Conveying mechanism of vacuum coating equipment

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of vacuum coating equipment, and discloses a conveying mechanism of vacuum coating equipment, including: a substrate rack for carrying a workpiece to be coated; a slide rail arranged on one side of the substrate rack and extending along a first direction, the slide rail being provided with first magnetic parts arranged continuously along the first direction; a slide seat with a slide groove cooperating with the slide rail, the first magnetic part being placed in the slide groove; an annular track that can circulate and reciprocate along the first direction, the track being provided with second magnetic parts arranged relative to the first magnetic part and arranged at intervals along the first direction, the second magnetic part and the first magnetic part having the same polarity, and the surface magnetic force of the second magnetic part being greater than the surface magnetic force of the first magnetic part. The present application utilizes the interaction between the magnetic track and the magnetic slide rail to realize contactless, efficient and stable conveying of the substrate rack, and can effectively avoid the generation of dust during the conveying process, thereby facilitating the improvement of the performance of the vacuum coating equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of vacuum coating equipment, and in particular to a transmission mechanism of vacuum coating equipment. Background Art

[0002] Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is a process of transferring atoms or molecules from a source target to a substrate surface to form a thin film. It is widely used in coating processes such as semiconductors and display panels. At present, there are mainly two types of vacuum coating equipment used for physical vapor deposition, namely horizontal vacuum coating equipment and vertical vacuum coating equipment.

[0003] In the existing vacuum coating equipment, the substrate rack is a commonly used carrier for the substrate, and the transmission method mainly adopts the hard contact between the roller and the substrate rack. Although this transmission method is simple, the transmission stability is poor. In addition, the friction between the substrate rack and the roller during the transmission process will produce dust pollution, resulting in an increase in the partical content in the vacuum coating equipment, affecting the cleanliness of the vacuum coating equipment and limiting the application of the vacuum coating equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the problems of the prior art, the present application provides a conveying mechanism for a vacuum coating equipment, which can realize efficient and stable conveying of substrate racks and effectively avoid the generation of dust pollution during the conveying process, thereby facilitating improving the coating effect of the vacuum coating equipment.

[0005] The conveying mechanism of the vacuum coating equipment in this application includes:

[0006] A substrate rack, used to carry the workpiece to be coated;

[0007] A slide rail is arranged at one side of the substrate frame and extends along a first direction, and first magnetic members are arranged continuously along the first direction on the slide rail;

[0008] A slide seat, provided with a slide groove matched with the slide rail, wherein the first magnetic member is placed in the slide groove;

[0009] An annular crawler track can rotate back and forth in a circle along the first direction, and is provided with a second magnetic member arranged relative to the first magnetic member and arranged at intervals along the first direction, the second magnetic member and the first magnetic member have the same polarity, and the ratio of the surface magnetic force of the second magnetic member to the first magnetic member is 1.1~1.8:1.

[0010] Several optional methods are also provided below, but they are not intended to be additional limitations on the above-mentioned overall solution, but are merely further supplements or preferences. Under the premise that there are no technical or logical contradictions, each optional method can be combined with the above-mentioned overall solution separately, and multiple optional methods can also be combined.

[0011] Optionally, the ratio of the surface magnetic force of the second magnetic component to that of the first magnetic component is 1.1-1.8:1.

[0012] Optionally, the interval between two adjacent second magnetic members is 2-7 mm.

[0013] Optionally, the slide rail extends into the interior of the slide seat to cooperate with the slide groove, a portion of the track extends into the interior of the slide seat, and the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member directly repel each other.

[0014] Optionally, the slide rail extends into the interior of the slide seat, the track is located below the slide seat and an isolation member is provided between the two, and the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member repel each other via the isolation member.

[0015] Optionally, a guide structure is provided between one side of the substrate rack and the slide seat.

[0016] Optionally, the guiding structure includes a guiding portion arranged on one side of the substrate frame and a guiding groove arranged on the slide seat and cooperating with the guiding portion.

[0017] Optionally, the top side of the slide groove is provided with the guiding groove extending along the first direction and connected to the slide groove, and the guiding portion is connected to the slide rail and extends into the guiding groove.

[0018] Optionally, two guiding parts are provided and distributed on the left and right sides of the substrate rack, and guiding grooves cooperating with the guiding parts are provided on the slide seat along the first direction.

[0019] Optionally, the guiding portion is a wing-shaped structure with a gradually decreasing thickness.

[0020] Optionally, the slide rail has the first magnetic component located at the bottom thereof and a third magnetic component located above the first magnetic component, and fourth magnetic components that repel the third magnetic component are arranged on both sides of the slide groove.

[0021] Optionally, the conveying mechanism includes a driving mechanism that drives the crawler belt to rotate back and forth in a first direction, and the driving mechanism includes a roller that drives the crawler belt to rotate back and forth and a motor that drives the roller to rotate.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present application utilizes the interaction between the magnetic track and the magnetic slide rail to achieve contactless, efficient and stable transmission of the substrate rack, and can effectively avoid the generation of dust during the transmission process, thereby helping to improve the performance of the vacuum coating equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1It is a structural schematic diagram of a horizontal vacuum coating device in one embodiment;

[0024] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part A in the middle;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the cooperation between the guide structure and the slide seat in one embodiment;

[0026] Figure 4 A partial schematic diagram of a horizontal vacuum coating device in one embodiment;

[0027] Figure 5 A partial cross-sectional view of a horizontal vacuum coating device in one embodiment;

[0028] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a driving mechanism in one embodiment;

[0029] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of a vertical vacuum coating device in one embodiment;

[0030] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Enlarged view of middle part B;

[0031] Fig. 9 for Figure 7 Enlarged view of part C in the middle.

[0032] The reference numerals in the figures are described as follows:

[0033] 100, substrate frame; 110, connecting part; 200, slide rail; 210, first magnetic member; 220, third magnetic member; 300, slide seat; 310, slide groove; 320, slide ball; 330, fourth magnetic member; 400, crawler; 410, second magnetic member; 500, isolation member; 600, guide structure; 610, guide part; 620, guide groove; 700, driving mechanism; 710, roller; 720, motor; 730, driving wheel; 740, synchronous belt; 800, upper magnetic guide; 810, fifth magnetic member; 820, sixth magnetic member; 830, seventh magnetic member; 840, eighth magnetic member; 850, ninth magnetic member; 900, shielding member;

[0034] 1. Horizontal vacuum coating equipment; 2. Vertical vacuum coating equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected to the other component or there may be a central component. When a component is referred to as being "disposed on" another component, it may be directly disposed on the other component or there may be a central component at the same time.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used herein in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0038] See also Figures 1 to 9 In one embodiment of the present application, a conveying mechanism of a vacuum coating device is provided, comprising a substrate rack 100, a slide rail 200, a slide seat 300 and an annular crawler 400; wherein the substrate rack 100 is used to carry a workpiece to be coated, and the substrate rack 100 can move in the vacuum coating device along a first direction when working; the slide rail 200 is arranged on one side of the substrate rack 100 and extends along the first direction, and the slide rail 200 is provided with first magnetic members 210 arranged continuously along the first direction; the slide seat 300 has a slide groove 310 matched with the slide rail 200, and the first magnetic member 210 is placed in the slide groove 310; the crawler 400 is in operation It can make reciprocating motion along the first direction, and is provided with a second magnetic member 410 which is arranged relative to the first magnetic member 210 and arranged at intervals along the first direction. The first magnetic member 210 and the second magnetic member 410 have the same polarity, and the substrate rack 100 can be suspended by the repulsive action between them. Moreover, since the surface magnetic force of the second magnetic member 410 is greater than the surface magnetic force of the first magnetic member 210, a thrust can be generated to drive the substrate rack to move. During the transmission process, dust generated by friction between components can be effectively avoided, thereby realizing contactless, efficient and stable transmission of the substrate rack 100, which helps to improve the performance of the vacuum coating equipment.

[0039] The magnitude of the thrust is related to the magnitude of the surface magnetic force of the two magnetic parts. Specifically, the surface magnetic force ratio of the second magnetic part 410 to the first magnetic part 210 is 1.1~1.8:1. For example, in one embodiment, the surface magnetic force of the second magnetic part 410 is 1400~1800 Gauss, and the surface magnetic force of the first magnetic part is 1000~1200 Gauss. In another embodiment, the surface magnetic force of the second magnetic part 410 is 600~1200 Gauss, and the surface magnetic force of the first magnetic part is 400~1000 Gauss.

[0040] Furthermore, the spacing between two adjacent second magnetic members 410 is determined according to the surface magnetic force of the first magnetic member 210. Specifically, the spacing between two adjacent second magnetic members 410 is 2-7 mm, preferably 2-5 mm, and more preferably 2 mm, to ensure that effective thrust can be generated.

[0041] Considering the magnetic suspension stability and the strength of the repulsive force, the spacing distance between the first magnetic member 210 and the second magnetic member 410 is 2-5 mm, preferably 2-3 mm, and more preferably 2.5 mm.

[0042] See also Figures 1 to 5 In the illustrated embodiment, the slide rail 200 extends into the interior of the slide seat 300 and cooperates with the slide groove 310 , a portion of the track 400 extends into the interior of the slide seat 300 and is located below the slide rail 200 , and the first magnetic member 210 and the second magnetic member 410 directly repel each other.

[0043] See also Figure 7 , 8 In another embodiment shown, the slide rail 200 extends into the interior of the slide seat 300, the track 400 is located below the slide seat 300 and a spacer 500 is disposed between the two, and the first magnetic member 210 and the second magnetic member 410 repel each other across the spacer 500. The spacer 500 is an aluminum plate, and the first magnetic member 210 and the second magnetic member 410 are both disposed adjacent to the spacer 500, and the spacing between the first magnetic member 210 and the second magnetic member 410 is 7-11 mm, preferably 8-9 mm.

[0044] In order to improve the stability of the substrate rack 100 moving along the first direction and avoid shaking and deviation, in one embodiment, a guiding structure 600 is provided between one side of the substrate rack 100 and the slide 300. Specifically, the guiding structure 600 includes a guiding portion 610 provided on one side of the substrate rack 100 and a guiding groove 620 provided on the slide 300, and effective guiding can be achieved through the cooperation between the guiding portion 610 and the guiding groove 620.

[0045] For example Figure 3In the embodiment shown, the vacuum coating device is a horizontal vacuum coating device 1, the top side of the slide seat 300 is provided with a guide groove 620, the guide groove 620 extends along the first direction and is connected to the slide groove 310, the guide portion 610 is connected to the slide rail 200 and can extend into the guide groove 620; the guide portion 610 is adapted to the contour of the guide groove 620, and the two are clearance-matched. Further, a sliding ball 320 is provided on the side wall of the guide groove 620 to contact the guide portion 610, so as to prevent the guide portion 610 and the side wall of the guide groove 620 from rubbing against each other during the sliding process to generate dust.

[0046] The substrate frame 100 may be directly connected to the guiding portion 610, or a connecting portion 110 may be disposed between the substrate frame 100 and the guiding portion 610, for example, Figure 3 The connecting portion 110, the guiding portion 610 and the slide rail 200 are integrally formed, and the overall structure is an "I" shape.

[0047] See also Figures 7-9 In another embodiment shown, the vacuum coating equipment is a vertical vacuum coating equipment 2, including a substrate frame 100, an upper magnetic guide 800 located above the substrate frame 100, a slide rail 200 located below the substrate frame 100, a slide seat 300 cooperating with the slide rail 200, and an annular track 400 located below the slide seat 300.

[0048] There are two guide parts 610 and they are distributed on the left and right sides of the substrate frame 100. Two guide grooves 620 are provided on the slide seat 300 along the first direction. Each guide part 610 cooperates with the corresponding guide groove 620 to limit the shaking of the substrate frame 100. Specifically, the guide part 610 is a wing-shaped structure with a gradually decreasing thickness. For example, the proximal end of the guide part 610 is connected to the substrate frame 100, and the distal end of the guide part 610 extends into the guide groove 620, and the two sides are gathered toward the middle to form a wing-shaped structure with a gradually decreasing thickness.

[0049] Furthermore, the first magnetic member 210 is disposed at the bottom of the slide rail 200, and the slide rail 200 is further provided with a third magnetic member 220 disposed above the first magnetic member 210, and fourth magnetic members 330 that repel the third magnetic member 220 are disposed on both sides of the slide groove 310. Among them, two third magnetic members 220 are disposed in parallel along the first direction, and through the repulsive action between each third magnetic member 220 and the corresponding fourth magnetic member 330, a left-right deviation correction force can be provided, which can further improve the transmission stability of the substrate rack 100.

[0050] See also Fig. 9The upper magnetic guide 800 is provided with a fifth magnetic member 810 arranged along the first direction, and the top side of the substrate frame 100 is provided with a sixth magnetic member 820 arranged along the first direction, and the fifth magnetic member 810 and the sixth magnetic member 820 have the same polarity, and the suspension effect is achieved through the repulsion between the two. There are two fifth magnetic members 810 arranged in parallel.

[0051] To prevent the top of the substrate rack 100 from shifting left and right, in one embodiment, the upper magnetic guide 800 includes two eighth magnetic members 840 distributed on the left and right sides of the sixth magnetic member 820. Each eighth magnetic member 840 has the same polarity as the sixth magnetic member 820 and can provide left and right correcting force through mutual repulsion.

[0052] Furthermore, a seventh magnetic member 830 arranged along the first direction is further provided on the top side of the substrate frame 100, and the upper magnetic guide 800 includes two ninth magnetic members 850 distributed on both sides of the seventh magnetic member 830, and the polarity of the seventh magnetic member 830 is the same as that of the ninth magnetic member 850. Among them, two seventh magnetic members 830 are arranged in parallel, and repel the ninth magnetic member 850 on the corresponding side, respectively, so as to further provide left and right deviation correction force.

[0053] In one embodiment, the vacuum coating device includes a driving mechanism 700, which is used to drive the crawler 400 to rotate back and forth in a first direction. The driving mechanism 700 includes a roller 710 and a motor 720, wherein the roller 710 is used to drive the crawler 400 to rotate back and forth, and the motor 720 is used to drive the roller 710 to rotate. There are multiple rollers 710, and the synchronous rotation of the multiple rollers 710 can be achieved by any of the following methods:

[0054] See for example Figure 6 In the horizontal vacuum coating equipment 1 shown, the driving mechanism 700 includes a plurality of rollers 710 and a motor 720, the plurality of rollers 710 are driven wheels, and the driving mechanism 700 also includes a plurality of driving wheels 730 that are linked, each driving wheel 730 is linked with the corresponding roller 710, and the motor 720 drives the plurality of driving wheels 730 to rotate together, thereby driving the plurality of rollers 710 to rotate synchronously. Among them, all the driving wheels 730 are arranged on the atmosphere side outside the horizontal vacuum coating equipment 1, and are linked by a synchronous belt 740.

[0055] See also Figure 7 In the vertical vacuum coating device 2 shown, an independent motor 720 is configured for each roller 710, and multiple motors 720 are controlled to work simultaneously.

[0056] See also Figure 4 , 8The vacuum coating equipment also includes shielding members 900 on both sides of the closed track 400. The shielding members 900 are shielding plates that can effectively prevent dust generated by the friction between the track 400 and the roller 710 from escaping into the coating chamber of the vacuum coating equipment.

[0057] The present application utilizes the interaction between the magnetic track 400 and the magnetic slide rail 200 to achieve contactless, efficient and stable transmission of the substrate rack 100, and can effectively avoid the generation of dust during the transmission process, thereby helping to improve the performance of the vacuum coating equipment.

[0058] The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification. When the technical features in different embodiments are embodied in the same figure, it can be regarded that the figure also discloses the combination examples of the various embodiments involved.

[0059] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. The conveying mechanism of the vacuum coating equipment is characterized by: include: A substrate rack, used to carry the workpiece to be coated; A slide rail, arranged at one side of the substrate frame and extending along a first direction, wherein the slide rail is provided with first magnetic members arranged continuously along the first direction; A slide seat, provided with a slide groove matched with the slide rail, wherein the first magnetic member is placed in the slide groove; An annular crawler, the crawler can be rotated back and forth in the first direction, and is provided with a second magnetic member arranged opposite to the first magnetic member and arranged in intervals along the first direction, the second magnetic member and the first magnetic member have the same polarity, and the surface magnetic force of the second magnetic member is greater than the surface magnetic force of the first magnetic member; the crawler is located below the slide seat; A driving mechanism for driving the crawler belt to reciprocate in a first direction, comprising a roller for driving the crawler belt to reciprocate and a motor for driving the roller to rotate; A shielding member for closing both sides of the crawler track; The slide rail extends into the interior of the slide seat, the crawler track is located below the slide seat and an isolation member is provided between the two, the first magnetic member and the second magnetic member repel each other via the isolation member; the isolation member cooperates with the slide seat to close the bottom of the slide groove, and the isolation member cooperates with the shielding member to close the space for installing the crawler track.

2. The conveying mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ratio of the surface magnetic force of the second magnetic member to that of the first magnetic member is 1.1 to 1.8:1; The interval between two adjacent second magnetic members is 2-7 mm.

3. The conveying mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A guiding structure is arranged between one side of the substrate frame and the slide seat.

4. The conveying mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The guiding structure comprises a guiding portion arranged on one side of the substrate frame and a guiding groove arranged on the slide seat and matched with the guiding portion.

5. The conveying mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The top side of the slide seat is provided with the guiding groove extending along the first direction and communicating with the slide groove, and the guiding portion is connected with the slide rail and extends into the guiding groove.

6. The conveying mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The guide parts are provided with two and are distributed on the left and right sides of the substrate frame, and the slide seat is provided with guide grooves matching with the guide parts along the first direction; The guiding portion is a wing-shaped structure with a gradually decreasing thickness.

7. The conveying mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slide rail has the first magnetic component located at the bottom thereof and the third magnetic component located above the first magnetic component. Fourth magnetic components that repel the third magnetic component are arranged on both sides of the slide groove.

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