Online variable sputtering equipment for curved glass coating
By setting up adjustable magnets and driving devices in the curved glass coating equipment, the magnetic inductive line area is adjusted in real time, and the problem of uneven thickness of the curved glass coating is solved, and uniform control of the film thickness is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411619766.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-13
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-17
AI Technical Summary
When existing magnetron sputtering equipment performs online coating of curved glass, it is difficult to ensure uniformity of film thickness, resulting in uneven film thickness in use in curved glass.
A curved glass coating online variable sputtering device is designed. By setting an adjustable magnet on the negative electrode base, a variable sized main magnetic inductance line area is formed, and the driving device and controller are used to adjust the magnetic inductance line area in real time. The size is to adapt to the distance changes between different parts of the curved glass and the sputtering target, and control the sputtering amount and film thickness.
A uniform control of the film thickness of the curved glass is achieved, and the film thickness is too thick or too thin caused by distance changes is avoided, ensuring that the film thickness on the entire curved glass is consistent.
Smart Images
Figure CN119320931A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The invention relates to the field of curved glass coating, in particular to the field of magnetron sputtering equipment, and in particular to an online variable sputtering equipment for curved glass coating. Background Art
[0002] See Figure 1 The existing magnetron sputtering equipment includes a positive electrode base 1 and a negative electrode base 2 which are arranged in a spaced relationship with each other, the positive electrode base 1 is on top and the negative electrode base 2 is on the bottom, and a sputtering target 3 is installed on the negative electrode base 2. The magnetron sputtering equipment is installed in a flat glass production line. When the produced flat glass 4 to be coated needs to be coated, it is transported by a conveying device in a horizontal manner and translated between the positive electrode base 1 and the negative electrode base 2 of the magnetron sputtering equipment. The target atoms sputtered by the sputtering target 3 on the negative electrode base 2 are deposited on the lower surface to form a thin film, that is, the coating process is completed. This method of directly coating the glass using a magnetron sputtering equipment on a glass production line is called online coating.
[0003] When the magnetron sputtering device coats the flat glass 4 passing through, argon gas is first introduced between the positive electrode base 1 and the negative electrode base 2, and then part of the argon gas is discharged to generate argon ions (Ar + ) and electrons, under the action of the electric field formed by the positive and negative electrodes: the electrons go to the positive electrode base 1, and constantly collide with argon atoms on the way, generating more argon ions and electrons (the electrons after the collision and the electrons generated later have less energy than the electrons before the collision, and they will also go to the positive electrode base 1 and collide with the argon atoms on the way); the argon ions are accelerated to the negative electrode base 2 and bombard the upper surface of the sputtering target 3, so that a large number of target atoms are sputtered from the upper surface of the target. After leaving the sputtering target 3, these target atoms go to the positive electrode base 1 and are deposited on the lower surface of the plane glass 4 passing through to form a thin film. Since the electrons are affected by the electric field and go straight to the positive electrode base 1, their movement path is short (in a straight line), which will result in a lower probability of the electrons encountering argon atoms during the movement, and it is not easy to collide with more argon atoms, resulting in fewer argon ions, fewer target atoms sputtered, and fewer target atoms deposited on the lower surface of the plane glass 4 in the same time, and the film thickness is thinner. To this end, the existing magnetron sputtering equipment further sets a magnetic field on the basis of setting the above electric field. Figure 1Three vertical magnets 5 are provided at the negative electrode base 2. The three magnets 5 are all located below the sputtering target 3. The upper end of the central magnet 5 is an S pole, and the upper ends of the two magnets 5 on the left and right are N poles. In this way, the magnetic field formed by the three magnets forms two main magnetic flux lines areas 6 above the sputtering target 3. The two main magnetic flux lines areas 6 (the secondary magnetic flux lines areas have little effect on electrons and argon ions and can be ignored) are symmetrical on the left and right and have opposite directions. When the electrons and argon ions are in the main magnetic flux line area 6 (and the area within the main magnetic flux line area 6), they are greatly affected by the Lorentz force of the magnetic field, and thus deflect and move along the main magnetic flux line direction (from the N pole to the S pole); when the electrons move along the main magnetic flux line direction, their movement path will become longer (from the original straight line to a curve), and the probability of encountering argon atoms during the movement will increase, and it is easier to collide with argon atoms, so more argon ions will be generated; argon ions move along the main magnetic flux line direction and bombard the upper surface of the sputtering target 3, so that more target atoms are sputtered from the upper surface of the sputtering target 3, and the number of target atoms deposited on the lower surface of the flat glass 4 in the same time is more, and the film thickness is thicker. The larger the main magnetic flux line area 6 of the magnetic field, the more electrons and argon ions are covered, the more target atoms are sputtered, and the number of target atoms deposited on the lower surface of the flat glass 4 in the same time is more, and the film thickness is thicker.
[0004] Since the movement directions of the sputtered target atoms are not exactly the same, if the lower surface of the flat glass 4 is far away from the sputtering target 3, some target atoms will not be deposited on the lower surface of the flat glass 4 due to excessive deviation in the movement direction, resulting in a thinner film thickness formed on the lower surface of the flat glass 4 in the same time; on the contrary, if the distance is closer, the film thickness is thicker. However, if this magnetron sputtering equipment is used to coat curved glass online, since the lower surface of the curved glass to be coated is a curved surface, the distance between the curved surface and the sputtering target 3 is not exactly the same at all places, which easily leads to uneven thickness of the film formed on the lower surface of the curved glass, affecting the use of the curved glass. Summary of the invention
[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a coating device which can be installed on a production line to coat curved glass and coat a thin film with relatively uniform thickness on the curved surface of the curved glass.
[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass:
[0007] It includes a positive electrode base and a negative electrode base that can be installed on a production line, the positive electrode base and the negative electrode base are arranged opposite to each other with a spacing, and the curved glass to be coated passes between them in the front-rear direction;
[0008] A target material installation position aligned with the positive electrode base is provided on the negative electrode base for installation of the sputtering target material;
[0009] Two magnets are vertically mounted on the negative electrode base. The two magnets are located at the back of the target mounting position, and are spaced apart from each other along the direction in which the curved glass passes, and are placed parallel to each other. The S pole of one magnet is aligned with the target mounting position, and the N pole of the other magnet is aligned with the target mounting position, so as to form a main magnetic flux line area on the front of the target mounting position.
[0010] A driving device is provided to drive the magnet to deflect, so that the main magnetic flux line area becomes larger or smaller.
[0011] Furthermore, the driving device comprises a rotating seat, and the magnet is mounted on the rotating seat.
[0012] Furthermore, the positive electrode base is located on top and the negative electrode base is located on the bottom.
[0013] Furthermore, there are at least three magnets, which are located on the back of the target mounting position, arranged in a front-to-back interval along the direction of the curved glass, and placed parallel to each other. The S pole of the center magnet is aligned with the target mounting position, while the N poles of the front and rear magnets are aligned with the target mounting position. The three magnets form two main magnetic flux lines areas, one in front and one in the back, on the front of the target mounting position.
[0014] Furthermore, there are at least two driving devices, which are arranged one in front of the other with a spacing, the front magnet is installed on the rotating seat of the front driving device and the rear magnet is installed on the rotating seat of the rear driving device.
[0015] Furthermore, a cooling mechanism is provided on the cathode base, which cools the sputtering target installed in the target installation position.
[0016] Furthermore, it includes a controller, which controls the connection of the driving device.
[0017] Furthermore, it includes the sputtering target.
[0018] Beneficial effect: After the sputtering equipment of the present invention is installed on the production line, some parts of the curved surface of the curved glass to be coated are close to the target material installation position on the negative electrode base. If conventional coating is performed on these parts, the film thickness is likely to be too thick due to the short distance. For this reason, the sputtering equipment of the present invention can drive the magnet to deflect in the opposite direction by the driving device before coating the part of the curved glass, so that the main magnetic flux line area formed on the front side of the target material installation position becomes smaller, thereby making the number of electrons and argon ions covered by the main magnetic flux line area correspondingly reduced, the number of target material atoms sputtered becomes less, and the number of target material atoms deposited on the part of the curved glass in the same time is also reduced. In this way, the film thickness of these parts of the curved glass can be maintained at a normal value without being too thick. On the curved surface of the curved glass to be coated, some parts are far away from the target material installation position on the negative electrode base. If conventional coating is performed on these parts, the film thickness is likely to be too thin due to the long distance. For this reason, the sputtering equipment of the present invention drives the magnet to deflect in the positive direction through the driving device, so that the main magnetic flux line area formed on the front side of the target material installation position becomes larger, so that the number of electrons and argon ions covered by the main magnetic flux line area increases accordingly, and the number of target material atoms sputtered increases. In the same time, the number of target material atoms deposited on this part of the curved glass also increases. In this way, the film thickness of this part of the curved glass can be maintained at a normal value and will not be too thin. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a magnetron sputtering device in the prior art.
[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass of the present invention.
[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic top view of the negative electrode base of the online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass of the present invention.
[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of the curved glass coating online variable sputtering equipment of the present invention coating the front part of the curved glass.
[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of coating the middle part of curved glass by the online variable sputtering equipment for coating curved glass of the present invention.
[0024] Explanation of symbols:
[0025] Figure 1 Explanation of symbols:
[0026] 1- positive electrode base; 2- negative electrode base; 3- sputtering target; 4- flat glass; 5- magnet; 6- main magnetic flux line area.
[0027] Figures 2 to 5 Explanation of symbols:
[0028] 1-positive electrode base; 2-negative electrode base; 21-target mounting position; 22-heat conduction plate; 23-cooling water tank; 24-mounting seat; 3-sputtering target; 4-curved glass; 41-front; 42-middle; 5-front drive device; 51-driving motor of the front drive device; 52-rotating seat of the front drive device; 6-rear drive device; 61-driving motor of the rear drive device; 62-rotating seat of the rear drive device; 71-front magnet; 72-middle magnet; 73-rear magnet; 81-front main magnetic flux line area; 82-rear main magnetic flux line area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0029] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific implementation methods.
[0030] The larger the main magnetic flux line area of the magnetron sputtering equipment, the more electrons and argon ions are covered, the more target atoms are sputtered from the upper surface of the sputtering target, the greater the sputtering amount, the more target atoms are deposited on the part to be coated in the same time, and the thicker the film formed; otherwise, the thinner it is. Since the movement directions of the sputtered target atoms are not exactly the same, the farther the part to be coated is from the sputtering target, the more target atoms will not be deposited on the part to be coated due to excessive deviation in the movement direction, resulting in fewer target atoms deposited on the part to be coated in the same time, and the thinner the film formed; otherwise, the thicker it is. In the process of conveying the curved glass to be coated forward, the lower surface of the curved glass to be coated will pass over the sputtering target in turn; since the lower surface of the curved glass is a curved surface, the distance between the curved surface and the sputtering target is not exactly the same. The online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass of the present invention adjusts the main magnetic flux line area to be smaller when sputtering the part to be coated that is closer to the curved glass, so that the sputtering amount becomes smaller, and adjusts the main magnetic flux line area to be larger when sputtering the part to be coated that is farther away from the curved glass, so that the sputtering amount becomes larger. The online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass controls the sputtering amount by adjusting the size of the main magnetic flux line area in real time online, thereby dynamically controlling the number of target atoms deposited on the part to be coated on the curved glass, so that the part to be coated on the curved glass can form a thin film with relatively uniform thickness. The specific structure of the online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass is shown below.
[0031] See Figure 2 The online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass includes an upper positive electrode base 1 and a lower negative electrode base 2, wherein the positive electrode base 1 and the negative electrode base 2 are arranged opposite to each other and spaced apart; the sputtering device is installed on the curved glass 4 (see Figure 4) production line (not shown in the figure), the curved glass 4 to be coated produced by the production line passes between the positive electrode base 1 and the negative electrode base 2 along the conveying direction (i.e., the front-to-back direction) of the conveyor belt (not shown in the figure). The curved glass 4 production line and its conveyor belt are prior art, and their specific structure and working principle are not described in detail here. Figure 2 The top surface of the negative electrode base 2 is provided with a target mounting position 21 which is upwardly aligned with the positive electrode base 1, and the sputtering target 3 is detachably mounted in the target mounting position 21. A heat conducting plate 22 is provided below the target mounting position 21, and the top surface of the heat conducting plate 22 is closely attached to the back surface of the sputtering target 3, and a cooling water tank 23 serving as a cooling mechanism is provided at the bottom thereof, and the cooling water (not shown in the figure) is filled in the cooling water, and the sputtering target 3 is cooled by means of the cooling water and the heat conducting plate 22.
[0032] A mounting base 24 is provided below the cooling water tank 23, which is fixedly mounted on the bottom of the negative electrode base 2. Front drive devices 5 are provided on the front and rear sides of the mounting base 24 (see FIG. Figure 3 ) and rear drive device 6 (see Figure 3 The front drive device 5 includes a rotation motor 51 and a rotating seat 52 arranged on the rotating shaft of the rotation motor 51. The rotating seat 52 extends to the right to the front of the mounting seat 24 (see Figure 2 ), driven by the driving motor 51, it can rotate forward and reversely around the horizontal axis of the rotating shaft of the driving motor 51 relative to the mounting seat 24. The rear driving device 6 has the same structure as the front driving device 5, is symmetrical front and back, and is also provided with a driving motor 61 and a rotating seat 62. Three vertical magnets 71, 72, 73 are arranged in front and back intervals along the direction of the curved glass 4 passing through, and are placed parallel to each other, wherein the central magnet 72 is fixedly mounted on the middle part 42 of the mounting seat 24, the front magnet 71 in the front is fixedly mounted on the rotating seat 52 of the front driving device 5, and the rear magnet 73 in the rear is fixedly mounted on the rotating seat 62 of the rear driving device 6. The front magnet 71 and the rear magnet 73 can each rotate forward or backward around the horizontal axis as the corresponding rotating seats 52, 62 rotate forward or backward, thereby deflecting forward or backward. The S pole of the middle magnet 72 is directed upward to the back of the target mounting position 21 and the N pole is directed downward to the mounting seat 24. The N poles of the front magnet 71 and the rear magnet 73 are directed upward to the back of the target mounting position 21 and the S poles are directed downward to the rotating seats 52 and 62. In this way, the three magnets 71, 72, and 73 form two main magnetic flux lines areas 81 and 82, one in front and one in the back, on the front side of the target mounting position 21. The front magnet 71 is deflected forward or backward as described above to enlarge or reduce the main magnetic flux line area 81 in front, and the rear magnet 73 is deflected forward or backward as described above to reduce or enlarge the main magnetic flux line area 82 in the back.
[0033] The online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass is equipped with a controller (not shown in the figure) to facilitate real-time adjustment of the size of its two main magnetic flux lines areas 81 and 82; the controller is preset with a control program according to the curved surface shape of the curved glass 4 to be coated, and controls the driving motor 51 connected to the front drive device 5 and the driving motor 61 connected to the rear drive device 6 respectively, and can control the two driving motors 51 and 61 to rotate forward or reverse according to the preset control program, thereby driving the corresponding rotating seats 52 and 62 to rotate forward or reverse around the horizontal axis. Figure 4 , when the curved glass 4 to be coated is conveyed to the point where its front portion 41 is directly above the sputtering target 3 (i.e., the main sputtering area), the distance between the front portion 41 to be coated and the sputtering target 3 is relatively close, and under normal circumstances, the thickness of the coated film will be too thick. For this reason, the controller of the online variable sputtering equipment for coating curved glass controls the driving motor 51 of the front driving device 5 according to a preset program to drive the rotating seat 52 together with the front magnet 71 installed on the rotating seat 52 to rotate in the opposite direction around the horizontal axis of the rotating shaft, thereby causing the front magnet 71 to deflect backward, and the main magnetic flux line area 81 in the front will become smaller; at the same time, the driving motor 61 of the rear driving device 6 is controlled to drive the rotating seat 62 together with the rear magnet 73 installed on the rotating seat 62 to rotate forward around the horizontal axis of the rotating shaft, thereby causing the rear magnet 73 to deflect forward, and the main magnetic flux line area 82 in the rear will become smaller. The two main magnetic flux line areas 81 and 82 are as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As the two main magnetic flux lines areas 81 and 82 located on the front of the sputtering target 3 become smaller, the number of electrons and argon ions covered becomes smaller, the number of target atoms sputtered from the upper surface of the sputtering target 3 becomes smaller, the sputtering amount becomes smaller, and the number of target atoms deposited on the front part 41 of the curved glass 4 in the same time becomes smaller, so that the film thickness formed on the front part 41 of the curved glass 4 closer to the sputtering target 3 can be maintained at a normal value without being too thick.
[0034] As the curved glass 4 to be coated is continuously conveyed forward, as its lower surface to be coated changes (the distance from the sputtering target 3 changes), the control program preset by the controller is associated with the shape of the lower surface of the curved glass 4, and can control the two drive motors 51, 61 to drive the corresponding rotating seats 52, 62 to rotate forward or reverse around the horizontal axis according to the preset program, so that the sizes of the two main magnetic flux lines areas 81, 82 change accordingly. When the curved glass 4 is conveyed to the point where its middle 42 is located directly above the sputtering target 3, as shown in FIG. Figure 5As shown, the middle part 42 to be coated is far away from the sputtering target 3, and the thickness of the coated film will be too thin under normal circumstances. For this reason, the controller of the online variable sputtering equipment for curved glass coating controls the driving motor 51 of the front driving device 5 according to a preset program to drive the rotating seat 52 together with the front magnet 71 installed on the rotating seat 52 to rotate forward around the horizontal axis of the rotating shaft, thereby causing the front magnet 71 to deflect forward (the front magnet 71 in the figure is not vertical but slightly tilted forward), and the main magnetic flux line area 81 in the front will become larger; at the same time, the driving motor 61 of the rear driving device 6 is controlled to drive the rotating seat 62 together with the rear magnet 73 installed on the rotating seat 62 to rotate in the opposite direction around the horizontal axis of the rotating shaft, thereby causing the rear magnet 73 to deflect backward (the rear magnet 73 in the figure is not vertical but slightly tilted backward), and the main magnetic flux line area 82 in the rear will become larger. The two main magnetic flux line areas 81 and 82 are as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown. As the two main magnetic flux lines areas 81 and 82 located on the front of the sputtering target 3 become larger, the number of electrons and argon ions covered increases, the number of target atoms sputtered from the upper surface of the sputtering target 3 increases, the sputtering amount increases, and the number of target atoms deposited on the middle part 42 of the curved glass 4 increases in the same time, so that the film thickness formed in the middle part 42 of the curved glass 4 far from the sputtering target 3 can be maintained at a normal value and will not be too thin. In this way, after the entire curved glass 4 passes through the curved glass coating online variable sputtering equipment, the sputtering target 3 is relatively evenly coated with a thin film on the lower surface, that is, the coating operation is completed.
[0035] In this embodiment, the online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass is equipped with three magnets 71, 72, and 73, thereby forming two main magnetic flux lines areas 81 and 82, one in front and one in the back. The production personnel can control the front drive device 5 and the rear drive device 6 of the online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass according to the curved surface of the curved glass 4 to be coated, to drive the front magnet 71 and the rear magnet 73 to deflect respectively, so as to adjust the size of the two main magnetic flux lines areas 81 and 82 in this way. The sizes of the two main magnetic flux lines areas 81 and 82 may not be exactly the same. Not preferably, the online variable sputtering device for coating curved glass can be provided with only two magnets, for example, the rear magnet 73 in this embodiment is not provided, and only the front magnet 71 and the middle magnet 72 in this embodiment are retained, so that only one main magnetic flux line area 81 will be formed on the front of the sputtering target 3.
[0036] The above is only an implementation method of the invention, and does not limit the scope of patent protection. Those skilled in the art can make non-substantial changes or substitutions based on the invention, which still fall within the scope of patent protection.
Claims
1. Online variable sputtering equipment for curved glass coating: It includes a positive electrode base and a negative electrode base that can be installed on a production line, the positive electrode base and the negative electrode base are arranged opposite to each other with a spacing, and the curved glass to be coated passes between them in the front-rear direction; The negative electrode base is provided with a target material installation position aligned with the positive electrode base for the sputtering target material to be installed; Two magnets are vertically mounted on the negative electrode base. The two magnets are located at the back of the target mounting position, and are spaced apart from each other along the direction in which the curved glass passes, and are placed parallel to each other. The S pole of one magnet is aligned with the target mounting position, and the N pole of the other magnet is aligned with the target mounting position, so as to form a main magnetic flux line area on the front of the target mounting position. It is characterized in that A driving device is provided to drive the magnet to deflect, so that the main magnetic flux line area becomes larger or smaller.
2. The sputtering device according to claim 1, characterized in that The driving device comprises a rotating seat, and the magnet is mounted on the rotating seat.
3. The sputtering device according to claim 1, characterized in that The positive electrode base is located on the upper side and the negative electrode base is located on the lower side.
4. The sputtering device according to claim 1, characterized in that There are at least three magnets, which are located at the back of the target mounting position, arranged in intervals front and back along the direction of the curved glass, and placed parallel to each other. The S pole of the center magnet is aligned with the target mounting position, while the N poles of the front and rear magnets are aligned with the target mounting position. The three magnets form two main magnetic flux lines areas, one in front and one in the back, on the front of the target mounting position.
5. The sputtering device according to claim 1, characterized in that There are at least two driving devices, which are arranged one in front of the other with a gap. The front magnet is installed on the rotating seat of the front driving device, and the rear magnet is installed on the rotating seat of the rear driving device.
6. The sputtering device according to claim 1, characterized in that A cooling mechanism is provided on the cathode base, which cools the sputtering target installed in the target installation position.
7. The sputtering device according to claim 1, characterized in that A controller is included, which controls the connection of the driving device.
8. The sputtering device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: Includes the sputtering target.