Rotating correction baffle mechanism and magnetron sputtering coating equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to a rotating correction baffle mechanism and a magnetron sputtering coating device. The rotating correction baffle mechanism is used to adjust the uniformity of a magnetron sputtering coating film layer, and comprises a baffle body, wherein the baffle body comprises a fixed rod (1) and a rotating baffle (2) arranged along the length direction of the fixed rod (1), wherein at least the rotating baffle (2) can rotate around the central axis of the length direction of the fixed rod (1). According to the real-time situation of the coating, the shielding area of ​​the baffle body is adjusted accordingly by adjusting the rotation angle of the rotating baffle, so as to achieve real-time adjustment of the uniformity of the film layer under a vacuum state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of thin film technology, and in particular to a rotating correction baffle mechanism and a magnetron sputtering coating device. Background Art

[0002] Currently in the market, ARAF is the dominant coating process for automotive cover glass, and the entire surface of the automotive cover glass needs to be coated. Magnetron sputtering coating is widely used in the field of large-area sputtering coating due to its good process controllability and long-term process stability.

[0003] During the coating process, a correction baffle is usually needed to adjust the uniformity of the film thickness. However, the existing correction baffles are all of fixed shape, and the fixed-shape baffles can only perform coating protection in a single range, and the scope of use is limited. Therefore, due to the variety of shapes of vehicle cover glass, the shapes of the correction baffles are also diverse. When the equipment is maintained or the model is switched, the uniformity needs to be reconfirmed. However, the magnetron sputtering coating equipment needs to be operated under vacuum, so the vacuum needs to be broken to adjust the correction baffle. After the adjustment, the chamber needs to be closed, the vacuum needs to be pumped out, and the target needs to be burned. The film material can only be re-plated after the chamber vacuum and the target material are completely stable. Not only does it take a long time to adjust the uniformity of the film layer, but if the vacuum and the target material are unstable, it will directly affect the adjustment result of the uniformity of the film layer. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a rotating correction baffle mechanism to adjust the film uniformity of magnetron sputtering coating in a vacuum environment.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present disclosure provides a rotating correction baffle mechanism for adjusting the uniformity of a magnetron sputtering coating film, wherein the mechanism comprises a baffle body, the baffle body comprising a fixed rod and a rotating baffle arranged along the length direction of the fixed rod, wherein at least the rotating baffle can rotate around the central axis of the length direction of the fixed rod.

[0006] Optionally, the rotating baffle is composed of a plurality of strip-shaped baffles, the plurality of strip-shaped baffles are spliced ​​together as one, and each of the strip-shaped baffles can rotate around a central axis in the length direction of the fixing rod.

[0007] Optionally, the maximum rotation angle of the rotating baffle is not less than 90°.

[0008] Optionally, the rotating baffle is connected to the fixing rod in an adjustable length along a direction perpendicular to the central axis.

[0009] Optionally, the rotation correction baffle mechanism further includes a driving mechanism for driving the fixed rod to rotate, the driving mechanism is connected to the fixed rod, and the rotation baffle is mounted on the fixed rod.

[0010] Optionally, the rotation correction baffle mechanism further includes a driving mechanism for driving the rotation baffle to rotate, and the driving mechanism is connected to the rotation baffle so that the rotation baffle can be rotatably connected to the fixing rod.

[0011] Optionally, the driving mechanism includes a driving motor and a transmission gear, the transmission gear includes a first transmission gear and a second transmission gear meshing with each other, the first transmission gear is connected to the output shaft of the driving motor, and the second transmission gear is connected to the fixed rod or the rotating baffle.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a magnetron sputtering coating device is provided, comprising at least one group of target materials and the above-disclosed rotating correction baffle mechanism, wherein the baffle body is disposed between the substrate to be coated and the target materials.

[0013] Optionally, the baffle bodies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of each group of target materials.

[0014] Optionally, a fixed correction baffle is further included, and the fixed correction baffles are respectively arranged on both sides of each group of target materials, wherein the baffle body is arranged between two of the fixed correction baffles.

[0015] The beneficial effect of the technical solution is that the shielding area of ​​the baffle body can be adjusted accordingly by adjusting the rotation angle of the rotating baffle according to the real-time situation of the coating, so as to achieve real-time adjustment of the uniformity of the film layer under a vacuum state, which is not only convenient for adjustment, but also greatly shortens the adjustment time; at the same time, the scope of application is wider.

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in detail in the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the following specific embodiments, they are used to explain the present disclosure but do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a baffle body provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the working state of the baffle body and the substrate to be plated provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3It is a schematic diagram of a working state of the baffle body, the fixed correction baffle and the 2D product provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a working state of the baffle body, the fixed correction baffle and the 3D product provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 1 is a schematic top view of two different working states of the baffle body provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the magnetron sputtering coating equipment provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Description of Reference Numerals

[0025] 1-fixed rod; 2-rotating baffle; 21-strip baffle; 3-substrate to be plated; 4-target material; 5-vacuum chamber; 6-rotating frame; 7-fixed correction baffle; 71-fixed plate; 72-fixed baffle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The specific implementation of the present disclosure is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific implementation described herein is only used to illustrate and explain the present disclosure, and is not used to limit the present disclosure.

[0027] In this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, directional terms such as "length direction" generally refer to Figure 1 The extension direction of the fixed rod can also be understood as Figure 1 The above definitions are only used to explain and illustrate the present disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

[0028] According to the specific implementation of the present disclosure, Figures 1 to 5 As shown, a rotating correction baffle mechanism is provided for adjusting the uniformity of a magnetron sputtering coating film, wherein the baffle body comprises a fixed rod 1 and a rotating baffle 2 arranged along the length direction of the fixed rod 1, wherein at least the rotating baffle 2 can rotate around the central axis of the fixed rod 1 in the length direction.

[0029] In the actual use of magnetron sputtering coating, the rotating baffle 2 is arranged between the substrate 3 to be plated and the target material 4, and the thicker part of the film layer in the substrate 3 to be plated is blocked, so as to control the uniformity of the overall film thickness of the substrate 3 to be plated. Based on this, in the present disclosure, the blocking area of ​​the baffle body can be adjusted accordingly by adjusting the rotation angle of the rotating baffle 2 according to the real-time situation of the coating, so as to achieve real-time adjustment of the uniformity of the film layer under a vacuum state, which is not only convenient for adjustment, but also greatly shortens the adjustment time; at the same time, the scope of application is wider, wherein the substrate 3 to be plated can be a 2D flat plate or a 3D curved plate or other irregular flat or curved shapes, etc., and in the switching coating of products of different shapes, it can also be automatically adjusted under a vacuum state.

[0030] In order to adjust the angle of the baffle body according to the needs, in the specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the maximum rotation angle of the rotating baffle 2 is not less than 90°; Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 (where the solid line and the dotted line represent two working positions of the rotating baffle 2, respectively, and the arrow indicates the rotation direction), the rotation angle of the rotating baffle 2 can be set between 0° and 90°, and rotates toward the target 4. Specifically, refer to FIG. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, when the rotating baffle 2 is arranged parallel to the substrate 3 to be plated (that is, 0°), the shielding area is the largest; Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, when the rotating baffle 2 is arranged perpendicular to the substrate 3 to be plated (i.e., 90°), the shielding area is 0. It can be seen that within this range, the shielding area can be fully adjusted, and when the rotating baffle 2 is not needed for shielding, the rotating baffle 2 can be rotated to 90° for avoidance. Of course, in other embodiments, it can also be rotated toward the substrate 3 to be plated, as long as space allows.

[0031] In order to further improve the uniformity of the film layer, refer to Figure 1 As shown, in a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotating baffle 2 is composed of a plurality of strip baffles 21 , which are spliced ​​together as a whole, and each of the strip baffles 21 can rotate around the central axis of the length direction of the fixing rod 1 .

[0032] That is, the rotating baffle 2 is divided into a plurality of independent strip baffles 21, and adjacent strip baffles 21 do not affect each other. In this way, the film layer in the longitudinal direction (parallel to the length direction mentioned above) of the substrate 3 to be plated can be locally adjusted by adjusting the angle of a single strip baffle 21, and the adjustment of the uniformity of the film layer of the substrate 3 to be plated can be further refined.

[0033] In addition, in actual use, it is also particularly important to predetermine the shape of the rotating baffle 2 to ensure the uniformity of the film layer (refer to Figure 1 As shown, the side of the rotating baffle 2 away from the fixed rod 1 is roughly a curve), and in order to obtain the shape of the rotating baffle 2 that can ensure a uniform film layer, it is necessary to conduct multiple coating experiments, and finally determine the shape of the rotating baffle 2 based on the film thickness distribution data after each experiment. Therefore, in order to facilitate the shape adjustment of the rotating baffle 2 and adapt to the coating of various different substrates 3 to be plated, in a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the rotating baffle 2 is connected to the fixed rod 1 in an adjustable length along a direction perpendicular to the central axis, wherein the "length" is the protruding length of the rotating baffle 2 relative to the fixed rod 1 mentioned below.

[0034] Optionally, each of the strip-shaped baffles 21 can be connected to the fixing rod 1 in an adjustable length along a direction perpendicular to the central axis, so that the extension length (the extension length is the length protruding from the fixing rod 1) of each strip-shaped baffle 21 can be individually adjusted according to the thickness distribution of the substrate to be plated (refer to Figure 1 As shown, the extension length of each strip-shaped baffle 21 is different, wherein the smaller the extension length, the thicker the film layer, and the larger the extension length, the thinner the film layer), so as to further achieve the purpose of improving the uniformity of the film thickness.

[0035] It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the rotating baffle 2 can also be constructed as an integral molding to perform overall extension adjustment and rotation adjustment, or the plurality of strip baffles 21 can be divided into multiple groups for group local adjustment. As long as dual adjustment of rotation and extension length can be achieved, the present disclosure does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0036] Furthermore, as an embodiment, in order to be able to adjust the extension length of the rotating baffle 2, the rotating baffle 2 can be constructed as a telescopic baffle. Specifically, the telescopic baffle can include a fixed baffle connected to the fixed rod 1 and a movable baffle sleeved on the fixed baffle. The extension length of the rotating baffle 2 can be adjusted by the linear movement of the movable baffle along the fixed baffle. Alternatively, in other embodiments, a sliding groove can be provided on the fixed baffle, and a slider can be provided on the movable baffle, as long as the extension length of the rotating baffle 2 can be changed.

[0037] At the same time, considering that the baffle body is a wearing part, it needs to be disassembled for sandblasting maintenance from time to time, and the extension amount of the rotating baffle 2 needs to be checked again after each sandblasting maintenance and assembly. Therefore, in the specific embodiment of the present invention, the material of the baffle body can be aluminum alloy, stainless steel and other non-magnetic materials with easy-to-process appearance, and due to its relatively long service life, the maintenance of the baffle body can be reduced.

[0038] In order to realize the rotation of the rotating baffle 2, as an embodiment, the rotating correction baffle mechanism also includes a driving mechanism for driving the fixed rod 1 to rotate, the driving mechanism is connected to the fixed rod 1, and the rotating baffle 2 is installed on the fixed rod 1.

[0039] As another embodiment, the rotation correction baffle mechanism further includes a driving mechanism for driving the rotation baffle 2 to rotate, and the driving mechanism is connected to the rotation baffle 2 so that the rotation baffle 2 can be rotatably connected to the fixing rod 1.

[0040] That is, the rotation of the rotating baffle 2 or the fixed rod 1 is driven by the driving mechanism to finally realize the rotation of the rotating baffle 2 to change the shielding area. In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the driving mechanism includes a driving motor and a transmission gear, and the transmission gear includes a first transmission gear and a second transmission gear that mesh with each other, the first transmission gear is connected to the output shaft of the driving motor, and the second transmission gear is connected to the fixed rod or the rotating baffle.

[0041] Specifically, in order to be able to accurately adjust the angle, the first transmission gear adopts a small gear, and the second transmission gear adopts a large gear. The small gear drives the large gear to rotate, and the driving motor can adopt a servo motor. As an embodiment, the second transmission gear is connected to the fixed rod 1, and drives the rotation of the entire rotating baffle 2 by driving the rotation of the fixed rod 1; as another embodiment, the second transmission gear directly drives the rotating baffle 2 to move, and the rotating baffle 2 can be first connected to the fixed rod 1 through a rotating shaft, and the second transmission gear is connected to the rotating shaft, and the rotation of the rotating baffle 2 is achieved by driving the rotating shaft. This driving method is also suitable for driving the rotation of each strip baffle 21 separately. Of course, in other embodiments, a cylinder driving method or a gear rack driving method, etc., can also be used, and the present disclosure is not limited to this, as long as the relative rotation of the rotating baffle 2 in a vacuum state can be achieved.

[0042] In the specific embodiments of the present disclosure, reference is made to Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the length of the rotating baffle 2 is not less than the length of the substrate 3 to be plated, so as to ensure that the film thickness distribution in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 3 to be plated can be fully adjusted.

[0043] refer to Figure 6 As shown, in a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, a magnetron sputtering coating device is provided, which includes at least one group of target materials 4 and a rotating correction baffle mechanism provided in the present disclosure, and the baffle body is arranged between the substrate 3 to be plated and the target material 4.

[0044] Specifically, the magnetron sputtering coating equipment also includes a vacuum chamber 5, a vacuum system, a sputtering power supply, an air intake system, etc. When coating, the vacuum system is first used to extract the gas in the vacuum chamber, and then the air intake system is used to fill the vacuum chamber with argon gas, and then the sputtering power supply is used to add high voltage to the argon gas in the vacuum chamber, so that glow discharge is generated between the cathode and the anode, and the argon gas molecules between the electrodes are ionized to generate electric charges, and the positive ions therein are accelerated by the negative potential of the cathode and collide with the cathode target material, thereby sputtering out the atoms and other particles therein, and the sputtered atoms are deposited on the substrate to be plated 3 located at the anode to form a thin film.

[0045] refer to Figure 6 As shown, in a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, a rotating frame 6 can be installed in the central area of ​​the vacuum chamber 5, and the substrate 3 to be plated can be vertically attached to the outer side wall of the rotating frame 6 which is cylindrical, and the target material 4 is arranged on the side wall of the vacuum chamber 5. When the substrate 3 to be plated passes through the area of ​​the target material 4, a stack of materials is formed on its surface, and the uniformity of the film thickness can also be improved by rotating the substrate 3 to be plated. Among them, the baffle body is arranged between the target material 4 and the substrate 3 to be plated, and the shielding area can be adjusted by adjusting the rotation angle of the rotating baffle 2 according to the distribution of the thickness of the coating, so as to achieve the adjustment of the shielding area in a vacuum environment.

[0046] As an embodiment, a pair of baffle bodies are used with the same target material, specifically, referring to Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the baffle bodies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of each group of the target materials 4, so as to further improve the uniformity of the film thickness, and the arrangement of the two baffle bodies can also play a role in separating the target materials of each group. Optionally, multiple groups of target materials 4 can be evenly distributed around the rotating frame 6, and each group of target materials 4 includes at least one target material. The target materials of the same group are of the same material, and the target materials of different groups can be different to meet various coating requirements. In addition, the target material 4 can be constructed as a cylindrical target, a planar target, etc., which is not limited by the present disclosure.

[0047] In actual magnetron sputtering coating, it is often necessary to switch to a substrate 3 of a different shape for coating. Considering that when coating a 3D product, the distances from each position of the 3D product to the target material 4 are different, in order to be able to quickly switch from a 2D product to a 3D product under a vacuum environment, as another implementation method, reference is made to Figures 3 to 5 As shown, the magnetron sputtering coating equipment may further include a fixed correction baffle 7 , and the fixed correction baffles 7 are respectively arranged on both sides of each group of target materials 4 , wherein the baffle body is arranged between two fixed correction baffles 7 .

[0048] That is, in the vacuum chamber 5, two fixed correction baffles 7 and a baffle body are arranged, referring to Figures 3 to 5As shown, the fixed correction baffle 7 includes a fixed plate 71 and a fixed baffle 72. The fixed baffle 72 can be constructed to be adjustable along a central axis perpendicular to the length direction of the fixed plate 71 to meet the coating requirements of 2D products, and the baffle body arranged in the middle sets the extension length of the rotating baffle 2 according to the curved surface structure of the 3D product. Specifically, the extension length of the rotating baffle 2 is longer for the part of the 3D product close to the target material 4, and conversely, the extension length is shorter.

[0049] Specifically, before magnetron sputtering coating, two fixed correction baffles 7 are first used to correct the uniformity of the coating area of ​​the 2D product, and the baffle body arranged in the middle arranges the extension length of each strip baffle 21 according to the shape of the 3D product. Figure 3 As shown, the rotating baffle 2 is kept perpendicular to the substrate 3 to be plated, which does not affect the uniformity of the coating of the 2D product; when switching to the 3D product, refer to Figure 4 As shown, the rotating baffle 2 is kept parallel to the substrate 3 to be plated, and the sputtering amount is controlled according to the different target-substrate distances of the 3D product to eliminate the difference in film thickness caused by the different target-substrate distances. During the coating process, the shielding area of ​​the rotating baffle 2 is changed at any time according to the coating conditions to ultimately achieve the purpose of correcting the uniformity of the film layer.

[0050] The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings; however, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept of the present disclosure, a variety of simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0051] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present disclosure will not further describe various possible combinations.

[0052] In addition, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be arbitrarily combined, and as long as they do not violate the concept of the present disclosure, they should also be regarded as the contents disclosed by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A magnetron sputtering coating device, characterized in that: The invention comprises at least one group of target materials (4) and a rotating correction baffle mechanism and a fixed correction baffle (7), wherein the rotating correction baffle mechanism is used to adjust the uniformity of a magnetron sputtering coating film layer and comprises a baffle body, wherein the baffle body comprises a fixed rod (1) and a rotating baffle (2) arranged along the length direction of the fixed rod (1), wherein at least the rotating baffle (2) can rotate around the central axis of the length direction of the fixed rod (1), and the baffle body is arranged between a substrate (3) to be plated and the target materials (4); the fixed correction baffles (7) are respectively arranged on both sides of each group of the target materials (4), wherein the baffle body is arranged between two fixed correction baffles (7).

2. The magnetron sputtering coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating baffle (2) is composed of a plurality of strip-shaped baffles (21), the plurality of strip-shaped baffles (21) being spliced ​​together as one body, and each of the strip-shaped baffles (21) is capable of rotating around a central axis in the length direction of the fixing rod (1).

3. The magnetron sputtering coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The maximum rotation angle of the rotating baffle (2) is not less than 90°.

4. The magnetron sputtering coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotating baffle (2) is connected to the fixed rod (1) in an adjustable length along a direction perpendicular to the central axis.

5. The magnetron sputtering coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation correction baffle mechanism further comprises a driving mechanism for driving the fixed rod (1) to rotate, the driving mechanism being connected to the fixed rod (1), and the rotation baffle (2) being mounted on the fixed rod (1).

6. The magnetron sputtering coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation correction baffle mechanism further comprises a driving mechanism for driving the rotation baffle (2) to rotate, wherein the driving mechanism is connected to the rotation baffle (2) so that the rotation baffle (2) can be rotatably connected to the fixed rod (1).

7. The magnetron sputtering coating equipment according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The driving mechanism comprises a driving motor and a transmission gear, wherein the transmission gear comprises a first transmission gear and a second transmission gear meshing with each other, wherein the first transmission gear is connected to an output shaft of the driving motor, and the second transmission gear is connected to the fixed rod (1) or the rotating baffle (2).

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