A continuous coating electron magnetron sputtering device

Abstract

The present invention provides a continuous coating electron magnetron sputtering device, belonging to the technical field of continuous magnetron sputtering coating. It includes a vacuum chamber, a buffer isolation chamber, and a pre-vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber is interconnected with multiple buffer isolation chambers and multiple pre-vacuum chambers and arranged in a row. The vacuum chamber is centrally located and communicates with the buffer isolation chambers at both ends. One end of the buffer isolation chamber communicates with the pre-vacuum chamber. It further includes: a first conveyor rack, a second conveyor rack, a coating material rack, and a target rack; the first conveyor rack is used to convey the coating material through the vacuum chamber, the buffer isolation chamber, and the pre-vacuum chamber in sequence; one end of the second conveyor rack extends from the side of the pre-vacuum chamber at one end to the pre-vacuum chamber at the other end. The second conveyor rack is used to convey the target through the vacuum chamber and the buffer isolation chamber. A cabinet door for taking and placing the target is provided on the side of the pre-vacuum chamber; the coating material rack is used to hold and fix the coating material, and the coating material rack is placed on the first conveyor rack and slidably cooperates with it; the target rack is used to hold and fix the target, and the target rack is placed on the second conveyor rack and slidably cooperates with it.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of continuous magnetron sputtering coating, and particularly to a continuous coating electron magnetron sputtering device. Background Art

[0002] During magnetron sputtering coating, a substrate and a target are placed in a sputtering coating chamber. The air in the sputtering coating chamber is pumped out by a vacuum pump, and argon gas is continuously introduced into the chamber to create a low-pressure argon gas environment. A high voltage is applied to the target to generate plasma. The plasma consists of argon atoms, positively charged argon ions, and free electrons. The electrons continuously collide with argon atoms to continuously generate positively charged argon ions, making the sputtering target negatively charged. The argon ions are attracted and fly towards the surface of the target. The argon ions collide with the target, ejecting target atoms from the surface of the target, and the ejected target atoms are deposited on the substrate. By controlling the current well during sputtering coating, multiple repeated coatings can be achieved, and the thickness of each coating is uniform and does not change. The back end of the coating has good controllability and repeatability.

[0003] The continuous magnetron sputtering technology uses multiple interconnected chambers arranged in a row, and a vacuum pump is installed in each chamber for pumping and pressure reduction work, which are respectively used for pre-vacuum, pre-coating, sputtering coating, ion etching, etc. Taking the middle chamber as the vacuum chamber, the coating material can be distributed into the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum sputtering environment can be entered. The sputtering efficiency can be improved by sequentially controlling multiple targets or multiple groups of targets to pass through.

[0004] Currently, continuous magnetron sputtering equipment includes vertical and horizontal structures. Among them, in the horizontal equipment, when the coating material is placed on the working stage and passes through the vacuum chamber, only one side faces the target to complete vacuum sputtering. Even if the targets are symmetrically installed, it is difficult to achieve uniform sputtering due to one side of the coating material being blocked. In addition, in some equipment, the space of the vacuum chamber is limited, making it inconvenient to flip the coating material after single-sided sputtering. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Aiming at the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides a continuous coating electron magnetron sputtering device that uses a coating material rack to support the coating material, exposes both sides of the coating material to achieve simultaneous double-sided sputtering, and exposes the blind spots of fixation by controlling the fixing parts in contact with the coating material to achieve full sputtering.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention solves the problems of low double-sided sputtering efficiency and sputtering blind spots in horizontal continuous magnetron sputtering equipment through the following technical solutions.

[0007] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A continuous coating electron magnetron sputtering device, comprising a vacuum chamber, a buffer isolation chamber, and a pre-vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber is interconnected with a plurality of buffer isolation chambers and a plurality of pre-vacuum chambers and arranged in a row. The vacuum chamber is centrally disposed and communicates with the buffer isolation chambers at both ends. One end of the buffer isolation chamber communicates with the pre-vacuum chamber. The device further includes:

[0009] A first conveyor rack for conveying coating materials through the vacuum chamber, the buffer isolation chamber, and the pre-vacuum chamber in sequence;

[0010] A second conveyor rack, one end of which extends from the side of the pre-vacuum chamber to the pre-vacuum chamber at the other end. The second conveyor rack is used for conveying the target through the vacuum chamber and the buffer isolation chamber. A cabinet door for taking and placing the target is provided on the side of the pre-vacuum chamber;

[0011] A coating material rack for holding and fixing the coating material. The coating material rack is placed on the first conveyor rack and is slidably engaged with it;

[0012] A target rack for holding and fixing the target. The target rack is placed on the second conveyor rack and is slidably engaged with it.

[0013] Preferably, the first conveyor rack is arranged in a U-shaped structure. A first lead screw is rotatably installed inside the first conveyor rack. A slider penetrated by the first lead screw is slidably provided on the first conveyor rack. The slider is connected to the coating material rack.

[0014] Preferably, the coating material rack has a rectangular frame structure. The coating material is fixedly installed in the middle of the coating material rack. Targets are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the coating material in the vacuum chamber to perform sputtering on both sides of it.

[0015] Preferably, the coating material rack is composed of two hollow cross bars and two hollow longitudinal bars connected end to end. A fixing member that is frictionally engaged with a second lead screw is installed inside the longitudinal bar. A chute is provided on the side of the longitudinal bar. The fixing member passes through the longitudinal bar outward from the chute and is slidably engaged with it. Both ends of the second lead screw penetrate into the cross bar.

[0016] Preferably, a driving member that is in gear transmission with the second lead screw is installed inside one of the cross bars. A plurality of the fixing members are evenly distributed on the surface of the coating material. The driving member drives the second lead screw to rotate to control the movement of the fixing member on the coating material.

[0017] Preferably, an elastic member is installed inside the other cross bar. The elastic member is connected to the second lead screw and is used to drive the rotated second lead screw to reset.

[0018] Preferably, the fixing member includes a base, a connecting rod, and a fixing block. The base is slidably installed inside the vertical rod and is in frictional cooperation with the second lead screw. The connecting rods are symmetrically arranged on one side of the second lead screw. After passing through the vertical rod, the connecting rods are fixedly connected to the fixing block. The end face of the fixing block is embedded with balls that contact the plating material.

[0019] Preferably, the driving member includes a worm gear and a worm. The worm gear is vertically engaged with the worm. The worm is arranged parallel inside the cross bar. The worm gear is rotatably arranged inside the cross bar through a rotating shaft. A sector gear is sleeved on the rotating shaft. The end of the second lead screw is smooth, and a gear is sleeved near the driving member end. The gear is engaged with the sector gear.

[0020] Preferably, a driving rod engaged with the worm is disposed through the middle of the worm. The driving rod is arranged parallel to the first transfer rack and its two ends pass through the pre-vacuum chamber.

[0021] Preferably, the second transfer rack is provided with target materials corresponding to the vacuum chamber, the buffer isolation chamber, and the pre-vacuum chamber. The multiple target materials move simultaneously. The side located on one side of the vacuum chamber is the un-sputtered target material, and the other side is the sputtered target material.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0023] The present invention provides a continuous coating electronic magnetron sputtering device, which adopts a horizontal vacuum magnetron sputtering method. By controlling the passing of multiple plating materials and target materials through an external driving device, and using a movable plating material rack to support the plating materials, while realizing double-sided magnetron sputtering coating of the target materials, the coating sputtering blind area is avoided.

[0024] In the present invention, with the vacuum chamber as the center, buffer isolation chambers and pre-vacuum chambers are symmetrically connected and arranged on both sides, and are arranged in a row. By installing the first transfer rack and the second transfer rack through, they are respectively used to transport the plating material rack and the target material rack. Multiple target materials are installed on the target material rack, and multiple plating materials are installed on the plating material rack. The movement of the target materials and the plating materials are independently controlled, and sputtering is carried out in the vacuum chamber.

[0025] The present invention uses a plating material rack with a detachable rectangular frame structure to install the plating materials. The plating materials are fixed in the middle of the plating material rack and are clamped and fixed by four symmetrically distributed fixing members. The fixing members are in sliding cooperation with the plating materials. During sputtering, the driving member is used to control the movement of multiple fixing members on the surface of the plating material while maintaining the stability of the plating material. Through the continuous reciprocating movement of the fixing members, the blind areas are exposed, and efficient and sufficient sputtering is achieved. Description of the Drawings

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required in the embodiments. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the continuous sputtering process structure of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the distribution structure of the plating material and the target of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the plating material installed on the plating material rack of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the first transfer rack of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the internal structure after the cross-section of the plating material rack of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the connection structure between the fixing member and the driving member of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the fixing member of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the driving member of the present invention.

[0035] Description of figure numbers: 1. Vacuum chamber; 2. Buffer isolation chamber; 3. Pre-vacuum chamber; 4. First transfer rack; 41. First lead screw; 42. Slide block; 5. Second transfer rack; 6. Plating material rack; 61. Second lead screw; 62. Fixing member; 621. Base; 622. Connecting rod; 623. Fixing block; 624. Ball; 63. Driving member; 631. Worm gear; 632. Worm; 633. Sector gear; 634. Gear; 635. Driving rod; 64. Elastic member; 7. Target rack. Detailed implementation manners

[0036] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] The following description is used to disclose the present invention so that those skilled in the art can implement the present invention. The preferred embodiments described below are only examples, and those skilled in the art can think of other obvious deformations. The basic principles defined in the following description can be used in other implementation schemes, deformation schemes, improvement schemes, equivalent schemes, and other technical schemes that do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0038] Those skilled in the art should understand that in the disclosure of the present invention, the orientations or positions indicated by the terms "longitudinal", "transverse", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "rear", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the orientations or position relationships shown in the drawings. These are only for the convenience of simplifying the description of the present invention and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above terms should not be construed as limitations on the present invention.

[0039] It can be understood that the term "one" should be construed as "at least one" or "one or more". That is, in one embodiment, the number of an element can be one, while in other embodiments, the number of the element can be multiple. The term "one" should not be construed as a limitation on the quantity. Embodiment

[0040] Please refer to Figure 1-8 , the present invention provides a continuous coating electron magnetic sputtering device, which includes a vacuum chamber 1, a buffer isolation chamber 2, and a pre-vacuum chamber 3. The vacuum chamber 1 is in communication with a plurality of buffer isolation chambers 2 and a plurality of pre-vacuum chambers 3 and arranged in a row. The vacuum chamber 1 is centrally arranged and its two ends are in communication with the buffer isolation chamber 2. One end of the buffer isolation chamber 2 is in communication with the pre-vacuum chamber 3.

[0041] It further includes:

[0042] A first conveyor rack 4, which is used to convey the coating material through the vacuum chamber 1, the buffer isolation chamber 2, and the pre-vacuum chamber 3 in sequence;

[0043] A second conveyor rack 5, one end of which extends from the side of the pre-vacuum chamber 3 to the pre-vacuum chamber 3 at the other end. The second conveyor rack 5 is used to convey the target material through the vacuum chamber 1 and the buffer isolation chamber 2. A cabinet door for taking and placing the target material is provided on the side of the pre-vacuum chamber 3;

[0044] A coating material rack 6, which is used to hold and fix the coating material. The coating material rack 6 is placed on the first conveyor rack 4 and is slidably engaged with it;

[0045] A target material rack 7, which is used to hold and fix the target material. The target material rack 7 is placed on the second conveyor rack 5 and is slidably engaged with it.

[0046] The following will, with reference to the accompanying drawings, detail some embodiments of the present application:

[0047] This application relates to a continuous coating electron magnetron sputtering device, which uses glass as the coating material and can perform vacuum sputtering on both sides of the coating material simultaneously. Specifically, with the vacuum chamber 1 as the center, buffer isolation chambers 2 are connected to both symmetric sides of it, and a pre-vacuum chamber 3 is connected to the outer ends of the buffer isolation chambers 2. Therefore, the vacuum chamber 1, the buffer isolation chambers 2, and the pre-vacuum chamber 3 are arranged in a row, and valves are installed between adjacent chambers. During sputtering, the target is first inserted into the pre-vacuum chamber 3 from one end, pre-vacuum pumping is performed in the pre-vacuum chamber 3, and after preliminary pre-vacuum, it is sent into the buffer isolation chamber 2. Vacuum pumping is still carried out inside the buffer isolation chamber 2, and at the same time, the pre-coating process is performed; then it is sent into the vacuum chamber 1 for vacuum sputtering. Multiple targets can be sputtered in sequence to improve the process efficiency.

[0048] In addition, the coating material and the target used in this application adopt the same moving method. The target is sent into the pre-vacuum chamber 3 from one end, and after the sputtering is completed inside the vacuum chamber 1, it is sent out from the pre-vacuum chamber 3 at the other end. This realizes the rapid replacement of the target and avoids damaging the environment of the vacuum chamber 1.

[0049] In this application, a first conveyor rack 4 and a second conveyor rack 5 are provided. The first conveyor rack 4 and the second conveyor rack 5 respectively penetrate through the vacuum chamber 1, the buffer isolation chamber 2, and the pre-vacuum chamber 3. The first conveyor rack 4 is arranged in the middle for conveying the coating material, and the second conveyor rack 5 is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first conveyor rack 4. Targets are conveyed on the second conveyor rack 5, and two targets are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the coating material to perform double-sided coating simultaneously.

[0050] It should be noted that the first conveyor rack 4 is used to convey the coating material rack 6, and the coating material is installed on the coating material rack 6. The coating material rack 6 is a looped frame structure, and the coating material is fixedly installed in the coating material rack 6. Its two end faces are respectively facing the targets, and vacuum sputtering is performed in the vacuum chamber 1.

[0051] Among them, the coating material rack 6 is composed of two hollow cross bars and two hollow longitudinal bars connected end to end. A fixing member 62 that is frictionally engaged with a second lead screw 61 is installed inside the longitudinal bar. A chute is opened on the side of the longitudinal bar, and the fixing member 62 passes through the longitudinal bar from the chute and is in sliding fit. The two ends of the second lead screw 61 penetrate into the inside of the cross bar. The fixing member 62 is a U-shaped structure and clamps the coating material from the side. However, the fixing member 62 is in sliding fit with the coating material. The horizontally placed coating material is simultaneously lifted by four fixing members 62 and is restricted inside the coating material rack 6. During the movement of the fixing member 62, the stability of the coating material can be maintained.

[0052] A driving member 63 engaged in a toothed transmission with the second lead screw 61 is installed inside one of the cross bars. A plurality of fixing members 62 are evenly distributed on the surface of the plating material. The driving member 63 drives the second lead screw 61 to rotate to control the movement of the fixing members 62 on the plating material. An elastic member 64 is installed inside the other cross bar. The elastic member 64 is connected to the second lead screw 61 and is used to drive the rotated second lead screw 61 to reset. The driving member 63 is used to control the movement of the fixing members 62 on the surface of the plating material, and during the sputtering plating process, it avoids blocking the plating material.

[0053] The fixing member 62 is composed of a base 621, a connecting rod 622, a fixing block 623, etc. The base 621 is installed inside the vertical bar and is penetrated by the second lead screw 61. During the rotation of the second lead screw 61, the movement of the base 621 can be controlled. The connecting rods 622 are symmetrically arranged on one side of the second lead screw 61 and face the plating material and penetrate into the vertical bar, so that the connecting rods 622 are connected and fixed to the fixing block 623. Ball beads 624 in contact with the plating material are embedded in the end face of the fixing block 623. The rotation cooperation between the ball beads 624 and the plating material reduces friction and reduces the influence on sputtering plating.

[0054] The driving member 63 is composed of a worm gear 631, a worm 632, a sector gear 633, a gear 634, etc. One end of the second lead screw 61 is inserted into the cross bar and sleeved with the gear 634. Inside the cross bar, a rotating shaft parallel to the second lead screw 61 is provided. The worm gear 631 and the sector gear 633 are installed on the rotating shaft, so that the sector gear 633 meshes with the gear 634. When the sector gear 633 rotates, it intermittently meshes with the gear 634. One end of the second lead screw 61 is sleeved with the gear 634 and the other end is connected to the elastic member 64. When the sector gear 633 meshes with the gear 634, the second lead screw 61 is driven to rotate. In the meshing gap between the sector gear 633 and the gear 634, the elastic member 64 drives the second lead screw 61 to rotate in the reverse direction to reset. Therefore, when the driving member 63 works, the second lead screw 61 performs a reciprocating rotation action to control the reciprocating movement of the fixing member 62 within a certain range. The blocked area can be exposed.

[0055] In the above, the worm gear 631 is vertically meshed with the worm 632. The worm 632 is parallelly arranged inside the cross bar. A driving rod 635 is parallelly arranged on the first transfer rack 4. The driving rod 635 penetrates the cross bar and the worm 632. The driving rod 635 is a multi-faceted rod body and is in a transverse interaction and longitudinal meshing connection with the worm 632. The outer end of the driving rod 635 is located outside the pre-vacuum chamber 3. The rotation of the worm 632 is controlled by an externally provided driver, and then the second lead screw 61 is driven by the worm 632.

[0056] It should be noted that the first conveyor rack 4 is arranged in a U-shaped structure. A first lead screw 41 is rotatably installed inside the first conveyor rack 4. A slider 42 through which the first lead screw 41 passes is slidably provided on the first conveyor rack 4. The slider 42 is connected to the plating material rack 6. The rotation of the first lead screw 41 is controlled by a peripherally provided drive motor to realize the movement of the plating material rack 6.

[0057] In some embodiments, a second conveyor rack 5 and a target rack 7 are arranged around the target. A cylindrical target is used. The moving mode of the target is the same as that of the plating material. A driving mechanism is installed on the target rack 7. A peripherally provided driver is used to control the rotation of the target to achieve uniform sputtering.

[0058] In some embodiments, the plating material rack 6 is of a fixed frame structure. The base 621 and the connecting rod 622 are fixed by a plug-in connection method. By pulling out the connecting rod 622, the disassembly of one side fixing block 623 is completed to realize the disassembly of the plating material.

[0059] In this application, after the plating material rack 6 or the target rack 7 passes through a chamber each time, the valves between adjacent chambers will automatically shut down, and the relevant chambers are isolated from each other.

[0060] In addition, the two target racks 7 move synchronously. The plating material rack 6 and the target racks 7 move independently of each other without interference and are switched after the target is exhausted.

[0061] In this application, the cross bars and vertical bars connected end to end have a non-locking connection and fixing relationship, and can be disassembled after each sputtering is completed for easy replacement of the plating material.

[0062] Those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present invention described above and shown in the drawings are only examples and do not limit the present invention. The object of the present invention has been fully and effectively achieved. The functions and structural principles of the present invention have been shown and described in the embodiments. Without departing from the above principles, the embodiments of the present invention can have any deformation or modification.

Claims

1. A continuous coating electron magnetic sputtering device, comprising a vacuum chamber (1), a buffer isolation chamber (2), and a pre-vacuum chamber (3). The vacuum chamber (1) is interconnected and arranged in a row with a plurality of buffer isolation chambers (2) and a plurality of pre-vacuum chambers (3). The vacuum chamber (1) is centrally disposed and communicates with the buffer isolation chambers (2) at both ends. One end of the buffer isolation chamber (2) communicates with the pre-vacuum chamber (3), and it is characterized in that, Further comprising: A first conveyor rack (4) for conveying the plating material through the vacuum chamber (1), the buffer isolation chamber (2) and the pre-vacuum chamber (3) in sequence. A second conveyor rack (5), one end of which extends from the side of the pre-vacuum chamber (3) to the other end of the pre-vacuum chamber (3). The second conveyor rack (5) is used for conveying the target material through the vacuum chamber (1) and the buffer isolation chamber (2). A cabinet door for taking and placing the target material is provided on the side of the pre-vacuum chamber (3). A plating material rack (6) for holding and fixing the plating material. The plating material rack (6) is placed on the first conveyor rack (4) and is slidably engaged with it. A target material rack (7) for holding and fixing the target material. The target material rack (7) is placed on the second conveyor rack (5) and is slidably engaged with it. The plating material rack (6) is composed of two hollow cross bars and two hollow longitudinal bars connected end to end. A fixing member (62) that is frictionally engaged with a second lead screw (61) is installed inside the longitudinal bar. A chute is provided on the side of the longitudinal bar. The fixing member (62) passes out of the longitudinal bar through the chute and is slidably engaged. The two ends of the second lead screw (61) penetrate into the cross bar. A driving member (63) that is in tooth transmission cooperation with the second lead screw (61) is installed inside one of the cross bars. A plurality of the fixing members (62) are evenly distributed on the surface of the plating material. The driving member (63) drives the second lead screw (61) to rotate to control the movement of the fixing member (62) on the plating material.

2. The continuous coating electron magnetic control sputtering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first conveyor rack (4) is arranged in a U-shaped structure. A first lead screw (41) is rotatably installed inside the first conveyor rack (4). A slider (42) that is penetrated by the first lead screw (41) is slidably provided on the first conveyor rack (4). The slider (42) is connected to the plating material rack (6).

3. A continuous coating electron magnetic control sputtering device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plating material rack (6) has a rectangular frame structure. The plating material is fixedly installed in the middle of the plating material rack (6). Target materials are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the plating material in the vacuum chamber (1) for sputtering both sides of the plating material.

4. A continuous film coating electron magnetron sputtering device according to claim 3, characterized in that: An elastic member (64) is installed inside the other cross bar. The elastic member (64) is connected to the second lead screw (61) and is used to drive the rotated second lead screw (61) to reset.

5. A continuous coating electron magnetic control sputtering device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fixing member (62) includes a base (621), a connecting rod (622), and a fixing block (623). The base (621) is slidably installed inside the longitudinal bar and is frictionally engaged with the second lead screw (61). The connecting rods (622) are symmetrically arranged on one side of the second lead screw (61). After passing out of the longitudinal bar, the connecting rods (622) are connected and fixed to the fixing block (623). A ball (624) in contact with the plating material is embedded in the end face of the fixing block (623).

6. A continuous coating electron magnetic control sputtering device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The driving member (63) includes a worm gear (631) and a worm (632). The worm gear (631) is vertically engaged with the worm (632). The worm (632) is arranged parallel inside the cross bar. The worm gear (631) is rotatably arranged inside the cross bar through a rotating shaft. A sector gear (633) is sleeved on the rotating shaft. A gear (634) is sleeved on the smooth end of the second lead screw (61) close to the driving member (63). The gear (634) is engaged with the sector gear (633).

7. A continuous coating electron magnetic control sputtering device according to claim 6, characterized in that: A driving rod (635) meshing with the worm (632) is disposed through the middle of the worm (632). The driving rod (635) is arranged in parallel with the first transfer rack (4), and both ends thereof penetrate out of the pre-vacuum chamber (3).

8. A continuous coating electron magnetic control sputtering device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The second transfer rack (5) is provided with targets corresponding to the vacuum chamber (1), the buffer isolation chamber (2) and the pre-vacuum chamber (3). A plurality of the targets move simultaneously. One side of the vacuum chamber (1) is an unsputtered target, and the other side is a sputtered target.

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