46 of the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 are also closed.

[0052] Subsequently, after the gas in the sheet material processing chamber 20 is exhausted by the exhaust device, the heater 29 is activated and the temperature of the space inside the sheet material processing chamber 20 rises to a specified temperature. When the heater 29 is activated, a gas other than the processing gas may fill the sheet material processing chamber 20. Then, as the exhaust device discharges the gas from the sheet material processing chamber 20, the processing gas released from the gas outlet of the gas conduit 22 fills the sheet material processing chamber 20. This starts the CVD process. The processing gas in the sheet material processing chamber 20 undergoes a thermal decomposition reaction, and the carbon atoms contained in the processing gas sequentially move to the catalyst layer 14 and gradually grow into CNT4. At this time, the catalyst layer 14 promotes the growth of CNT4. As a result, CNT4 is formed on the surface 5S of the long section 5A.

[0053] After the CVD process is complete, the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 and the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 are activated again. Specifically, the movable member 46 moves to the other side in the first direction (the bottom side of the paper in the example of Figure 1) by the driving of the one-side actuator 49 and the other-side actuator 59. The overlapping area of ​​the first slit hole 41 and the second slit hole 42 increases. As a result, multiple first slit holes 41 are opened, and the movable member 46 returns to the open state.

[0054] Subsequently, the sheet material 5 is wound onto the winding roller 9 by the drive of the conveying roller 7. Before the sheet material 5 is wound onto the winding roller 9, the CNTs 4 on the sheet material 5 may be recovered by a recovery mechanism (not shown). The recovery mechanism can recover the CNTs 4 from the sheet material 5 by performing a process of scraping off the CNTs 4 on the sheet material 5 or a process of sucking up the CNTs 4. However, the recovery mechanism is not an essential component of this disclosure, and the CNTs 4 may be wound onto the winding roller 9.

[0055] As described above, when the movable member 46 moves to one side in the first direction, the overlapping area of ​​the first slit hole 41 and the second slit hole 42 is reduced. As a result, multiple first slit holes 41 are closed. This prevents the processing gas used for CVD processing and the heat contained in the processing gas from leaking out of the sheet material processing chamber 20. Therefore, the sheet material processing chamber 20 can be sufficiently filled with processing gas, and the chamber temperature can be maintained at the desired temperature, so that the sheet material processing apparatus 1 can properly perform CVD processing on the sheet material 5.

[0056] Furthermore, since multiple layers of sheet material 5 are arranged in the sheet material processing chamber 20, the length of sheet material 5 treated in each CVD process can be increased, thereby improving the efficiency of the CVD process. In addition, when executing the CVD process, the movable member 46 can close multiple first slit holes 41 at approximately the same timing by driving either the one-side actuator 49 or the other-side actuator 59. This reduces the operating time of the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 and the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 compared to the case where the closing timing of the multiple first slit holes 41 differs among the first slit holes 41. Thus, a sheet material processing apparatus 1 that can perform processing on the sheet material 5 with high efficiency is realized. More specifically, a sheet material processing apparatus 1 that can manufacture CNTs 4 with high efficiency is realized.

[0057] With the configuration in which the fixing member 45 is fixed to the end face 90a of the projection 90, the fixing member 45 can be made smaller compared to the case in which the fixing member 45 is directly connected to the end wall 210 of the housing 21. As the cumulative area of ​​the first slit hole 41 in the view in the transport direction is reduced, the risk of malfunction occurring when closing the first slit hole 41 can be reduced. Therefore, the first slit hole 41 can be closed more reliably.

[0058] Furthermore, multiple holding rollers 33 enable the arrangement of a single sheet material 5 in multiple layers. This simplifies the mechanism for transporting the sheet material 5 compared to the case where multiple sheet materials 5 are individually transported into the sheet material processing chamber 20. However, this disclosure does not exclude components for transporting multiple sheet materials 5 into the sheet material processing chamber 20 individually. For example, if multiple sets of transport rollers 7, including a feed roller 8 and a winding roller 9, are provided, it is possible to transport multiple sheet materials 5 into the sheet material processing chamber 20 individually.

[0059] Furthermore, with a configuration in which the conveying roller 7 includes a feed roller 8 that holds the feed roll 2 and a winding roller 9 that holds the winding roll 3, CVD treatment is applied to the sheet material 5 as it is sequentially fed out from the feed roll 2, and then the sheet material 5 is sequentially wound up by the winding roll 3. This increases the conveying efficiency of the sheet material 5, and the sheet material processing device 1 can efficiently apply CVD treatment to the sheet material 5.

[0060] Furthermore, with a configuration in which both the first slit hole 41 and the second slit hole 42 are open toward one side in the width direction of the sheet material, when the sheet material 5 is stretched from the dispensing roller 8 to the winding roller 9, the sheet material 5 can be positioned inside the first slit hole 41 and the second slit hole 42 in an extended state without removing the fixing member 45 and the movable member 46. Alternatively, the fixing member 45 and the movable member 46 can be attached and detached while the sheet material 5 is stretched across.

[0061] Furthermore, with the above configuration, it is possible to avoid the sheet material 5 hitting the fixed member 45 or the movable member 46 due to a misalignment of the sheet material 5 in the width direction of the sheet material, which is positioned inside the first slit hole 41 and the second slit hole 42. This allows the sheet material 5 to be transported smoothly. In some embodiments, only one of the first slit hole 41 or the second slit hole 42 may be open to one side in the width direction of the sheet material. Even in this case, the above technical advantages can be obtained.

[0062] Furthermore, the misalignment of the sheet material 5 in the width direction may occur due to the tilting of the axis of at least one of the winding roller 9, the unwinding roller 8, or the holding roller 33. Alternatively, the above misalignment may occur during the process of transferring the sheet material 5 from the winding roller 9 to the unwinding roller 8, when the transfer position of the sheet material 5 shifts from the desired position in the width direction of the sheet material.

[0063] Furthermore, the upstream holding roller housing chamber 35 includes a partition end wall 37 in which a plurality of end wall through holes 37A are formed, and the downstream holding roller housing chamber 36 includes a partition end wall 38 in which a plurality of end wall through holes 38A are formed. With this configuration, the partition end wall 37 can suppress the transfer of gas and heat between the upstream holding roller housing chamber 35 and the sheet material processing chamber 20, and the partition end wall 38 can suppress the transfer of gas and heat between the downstream holding roller housing chamber 36 and the sheet material processing chamber 20. Since changes in the indoor environment of the upstream holding roller housing chamber 35 and the downstream holding roller housing chamber 36 can be suppressed during CVD processing, the deterioration of the holding rollers 33 over time can be suppressed.

[0064] <Details of the one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40> A preferred embodiment of the fixed member 45 and movable member 46 of the one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40 will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 7. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a specific one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40. Figures 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the fixed member 45 and movable member 46.

[0065] As previously described, the fixing member 45 includes a plurality of first wall portions 43. Each first wall portion 43 has a first end face 101 and a first inclined end face 111, which are the end faces in the conveying direction. The first end face 101 faces the end faces 91a and 92a of the first projection 91 and the second projection 92. The first inclined end face 111 is inclined with respect to the first direction. More specifically, the first inclined end face 111 is inclined toward one side of the first direction (the upper side of the paper in the example of Figure 5) as it moves away from the first projection 91 and the second projection 92 in the conveying direction.

[0066] As previously described, the movable member 46 includes a plurality of second wall portions 44, and each second wall portion 44 has a main body portion 441. The main body portion 441 has a second inclined end surface 442 that is inclined opposite to the first inclined end surface 111. The second wall portion 44 has an installation portion 447 installed on the end portion 441a of the main body portion 441 on one side in the first direction, and a projection portion 445 that protrudes from the installation portion 447 along the transport direction to the inside of the first slit hole 41. In this example, the projection portion 445 is integrally formed with the installation portion 447. However, the main body portion 441 on the furthest side in the first direction (the uppermost side of the paper in the examples of Figures 5 to 7) does not have an installation portion 447 or projection portion 445.

[0067] In this embodiment, when the movable member 46 moves to one side in the first direction, the second inclined end face 442 of the movable member 46 moves from a position away from the first inclined end face 111 (see Figure 6) to a position where it contacts the first inclined end face 111 (see Figure 7). At this time, the protruding portion 445 presses the sheet material 5 against the first wall portion 43. Also, when viewed along the conveying direction, the first slit hole 41 is closed by the main body portion 441 and the protruding portion 445. The overlapping region R of the first slit hole 41 and the second slit hole 42 (see Figure 4) remains for the thickness of the long portion 5A of the sheet material 5.

[0068] With the above configuration, when the first slit hole 41 is closed, the protrusion 445 sandwiches the sheet material 5 between itself and the first wall portion 43, so that the first slit hole 41 can be closed more reliably in the first direction. As a result, gas leakage or heat leakage contained in the gas can be more reliably suppressed within the sheet material processing chamber 20.

[0069] Furthermore, when the multiple first slit holes 41 are closed, the first inclined end surface 111 and the second inclined end surface 442 come into contact, thus sealing the gap between the fixed member 45 and the movable member 46. This makes it possible to more reliably suppress the leakage of a certain gas or the heat contained in that gas within the first slit holes 41.

[0070] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40A(40) with additional components. The one-sided opening / closing mechanism 40A may further include a spring mechanism 100 disposed on at least one of the movable member 46 and the fixed member 45. The spring mechanism 100 in Figure 8 is disposed on the movable member 46. Multiple spring mechanisms 100 are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the sheet material 5.

[0071] Each spring mechanism 100 further comprises an elastic member 70 that is elastically deformable in a first direction (in this example, the vertical direction). In the example shown in Figure 8, a wall hole 72 is formed in the second wall portion 44 of the movable member 46, penetrating in the first direction. The wall hole 72 includes a small diameter hole 72a and a large diameter hole 72b. The movable member 46 includes a rod 75 that is slidably fitted to the inner circumferential surface of the small diameter hole 72a. The elastic member 70 in this example is a coil spring housed in the large diameter hole 72b, which biases the rod 75 to one side in the first direction (upward in this example). The aforementioned protrusion 445 constituting the movable member 46 is connected to one end of the rod 75 that protrudes from the wall hole 72 to one side in the first direction.

[0072] In this case, when the protruding portion 445 presses the elongated portion 5A against the fixing member 45, the elastic member 70 undergoes elastic deformation, thereby reducing the force acting on the trapped elongated portion 5A. This makes it possible to more reliably avoid damage to the elongated portion 5A.

[0073] The elastic member 70 may be a leaf spring instead of a coil spring. The leaf spring may be embedded in the protrusion 445, or the protrusion 445 itself may be a leaf spring. Furthermore, the elastic member 70 may be placed on the fixing member 45.

[0074] Furthermore, the specific configurations of the fixed member 45 and the movable member 46 described above may also be applied to the other side opening / closing mechanism 50. That is, the fixed member 45 of the other side opening / closing mechanism 50 may include the first inclined end face 111, and the movable member 46 of the other side opening / closing mechanism 50 may include the second inclined end face 442 and the protruding portion 445.

[0075] <Details of Sheet Material Processing Device 1> Referring to Figure 9, a preferred embodiment of the sheet material processing apparatus 1 will be described. The sheet material processing apparatus 1 includes a sputtering chamber 10 located upstream of the upstream holding roller housing chamber 35. The sputtering chamber 10 is configured to perform a sputtering treatment on the sheet material 5 before a specified treatment (CVD treatment in this example).

[0076] The sputtering chamber 10 is equipped with a sputtering exhaust system (not shown) for creating a substantially vacuum inside the chamber, a gas supply pipe 11 for supplying gas into the sputtering chamber 10, and a sputtering apparatus 13 for performing sputtering on the surface 5S of the sheet material 5 in a gas-filled atmosphere.

[0077] The gas supplied by the gas supply pipe 11 is an inert gas such as argon gas. The sputtering apparatus 13 includes a target material and an application device for causing ions such as argon ions to collide with the target material by applying a voltage. The sputtering apparatus 13 in this example includes a first sputtering apparatus 15 for forming a buffer layer 12 on the first surface 5a and the second surface 5b of the sheet material 5, and a second sputtering apparatus 16 for forming a catalyst layer 14 on the buffer layer 12.

[0078] The first sputtering apparatus 15 forms buffer layers 12 on both sides of the sheet material 5 by colliding ions such as argon ions with the first target material. The second sputtering apparatus 16 forms catalyst layers 14 on each buffer layer 12 by colliding the above-mentioned ions with the second target material.

[0079] The buffer layer 12 plays the role of suppressing interdiffusion between the catalyst layer 14 and the sheet material 5. The buffer layer 12 is made of silica (SiO2), alumina (Al2O3), silicon nitride (SiN), zinc oxide (ZnO), copper oxide (Cu2O), or nickel oxide (NiO). The first target material is formed from the same material as the buffer layer 12. The details of the catalyst layer 14 are as previously described, and the second target material is formed from the same material as the catalyst layer 14.

[0080] The time required for the sputtering process in this example is shorter than the time required for the CVD process. The inventors of this application considered that if the subsequent sheet material 5 that has undergone sputtering is kept waiting between the sputtering chamber 10 and the upstream holding roller housing chamber 35 while the CVD process is being performed on the sheet material 5, the interval time between the end of one CVD process and the start of the next CVD process can be shortened.

[0081] Based on the above concept, the sheet material processing apparatus 1 further comprises an intermediate storage chamber 80 located between the sputtering chamber 10 and the sheet material processing chamber 20 in the conveying direction. More specifically, the intermediate storage chamber 80 is located between the sputtering chamber 10 and the upstream holding roller housing chamber 35 in the conveying direction. The intermediate storage chamber 80 includes a variable mechanism 88 configured to vary the longitudinal length of the sheet material 5 within the intermediate storage chamber 80 according to the execution state of the CVD process.

[0082] The variable mechanism 88 includes two guide rollers 87 that are rotatably positioned at predetermined locations, and a first retaining roller 81 and a second retaining roller 82 that are positioned between the two guide rollers 87 in the conveying direction. The axis of each guide roller 87 is substantially immobile. The first retaining roller 81 and the second retaining roller 82 are rotatably positioned. In this example, the first retaining roller 81 is positioned on the first side with respect to a virtual plane K passing through the axes of each of the two guide rollers 87, and the second retaining roller 82 is positioned on the opposite side of the virtual plane K. The number of each of the first retaining roller 81 and the second retaining roller 82 may be multiple as shown in the figure, or it may be just one.

[0083] The variable mechanism 88 further includes a support unit 85 that supports a plurality of first retaining rollers 81 and a plurality of second retaining rollers 82. The support unit 85 has a first support member 83 that rotatably supports each first retaining roller 81 and a second support member 84 that rotatably supports each second retaining roller 82. The first support member 83 and the second support member 84 are configured to move relative to each other, and in this example, a first motor and a second motor move the first support member 83 and the second support member 84, respectively.

[0084] The operation of the variable mechanism 88 is as follows: During CVD processing, the winding roller 9 is stopped from being driven, while the feed roller 8 continues to rotate in the feed direction (arrow A1). As the sheet material 5 that has finished sputtering is transported from the sputtering chamber 10 to the intermediate storage chamber 80, the first support member 83 and the second support member 84 move away from each other. As a result, the distance between the axes of the first holding roller 81 and the second holding roller 82 increases, and subsequent sheet material 5 that will undergo CVD processing gradually accumulates in the intermediate storage chamber 80.

[0085] After the CVD process is completed, the winding roller 9 resumes rotation in the winding direction (arrow A2). As the sheet material 5 in the intermediate storage chamber 80 is discharged toward the sheet material processing chamber 20, the first support member 83 and the second support member 84 move toward each other, and the distance between the axes of the first holding roller 81 and the second holding roller 82 decreases.

[0086] With the configuration that includes an intermediate storage chamber 80, the sheet material 5 discharged from the sputtering chamber 10 can be temporarily stored in the intermediate storage chamber 80. This makes it possible to store the sheet material 5 in the intermediate storage chamber 80 while CVD processing is being performed in the sheet material processing chamber 20, or while the sheet material processing chamber 20 is temporarily shut down for maintenance or other reasons. Since the interval time between the completion of one CVD process and the start of the next can be shortened, the sheet material processing apparatus 1 can efficiently apply CVD processing to the sheet material 5, thereby increasing the production efficiency of CNTs 4.

[0087] Further, according to the configuration in which the first holding roller 81, the second holding roller 82, and the support unit 85 are provided, as the sheet material 5 is carried into the intermediate storage chamber 80, the support unit 85 increases the axial distance, so that the amount of the sheet material 5 stored in the intermediate storage chamber 80 can be increased. Since the amount of the sheet material 5 stored can be adjusted only by adjusting the axial distance, the internal structure of the intermediate storage chamber 80 can be simplified.

[0088] <Method for manufacturing CNT4> Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the method for manufacturing CNT4 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the method for manufacturing CNT4 according to an embodiment. Hereinafter, "step" may be abbreviated as "S".

[0089] First, a supply start step (S11) for starting the supply of the sheet material 5 wound around the pay-out roll 2 is executed. Specifically, by driving two roller motors, the pay-out roller 8 starts rotating in the pay-out direction, and the take-up roller 9 starts rotating in the take-up direction. Thereby, the sheet material 5 is carried from the pay-out roller 8 into the sputtering processing chamber 10.

[0090] Next, a sputtering processing step (S13) for sequentially forming the buffer layer 12 and the catalyst layer 14 on the first surface 5a and the second surface 5b of the sheet material 5 in the sputtering processing chamber 10 is executed.

[0091] Next, a sheet material carry-in step (S15) for carrying the sheet material 5 having the catalyst layer 14 formed thereon into the sheet material processing chamber 20 and stopping it is executed. In S15, by continuously driving two roller motors, the sheet material 5 having the catalyst layer 14 formed thereon is carried into the sheet material processing chamber 20 via the intermediate storage chamber 80 and the like. Then, at the timing when a predetermined length of the sheet material 5 is carried into the sheet material processing chamber 20, both of the two roller motors stop driving.

[0092] Subsequently, a closing step (S17) is performed in each of the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 and the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 to close the multiple first slit holes 41. The movable member 46 is switched from the open state to the closed state by the driving of the one-side actuator 49 and the other-side actuator 59. As a result, the multiple first slit holes 41 are closed.

[0093] Next, a transport restart step (S19) is performed to resume transporting the sheet material 5 upstream of the upstream holding roller storage chamber 35. In S19, the drive of the feed roller 8 is restarted, while the winding roller 9 remains stopped rotating. During the execution of S19, subsequent sheets of sheet material 5 are brought into the sputtering chamber 10, and the sputtering step (S13) is performed continuously.

[0094] Furthermore, in S19, as the subsequent sheet material 5 that has undergone sputtering is transported into the intermediate storage chamber 80, the variable mechanism 88 of the intermediate storage chamber 80 increases the distance between the axes of the first holding roller 81 and the second holding roller 82. As a result, the subsequent sheet material 5 gradually accumulates in the intermediate storage chamber 80. During the execution of S19, the sheet material 5 in the sheet material processing chamber 20 remains in a transport-stopped state.

[0095] Next, a CNT formation step (S21) is performed to form CNTs 4 on the catalyst layer 14 by applying CVD treatment to the sheet material 5 in the sheet material processing chamber 20. Even while the CVD treatment is being performed, subsequent sheet materials 5 that have undergone sputtering treatment are continuously introduced into the intermediate storage chamber 80.

[0096] After S21, an opening step (S23) is performed in each of the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 and the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 to open the multiple first slit holes 41. Driven by the one-side actuator 49 and the other-side actuator 59, the movable member 46 moves to the other side in the first direction (the bottom side of the paper in the example of Figure 7). As a result, the movable member 46 returns to the open state, and the multiple first slit holes 41 are opened.

[0097] Subsequently, a winding restart step (S25) is performed in which the winding roller 9 resumes winding the sheet material 5. In S25, the winding roller 9 resumes rotation in the winding direction. As a result, the sheet material 5 in the sheet material processing chamber 20 is wound onto the winding roll 3. During the winding process, the recovery mechanism (not shown) described above recovers the CNTs 4 from the sheet material 5. After recovery, the buffer layer 12 and the catalyst layer 14 remain in the sheet material 5.

[0098] During execution of S25, the feed roller 8 continues to rotate. As the sheet material 5 in the intermediate storage chamber 80 is discharged toward the upstream holding roller storage chamber 35, the variable mechanism 88 reduces the distance between the axes of the first holding roller 81 and the second holding roller 82 (not shown).

[0099] Subsequently, it is determined whether additional sheet material 5 can be supplied from the feed roller 8 (S27). Whether there is any remaining sheet material 5 that can be supplied can be determined by the controller (not shown) of the sheet material processing apparatus 1 based on the number of sputtering or CVD processes performed. Alternatively, the controller can determine whether the remaining amount of sheet material 5 in the feed roller 8 is below a certain amount based on the sensor's detection result. The sensor may be a sensor that detects the cumulative rotation amount or weight of the feed roller 8, or it may be a light sensor that irradiates light toward a predetermined radial position relative to the feed roller 8. If there is sheet material 5 remaining at the predetermined radial position, the light irradiated from the light sensor is reflected back to the light sensor by the sheet material 5; otherwise, no reflection of light occurs.

[0100] The controller described above is a arithmetic unit that includes a processor and a memory device (storage medium) that temporarily or permanently stores various data, such as the results of calculations performed by the processor.

[0101] If it is determined that additional sheet material 5 can be supplied (S27:YES), the process returns to step S13. Steps S13 to S27 are repeated until all available sheet material 5 has been supplied (S27:YES).

[0102] If it is determined that additional supply of sheet material 5 is not possible (S27: NO), the reverse step of the sheet material 5 (S29) is executed. In S29, the feed roller 8 rotates in the opposite direction to the feed direction, and the winding roller 9 rotates in the opposite direction to the winding direction. As a result, all of the sheet material 5 that has been wound onto the winding roller 9 through the repetition of steps S13 to S27 is returned to the feed roller 8. After the execution of S29, the manufacturing method of CNT4 is completed. Subsequently, the manufacturing method shown in Figure 7 is restarted from S11 by the operation of the sheet material processing apparatus 1 operator.

[0103] Note that the reverse step (S29) is not an essential component of this disclosure. After all the sheet material 5 that can be supplied from the feed roller 8 has been supplied (S27:NO), the winding roll 3 removed from the winding roller 9 may be attached to the feed roller 8 as a new feed roll 2. This attachment work may be performed by an operator or by a robotic arm or the like. Even in this case, the used sheet material 5 from which the CNTs 4 have been recovered can be reused.

[0104] <Other Embodiments> The sheet material processing apparatus 1 may further include a cooling mechanism for cooling the housing 21. For example, the cooling mechanism may be a water channel formed inside at least one of the first end walls 211, second end wall 212, third end wall 213, or fourth end wall 214 of the housing 21. By allowing cooling water to flow through the water channel, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the internal space inside the housing 21 from exceeding a specified temperature.

[0105] Multiple layers of sheet material 5 may be arranged at intervals along the horizontal direction. In this case, the upstream holding roller 31 may be positioned above the sheet material processing chamber 20, and the downstream holding roller 32 may be positioned below the sheet material processing chamber 20. In this modified example, both the first direction and the sheet material width direction are horizontal, and the second direction is vertical.

[0106] The sheet material processing device 1 does not necessarily have to be equipped with multiple holding rollers 33. For example, a configuration in which each of multiple sheet materials 5 is fed into the sheet material processing chamber 20 may be adopted. Specifically, multiple dispensing rollers 8 may be arranged in a first direction upstream of the sheet material processing chamber 20, and multiple winding rollers 9 may be arranged in a first direction downstream of the sheet material processing chamber 20. In this case, multiple sheet materials 5 are dispensed from each of the multiple dispensing rollers 8 and fed into the sheet material processing chamber 20. Then, the multiple sheet materials 5 discharged from the sheet material processing chamber 20 are each wound up by the multiple winding rollers 9.

[0107] Furthermore, the specified treatment is not limited to CVD treatment. In the above embodiment in which multiple sheet materials 5 are each brought into the sheet material processing chamber 20, the specified treatment may be a drying treatment to dry the thin film that has been pre-formed on the surface 5S of the sheet material 5. In this case, dry, high-temperature air may be introduced into the housing 21 from the gas conduit 22. In this modified example, allotrope formation may not be performed.

[0108] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, if leakage of dry air from the sheet material processing chamber 20 toward at least one side, either upstream or downstream, is permitted, then at least one of the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 or the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50 is unnecessary. In other words, the sheet material processing apparatus 1 only needs to be equipped with either the one-side opening / closing mechanism 40 or the other-side opening / closing mechanism 50. For similar reasons, the sheet material processing apparatus 1 only needs to be equipped with either the one-side actuator 49 or the other-side actuator 59. In Figure 1, the one-side in the second direction may be the right side instead of the left side.

[0109] Furthermore, the sheet material 5 may be a semiconductor wafer formed from silicon (Si) or gallium arsenide (GaAs). In this case, the specified process may be a process in which a thin film made of silicon oxide is formed on the sheet material 5 in the sheet material processing chamber 20. By introducing oxygen gas from the gas conduit 22 into the housing 21 and causing thermal oxidation inside the housing 21 by operating the heater 29, it is possible to form silicon oxide on the sheet material 5.

[0110] The specified process may also be a cooling process to cool the sheet material 5. For example, the sheet material 5 may be subjected to CVD processing upstream of the sheet material processing chamber 20, and the sheet material 5, on which a thin film has been formed by the CVD processing, may be cooled in the sheet material processing chamber 20. In this case, the temperature controller 23 may be a cooler instead of a heater 29. The cooler may be a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a refrigerant gas supplied from outside the sheet material processing apparatus 1 and the gas inside the housing 21. In this case, the temperature inside the housing 21 decreases through heat exchange. The sheet material processing apparatus 1 according to this modified example does not need to be equipped with a gas conduit 22.

[0111] The projection 90 illustrated in Figure 2 does not necessarily have a third projection 93 and a fourth projection 94. In this case, the first space H is formed between the first projection 91 and the second projection 92, and the end face 90a of the projection 90 is the end faces 91a and 92a of the first projection 91 and the second projection 92. In other words, the fixing member 45 (see Figure 3) is fixed to the end faces 91a and 92a.

[0112] Alternatively, projection 90 may not have the first projection 91 and the second projection 92. In this case, the third projection 93 and the fourth projection 94 may each extend continuously from the first end wall 211 to the second end wall 212. The first space H is formed between the third projection 93 and the fourth projection 94, and the end face 90a of projection 90 is the end faces 93a and 94a of the third projection 93 and the fourth projection 94.

[0113] The housing 21 illustrated in Figure 2 is rectangular or cubic, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. The housing 21 may be cylindrical. In this case, the end wall 210 of the housing 21 is a curved wall extending along the circumferential direction. The projection 90 may connect with the end wall 210 along the entire circumferential length of the housing 21 and project inward toward the inside of the housing 21. The first space H is formed inside the tip of the projection 90.

[0114] The opening / closing mechanism 40 on one side does not have to include the projection 90. In this case, the fixing member 45 may be directly connected to the end wall 210 of the housing 21. Similarly, the opening / closing mechanism 50 on the other side does not have to include the projection 90.

[0115] <Summary> The contents described in some of the embodiments above can be understood, for example, as follows:

[0116] 1) A sheet material processing apparatus (1) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is A sheet material processing apparatus for applying a prescribed treatment to a long sheet material (5) that is conveyed along a prescribed conveyance path (C) by a conveyance roller (7), A sheet material processing chamber (20) for performing the prescribed processing on multiple layers of sheet material that are in a transport-stopped state and are arranged at intervals along the first direction, Within the sheet material processing chamber, a one-sided opening / closing mechanism (40) is provided, which is located on one side of a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the width direction of the sheet material. A one-side actuator (49) for driving the one-side opening and closing mechanism, Equipped with, The aforementioned one-side opening / closing mechanism is A fixing member having a plurality of first slit holes (41) arranged at intervals in the first direction, wherein the plurality of first slit holes each have a fixing member (45) in which the plurality of layers of sheet material are arranged on the inside, A movable member having a plurality of second slit holes (42) formed therein, which are arranged adjacent to the plurality of first slit holes along the conveying direction of the sheet material, wherein the plurality of second slit holes are each a movable member (46) in which the plurality of layers of sheet material are arranged on the inside, Includes, The movable member is configured to move toward one side in the first direction, thereby reducing the overlapping area between the first slit hole and the second slit hole when viewed along the transport direction.

[0117] According to the configuration described in 1) above, the movable member moves toward one side in the first direction, reducing the overlapping area between the first slit hole and the second slit hole. As a result, each of the multiple first slit holes is closed by the movable member, suppressing gas leakage or heat leakage within the sheet material processing chamber. Subsequently, the sheet material is subjected to a prescribed process in the sheet material processing chamber. Since multiple layers of sheet material are arranged in the sheet material processing chamber, the length of sheet material treated in a single prescribed process can be increased, improving the efficiency of the prescribed process. Furthermore, when the prescribed process is executed, the movable member moves driven by the one-side actuator, so the multiple first slit holes are closed at approximately the same time. This reduces the time required for the closing operation of the one-side opening / closing mechanism compared to the case where multiple first slit holes are closed at different times. Thus, a sheet material processing device that can perform processing on sheet material with high efficiency is realized.

[0118] 2) In some embodiments, the sheet material processing apparatus described in 1) above, The sheet material processing chamber includes a housing (21) that accommodates the multiple layers of sheet material, The aforementioned one-sided opening and closing mechanism includes a projection (90) that protrudes inward from the housing, The fixing member is fixed to the end face (90a) of the projection in the transport direction.

[0119] According to the configuration described in 2) above, the fixing member can be made smaller compared to the case where the fixing member is directly connected to the housing. Since the cumulative area of ​​the first slit hole in the view in the transport direction is reduced, the risk of malfunctions occurring when closing the first slit hole can be reduced. Therefore, the first slit hole can be closed more reliably.

[0120] 3) In some embodiments, the sheet material processing apparatus described in 1) or 2) above, The fixing member includes the plurality of first slit holes and a plurality of first wall portions (43) which are alternately arranged in the first direction and each extends in the width direction of the sheet material, The movable member includes the plurality of second slit holes and a plurality of second wall portions (44) which are alternately arranged in the first direction and each extends in the width direction of the sheet material, Each of the aforementioned plurality of second wall portions is The first wall portion and the main body portion (441) adjacent to the transport direction, A projection (445) extends from the end (441a) of the main body on one side in the first direction to the inside of the first slit hole along the conveying direction, It has, As the movable member moves toward one side in the first direction, the protruding portion is configured to press the sheet material against the first wall.

[0121] According to the configuration described in 3) above, when the first slit hole is closed, the protruding portion sandwiches the sheet material between itself and the first wall portion, so that the first slit hole can be closed more reliably in the first direction. As a result, gas leakage or leakage of heat contained in the gas can be more reliably suppressed in the sheet material processing chamber.

[0122] 4) In some embodiments, the sheet material processing apparatus described in 3) above, At least one of the first slit hole or the second slit hole is open toward one side of the sheet material in the width direction.

[0123] According to the configuration described in 4) above, when stretching a sheet material inside the sheet material processing apparatus, the sheet material can be positioned inside the first and second slit holes in an extended state without removing at least one of the fixed member or the movable member. Alternatively, at least one of the fixed member or the movable member can be attached or detached while the sheet material is stretched.

[0124] 5) In some embodiments, the sheet material processing apparatus described in 3) or 4) above, Each of the plurality of first wall portions has an end face in the transport direction that is inclined with respect to the first direction (111), Each of the multiple main body portions has a second inclined end surface (442) that is inclined opposite to the first inclined end surface, As the movable member moves toward one side in the first direction, the second inclined end face is configured to move from a position away from the first inclined end face to a position where it contacts the first inclined end face.

[0125] According to the configuration described in 5) above, when the first slit hole is closed, the first inclined end surface and the second inclined end surface come into contact, thereby sealing the gap between the fixed member and the movable member. This makes it possible to more reliably suppress gas leakage or heat leakage contained in the gas within the sheet material processing chamber.

[0126] 6) In some embodiments, a sheet material processing apparatus according to any one of 1) to 5) above, The present invention further comprises a plurality of holding rollers (33) arranged at intervals in the first direction on both the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying path relative to the sheet material processing chamber, wherein the sheet material is folded over each of the holding rollers (33).

[0127] According to the configuration in 6) above, multiple holding rollers enable a single sheet material to be arranged in multiple layers. This simplifies the mechanism for transporting the sheet material compared to the case where multiple sheets of sheet material are individually transported to the sheet material processing chamber.

[0128] 7) In some embodiments, the sheet material processing apparatus described in 6) above, The sheet material processing chamber is further provided with a pair of retaining roller housing chambers (upstream retaining roller housing chamber 35, downstream retaining roller housing chamber 36) for holding the plurality of retaining rollers on the upstream and downstream sides, respectively. Each of the pair of retaining roller housing chambers includes a partition end wall (37) that separates the space within the retaining roller housing chamber from the space within the sheet material processing chamber. The partition end wall is arranged at intervals in the first direction and has a plurality of end wall through holes (37A) positioned on the inside through which the sheet material passes.

[0129] According to the configuration described in 7) above, by providing a partition end wall with an end wall through-hole, the movement of at least one of the gas or heat in the sheet material processing chamber between the holding roller housing chamber and the sheet material housing chamber can be suppressed. Since changes in the internal environment of the holding roller housing chamber can be suppressed when performing the prescribed processing, deterioration of the holding rollers over time can be suppressed.

[0130] 8) In some embodiments, a sheet material processing apparatus according to any one of 1) to 7) above, The system further comprises the conveying rollers for conveying the sheet material along the specified conveying path, The aforementioned conveyor roller is Upstream of the conveying path from the sheet material processing chamber, there is a feed roller (8) for holding the feed roll (2) around which the sheet material is wound, wherein the feed roll is configured to rotate in the direction of feeding out the sheet material. Downstream of the conveying path relative to the sheet material processing chamber, a winding roller (9) for holding the winding roll (3) around which the sheet material is wound, wherein the winding roll is configured to rotate in the direction of winding the sheet material, Includes.

[0131] According to the configuration described in 8) above, the sheet material is sequentially fed out from the feed roll and subjected to the specified treatment, after which the sheet material is sequentially wound up by the winding roll. This increases the efficiency of sheet material transport, and the sheet material processing device can efficiently apply the specified treatment to the sheet material.

[0132] 9) In some embodiments, the sheet material processing apparatus described in any of 1) to 8) above is The system further includes a gas conduit (22) configured to guide a processing gas for use in the aforementioned processing into the sheet material processing chamber.

[0133] According to the configuration described in 9) above, the one-sided opening / closing mechanism can suppress leakage of the processing gas that fills the sheet material processing chamber when the prescribed processing is performed, by closing the multiple first slit holes. As a result, the sheet material processing device can properly apply the prescribed processing to the sheet material.

[0134] 10) In some embodiments, the sheet material processing apparatus described in any of 1) to 9) above is The system further includes a temperature controller (23) located in the sheet material processing chamber and configured to adjust the temperature inside the sheet material processing chamber in accordance with the execution of the prescribed processing.

[0135] According to the configuration described in 10) above, by closing the multiple first slit holes, the one-sided opening / closing mechanism can suppress the transfer of heat between the inside and outside of the sheet material processing chamber during the execution of the prescribed process. As a result, the temperature inside the sheet material processing chamber is maintained at the desired temperature during the execution of the prescribed process, and the sheet material processing apparatus can properly apply the prescribed process to the sheet material.

[0136] 11) In some embodiments, the sheet material processing apparatus described in 10) above, The facility further includes a gas conduit (22) configured to guide a processing gas for use in the aforementioned processing into the sheet material processing chamber, The temperature controller is a heater (29) for raising the temperature inside the sheet material processing chamber. A catalyst layer (14) is formed on the surface (5S) of the sheet material that is brought into the sheet material processing chamber. The aforementioned treatment is a treatment for forming an allotrope (CNT4) on the catalyst layer in an atmosphere in which the sheet material treatment chamber is filled with the treatment gas.

[0137] According to the configuration described in 11) above, a sheet material processing device capable of efficiently producing allotropes can be realized.

[0138] 12) A method for producing an allotrope according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is: A method for producing an allotrope using the sheet material processing apparatus described in 11) above, A sheet material loading step (S15) is performed by loading the sheet material on which the catalyst layer has been formed into the sheet material processing chamber and stopping it, After the sheet material loading step, the one-sided opening / closing mechanism is activated to reduce the overlapping area between the first slit hole and the second slit hole in a closing step (S17), After the closing step, the processing gas is filled into the sheet material processing chamber and the temperature inside the sheet material processing chamber is raised using the heater to form the allotrope on the catalyst layer in an allotrope formation step (S21). It is equipped with.

[0139] According to the configuration in 12) above, the same technical advantages as in 1) above can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0140] 1: Sheet material processing equipment 2: Feed Roll 3: Winding Roll 4: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) 5: Sheet material 5A: Long part 5S:Surface 5a: 1st surface 5b: 2nd surface 7: Conveyor roller 8: Feed roller 9: Winding roller 10: Sputtering Processing Room 11: Gas supply pipe 12: Buffer Layer 13: Sputtering equipment 14:Catalyst layer 15: First sputtering apparatus 16: Second sputtering apparatus 20: Sheet material processing room 21: Cabinet 22: Gas pipelines 23: Temperature controller 29: Heater 31: Upstream retaining roller 32: Downstream retaining roller 33: Holding roller 35: Upstream retaining roller housing chamber 36: Downstream retaining roller housing chamber 37: Partition End Wall 37A: End wall through hole 38: Partition End Wall 38A: End wall through hole 40, 40A: One-sided opening / closing mechanism 41: First slit hole 42: Second slit hole 43: 1st wall part 44:Second wall part 45: Fixing member 46: Movable member 48: Movable support 49: One-sided actuator 50: Other side opening / closing mechanism 59: Other side actuator 70: Elastic member 72: Wall hole 72a: Small diameter hole 72b: Large diameter hole 75: Rod 80: Intermediate storage chamber 81: First retaining roller 82: Second retaining roller 83: First support member 84: Second support member 85: Support Unit 87: Guide roller 88: Variable mechanism 90: Protrusion 90a, 91a, 92a, 93a, 94a: End surface 91 :1st protrusion 92:Second protrusion 93:Third protrusion 94: 4th protrusion 100: Spring mechanism 101: First end surface 111: First inclined end surface 210: End wall 211: First end wall 212: Second end wall 213: Third End Wall 214: Fourth End Wall 441: Main body 441a: End 442: 2nd inclined end surface 445:Protrusion 447: Installation section 481: Support part 482 :Connection part 491: Ball screw 492: Nut part C: Transport route H: 1st space K: virtual plane R: Overlapping area

Claims

1. A sheet material processing apparatus for applying a specified treatment to a long sheet material that is conveyed along a specified conveyance path by conveyor rollers, A sheet material processing chamber for performing the specified processing on multiple layers of sheet material that are in a transport-stopped state and are arranged at intervals along the first direction, Within the sheet material processing chamber, a one-sided opening / closing mechanism is provided, which is located on one side of a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and the width direction of the sheet material. A one-side actuator for driving the one-side opening / closing mechanism, Equipped with, The aforementioned one-side opening / closing mechanism is A fixing member having a plurality of first slit holes arranged at intervals in the first direction, wherein the plurality of sheet materials are arranged inside each of the plurality of first slit holes, A movable member having a plurality of second slit holes formed therein, which are arranged adjacent to the plurality of first slit holes along the conveying direction of the sheet material, wherein the plurality of second slit holes are each arranged inward on the movable member, Includes, The movable member is configured to move toward one side in the first direction, thereby reducing the overlapping area between the first slit hole and the second slit hole when viewed along the transport direction. Sheet material processing device.

2. The sheet material processing chamber includes a housing that accommodates the multiple layers of sheet material, The aforementioned one-sided opening and closing mechanism includes a projection that protrudes inward from the housing, The fixing member is fixed to the end face of the projection in the transport direction. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The fixing member includes the plurality of first slit holes and a plurality of first wall portions that are alternately arranged in the first direction and each extends in the width direction of the sheet material, The movable member includes the plurality of second slit holes and a plurality of second wall portions that are alternately arranged in the first direction and each extends in the width direction of the sheet material, Each of the aforementioned plurality of second wall portions is The first wall portion and the main body portion adjacent to the transport direction, A protruding portion extends from the end of the main body on one side in the first direction to the inside of the first slit hole along the conveying direction, It has, As the movable member moves toward one side in the first direction, the protruding portion is configured to press the sheet material against the first wall. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. At least one of the first slit hole or the second slit hole is open toward one side of the sheet material in the width direction. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. Each of the plurality of first wall portions has an end face in the transport direction that is inclined with respect to the first direction, Each of the multiple main body portions has a second inclined end surface that is inclined opposite to the first inclined end surface, As the movable member moves toward one side in the first direction, the second inclined end face is configured to move from a position away from the first inclined end face to a position where it contacts the first inclined end face. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 3.

6. The sheet material processing chamber is further comprising a plurality of holding rollers arranged at intervals in the first direction on both the upstream and downstream sides of the transport path, wherein each of the holding rollers is stretched across so that the sheet material is folded back. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The sheet material processing chamber is further provided with a pair of retaining roller housing chambers for holding the plurality of retaining rollers on the upstream and downstream sides, respectively. Each of the pair of retaining roller housing chambers includes a partition end wall that separates the space within the retaining roller housing chamber from the space within the sheet material processing chamber. The partition end walls are arranged at intervals in the first direction and have a plurality of end wall through holes positioned on the inside through which the sheet material passes. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. The system further comprises the conveying rollers for conveying the sheet material along the specified conveying path, The aforementioned conveyor roller is Upstream of the conveying path from the sheet material processing chamber, a feed roller for holding a feed roll around which the sheet material is wound, wherein the feed roller is configured to rotate in the direction in which the feed roll feeds out the sheet material, A winding roller for holding a winding roll around which the sheet material is wound, located downstream of the conveying path relative to the sheet material processing chamber, wherein the winding roller is configured to rotate in the direction in which the winding roll winds the sheet material, including The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The facility further comprises a gas conduit configured to guide a processing gas for use in the aforementioned processing into the sheet material processing chamber. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The sheet material processing chamber further comprises a temperature controller, which is located in the sheet material processing chamber and configured to adjust the temperature inside the sheet material processing chamber in accordance with the execution of the prescribed processing. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The facility further comprises a gas conduit configured to guide a processing gas for use in the aforementioned processing into the sheet material processing chamber, The temperature controller is a heater for raising the temperature inside the sheet material processing chamber. A catalyst layer is formed on the surface of the sheet material that is brought into the sheet material processing chamber. The aforementioned treatment is a treatment for forming allotropes on the catalyst layer in an atmosphere in which the sheet material treatment chamber is filled with the treatment gas. The sheet material processing apparatus according to claim 10.

12. A method for producing an allotrope using the sheet material processing apparatus described in claim 11, A sheet material loading step involves loading the sheet material on which the catalyst layer has been formed into the sheet material processing chamber and stopping it, After the sheet material loading step, the one-side opening / closing mechanism is activated to reduce the overlapping area between the first slit hole and the second slit hole in a closing step, After the closing step, the allotrope formation step involves filling the sheet material processing chamber with the processing gas and raising the temperature inside the sheet material processing chamber using the heater to form the allotrope on the catalyst layer, A method for producing allotropes comprising the same components.

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