Vacuum film forming device and vacuum film forming method

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum film forming device and a vacuum film forming method which are difficult to form scratches on the surface of a long resin film in contact with the outer peripheral surface of a cooling tank roller. The vacuum film forming device and a vacuum film forming method are characterized in that they are provided with: a winding chamber (100) for unwinding a long resin film (1) wound on a winding roller (110); a film forming chamber (400) for forming a metal film on the first side of the long resin film supplied from the winding chamber; and a winding chamber (500) for winding the long resin film formed with the metal film onto a winding roller (541). The film forming chamber has a cooling tank roller (431) that is driven to rotate and wind the long resin film conveyed by a roll to a roll onto the outer peripheral surface and cool it, and a film forming mechanism (432) to (435) that applies a heat load and is arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller. In the vacuum film forming apparatus, a protective film superimposing chamber (300) is provided between the unwinding chamber and the film forming chamber for superimposing the protective film (301) on the second surface side of the long resin film being conveyed so that the protective film is sandwiched between the cooling tank roller and the long resin film.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vacuum film forming device and a vacuum film forming method for winding a long resin film conveyed by a roll-to-roller system onto the outer peripheral surface of a cooling tank roller and forming a metal film on the surface side of the long resin film that is not in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller, and more particularly to an improvement of a vacuum film forming device and a vacuum film forming method that makes it difficult to scratch the surface of the long resin film or the surface of the metal film that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller. Background Art

[0002] Various flexible wiring substrates are used in liquid crystal panels, notebook computers, digital cameras, mobile phones, etc. Among the materials of such flexible wiring substrates, a metal film-attached resin film is used in which a metal film is formed on one side or both sides of a heat-resistant resin film. By applying thin film processing techniques such as photolithography or etching to this metal film-attached resin film, a flexible wiring substrate having a predetermined wiring pattern can be obtained. Since the wiring pattern of the flexible wiring substrate has become increasingly fine and high-density in recent years, it is particularly important that the metal film of the metal film-attached resin film has no defects such as pinholes.

[0003] As a method for manufacturing such a metal film-attached resin film, there are currently known methods of attaching a metal foil to a heat-resistant resin film with an adhesive (referred to as a method for manufacturing a three-layer substrate), a method of applying a heat-resistant resin solution to a metal foil and then drying it (referred to as a casting method), a method of forming a metal film on a heat-resistant resin film by a vacuum film forming method, or a method of forming a metal film on a heat-resistant resin film by a vacuum film forming method and forming a wet-plated layer on the metal film by a wet plating method (referred to as a metallization method), etc. In addition, the vacuum film forming method in the metallization method includes a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, an ion plating method, an ion beam sputtering method, etc.

[0004] As the above-mentioned metallization method, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of forming a conductor layer on a polyimide insulating layer by sputtering chromium and then sputtering copper on a polyimide insulating layer. In addition, Patent Document 2 discloses a material for a flexible circuit substrate obtained by laminating a first metal thin film formed by sputtering a copper-nickel alloy as a target and a second metal thin film formed by sputtering a copper as a target on a polyimide film in this order. It should be noted that in the case of vacuum film formation on a heat-resistant resin film (substrate) such as a polyimide film, a sputtering web coater is generally used.

[0005] In recent years, as a high-density wiring substrate, a resin film with a metal film on one side or both sides formed by the above-mentioned metallization method has been manufactured. Specifically, a metal film (called a metal seed) as a base is formed on one side or both sides of a heat-resistant long resin film by a vacuum film-forming method such as sputtering, and a wet-plated layer is formed on the metal film (metal seed) by a wet plating method to manufacture a resin film with a metal film on one side or both sides. It should be noted that since the metal film (metal seed) is formed by a vacuum film-forming device such as a sputtering film-forming machine, and the wet-plated layer is formed by a wet plating device, the resin film with a metal film on one side or both sides formed by the metallization method is manufactured through a two-stage process of different manufacturing devices. That is, the long resin film with a metal film (metal seed) formed on one side or both sides by a vacuum film-forming device is temporarily wound into a roll in the vacuum film-forming device, and then moved out of the vacuum film-forming device and moved into a wet plating tank of the wet plating device to form a wet plating layer on the metal film (metal seed) of the long resin film.

[0006] In addition, as such a vacuum film forming apparatus for forming a metal film (metal seed crystal) on one side of a long resin film, the following is known. Figure 1 The sputtering film forming machine (vacuum film forming device) shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the present invention comprises: a roll-out chamber 10 for unwinding a long resin film 1 wound around a roll-out roller 11; a film forming chamber 30 for forming a metal film (metal seed crystal) on the first surface side of the long resin film 1 supplied from the roll-out chamber 10; and a winding chamber 40 for winding the long resin film 1 formed with the metal film (metal seed crystal) onto a winding roller 41. The film forming chamber 30 is known to have a sputtering film forming machine (vacuum film forming device) having a cooling tank roll 31 that is driven to rotate and cool the long resin film 1 conveyed by a roll-to-roller and film forming mechanisms 32, 33, 34, 35 that apply a heat load and are arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roll 31.

[0007] By using Figure 1 The sputtering film forming machine (vacuum film forming device) shown in FIG. 1 is a film forming apparatus for forming a film on a first surface 1α (see FIG. 1 ) of a long resin film 1 supplied from a roll-out chamber 10. Figure 2A ) side to form a metal film m (refer to Figure 2B ), with the backing paper 43 overlapping the metal film m side of the long resin film 1 (refer to Figure 2C ) is stored in the winding roller 41. It should be noted that, Figure 1 The reference numeral 42 in the figure indicates a long backing paper unwinding roller for unwinding a long backing paper 43 (backing paper for preventing the long resin film 1 from being stuck by the formed metal film m) sandwiched between the long resin film 1 layers stored in the winding roller 41. Figure 2A The cross-sectional view of the long resin film 1 shown in FIG. Figure 1 The cross section of the long resin film 1 shown by symbol (a) corresponds to the cross section of the long resin film 1. Figure 2B The cross-sectional view of the long resin film 1 shown in FIG. Figure 1The cross section of the long resin film 1 shown by symbol (b) corresponds to the cross section of the long resin film 1. Figure 2C The cross-sectional view of the long resin film 1 shown is respectively Figure 1 The cross section of the long resin film 1 wound around the winding roll 41 shown by the symbol (c) in the middle corresponds to this.

[0008] In addition, when using Figure 1 When the sputtering film forming machine (vacuum film forming device) shown in the figure forms a metal film (metal seed crystal) m on both sides of the long resin film 1, by temporarily taking out the long resin film 1 on which the metal film (metal seed crystal) m is formed on the first side 1α and wound up on the winding roller 41, and then placing the long resin film 1 on the unwinding roller 11 of the sputtering film forming machine (vacuum film forming device) again, the long resin film 1 on which the metal film (metal seed crystal) m is formed on the first side 1α is moved from the unwinding chamber 10 to the film forming chamber 30, so that the metal film (metal seed crystal) m can also be formed on the second side 1β of the long resin film 1. In this case, the paper passing route from the unwinding roller 11 is the dotted line shown in the unwinding chamber 10.

[0009] Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-98994;

[0010] Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-97616.

[0011] In addition, Figure 1 In the sputtering film forming machine (vacuum film forming device) shown, in order to make the long resin film 1 close to the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller 31, the conveying tension of the long resin film 1 in the film forming chamber 30 is set higher than the conveying tension of the long resin film 1 in the other unwinding chamber 10 and the winding chamber 40. Therefore, since the long resin film 1 conveyed in the film forming chamber 30 is strongly in contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the cooling tank roller 31 and the motor-driven rollers 36 and 37 provided in the film forming chamber 30, when the side of the long resin film 1 in contact with these outer peripheral surfaces is a film surface that has not been formed, scratches are easily formed on the film surface that has not been formed, and when the side of the long resin film 1 in contact with the above-mentioned outer peripheral surface is a metal film after film formation, scratches are easily formed on the metal film. In addition, when the surface of the film that has not been formed has scratches, unevenness is formed on the surface of the metal film that is formed later, and when the metal film has scratches, a defective portion is formed in the metal film, so there is a problem that defects such as pinholes are easily generated in the metal film-attached resin film. Summary of the invention

[0012] The present invention focuses on such problems, and therefore aims to provide a vacuum film forming apparatus and a vacuum film forming method in which scratches are unlikely to be formed on the surface of a long resin film or a metal film in contact with the outer peripheral surface of a cooling can roller.

[0013] That is, the first invention of the present invention is characterized in that

[0014] The vacuum film forming device is provided with: a winding chamber for unwinding a long resin film wound on a winding roll; a film forming chamber for forming a metal film on the first surface side of the long resin film supplied from the winding chamber; and a winding chamber for winding the long resin film formed with the metal film onto a winding roll; the film forming chamber has a rotationally driven cooling tank roller for winding the long resin film conveyed by a roll to a roller onto the outer peripheral surface and cooling it, and a film forming mechanism for applying a heat load arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller; in the vacuum film forming device,

[0015] A protective film superimposition chamber is provided between the unwinding chamber and the film forming chamber. In the protective film superimposition chamber, a protective film is superimposed on the second surface side of the long resin film being conveyed, so that the protective film is sandwiched between the cooling tank roller and the long resin film.

[0016] In addition, the second invention is characterized in that

[0017] In the vacuum film forming apparatus according to the first invention,

[0018] The protective film is composed of a single body of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, aramid, polyimide, triacetate, or a composite body formed by laminating these materials. The third invention is characterized in that:

[0019] In the vacuum film forming apparatus according to the first invention,

[0020] The above-mentioned film forming mechanism that applies a heat load is a magnetron sputtering mechanism.

[0021] Next, a fourth invention of the present invention is characterized in that:

[0022] have:

[0023] A film unwinding step of unwinding the long resin film wound on the unwinding roller;

[0024] A film forming step of winding the unwound long resin film onto a cooling can roller and forming a metal film on the first surface side of the long resin film by a film forming mechanism for applying a heat load arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the cooling can roller; and

[0025] A film winding step of winding a long resin film having a metal film formed thereon onto a winding roll,

[0026] In the vacuum film forming method,

[0027] During the period from the film unwinding step to the film forming step, the protective film is overlapped on the second surface side of the long resin film, and the protective film is sandwiched between the cooling can roll and the long resin film.

[0028] In addition, the fifth invention is characterized in that:

[0029] In the vacuum film forming method according to the fourth invention,

[0030] The protective film is composed of a single body of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, aramid, polyimide, triacetate, or a composite body formed by laminating these materials.

[0031] The sixth invention is characterized in that

[0032] In the vacuum film forming method according to the fourth invention,

[0033] The above-mentioned film forming mechanism that applies a heat load is a magnetron sputtering mechanism.

[0034] According to the vacuum film forming apparatus and vacuum film forming method of the present invention,

[0035] Since the protective film is overlapped on the second surface side of the long resin film before being carried into the film forming chamber, the long resin film is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller in the film forming chamber with the protective film interposed therebetween.

[0036] Moreover, in the film forming chamber, even if the long resin film is in strong contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller, it is difficult to form scratches on the second surface of the long resin film due to the protective film sandwiched between the long resin film and the cooling tank roller. Therefore, in the case where the second surface side of the long resin film is an unfilmed film surface, it is difficult to form scratches on the unfilmed film surface. In the case where the above-mentioned second surface side is a metal film, it is difficult to form scratches on the metal film surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 This is a diagram for explaining the structure of a sputtering film forming machine (vacuum film forming apparatus) of a conventional example for forming a metal film on one side of a long resin film.

[0038] Figure 2A to Figure 2C middle Figure 2A yes Figure 1 The cross-sectional view of the long resin film shown by symbol (a) in FIG. Figure 2B yes Figure 1 The cross-sectional view of the long resin film shown by symbol (b) in FIG. Figure 2C yes Figure 1 The cross-sectional view of the long resin film wound onto the winding roll is shown by symbol (c).

[0039] Figure 3 It is a diagram for explaining the structure of a sputtering film forming machine (vacuum film forming apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention for forming a metal film on one side of a long resin film.

[0040] Figure 4A to Figure 4E middle Figure 4A yes Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of the long resin film wound onto the unwinding roll shown by the symbol (A) in the middle, Figure 4B yes Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of the long resin film shown by symbol (B) in the figure, Figure 4C yes Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of the long resin film shown by symbol (C) in the figure, Figure 4D yes Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of the long resin film shown by symbol (D) in the figure, Figure 4E yes Figure 3 The cross-sectional view of the long resin film wound onto the winding roll is shown by the symbol (E).

[0041] The reference numerals are described as follows:

[0042] m Metal film (metal seed)

[0043] 1 Long resin film

[0044] 1α First side

[0045] 1β Second side

[0046] 10 Roll-out Room

[0047] 11 Unwinding roller

[0048] 12 Free Roller

[0049] 13 Tension measuring roller

[0050] 14 Free Roller

[0051] 20 Drying room

[0052] 21 Motor driven roller

[0053] 22 Heater

[0054] 23 Free Roller

[0055] 24 Tension measuring roller

[0056] 25 Free Roller

[0057] 26 Free Roller

[0058] 3P Shielding Plate

[0059] 30 Film Forming Room

[0060] 31 Tank Roller

[0061] 32 Sputtering cathode

[0062] 33 Sputtering cathode

[0063] 34 Sputtering cathode

[0064] 35 Sputtering cathode

[0065] 36 Motor driven rollers

[0066] 37 Motor driven roller

[0067] 38 Tension measuring roller

[0068] 39 Tension measuring roller

[0069] 40 Winding room

[0070] 41 Take-up roller

[0071] 42 Long liner roll

[0072] 43 Long liner

[0073] 44 Free Roller

[0074] 45 Tension measuring roller

[0075] 46 Free Roller

[0076] 47 Free Roller

[0077] 100 Roll Out Room

[0078] 101 Long Liner

[0079] 110 Roller

[0080] 111 Free Roller

[0081] 112 Tension measuring roller

[0082] 113 Free Roller

[0083] 120 Long liner take-up roller

[0084] 121 Free Roller

[0085] 122 Tension measuring roller

[0086] 123 Free Roller

[0087] 200 Drying room

[0088] 221 Motor driven roller

[0089] 222 Heater

[0090] 223 Free Roller

[0091] 224 Tension measuring roller

[0092] 225 Free Roller

[0093] 226 Free Roller

[0094] 227 Free Roller

[0095] 300 Protective film lamination chamber

[0096] 301 protective film

[0097] 310 Protective film roll

[0098] 311 Free Roller

[0099] 312 Tension measuring roller

[0100] 313 Free Roller

[0101] 314 Free Roller

[0102] 400P Shielding Plate

[0103] 400 Film Forming Room

[0104] 401 Free Roller

[0105] 402 Free Roller

[0106] 431 Tank Roller

[0107] 432 Sputtering cathode

[0108] 433 Sputtering cathode

[0109] 434 Sputtering cathode

[0110] 435 Sputtering cathode

[0111] 436 Motor Driven Roller

[0112] 437 Motor Driven Roller

[0113] 438 Tension measuring roller

[0114] 439 Tension measuring roller

[0115] 500 Winding room

[0116] 501 Free Roller

[0117] 502 Tension measuring roller

[0118] 541 Take-up Roller

[0119] 542 Long liner roll

[0120] 544 Free Roller

[0121] 545 Tension measuring roller

[0122] 546 Free Roller

[0123] 547 Free Roller DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0124] Hereinafter, regarding the vacuum film forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, a vacuum film forming apparatus of a conventional example and its problems will be described in detail.

[0125] 1. Conventional vacuum film forming apparatus

[0126] (1) Configuration of Vacuum Film Forming Apparatus of Conventional Example

[0127] First, refer to Figure 1 A conventional vacuum film-forming apparatus will be described in detail.

[0128] It should be noted that Figure 1 In the figure, the roller driven by the motor is denoted as M (motor), the tension measuring roller is denoted as TP (tension pickup), and the free roller is denoted as F (free).

[0129] Existing examples of vacuum film forming devices include Figure 1 The structure shown is composed of a roll-out chamber 10, a drying chamber 20, a film forming chamber 30 and a winding chamber 40. In addition, a "surface treatment chamber" is installed between the drying chamber 20 and the film forming chamber 30 to perform plasma irradiation or ion beam irradiation to improve the adhesion between the film and the metal film.

[0130] The unwinding chamber 10 is configured such that a unwinding roller 11 is provided on which a long resin film 1 on which a metal film (metal seed crystal) is not formed or formed on one side, is wound, and the long resin film 1 unwinding from the unwinding roller 11 is carried out to the drying chamber 20 via a free roller 12, a tension measuring roller 13, and a free roller 14. It should be noted that the unwinding tension of the film is measured by the tension measuring roller 13 and feedback control is performed on the unwinding roller 11.

[0131] The drying chamber 20 is configured such that a heater 22 for film drying is arranged, and the long resin film 1 brought in from the unwinding chamber 10 is dried and carried out to the film forming chamber 30 via the motor-driven roller 21, the free roller 23, the tension measuring roller 24, the free roller 25, and the free roller 26. It should be noted that the film drying tension is measured by the tension measuring roller 24 and the motor-driven roller 21 is feedback-controlled.

[0132] The film forming chamber 30 is configured such that sputtering cathodes 32, 33, 34, and 35 are arranged on one side (first side 1α: see Figure 2A ) forms a metal film (metal seed) m (refer to Figure 2B), and is carried out to the winding chamber 40 via the motor drive roller 36, the tension measuring roller 38, the tank roller 31, the tension measuring roller 39 and the motor drive roller 37. In addition, the film tension (carry-in tension) upstream of the tank roller 31 is measured by the tension measuring roller 38 and the motor drive roller 36 is feedback-controlled, and the film tension (carry-out tension) downstream of the tank roller is measured by the tension measuring roller 39 and the motor drive roller 37 is feedback-controlled. It should be noted that Figure 1 The symbol 3P in the middle indicates that the shielding plate is configured to prevent the sputtered particles ejected from the target of the sputtering cathode from deviating from the prescribed path of travel and ejecting toward the drying chamber 20 or the winding chamber 40, etc. In addition, the film tension (carrying-in and carrying-out tension) in the film forming chamber 30 is set to be about 2 to 4 times higher than the film unwinding tension in the unwinding chamber 10, the film drying tension in the drying chamber 20, and the film winding tension in the winding chamber 40.

[0133] The winding chamber 40 is configured such that a winding roller 41 and a long liner unwinding roller 42 are arranged, and the long resin film 1 having a metal film (metal seed crystal) carried in from the film forming chamber 30 is sandwiched between film layers by a free roller 47 with a long liner 43 unwinding from the long liner unwinding roller 42, and is wound up on the winding roller 41 via a free roller 44, a tension measuring roller 45, and a free roller 46. It should be noted that the winding tension of the film is measured by the tension measuring roller 45 and feedback control is performed on the winding roller 41. In this way, the long resin film 1 having a metal film formed thereon after passing through the unwinding chamber 10, the drying chamber 20, and the film forming chamber 30 is wound up on the winding roller 41 of the winding chamber 40 while the long liner 43 is sandwiched between the layers.

[0134] Furthermore, when the metal film is formed on both sides of the long resin film 1 using the vacuum film forming apparatus, as described above, by temporarily taking out the long resin film 1 on which the metal film m is formed on the first side 1α and wound up on the winding roller 41, and placing the long resin film 1 on the unwinding roller 11 of the vacuum film forming apparatus again, the long resin film 1 on which the metal film m is formed on the first side 1α is carried from the unwinding chamber 10 to the film forming chamber 30, thereby making it possible to form the metal film m also on the second side 1β of the long resin film 1. In this case, the paper passing route from the unwinding roller 11 is the dotted line shown in the unwinding chamber 10. In addition, when the long resin film 1 with the metal film formed on the second surface 1β is directly wound up on the winding roller 41, the metal films formed on the first surface 1α and the second surface 1β are in strong contact in a vacuum and stick to each other, resulting in blocking. Therefore, similar to the case where the metal film is formed on one side (the first surface 1α), the long liner 43 rolled out from the long liner unwinding roller 42 is sandwiched between the film layers, and the long resin film 1 is wound up on the winding roller 41 of the winding chamber 40. It should be noted that Figure 1 In the figure, only the minimum rollers for explaining the vacuum film forming apparatus are described, and there are also rollers not shown.

[0135] In addition, each vacuum chamber constituting the unwinding chamber 10, the drying chamber 20, the film forming chamber 30, and the winding chamber 40 is equipped with an exhaust device. In particular, in the film forming chamber 30, the vacuum chamber 10 is exhausted to the ultimate pressure 10 for sputtering film formation. -4 The vacuum chamber is decompressed to about 100 Pa, and a pressure adjustment of about 0.1 to 10 Pa is performed due to the subsequent introduction of sputtering gas. Well-known gases such as argon are used as sputtering gas, and gases such as oxygen are also added according to the purpose. The shape and material of each vacuum chamber are not particularly limited as long as they can withstand such a decompressed state, and various materials can be used. In order to decompress each vacuum chamber and maintain this state, various devices such as dry pumps, turbomolecular pumps, and cryogenic coils (not shown) are provided.

[0136] In addition, when a metal film (metal seed crystal) is formed by sputtering, Figure 1 As shown, a plate-shaped target is used. However, when a plate-shaped target is used, nodules (growth of foreign matter) may be generated on the target. If this becomes a problem, it is preferable to use a cylindrical rotating target that does not generate nodules and has high target utilization efficiency. Figure 1 The vacuum film-forming apparatus shown in the figure has a magnetron sputtering cathode, but when other vacuum film-forming apparatuses such as CVD (chemical vapor deposition) or vapor deposition processing are used, other vacuum film-forming mechanisms are assembled instead of the plate-shaped target.

[0137] (2) Problems of the Vacuum Film Forming Apparatus of the Conventional Example

[0138] exist Figure 1 In the vacuum film forming apparatus of the conventional example shown, in order to make the long resin film 1 and the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller 31 closely contact each other, the conveying tension of the long resin film 1 in the film forming chamber 30 is set to be about 2 to 4 times higher than the film unwinding tension in the unwinding chamber 10, the film drying tension in the drying chamber 20, and the film winding tension in the winding chamber 40 as described above. Therefore, since the long resin film 1 conveyed in the film forming chamber 30 is in strong contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the cooling tank roller 31 and the motor driven rollers 36 and 37 provided in the film forming chamber 30, when the side of the long resin film 1 in contact with these outer peripheral surfaces is a film surface on which a film has not been formed, scratches are easily formed on the film surface on which a film has not been formed, and when the side of the long resin film 1 in contact with the above-mentioned outer peripheral surfaces is a metal film after film formation, scratches are easily formed on the metal film.

[0139] In addition, if the surface of the unformed film has scratches, the surface of the subsequently formed metal film will be uneven. If the metal film has scratches, the metal film will have a defective portion. Therefore, there is a problem that the metal film-attached resin film is prone to defects such as pinholes.

[0140] 2. Vacuum film forming device according to an embodiment of the present invention

[0141] (1) Configuration of Vacuum Film Forming Apparatus According to Embodiment of the Present Invention

[0142] Next, refer to Figure 3 The vacuum film forming apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Figure 3 In the figure, a roller driven by a motor is denoted as M (motor), a tension measuring roller is denoted as TP (tension sensor), and a free roller is denoted as F (free).

[0143] The vacuum film forming apparatus of this embodiment is composed of: Figure 3 The unwinding chamber 100, drying chamber 200, protective film polymerization chamber 300, film forming chamber 400 and winding chamber 500 are shown. It should be noted that, like the device of the prior art, a "surface treatment chamber" for improving the adhesion between the film and the metal film by plasma irradiation or ion beam irradiation is installed between the drying chamber 200 and the protective film polymerization chamber 300.

[0144] The unwinding chamber 100 is provided with an unwinding roller 110 and a long liner paper winding roller 120. The unwinding roller 110 is wound with a long resin film 1 which is not formed with a film or has a metal film (metal seed) formed on one side. The long liner paper winding roller 120 separates and recovers the long liner paper 101 sandwiched between the layers of the long resin film 1 when the long resin film 1 is unwinded by the unwinding roller 110. The long resin film 1 unwinded by the unwinding roller 110 is carried out to the drying chamber 200 via a free roller 111, a tension measuring roller 112 and a free roller 113. Moreover, the long liner paper 101 separated from the long resin film 1 is recovered to the long liner paper winding roller 120 via a free roller 121, a tension measuring roller 122 and a free roller 123. In addition, the film unwinding tension [e.g., 100 Newtons (N)] from the unwinding roll 110 is measured by the tension measuring roll 112 and feedback control is performed on the unwinding roll 110, and the winding tension of the long liner is measured by the tension measuring roll 122 and feedback control is performed on the long liner winding roll 120. In addition, in the long resin film with no film formed on both sides, there is also a case where the long liner 101 is sandwiched between the film layers to prevent blocking between the film surfaces (see Figure 4A ), in the case of a long resin film having a metal film (metal seed) formed on one side, the long backing paper 101 is sandwiched between film layers in order to prevent blocking caused by the metal film.

[0145] The drying chamber 200 is configured such that a heater 222 for film drying is arranged to dry the long resin film 1 (see FIG. 1 ) carried in from the unwinding chamber 100. Figure 4B ) is carried out to the protective film polymerization chamber 300 via the motor driven roller 221, the free roller 223, the tension measuring roller 224, the free roller 225, the free roller 226 and the free roller 227 while being dried. In addition, the drying tension of the film [for example, 50 Newtons (N)] is measured by the tension measuring roller 224 and the motor driven roller 221 is feedback-controlled.

[0146] In addition, the protective film polymerization chamber 300 is configured such that a protective film unwinding roller 310 for unwinding the protective film 301 is arranged, the protective film 301 unwinding from the protective film unwinding roller 310 is conveyed to a free roller 313 via a free roller 311 and a tension measuring roller 312, and the long resin film 1 is conveyed from the drying chamber 200 to the free roller 313 via a free roller 227 and a free roller 314 of the protective film polymerization chamber 300, and the protective film 301 overlaps with the second surface 1β side of the long resin film 1 on the free roller 313 (refer to Figure 4C ) In addition, the protective film unwinding tension from the protective film unwinding roller 310 is measured by the tension measuring roller 312 and the protective film unwinding roller 310 is feedback-controlled.

[0147] Next, the film forming chamber 400 is configured as follows: a sputtering cathode 432, 433, 434, 435 is arranged, and a single surface (first surface 1α: see Figure 4C ) forms a metal film (metal seed) m (refer to Figure 4D ), and at the same time, it is carried out to the winding chamber 500 via the free roller 401, the motor drive roller 436, the tension measuring roller 438, the tank roller 431, the tension measuring roller 439, the motor drive roller 437 and the free roller 402. In addition, the film tension upstream of the tank roller 431 [carry-in tension: for example, 200 Newtons (N)] is configured to be measured by the tension measuring roller 438 and feedback-controlled to the motor drive roller 436, and the film tension downstream of the tank roller [carry-out tension: for example, 200 Newtons (N)] is configured to be measured by the tension measuring roller 439 and feedback-controlled to the motor drive roller 437. It should be noted that Figure 3 Reference numeral 400P in the figure indicates that the shielding plate is configured to prevent sputtered particles ejected from the target of the sputtering cathode from deviating from a predetermined traveling path and being ejected toward the protective film polymerization chamber 300 or the winding chamber 500 .

[0148] The winding chamber 500 is configured as follows: a winding roller 541 and a long liner paper unwinding roller 542 are arranged, and the long resin film 1 with a metal film (metal seed crystal) carried in from the film forming chamber 400 is sandwiched between the film layers by the long liner paper 43 unwinding from the long liner paper unwinding roller 542 via the free roller 501, the tension measuring roller 502 and the free roller 547 (refer to Figure 4E ), and is wound up to the winding roll 541 via the free roll 544, the tension measuring roll 545, and the free roll 546. In addition, the winding tension of the long resin film [for example, 100 Newtons (N)] is measured by the tension measuring roll 545 and the winding roll 541 is feedback-controlled, and the long liner paper unwinding tension of the long liner paper unwinding roll 542 is measured by the tension measuring roll 502 and the long liner paper unwinding roll 542 is feedback-controlled.

[0149] The long resin film 1 having the metal film formed thereon after passing through the unwinding chamber 100 , the drying chamber 200 , the protective film polymerization chamber 300 and the film forming chamber 400 is wound up by the winding roller 541 of the winding chamber 500 with the long backing paper 43 sandwiched therebetween.

[0150] In addition, when the metal film is formed on both sides of the long resin film 1 using the vacuum film forming apparatus of the present embodiment, as in the case of using the vacuum film forming apparatus of the conventional example, the long resin film 1 on which the metal film m is formed on the first side 1α and the protective film is superimposed on the second side 1β and wound up on the winding roll 541 can be temporarily taken out, and after the long resin film 1 is placed on the unwinding roll 110 of the vacuum film forming apparatus again, the protective film is separated from the long resin film 1 on which the metal film m is formed on the first side 1α, and the long resin film 1 is moved from the unwinding chamber 100 to the film forming chamber 400 in a state where the second side 1β is exposed, and the metal film m is also formed on the second side 1β of the long resin film 1. It should be noted that, as in the case of using the vacuum film forming apparatus of the conventional example, in order to prevent the blocking phenomenon, it is preferable to sandwich the long liner 43 unwound from the long liner unwinding roll 542 between the film layers and wind up the long resin film 1 on the winding roll 541.

[0151] In addition, each vacuum chamber constituting the unwinding chamber 100, drying chamber 200, protective film polymerization chamber 300, film forming chamber 400 and winding chamber 500 is equipped with an exhaust device. In particular, in the film forming chamber 400, the vacuum chamber is evacuated to a maximum pressure of 10° for sputtering film formation. -4 The vacuum chamber is decompressed to about 100 Pa, and a pressure adjustment of about 0.1 to 10 Pa is performed due to the subsequent introduction of sputtering gas. Well-known gases such as argon are used as sputtering gas, and gases such as oxygen are also added according to the purpose. The shape and material of each vacuum chamber are not particularly limited as long as they can withstand such a decompressed state, and various materials can be used. In order to decompress each vacuum chamber and maintain this state, various devices such as dry pumps, turbomolecular pumps, and cryogenic coils (not shown) are provided.

[0152] In addition, when a metal film (metal seed crystal) is formed by sputtering, Figure 3 As shown, a plate-shaped target is used. However, when a plate-shaped target is used, nodules (growth of foreign matter) may be generated on the target. If this becomes a problem, it is preferable to use a cylindrical rotating target that does not generate nodules and has high target utilization efficiency. Figure 3 The vacuum film-forming apparatus shown in the figure has a magnetron sputtering cathode, but when other vacuum film-forming apparatuses such as CVD (chemical vapor deposition) or vapor deposition processing are used, other vacuum film-forming mechanisms are assembled instead of the plate-shaped target.

[0153] (2) Effects of the Vacuum Film Forming Apparatus of the Embodiment of the Present Invention

[0154] According to the vacuum film forming apparatus of this embodiment, before being carried into the film forming chamber 400, the second surface 1β (refer to Figure 4C ) side is overlapped with the protective film 301, so the long resin film 1 is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller 431 in the film forming chamber 400 with the protective film 301 sandwiched in the middle.

[0155] Moreover, in the film forming chamber 400, even if the long resin film 1 is in strong contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller 431, the motor-driven roller 436, and the outer peripheral surface of the motor-driven roller 437, it is difficult to form scratches on the second surface 1β of the long resin film 1 due to the protective film 301 sandwiched between the long resin film 1 and these rollers. Therefore, it has a significant effect of being able to manufacture the following high-quality resin film with a metal film: when the second surface 1β side of the long resin film 1 is an unfilmed film surface, it is difficult to form scratches on the unfilmed film surface; when the above-mentioned second surface 1β side is a metal film, it is difficult to form scratches on the metal film surface, and the wet plating layer formed on the metal film (metal seed) has no pinholes, etc.

[0156] (3) Membrane material

[0157] (3-1) Long resin film

[0158] As the long resin film used for the metal film-attached resin film, for example, there can be mentioned a heat-resistant resin film selected from polyimide films, polyamide films, polyester films, polytetrafluoroethylene films, polyphenylene sulfide films, polyethylene naphthalate films, or liquid crystal polymer films. The metal film-attached resin film obtained by using these resin films is excellent in the flexibility required for the above-mentioned flexible wiring substrate, the strength required for practical use, and the electrical insulation suitable as a wiring material.

[0159] (3-2) Protective film

[0160] Examples of the protective film include polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, aramid, polyimide, and triacetate, alone or in combination thereof.

[0161] (3-3) Long backing paper

[0162] Examples of the long backing paper sandwiched between the long resin film layers include resin films selected from polyimide films, polyamide films, polyester films, polytetrafluoroethylene films, polyphenylene sulfide films, polyethylene naphthalate films, and liquid crystal polymer films.

[0163] [Example]

[0164] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0165] [Film formation of metal film (metal seed crystal)]

[0166] use Figure 3 The vacuum film forming device (sputtering film forming machine) shown in the figure forms a metal film on the first surface 1α of the long resin film, and the long resin film with the metal film formed on the first surface 1α is again placed on the unwinding roller of the vacuum film forming device to form a metal film (metal seed crystal) on both sides (the first surface 1α and the second surface 1β) of the long resin film. Figure 3 The long resin film 1 shown uses the heat-resistant polyimide film "Upilex" (registered trademark) manufactured by Ube Industries, Ltd. with a width of 600 mm, a length of 1000 m, and a thickness of 25 μm. The metal film (metal seed) formed on the first surface 1α and the second surface 1β of the long resin film 1 is a second Cu film formed on the first Ni-Cr film.

[0167] That is, the target of the magnetron sputtering cathode 432 of the film forming chamber 400 is a Ni-Cr target, and the targets of the magnetron sputtering cathodes 433, 434, and 435 are Cu targets. In addition, in this state, the air in the film forming chamber 400 is exhausted to 5 Pa using multiple dry pumps, and then further exhausted to 3×10 -3 Pa.

[0168] Next, the rotation drive device of the sputtering film forming machine is started, and while the long resin film 1 is transported at a transport speed of 5 m / min, argon gas is introduced at 300 sccm, and 20 kW of power is applied to the magnetron sputtering cathode of the Ni-Cr target and 30 kW of power is applied to the magnetron sputtering cathode of the Cu target, thereby forming a 25 nm Ni-Cr film as the first layer and a 100 nm Cu film as the second layer.

[0169] Then, the long resin film 1 with the above-mentioned metal film (metal seed) formed on the first surface 1α and the second surface 1β is moved into the winding chamber 500, the long backing paper 43 is sandwiched between the layers of the long resin film 1 and the long resin film 1 is wound onto the winding roller 541 so as not to cause blockage.

[0170] It should be noted that, during transportation, a PET film with a thickness of 10 μm is applied to the protective film 301 overlapping on the second side 1β of the long resin film 1 and the above-mentioned long backing paper 43, the film unwinding tension of the unwinding chamber 100 in the above-mentioned vacuum film forming device (sputtering film forming machine) is set to 100 Newtons (N), the film drying tension of the drying chamber 200 is set to 50 Newtons (N), the film tension [carrying-in tension] upstream of the tank roller 431 of the film forming chamber 400 and the film tension [carrying-out tension] downstream of the tank roller are set to 200 Newtons (N) respectively, and the film winding tension of the winding chamber 500 is set to 100 Newtons (N).

[0171] [Formation of wet plating layer]

[0172] A metal film (metal seed) composed of a Ni-Cr layer and a Cu layer is formed on both sides, and for a long resin film 1 having a long backing paper 43 for preventing blocking sandwiched between film layers, the long backing paper 43 is separated from the unwinding roller of the "wet plating device" while being unwound, and, in the front stage of the long resin film 1 being moved into the plating tank, the surface of the metal film (metal seed) is cleaned using an "atmospheric pressure plasma washing device", and thereafter, the long resin film 1 is moved into the plating tank of the "wet plating device" at a conveying speed of 3 m / min, thereby plating a 1 μm Cu layer (wet plating layer) on the metal film (metal seed).

[0173] [Evaluation method]

[0174] The obtained resin film with metal film was evaluated for the presence or absence of pinholes. First, the metal layer (metal seed and wet-plated layer) on one side was masked, and the metal layer on the opposite side was etched away. Thereafter, pinholes in a 5.6 mm × 4.2 mm field of view were photographed using a transmission microscope, and pinholes with a diameter of 3 μm or more were counted and evaluated using image analysis.

[0175] As a result, it was confirmed that the number of pinholes in the resin film with a metal film obtained in this example was significantly reduced compared with the case where the vacuum film-forming apparatus of the conventional example was used.

[0176] Industrial Applicability

[0177] According to the present invention, since a high-quality resin film with a metal film without pinholes etc. can be manufactured at a high yield, it has industrial applicability as a manufacturing device for a resin film with a metal film for a flexible wiring substrate used in notebook computers, digital cameras, mobile phones, etc.

Claims

1. A vacuum film forming device, characterized in that: have: A roll-out chamber for rolling out the long resin film wound on the roll-out roller; a film forming chamber for forming a metal film on a first surface side of the long resin film supplied from the unwinding chamber; and The winding chamber winds up the long resin film with the metal film formed on it onto the winding roller. The film forming chamber has: The cooling tank roll is driven to rotate, and the long resin film conveyed by the roll-to-roller is wound around the outer peripheral surface and cooled; A pair of tension measuring rollers are provided to measure the tension of the long resin film upstream and downstream of the cooling can roller. a pair of motor-driven rollers that control the conveying tension of the long resin film in the film forming chamber to be higher than the conveying tension of the long resin film in the unwinding chamber and the winding chamber based on the tension of the long resin film upstream and downstream of the cooling tank roller measured by the pair of tension measuring rollers, and The film forming mechanism for applying heat load is arranged along the outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roller. In the vacuum film forming apparatus, A protective film superimposition chamber is provided between the unwinding chamber and the film forming chamber. In the protective film superimposition chamber, a protective film is superimposed on the second surface side of the long resin film being conveyed, so that the protective film is sandwiched between the cooling tank roller and the long resin film.

2. The vacuum film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The protective film is composed of a single body of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, aramid, polyimide, triacetate, or a composite body formed by laminating these materials.

3. The vacuum film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The film forming mechanism that applies a heat load is a magnetron sputtering mechanism.

4. A vacuum film forming method, characterized in that: have: A film unwinding process of unwinding a long resin film wound on an unwinding roller in an unwinding chamber; A film forming step of winding the unwound long resin film onto a cooling tank roll in a film forming chamber, and forming a metal film on a first surface side of the long resin film by a film forming mechanism for applying a heat load arranged along an outer peripheral surface of the cooling tank roll; and A film winding process in which a long resin film with a metal film formed thereon is wound onto a winding roller in a winding chamber. A pair of tension measuring rollers provided in the film forming chamber are used to measure the tension of the long resin film upstream and downstream of the cooling tank roller, and a pair of motor driven rollers provided in the film forming chamber are controlled based on the measured tension of the long resin film upstream and downstream of the cooling tank roller, so that the conveying tension of the long resin film in the film forming chamber is higher than the conveying tension of the long resin film in the unwinding chamber and the winding chamber. In the vacuum film forming method, During the period from the film unwinding step to the film forming step, the protective film is overlapped on the second surface side of the long resin film, and the protective film is sandwiched between the cooling can roll and the long resin film.

5. The vacuum film forming method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The protective film is composed of a single body of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polystyrene, polyvinyl alcohol, polycarbonate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, aramid, polyimide, triacetate, or a composite body formed by laminating these materials.

6. The vacuum film forming method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The film forming mechanism that applies a heat load is a magnetron sputtering mechanism.

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