Vacuum coating method and vacuum coating equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of vacuum coating, and particularly discloses a vacuum coating method and vacuum coating equipment. The method comprises the following steps: adding a material into an evaporation source main body in a coating chamber; the substrate jig is positioned in a coating chamber; the materials in the evaporation source main body at the pre-melting position are heated to the pre-melting temperature, and the materials in the evaporation source main body at the evaporation position are heated to the evaporation temperature; monitoring the material capacity in the evaporation source main body at the evaporation position; judging whether the material in the evaporation source main body at the evaporation position is less than a preset value or not, if so, switching one evaporation source main body at the pre-melting position to the evaporation position and then reheating, and if not, judging whether the coating of the substrate on the substrate jig is completed or not, and if so, stopping heating all the evaporation source main bodies and moving the substrate jig out of the coating chamber. And if not, returning to the heating step. According to the method, a material pre-melting step is added for operation of the evaporation source main body, so that the coating efficiency is improved, and the film forming effect is ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vacuum coating technology, and in particular to a vacuum coating method and a vacuum coating device. Background Art

[0002] In the vacuum evaporation coating process, the coating material often needs to be heated to a certain temperature before vacuum coating can begin, that is, the preheating of the coating material before vacuum coating and the vacuum coating process are carried out in sequence. However, for some coating materials, it takes a long time to preheat before vacuum coating, which makes the entire coating process time-consuming and affects the coating efficiency; if the preheating is not sufficient, it is easy to cause the film quality to deteriorate and affect the film effect.

[0003] In summary, a vacuum coating method is urgently needed. The method needs to minimize the time for the material to be evaporated to wait for evaporation, coordinate the state relationship between the evaporation source feeding period and the evaporation period, so as to meet the requirements of the vacuum coating equipment for film forming effect and coating efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum coating method and a vacuum coating device, which can enhance the evaporation effect of the evaporation source body, improve the film forming effect and the coating efficiency by adding a pre-melting step to the evaporation source body to be evaporated.

[0005] To achieve this object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A vacuum coating method for coating a substrate on a substrate fixture comprises the following steps:

[0007] S10: adding materials to the evaporation source body in the coating chamber;

[0008] S20: positioning the substrate fixture in the coating chamber;

[0009] S30: heating the material in the evaporation source body at the pre-melting position to a pre-melting temperature, and heating the material in the evaporation source body at the evaporation position to an evaporation temperature; the evaporation temperature is higher than the pre-melting temperature, and at least one evaporation position and at least one pre-melting position are provided in the coating chamber;

[0010] S40: monitoring the material capacity in the evaporation source body located at the evaporation position;

[0011] S50: determining whether the material in the evaporation source body located at the evaporation position is less than a preset value, if so, switching one of the evaporation source bodies located at the pre-melting position to the evaporation position, and then proceeding to S30, if not, proceeding to S60;

[0012] S60: Determine whether the coating of the substrate on the substrate fixture is completed, if yes, proceed to S70, if not, return to S30;

[0013] S70: Stop heating all the evaporation source bodies and move the substrate fixture out of the coating chamber.

[0014] As a preferred technical solution of the vacuum coating method, the following steps are also included before S30:

[0015] S29: Determine whether the coating chamber meets the environmental requirements of a high vacuum state. If so, proceed to S30; if not, terminate the coating operation.

[0016] As a preferred technical solution of the vacuum coating method, the coating chamber is selectively connected to a feeding chamber, and a feeding device for feeding materials to the evaporation source body is installed in the feeding chamber. S10 includes the following detailed steps:

[0017] S11: connecting the feeding chamber to the coating chamber, using the feeding device to feed the evaporation source body, and then isolating the feeding chamber and the coating chamber.

[0018] As a preferred technical solution of the vacuum coating method, one of all the pre-melting positions is defined as a material adding position, and the feeding device can add the material to the evaporation source body located at the material adding position.

[0019] As a preferred technical solution of the vacuum coating method, the coating chamber is selectively connected to a transport chamber, and a mechanical claw module is provided in the transport chamber. The mechanical claw module is used to transport the substrate fixture in the transport chamber to the coating chamber. S20 includes the following detailed steps:

[0020] S23: connecting the transport chamber to the coating chamber, using the mechanical claw module to transport the substrate fixture from the transport chamber to the coating chamber, and then isolating the transport chamber from the coating chamber;

[0021] S70 includes the following detailed steps:

[0022] S71: connecting the transport chamber to the coating chamber, using the robot claw module to transport the substrate fixture from the coating chamber to the transport chamber, and then isolating the transport chamber and the coating chamber.

[0023] As a preferred technical solution of the vacuum coating method, the transport chamber is selectively connected to a film feeding chamber, the film feeding chamber is selectively connected to the external environment, a substrate fixture conveying device is provided in the transport chamber, and the substrate fixture conveying device can convey the substrate fixture from the film feeding chamber to the transport chamber, and the following steps are also included before S23:

[0024] S21: opening the film feeding chamber, placing the substrate fixture in the film feeding chamber, and then closing the film feeding chamber;

[0025] S22: connecting the film feeding chamber to the conveying chamber, transferring the substrate fixture from the film feeding chamber to the conveying chamber by using the substrate fixture conveying device, and then separating the film feeding chamber and the conveying chamber.

[0026] As a preferred technical solution of the vacuum coating method, the transport chamber is selectively connected to a sheet discharge chamber, the sheet discharge chamber is selectively connected to the external environment, a substrate fixture conveying device is provided in the transport chamber, and the substrate fixture conveying device can transfer the substrate fixture from the transport chamber to the sheet discharge chamber, and after S71, the following steps are also included:

[0027] S72: connecting the sheet discharge chamber to the conveying chamber, transferring the substrate fixture from the conveying chamber to the sheet discharge chamber by using the substrate fixture conveying device, and then separating the sheet discharge chamber from the conveying chamber;

[0028] S73: Open the film discharge chamber, take out the substrate fixture in the film discharge chamber, and then close the film discharge chamber.

[0029] As a preferred technical solution for the vacuum coating method, the evaporation position and all the pre-melting positions are distributed at circumferential intervals around the switching axis, a carrying plate is provided in the coating chamber, all the evaporation source bodies are mounted on the carrying plate, and the carrying plate can rotate around the switching axis.

[0030] As a preferred technical solution of the vacuum coating method, a positioning device is provided in the coating chamber, and the positioning device is used to position the substrate fixture. After S20, the following steps are also included:

[0031] S28: using the positioning device to control the substrate fixture to rotate around the axis of the substrate fixture;

[0032] Before S70, the following steps were also included:

[0033] S69: Using the positioning device to control the substrate fixture to stop rotating.

[0034] The vacuum coating equipment is suitable for the above-mentioned vacuum coating method, comprising the coating chamber, wherein a plurality of evaporation source bodies are arranged in the coating chamber, and when the material in the evaporation source body reaches the evaporation temperature, the material generates coating material particles.

[0035] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0036] The vacuum coating method adds a pre-melting step to the evaporation source body to be evaporated by distinguishing between the pre-melting position and the evaporation position, thereby greatly reducing the heating time for the material to be evaporated to reach the evaporation temperature and improving the evaporation efficiency of the evaporation source body. The amount of material in the evaporation source body located at the evaporation position is monitored, so that when the material in one evaporation source body is less than the preset value, another evaporation source body can be replaced in time to continue evaporation. The above design enables the vacuum coating equipment to restore the coating chamber to a state where there is a continuously evaporated material as quickly as possible without wasting the material, resulting in a significant reduction in the ineffective working time of the vacuum coating equipment, an improvement in the material evaporation efficiency, and a significant improvement in the coating efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a vacuum coating device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 is a top view of a vacuum coating device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of an evaporation device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 is a side view of a transfer device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 It is a top view of the transfer device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] In the figure:

[0043] 110, chamber shell; 121, feeding door; 122, material feeding port;

[0044] 210, coating room; 220, feeding room;

[0045] 300, feeding device; 400, positioning device;

[0046] 510, film entry door; 520, film exit door; 530, transfer door;

[0047] 600, transfer device; 610, film inlet chamber; 620, film outlet chamber; 630, transport chamber;

[0048] 710, carrier plate; 711, switching axis; 720, evaporation source body;

[0049] 800, substrate fixture conveying device;

[0050] 900. Substrate fixture. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The technical solution of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Among them, the terms "first position" and "second position" are two different positions, and the first feature "above", "above" and "above" the second feature include the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" and "below" the second feature include the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0053] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0054] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0055] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the substrate to be coated can be placed on the substrate fixture 900 .

[0056] The present embodiment provides a vacuum coating device for coating a substrate on a substrate fixture 900, including a transfer device 600, a coating chamber 210 and a feeding chamber 220; the transfer device 600 includes a conveying chamber 630 and a sheet-in chamber 610 and a sheet-out chamber 620 selectively connected to the conveying chamber 630, the sheet-in chamber 610 and the sheet-out chamber 620 are both selectively connected to the external environment, and the transfer device 600 is provided with a substrate fixture conveying device 800, which is used to sequentially convey the substrate between the sheet-in chamber 610, the conveying chamber 630 and the sheet-out chamber 620. The substrate fixture 900 is provided with a positioning device 400 and an evaporation source body 720. The positioning device 400 is used to position the substrate fixture 900, and the evaporation source body 720 is used to generate coating material particles. The coating chamber 210 is selectively connected to the transport chamber 630. The transport chamber 630 is provided with a mechanical claw module. The mechanical claw module is used to take and place the substrate fixture 900 between the transport chamber 630 and the positioning device 400. The feeding chamber 220 is selectively connected to the coating chamber 210. The feeding chamber 220 is provided with a feeding device 300 for feeding the evaporation source body 720.

[0057] The vacuum coating equipment effectively reduces the time that the film input chamber 610, the film output chamber 620 and the feeding chamber 220 are connected to the external environment by limiting the selective connection relationship between each chamber, thereby effectively controlling the vacuum breaking in the coating chamber 210, and further helping to significantly reduce the impact of the vacuum breaking on the vacuum state in the conveying chamber 630 and the coating chamber 210. The above improvement is simple and controllable, which helps to intuitively monitor the air pressure in the coating chamber 210, reduces the difficulty of controlling the air pressure in the coating chamber 210, and reduces the risk of abnormal vacuum level in the coating chamber 210 due to accidents. The setting of the substrate fixture conveying device 800 realizes the smooth transportation of the substrate fixture 900 in the transfer device 600; the setting of the mechanical claw module realizes the transportation of the substrate fixture 900 between the conveying chamber 630 and the coating chamber 210; the feeding device 300 can replenish the materials to the evaporation source body 720 in time; the positioning device 400 plays the role of positioning the substrate fixture 900, and the evaporation of the material in the evaporation source body 720 can produce coating material particles, and the coating material particles will be deposited into a film on the surface of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 to achieve the coating purpose of the vacuum coating equipment.

[0058] In this embodiment, the coating chamber 210 is surrounded by a chamber shell 110 .

[0059] In this embodiment, the feeding chamber 220 is selectively connected to the external environment, and a selectively opened and closed feeding port is provided on the top of the feeding chamber 220. A feeding assembly is installed above the feeding chamber 220, and the feeding assembly can feed materials from the feeding port to the feeding device 300; a feeding door 121 is installed on the feeding chamber 220, and the feeding door 121 selectively opens and closes the feeding port. With the design of the feeding door 121, the connection mode between the feeding chamber 220 and the external environment is limited, so that the vacuum breaking condition of the feeding chamber 220 is intuitive and controllable. The design of the feeding assembly and the feeding port allows the material to be transferred from the feeding assembly to the feeding device 300 by its own weight. The structure is simple and occupies little space, and the stability of the work can be guaranteed.

[0060] Furthermore, the feeding assembly can move between the starting feeding position and the stopping feeding position; when the feeding assembly is at the starting feeding position, the feeding assembly passes through the feeding port and partially extends into the feeding chamber 220, and when the feeding assembly is at the stopping feeding position, the feeding assembly is placed outside the feeding chamber 220. With the design that the feeding assembly can be displaced relative to the feeding chamber 220, the feeding assembly can effectively reduce the distance between the feeding assembly and the feeding device 300 by passing through the feeding port and partially extending into the feeding chamber 220, thereby reducing the risk of accidental spillage of materials, which not only reduces the loss of materials, but also ensures a clean environment in the feeding chamber 220. The resetting of the feeding assembly can avoid position conflicts at the feeding port, ensuring that the feeding door 121 can smoothly close the feeding chamber 220, thereby ensuring the smooth operation of the vacuum coating equipment.

[0061] In this embodiment, the transport chamber 630 is selectively connected to the coating chamber 210 through the substrate fixture avoidance port, and the mechanical claw module can drive the substrate fixture 900 to pass through the substrate fixture avoidance port and enter the coating chamber 210; a transfer door 530 is installed on the transport chamber 630, and the transfer door 530 selectively opens and closes the substrate fixture avoidance port. It can be understood that according to actual needs, the transfer door 530 can be a vacuum valve or a baffle mechanism. When the transfer door 530 is a vacuum valve, it is conducive to maintaining a high vacuum state in the coating chamber 210 to ensure the film quality of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900; when the transfer door 530 is a baffle mechanism, the cost of the vacuum coating equipment can be reduced. At the same time, the baffle mechanism can prevent the film material in the coating chamber 210 from entering the transport chamber 630, ensuring that the transport mechanism will not have a transport failure due to the deposition of the film material.

[0062] Exemplarily, the film input chamber 610 is connected with the transport chamber 630 through the first transfer port, and the substrate fixture 900 can be transferred from the film input chamber 610 to the transport chamber 630 through the first transfer port. The film output chamber 620 is connected with the transport chamber 630 through the second transfer port, and the substrate fixture 900 can be transferred from the transport chamber 630 to the film output chamber 620 through the second transfer port; two scissor door devices are installed in the transfer device 600, and among the two scissor door devices, one selectively opens and closes the first transfer port, and the other selectively opens and closes the second transfer port. The setting of the first transfer port and the second transfer port can cooperate with the scissor door device to realize selective communication between the film input chamber 610 and the conveying chamber 630 and between the conveying chamber 630 and the film output chamber 620. The above design ensures the sealing ability of the conveying chamber 630, reduces the impact of the vacuum breaking in the film input chamber 610 and the film output chamber 620 on the conveying chamber 630, helps to maintain the vacuum state in the conveying chamber 630, and reduces the impact of the air pressure on the coating chamber 210 when it is connected with the conveying chamber 630, thereby helping to ensure the film forming quality of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 in the coating chamber 210, and improves the coating efficiency of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900.

[0063] In this embodiment, the film input chamber 610 is connected to the external environment through the film input port, the substrate fixture 900 can enter the film input chamber 610 from the film input port, and the transfer device 600 is equipped with a film input door 510, which selectively opens and closes the film input port; the film output chamber 620 is connected to the external environment through the film output port, the substrate fixture 900 located in the film output chamber 620 can be taken out from the film output port, and the transfer device 600 is equipped with a film output door 520, which selectively opens and closes the film output port. The cooperation of the film input door 510 and the film input port realizes the selective communication between the film input chamber 610 and the external environment, and the above design helps to reduce the time for the film input chamber 610 to be connected to the external environment, and the cooperation of the film output door 520 and the film output port realizes the selective communication between the film output chamber 620 and the external environment, and the above design helps to reduce the time for the film output chamber 620 to be connected to the external environment. The above improvements reduce the impact of vacuum breaking in the film input chamber 610 and the film output chamber 620 on the transport chamber 630, help maintain a high vacuum state in the transport chamber 630, and reduce the impact of air pressure on the coating chamber 210 when it is connected to the transport chamber 630, thereby helping to ensure the film quality of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 in the coating chamber 210 and improve the coating efficiency of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900.

[0064] Furthermore, the feeding chamber 220 is connected to the coating chamber 210 through the material feeding port 122, and the feeding device 300 can feed the evaporation source body 720 from the material feeding port 122; a scissor door device is installed on the feeding chamber 220, and the scissor door device selectively opens and closes the material feeding port 122. The cooperation between the material feeding port 122 and the scissor door device realizes the selective communication between the feeding chamber 220 and the coating chamber 210, ensures the sealing ability of the feeding chamber 220 and the coating chamber 210, and helps to maintain a high vacuum state in the coating chamber 210, so as to ensure the film forming quality of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 and improve the coating efficiency of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900.

[0065] In this embodiment, the evaporation position and all pre-melting positions are distributed at circumferential intervals around the switching axis 711. A carrier plate 710 is provided in the coating chamber 210. All evaporation source bodies 720 are installed on the carrier plate 710. The carrier plate 710 can rotate around the switching axis 711.

[0066] By limiting the evaporation position and the pre-melting position, the evaporation source body 720 at different positions can be heated at different temperatures; the material in the evaporation source body 720 at the pre-melting position is heated to the pre-melting temperature. The above improvements greatly improve the efficiency of coating and also help improve the film forming effect.

[0067] This embodiment also provides a vacuum coating method, which is applied to the above vacuum coating equipment and includes the following steps:

[0068] S10: adding materials to the evaporation source body 720 in the coating chamber 210.

[0069] S20 : ​​positioning the substrate fixture 900 in the coating chamber 210 .

[0070] S30: heating the material in the evaporation source body 720 at the pre-melting position to the pre-melting temperature, and heating the material in the evaporation source body 720 at the evaporation position to the evaporation temperature. The evaporation temperature is higher than the pre-melting temperature, and the coating chamber 210 is provided with at least one evaporation position and at least one pre-melting position.

[0071] S40: monitoring the material capacity in the evaporation source body 720 located at the evaporation position.

[0072] S50: Determine whether the material in the evaporation source body 720 located at the evaporation position is less than a preset value. If so, switch an evaporation source body 720 located at the pre-melting position to the evaporation position and then proceed to S30. If not, proceed to S60.

[0073] S60: Determine whether the coating of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 is completed. If so, proceed to S70; if not, return to S30.

[0074] S70 : stopping heating of all evaporation source bodies 720 , and moving the substrate jig 900 out of the coating chamber 210 .

[0075] The vacuum coating method reduces the time each chamber is connected to the external environment and the time adjacent to each other as much as possible by optimizing the opening and closing processes of each chamber. In this case, the substrate fixture 900 is loaded and unloaded, the substrate fixture 900 is transported, the substrate fixture 900 is positioned, the feeding device 300 is fed, and the evaporation source body 720 is evaporated. The above design optimizes the workflow, simplifies the work steps, and improves the coating operation of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 in an integrated manner, maintaining the high vacuum state in the coating chamber 210, thereby ensuring the film forming effect and coating efficiency of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 while reducing the impact of breaking the vacuum on the coating operation.

[0076] In this embodiment, the following steps are also included before S30:

[0077] S29: Determine whether the coating chamber 210 meets the environmental requirements of the high vacuum state. If yes, proceed to S30; if not, terminate the coating operation.

[0078] By detecting the vacuum state in the coating chamber 210, it is possible to determine whether the coating chamber 210 meets the environmental requirements for coating. With the setting of this step, the coating operation is limited to be performed only in a high vacuum environment, thereby ensuring the film forming effect of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900, improving the finished product yield of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900, and reducing the production cost.

[0079] Exemplarily, S10 includes the following detailed steps:

[0080] S11: connect the feeding chamber 220 to the coating chamber 210, use the feeding device 300 to feed materials to the evaporation source body 720, and then isolate the feeding chamber 220 and the coating chamber 210.

[0081] By adopting the above steps, the time that the coating chamber 210 and the feeding chamber 220 are connected can be reduced as much as possible, thereby reducing the risk of the high vacuum state in the coating chamber 210 being affected due to accidents, thereby more effectively ensuring the film forming effect of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900.

[0082] Furthermore, one of all the pre-melting positions is defined as a feeding position, and the feeding device 300 can add materials to the evaporation source body 720 located at the feeding position. The definition of the feeding position facilitates the feeding operation of the feeding device 300 on the evaporation source body 720, and the design of the feeding position as a pre-melting position also enables the material adding action of the evaporation source body 720 located at the feeding position to be completed together with the evaporation and pre-melting operations of other evaporation source bodies 720, coordinates the working condition relationship between the feeding period and the evaporation period of the evaporation source body 720, avoids the situation where the vacuum coating equipment works ineffectively when the material is replenished, thereby further compressing the ineffective working time, so that the efficiency of material evaporation can be further improved.

[0083] In this embodiment, S20 includes the following detailed steps:

[0084] S23 : connecting the transport chamber 630 to the coating chamber 210 , using the robot gripper module to transport the substrate fixture 900 from the transport chamber 630 to the coating chamber 210 , and then separating the transport chamber 630 from the coating chamber 210 .

[0085] S70 includes the following detailed steps:

[0086] S71 : connecting the transport chamber 630 to the coating chamber 210 , using the robot gripper module to transport the substrate fixture 900 from the coating chamber 210 to the transport chamber 630 , and then separating the transport chamber 630 from the coating chamber 210 .

[0087] By adopting the above steps, the time for which the coating chamber 210 is connected to the transport chamber 630 can be reduced as much as possible, thereby reducing the risk of the high vacuum state in the coating chamber 210 being affected due to accidents, thereby more effectively ensuring the film forming effect of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900.

[0088] Furthermore, before S23, the following steps are also included:

[0089] S21: opening the film feeding chamber 610, placing the substrate fixture 900 in the film feeding chamber 610, and then closing the film feeding chamber 610;

[0090] S22 : connecting the film feeding chamber 610 to the conveying chamber 630 , transferring the substrate fixture 900 from the film feeding chamber 610 to the conveying chamber 630 by using the substrate fixture conveying device 800 , and then separating the film feeding chamber 610 and the conveying chamber 630 .

[0091] By adopting the above steps, the time that the transport chamber 630 is connected to the film feeding chamber 610 and the time that the film feeding chamber 610 is connected to the external environment can be reduced as much as possible, thereby reducing the impact of the vacuum break in the film feeding chamber 610 on the transport chamber 630, and reducing the risk of the high vacuum state in the transport chamber 630 changing due to accidents, thereby more effectively ensuring the film forming effect of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900.

[0092] In this embodiment, the following steps are further included after S71:

[0093] S72: connecting the sheet discharge chamber 620 to the conveying chamber 630, using the substrate fixture conveying device 800 to transfer the substrate fixture 900 from the conveying chamber 630 to the sheet discharge chamber 620, and then separating the sheet discharge chamber 620 and the conveying chamber 630;

[0094] S73 : opening the sheet discharge chamber 620 , taking out the substrate fixture 900 in the sheet discharge chamber 620 , and then closing the sheet discharge chamber 620 .

[0095] By adopting the above steps, the time that the conveying chamber 630 is connected to the film discharge chamber 620 and the time that the film discharge chamber 620 is connected to the external environment can be reduced as much as possible, thereby reducing the impact of the vacuum break in the film discharge chamber 620 on the conveying chamber 630, and reducing the risk of the high vacuum state in the conveying chamber 630 being changed due to accidents, thereby more effectively ensuring the film forming effect of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900.

[0096] Exemplarily, after S20, the following steps are also included:

[0097] S28: Using the positioning device 400 to control the substrate fixture 900 to rotate around the axis of the substrate fixture 900;

[0098] Before S70, the following steps were also included:

[0099] S69: Use the positioning device 400 to control the substrate fixture 900 to stop rotating.

[0100] By rotating the substrate fixture 900 around its own axis, the positions of various parts of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 can be changed, so that the coating material particles can be evenly adhered to various parts of the substrate surface on the substrate fixture 900, thereby further improving the film forming effect of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900.

[0101] In summary, the above vacuum coating methods can be integrated into the following detailed steps:

[0102] The feeding chamber 220 is connected to the coating chamber 210, and materials are added to the evaporation source body 720 by using the feeding device 300, and then the feeding chamber 220 and the coating chamber 210 are isolated;

[0103] Open the film feeding chamber 610, place the substrate fixture 900 in the film feeding chamber 610, and then close the film feeding chamber 610;

[0104] Connect the film feeding chamber 610 to the conveying chamber 630, use the substrate fixture conveying device 800 to transfer the substrate fixture 900 from the film feeding chamber 610 to the conveying chamber 630, and then separate the film feeding chamber 610 and the conveying chamber 630;

[0105] The transport chamber 630 is connected to the coating chamber 210, and the substrate fixture 900 is transported from the transport chamber 630 to the positioning device 400 by using the mechanical claw module, and then the transport chamber 630 and the coating chamber 210 are separated;

[0106] The evaporation source body 720 performs a coating operation;

[0107] After the coating is completed, the transport chamber 630 is connected to the coating chamber 210, and the substrate fixture 900 is transported from the positioning device 400 to the transport chamber 630 by using the mechanical claw module, and then the transport chamber 630 and the coating chamber 210 are separated;

[0108] The sheet discharge chamber 620 is connected to the conveying chamber 630, and the substrate fixture 900 is transferred from the conveying chamber 630 to the sheet discharge chamber 620 by the substrate fixture conveying device 800, and then the sheet discharge chamber 620 and the conveying chamber 630 are separated;

[0109] The sheet discharge chamber 620 is opened, the substrate fixture 900 in the sheet discharge chamber 620 is taken out, and then the sheet discharge chamber 620 is closed.

[0110] The coating operation on the evaporation source body 720 includes the following steps:

[0111] Step 1: heating the material in the evaporation source body 720 at the pre-melting position to the pre-melting temperature, and heating the material in the evaporation source body 720 at the evaporation position to the evaporation temperature.

[0112] Step 2: Monitor the material capacity in the evaporation source body 720 located at the evaporation position.

[0113] Step 3: Determine whether the material in the evaporation source body 720 located at the evaporation position is less than the preset value. If so, switch an evaporation source body 720 located at the pre-melting position to the evaporation position, and then return to the step of heating the material in the evaporation source body 720. If not, continue.

[0114] Step 4: Determine whether the coating of the substrate on the substrate fixture 900 is completed. If yes, proceed to step 5; if not, return to step 1.

[0115] Step 5: Stop heating all the evaporation source bodies 720 and move the substrate fixture 900 out of the coating chamber 210 .

[0116] Steps 2 and 3 may be monitored directly or indirectly, for example, by monitoring whether the material in the evaporation source body 720 is less than a preset value through the difference between the initial material amount and the coating consumption in the evaporation source body 720. In this case, the coating consumption can be calculated from the coating rate and the coating time.

[0117] The evaporation temperature is higher than the pre-melting temperature, and at least one evaporation position and at least one pre-melting position are provided in the coating chamber 210. The coating chamber 210 may include multiple evaporation positions, each evaporation position corresponds to multiple pre-melting positions, or may include an evaporation position that has no corresponding pre-melting position.

[0118] In this embodiment, the number of the evaporation source bodies 720 is equal to the sum of the number of the evaporation positions and the pre-melting positions, and each evaporation source body 720 is located at the evaporation position or the pre-melting position.

[0119] By distinguishing the pre-melting position and the evaporation position, a pre-melting step is added to the evaporation source body 720 to be evaporated, thereby greatly reducing the heating time for the material to be evaporated to reach the evaporation temperature, and improving the evaporation efficiency of the evaporation source body 720. The amount of material in the evaporation source body 720 located at the evaporation position is monitored, so that when the material in one evaporation source body 720 is less than the preset value, another evaporation source body 720 can be replaced in time to continue evaporation. The above design enables the vacuum coating equipment to restore the coating chamber 210 to the state where there is a continuously evaporated material as quickly as possible without wasting the material, resulting in a significant reduction in the ineffective working time of the vacuum coating equipment, an improvement in the material evaporation efficiency, and thus a significant improvement in the coating efficiency.

[0120] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vacuum coating method for coating a substrate on a substrate fixture (900), characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S10: adding materials to the evaporation source body (720) in the coating chamber (210); S20: positioning the substrate fixture (900) in the coating chamber (210); S30: heating the material in the evaporation source body (720) located at the pre-melting position to a pre-melting temperature, and heating the material in the evaporation source body (720) located at the evaporation position to an evaporation temperature; the evaporation temperature is higher than the pre-melting temperature, and at least one evaporation position and at least one pre-melting position are provided in the coating chamber (210); S40: monitoring the material capacity in the evaporation source body (720) located at the evaporation position; S50: determining whether the material in the evaporation source body (720) located at the evaporation position is less than a preset value; if so, switching one of the evaporation source bodies (720) located at the pre-melting position to the evaporation position, and then proceeding to S30; if not, proceeding to S60; S60: Determine whether the coating of the substrate on the substrate fixture (900) is completed, if so, proceed to S70, if not, return to S30; S70: Stop heating all the evaporation source bodies (720) and move the substrate fixture (900) out of the coating chamber (210).

2. The vacuum coating method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before S30, the following steps were also included: S29: Determine whether the coating chamber (210) meets the environmental requirements of a high vacuum state. If so, proceed to S30; if not, terminate the coating operation.

3. The vacuum coating method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coating chamber (210) is selectively connected to a feeding chamber (220), and a feeding device (300) for feeding materials to the evaporation source body (720) is installed in the feeding chamber (220). S10 includes the following detailed steps: S11: connecting the feeding chamber (220) to the coating chamber (210), using the feeding device (300) to feed materials to the evaporation source body (720), and then isolating the feeding chamber (220) and the coating chamber (210).

4. The vacuum coating method according to claim 3, characterized in that: One of all the pre-melting positions is defined as a material adding position, and the material supply device (300) can add the material to the evaporation source body (720) located at the material adding position.

5. The vacuum coating method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coating chamber (210) is selectively connected to a transport chamber (630), wherein a mechanical claw module is provided in the transport chamber (630), and the mechanical claw module is used to transport the substrate fixture (900) in the transport chamber (630) to the coating chamber (210). S20 includes the following detailed steps: S23: connecting the transport chamber (630) to the coating chamber (210), using the mechanical claw module to transport the substrate fixture (900) from the transport chamber (630) to the coating chamber (210), and then isolating the transport chamber (630) and the coating chamber (210); S70 includes the following detailed steps: S71: Connect the transport chamber (630) to the coating chamber (210), use the mechanical claw module to transport the substrate fixture (900) from the coating chamber (210) to the transport chamber (630), and then isolate the transport chamber (630) and the coating chamber (210).

6. The vacuum coating method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transport chamber (630) is selectively connected to a film feeding chamber (610), and the film feeding chamber (610) is selectively connected to an external environment. A substrate fixture conveying device (800) is provided in the transport chamber (630), and the substrate fixture conveying device (800) can convey the substrate fixture (900) from the film feeding chamber (610) to the transport chamber (630). Before S23, the following steps are also included: S21: opening the film feeding chamber (610), placing the substrate fixture (900) in the film feeding chamber (610), and then closing the film feeding chamber (610); S22: The film feeding chamber (610) is connected to the transport chamber (630), and the substrate fixture conveying device (800) is used to transfer the substrate fixture (900) from the film feeding chamber (610) to the transport chamber (630), and then the film feeding chamber (610) and the transport chamber (630) are separated.

7. The vacuum coating method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The transport chamber (630) is selectively connected to the sheet discharge chamber (620), and the sheet discharge chamber (620) is selectively connected to the external environment. A substrate fixture conveying device (800) is provided in the transport chamber (630), and the substrate fixture conveying device (800) can convey the substrate fixture (900) from the transport chamber (630) to the sheet discharge chamber (620). After S71, the following steps are also included: S72: connecting the sheet discharge chamber (620) to the conveying chamber (630), using the substrate fixture conveying device (800) to transfer the substrate fixture (900) from the conveying chamber (630) to the sheet discharge chamber (620), and then isolating the sheet discharge chamber (620) and the conveying chamber (630); S73: Open the sheet discharge chamber (620), take out the substrate fixture (900) in the sheet discharge chamber (620), and then close the sheet discharge chamber (620).

8. The vacuum coating method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The evaporation position and all the pre-melting positions are distributed at circumferential intervals around the switching axis (711); a carrier plate (710) is provided in the coating chamber (210); all the evaporation source bodies (720) are mounted on the carrier plate (710); and the carrier plate (710) is capable of rotating around the switching axis (711).

9. The vacuum coating method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The coating chamber (210) is provided with a positioning device (400), and the positioning device (400) is used to position the substrate fixture (900). After S20, the following steps are also included: S28: using the positioning device (400) to control the substrate fixture (900) to rotate around the axis of the substrate fixture (900); Before S70, the following steps were also included: S69: Using the positioning device (400) to control the substrate fixture (900) to stop rotating.

10. Vacuum coating equipment, characterized in that: A vacuum coating method applicable to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising the coating chamber (210), wherein a plurality of evaporation source bodies (720) are arranged in the coating chamber (210), and when the material in the evaporation source body (720) reaches the evaporation temperature, the material generates coating material particles.

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