Multi-chamber sputter coating equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of vacuum coating, in particular to multi-cavity sputter coating equipment. Comprising a coating device, a feeding device for feeding and discharging the coating device, and a vacuumizing system for vacuumizing the coating device, the vacuum pumping system comprises a low vacuum pump set, a high vacuum pump set and a freezing assembly, specifically, when the first vacuum pumping operation is carried out, after a first mechanical pump and a first roots pump are sequentially started to work, the coating chamber can be subjected to air pumping, and the coating chamber is made to be in a low-vacuum negative pressure environment; and when the second-time vacuumizing operation is carried out, the first molecular pump continues to be started for air exhaust, meanwhile, the freezing pipe is started for condensing water molecules in the coating chamber, air exhaust can be carried out on the coating chamber, and the coating chamber is made to be in a high-vacuum negative-pressure environment. According to the structure, the time consumed by vacuumizing is shortened, the working efficiency of vacuumizing is improved, and then the production working efficiency of sputter coating equipment is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of vacuum coating, and in particular to a multi-chamber sputtering coating device. Background Art

[0002] The technical development trend of vacuum sputtering coating equipment is to improve production capacity and efficiency, and to improve the quality and stability of coated products. To improve production capacity and efficiency, the equipment design is getting bigger and bigger, the loading capacity is increasing, and the single workpiece hanger is also bigger and heavier. For single-sided plated products, large workpiece hangers are often used.

[0003] Vacuum coating generally refers to the process of vaporizing the coating material into microscopic particles such as atoms, molecules or ions and depositing them on the surface of the coated workpiece by physical or chemical methods under vacuum conditions. When the vacuum sputtering coating equipment is in operation, the carrier is first sent into the chamber and the chamber is sealed, then the pressure is reduced to a certain value through primary vacuum pressure, and then high vacuum is evacuated to put the chamber in a negative pressure environment with high vacuum. However, the inventors found in actual production operations that during the loading and unloading operations, when the humidity of the working area is high, a large number of water vapor molecules will enter the chamber through the entrance of the chamber along with the workpiece to be plated; a large number of water vapor molecules will limit the vacuum pumping speed of the chamber and the lower negative pressure environment, resulting in the inability to further improve the production efficiency of the vacuum sputtering coating equipment.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to study a new technical solution to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention aims at the deficiencies in the prior art, and its main purpose is to provide a multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment to effectively solve the technical defect of low vacuum efficiency in the prior art vacuum sputtering coating equipment.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical scheme: a multi-chamber sputtering coating device, comprising a coating device, a feeding device and a vacuum system; the coating device is provided with a plurality of coating chambers, and the plurality of coating chambers are arranged in sequence along a first direction; the feeding device is used to load and unload the coated product into the coating chamber, and the vacuum system is used to perform a vacuum operation on the coating chamber;

[0007] The vacuum pumping system includes a low vacuum pump group, a high vacuum pump group and a refrigeration assembly. The low vacuum pump group includes a first Roots pump and a first mechanical pump which are connected to the coating chamber in sequence; the high vacuum pump group includes a first molecular pump, the input end of the first molecular pump is connected to the coating chamber, and the output end of the first molecular pump is connected to the first Roots pump. The refrigeration assembly includes a refrigerator and a refrigeration pipe, and the refrigeration pipe is arranged in the coating chamber and connected to the refrigerator;

[0008] The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment provided by the present application has the following beneficial effects: compared with the prior art, by providing a low vacuum pump group, a high vacuum pump group and a freezing assembly; when performing the first vacuum pumping operation, after starting the first mechanical pump and the first Roots pump in sequence, the coating chamber can be evacuated and the coating chamber can be placed in a low vacuum negative pressure environment; when performing the second vacuum pumping operation, the first molecular pump is continued to be started to evacuate, and at the same time, the freezing tube is started to condense the water molecules in the coating chamber, so that the coating chamber can be evacuated and the coating chamber can be placed in a high vacuum negative pressure environment;

[0009] With such a structure, after using the low vacuum pump group to perform the first vacuum operation, the high vacuum pump group is started to cooperate with the second vacuum operation, which is beneficial to shorten the time consumed for vacuum operation, improve the efficiency of vacuum operation, and thus improve the production efficiency of the sputtering coating equipment; at the same time, during the second vacuum operation, a refrigerator is used to quickly condense the water molecules in the coating chamber, reducing the impact of water molecules on the vacuum operation, further improving the efficiency of vacuuming the coating chamber, and allowing the coating chamber to be in a vacuum environment with a lower negative pressure value more quickly.

[0010] As a preferred solution: it also includes a first pipeline and a second pipeline;

[0011] One end of the first pipeline is connected to the coating chamber, the input end of the first Roots pump is installed at the other end of the first pipeline, and the input end of the first mechanical pump is installed at the output end of the first Roots pump;

[0012] One end of the second pipeline is conductively connected to the coating chamber, the input end of the first molecular pump is installed at the other end of the second pipeline, and the output end of the first molecular pump is conductively connected to the first pipeline.

[0013] As a preferred solution: the coating chamber is provided with a first opening and a second opening;

[0014] One end of the first pipeline is conductively connected to the first opening, and a first control valve is provided at one end of the first pipeline close to the first opening, and the first control valve is used to control whether the first pipeline is conductively connected or not conductively connected to the coating chamber;

[0015] A second opening is provided at the front and rear ends of the left side of the coating chamber, and a second opening is provided at the front and rear ends of the right side of the coating chamber; the number of the first molecular pumps is equal to the number of the second openings, one first molecular pump is correspondingly installed at one second opening, and a third control valve is installed between the first molecular pump and the second opening, and the third control valve is used to control the conductive connection or non-conductive connection between the second opening and the first molecular pump.

[0016] As a preferred solution: the first molecular pump is connected to a first branch pipeline, the other end of the first branch pipeline is conductively connected to the second pipeline, a second control valve is provided at the connection between the second pipeline and the first pipeline, and the second control valve is located between the first control valve and the first Roots pump.

[0017] As a preferred solution: multiple coating chambers include a first coating chamber, a second coating chamber, a third coating chamber, a fourth coating chamber and a fifth coating chamber which are arranged in sequence along a first direction; the first coating chamber, the second coating chamber, the third coating chamber, the fourth coating chamber and the fifth coating chamber are all provided with a feed inlet and a discharge port, and the feed inlet and the discharge port are both equipped with a gate valve assembly.

[0018] As a preferred solution: the gate valve assembly includes a first main shell installed at the feed port and the discharge port, a first gate movably installed on the first main shell, and a first driving cylinder for driving the first gate to move up and down to open or close the feed port and the discharge port.

[0019] As a preferred solution: the feeding device includes

[0020] A plurality of cage assemblies for carrying the products to be coated;

[0021] A plurality of first transport mechanisms are arranged at intervals in sequence along a first direction on the left side of the plurality of coating chambers; the first transport mechanisms are used to transport the cage assembly;

[0022] A first loading assembly is arranged at the front side of the first coating chamber; the first loading assembly comprises a second transport mechanism and a first transverse movement mechanism for transporting the second transport mechanism to move horizontally to the front side of the first transport mechanism or the front side of the first coating chamber, and the second transport mechanism is used to transport the cage assembly of the first transport mechanism into the coating chamber;

[0023] The first unloading assembly is arranged at the rear side of the fifth coating chamber; the first unloading assembly includes a third transport mechanism and a third transverse movement mechanism for transporting the third transport mechanism to move horizontally left and right to the rear side of the first transport mechanism or the rear side of the fifth coating chamber, and the third transport mechanism is used to transport the cage assembly in the coating chamber to the first transport mechanism.

[0024] As a preferred solution: the cage assembly includes a supporting base frame and a cage frame rotatably mounted on the supporting base frame, wherein the cage frame is used to carry the coated product;

[0025] The first transport mechanism, the second transport mechanism and the third transport mechanism all include a first track arranged at a left-right spacing, a first driving wheel rotatably mounted on the front and rear ends of the first track, a plurality of first driven wheels rotatably mounted on the first track and located between the first driving wheels, and a first driving motor for driving the first driving wheels to rotate;

[0026] The supporting frame can be carried on the first driving wheel and the first driven wheel. When the first driving motor drives the first driving wheel to rotate, the supporting frame can be driven to move along the extension direction of the first track.

[0027] As a preferred solution: it also includes a plurality of fourth transport mechanisms, one fourth transport mechanism is installed in one coating chamber;

[0028] Each coating chamber is equipped with a position identification device, which includes a first rotating plate pivotally connected to the coating chamber at one end, a second driving cylinder for driving the first rotating plate to swing up and down, and a position identification switch fixedly installed at the other end of the first rotating plate;

[0029] After the cage assembly is transferred to the fourth transport mechanism, the cage assembly can abut against the position identification switch to control the position of the cage assembly in the coating chamber.

[0030] As a preferred solution: it also includes a first top-stopping device and a second top-stopping device installed in the coating chamber, and the first top-stopping device and the second top-stopping device are arranged at a vertical distance;

[0031] The first stop device includes a first fixed seat fixedly mounted on the coating chamber, a first rotating seat rotatably mounted below the first fixed seat, and a third driving motor mounted on the coating chamber and driving the first rotating seat to rotate;

[0032] The second stop device is fixedly mounted on the third driving cylinder of the coating chamber and is rotatably mounted on the second rotating seat of the telescopic rod of the third driving cylinder;

[0033] An annular cylinder seat is provided at the center of the cage, which passes through its upper and lower surfaces. When the cage assembly is transferred to the fourth conveying mechanism and the position identification switch is triggered, the third driving cylinder can drive the second rotating seat to move upward, so that the first rotating seat and the second rotating seat correspondingly abut against the upper and lower ends of the annular cylinder seat. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0035] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a multi-chamber sputtering coating device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a partial structure of a multi-chamber sputtering coating device shown;

[0037] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a vacuum pumping system of a multi-chamber sputtering coating device is shown;

[0038] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the specific structure of the first coating chamber in the multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment shown;

[0039] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point A of the first coating chamber in the multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment shown;

[0040] Figure 6 yes Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first top stop device and the second top stop device and the cage assembly in the multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment shown;

[0041] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a feeding device in a multi-chamber sputtering coating device is shown;

[0042] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a first transport mechanism and a third stop device of a feeding device in a multi-chamber sputtering coating device is shown;

[0043] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the first transport mechanism shown;

[0044] Fig.10 yes Figure 8 An exploded view of the cage assembly is shown;

[0045] Fig.11 yes Figure 8 A schematic three-dimensional structural diagram of the first feeding assembly is shown.

[0046] Among them, the reference numerals in the figure are:

[0047] 10. Coating device; 101. First coating chamber; 102. Second coating chamber; 103. Third coating chamber; 104. Fourth coating chamber; 105. Fifth coating chamber; 106. Feed inlet; 107. Discharge outlet; 11. First opening; 12. Second opening; 13. Gate valve assembly; 131. First main shell; 132. First gate; 133. First driving cylinder; 14. Position identification device; 141. First rotating plate; 142. Second driving cylinder; 143. Position identification switch; 15. First top stop device; 151. First fixed seat; 152. First rotating seat; 153. Third driving motor; 16. Second top stop device; 161. Third driving cylinder; 162. Second rotating seat;

[0048] 20. Feeding device; 21. Cage assembly; 211. Supporting chassis; 212. Cage; 213. Annular cylinder seat; 214. Sliding block; 215. Limiting strip; 22. First transport mechanism; 221. First track; 222. First driving wheel; 223. First driven wheel; 224. First driving motor; 225. Limiting groove; 23. First loading assembly; 231. Second transport mechanism; 232. First lateral movement mechanism; 2321. Second guide rail; 2322. Second driving wheel; 2323. Second driving motor; 24. First unloading assembly; 241. Third transport mechanism; 242. Second lateral movement mechanism; 25. Fourth transport mechanism; 26. Third top-stopping device; 261. Fourth driving cylinder; 262. Third top-stopping seat;

[0049] 30. Vacuum pumping system; 31. Low vacuum pump group; 311. First pipeline; 312. First Roots pump; 313. First mechanical pump; 314. First control valve; 32. High vacuum pump group; 321. Second pipeline; 322. First molecular pump; 323. Third control valve; 324. First branch pipeline; 325. Second control valve; 33. Refrigeration assembly; 331. Refrigerator; 332. Refrigeration pipe;

[0050] x1, first direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0052] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or indirectly connected to the other element.

[0053] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0054] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0055] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0056] Please also read Figures 1 to 11 The multi-chamber sputtering coating device provided in the embodiment of the present application is now described. The multi-chamber sputtering coating device comprises: a coating device 10 , a feeding device 20 and a vacuum system 30 .

[0057] The coating device 10 is provided with a plurality of coating chambers, and the plurality of coating chambers are sequentially arranged along the first direction x1; the feeding device 20 is used to load and unload the coating products into the coating chamber, and the vacuum pumping system 30 is used to vacuum the coating chamber; the coating products are sequentially transported to each coating chamber, and different coating layers can be coated. The vacuum pumping system 30 includes a low vacuum pump group 31, a high vacuum pump group 32, and a freezing assembly 33, and the low vacuum pump group 31 includes a first pipe 311, a first Roots pump 312, and a first mechanical pump 313; one end of the first pipe 311 is connected to the coating chamber, the input end of the first Roots pump 312 is installed at the other end of the first pipe 311, and the input end of the first mechanical pump 313 is installed at the output end of the first Roots pump 312; the high vacuum pump group 32 includes a second pipe 321 and a first molecular pump 322, the input end of the first molecular pump 322 is connected to the coating chamber, and one end of the second pipe 321 is connected to the output end of the first molecular pump 322 , and the other end is connected to the first pipe 311; the freezing component 33 includes a refrigerator 331 and a freezing pipe 332, and the freezing pipe 332 is arranged in the coating chamber and connected to the refrigerator 331; when the first vacuum operation is performed, the first Roots pump 312 and the first mechanical pump 313 are started in sequence to evacuate the coating chamber and put the coating chamber in a low vacuum negative pressure environment; when the second vacuum operation is performed, the first molecular pump 322 is continued to be started to evacuate, and at the same time, the freezing pipe 332 is started to condense the water molecules in the coating chamber, which can evacuate the coating chamber and put the coating chamber in a high vacuum negative pressure environment.

[0058] Specifically, by setting up a low vacuum pump group 31, a high vacuum pump group 32 and a freezing assembly 33; when performing the first vacuum operation, the first Roots pump 312 and the first mechanical pump 313 are started in sequence to evacuate the coating chamber and put the coating chamber in a low vacuum negative pressure environment; when performing the second vacuum operation, the first molecular pump 322 is continued to be started to evacuate, and at the same time, the freezing pipe 332 is started to condense the water molecules in the coating chamber, so that the coating chamber can be evacuated and the coating chamber can be placed in a high vacuum negative pressure environment; such a structure makes After the first vacuum pumping operation is performed with the low vacuum pump group 31, the high vacuum pump group 32 is started to cooperate with the second vacuum pumping operation, which is beneficial to shorten the time consumed for vacuum pumping, improve the efficiency of vacuum pumping operation, and thus improve the production efficiency of the sputtering coating equipment; at the same time, during the second vacuum pumping operation, the refrigerator 331 is used to quickly condense the water molecules in the coating chamber, thereby reducing the impact of water molecules on the vacuum pumping operation, further improving the efficiency of vacuum pumping the coating chamber, and allowing the coating chamber to be in a vacuum environment with a lower negative pressure value more quickly.

[0059] In some embodiments of the present application, a first opening 11 is provided on the top of the coating chamber, and one end of the first pipe 311 is installed at the first opening 11 and is conductively connected to the coating chamber; a first control valve 314 is provided at one end of the first pipe 311 close to the first opening 11, and the first control valve 314 is used to control whether the first pipe 311 is conductively connected or not conductively connected to the coating chamber.

[0060] Specifically, the left front and rear ends of the coating chamber are provided with second openings 12, and the right front and rear ends of the coating chamber are provided with second openings 12; the number of first molecular pumps 322 is equal to the number of second openings 12, one first molecular pump 322 is correspondingly installed at one second opening 12, and a third control valve 323 is installed between the first molecular pump 322 and the second opening 12, and the third control valve 323 is used to control the conductive connection or non-conductive connection between the second opening 12 and the first molecular pump 322. The first molecular pump 322 is connected to a first branch pipe 324, and the other end of the first branch pipe 324 is conductively connected to the second pipe 321, and a second control valve 325 is provided at the connection between the second pipe 321 and the first pipe 311, and the second control valve 325 is located between the first control valve 314 and the first Roots pump 312.

[0061] It is understandable that the four first molecular pumps 322 are connected to the second pipe 321 through the first branch pipes 324 , and the second pipe 321 is connected to the first pipe 311 . Therefore, the number of the first branch pipes 324 and the second pipes 321 is set as needed according to the number of the first molecular pumps 322 .

[0062] When performing the vacuum operation, first, the third control valve 323 needs to be started to close the conductive connection between the first molecular pump 322 and the coating chamber, and the second control valve 325 needs to be started to close the conductive connection between the second pipeline 321 and the first pipeline 311; then, the first control valve 314 is started to open the conductive connection between the first pipeline 311 and the coating chamber; at this time, the first mechanical pump 313 is started to evacuate gas, and when part of the gas in the coating chamber is evacuated,

[0063] The first Roots pump 312 is started to cooperate with the first mechanical pump 313 to evacuate air, so that the coating chamber is in a low vacuum negative pressure environment, and the first vacuuming operation is completed; then, the refrigerator 331 is started to work, and the coating chamber that has completed the first vacuuming operation is frozen by using the freezing pipe 332, and the water molecules in the coating chamber are condensed on the freezing pipe 332; during or after the water molecule condensation operation is completed; the first control valve 314 is started to close the conductive connection between the coating chamber and the first pipe 311, and the third control valve 323 is started to open the conductive connection between the first molecular pump 322 and the coating chamber, and The coating chamber is evacuated using the first molecular pump 322; at the same time, the second control valve 325 is started to open the connection between the second pipe 321 and the first pipe 311, so that the first molecular pump 322, the first Roots pump 312 and the first mechanical pump 313 are evacuated simultaneously, so that the coating chamber is in a high vacuum negative pressure environment, completing the second vacuum operation; after the vacuum operation is completed, the first control valve 314, the second control valve 325 and the third control valve 323 are started to close the corresponding pipes to maintain the coating chamber in a high vacuum negative pressure environment, and perform the corresponding sputtering coating operation.

[0064] Preferably, in order to improve the reliability and independence of the vacuuming operation, each coating chamber is equipped with a vacuuming system 30 for operation.

[0065] In other embodiments of the present application, the plurality of coating chambers include a first coating chamber 101, a second coating chamber 102, a third coating chamber 103, a fourth coating chamber 104 and a fifth coating chamber 105 which are sequentially arranged along a first direction; the first coating chamber 101, the second coating chamber 102, the third coating chamber 103, the fourth coating chamber 104 and the fifth coating chamber 105 are all provided with a feed port 106 and a discharge port 107, and the feed port 106 and the discharge port 107 are both installed with a gate valve assembly 13.

[0066] It should be noted here that the first direction refers to the front-to-back extension direction, the first coating chamber 101, the second coating chamber 102, the third coating chamber 103, the fourth coating chamber 104 and the fifth coating chamber 105 are arranged one after another from front to back, a gate valve assembly 13 is provided between the first coating chamber 101, the second coating chamber 102, the third coating chamber 103, the fourth coating chamber 104 and the fifth coating chamber 105, a gate valve assembly 13 is provided at the front end of the first coating chamber 101, and a gate valve assembly 13 is provided at the rear end of the fifth coating chamber 105.

[0067] The coating process of the coated product is to use the feeding device 20 to load the coated product into the first coating chamber 101 for the first coating, and then send it to the second coating chamber 102, the third coating chamber 103, the fourth coating chamber 104 and the fifth coating chamber 105 in sequence to complete the second coating, the third coating, the fourth coating and the fifth coating, and then unload it to complete the coating operation of one coated product.

[0068] It can be understood that the number of the coating chambers is determined according to the number of layers of the coated product, and each coating chamber can be used to coat different types of films.

[0069] In more detail, the gate valve assembly 13 includes a first main shell 131 installed at the feed port 106 and the discharge port 107, a first gate 132 movably installed at the first main shell 131, and a first driving cylinder 133 for driving the first gate 132 to move up and down to open or close the feed port 106 and the discharge port 107. When performing a vacuum operation, using the gate valve assembly 13 to seal the corresponding coating chamber is a common design method for those skilled in the art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0070] In other embodiments of the present application, the feeding device 20 includes a plurality of cage assemblies 21, a plurality of first transport mechanisms 22, a first loading assembly 23, and a first unloading assembly 24. The cage assembly 21 includes a supporting base frame 211 and a cage rotatably mounted on the supporting base frame 211, and the cage is arranged in a circular shape as a whole, and the coated product can be carried on the outer surface of the cage. A plurality of first transport mechanisms 22 are arranged at intervals in sequence along the first direction x1 on the left side of a plurality of coating chambers; the first transport mechanism 22 is used to transport the cage assembly 21; the first loading assembly 23 is arranged at the front side of the first coating chamber 101, the first loading assembly 23 includes a second transport mechanism 231 and a first transverse movement mechanism 232 for transporting the second transport mechanism 231 to move horizontally left and right to the front side of the first transport mechanism 22 or the front side of the first coating chamber 101, the second transport mechanism 231 is used to transport the cage assembly 21 of the first transport mechanism 22 into the coating chamber; the first unloading assembly 24 is arranged at the rear side of the fifth coating chamber 105; the first unloading assembly 24 includes a third transport mechanism 241 and a second transverse movement mechanism 242 for transporting the third transport mechanism 241 to move horizontally left and right to the rear side of the first transport mechanism 22 or the rear side of the fifth coating chamber 105, the third transport mechanism 241 is used to transport the cage assembly 21 in the coating chamber to the first transport mechanism 22.

[0071] It should be noted here that the arrangement of multiple first transport mechanisms 22 is the same as the arrangement of multiple coating chambers; the first transverse movement mechanism 232 in the first loading component 23 can drive the second transport mechanism 231 to move horizontally left and right to the front side of the first transport mechanism 22 located at the front side or the front side of the first coating chamber 101, so as to transfer the cage assembly 21 in the first transport mechanism 22 located at the front side and load it into the first coating chamber 101; the second transverse movement mechanism 242 in the first unloading component 24 can drive the third transport mechanism 241 to move horizontally left and right to the rear side of the first transport mechanism 22 at the rear side or the rear side of the fifth coating chamber 105, so as to unload the cage assembly 21 located in the fifth coating chamber 105 into the first transport mechanism 22 at the rear side, thereby realizing a cyclic loading and unloading operation.

[0072] Specifically, by using a cyclic loading and unloading operation, during the coating operation, the coated products can be loaded and unloaded on each cage assembly 21 carried on the first transport mechanism 22, thereby improving the efficiency of the coating production operation and avoiding material shortages.

[0073] In more detail, the first transverse movement mechanism 232 and the second transverse movement mechanism 242 have the same structure, both of which include two second guide rails 2321 arranged at a front-to-rear spacing, a second driving wheel 2322 rotatably mounted on the bottom of the second transport mechanism 231 and the third transport mechanism 241, and a second driving motor 2323. The rotation of the second driving motor 2323 can drive the second driving wheel 2322 to rotate, so that the second transport mechanism 231 and the third transport mechanism 241 can move horizontally left and right on the second guide rail 2321 accordingly.

[0074] In other embodiments of the present application, the first coating chamber 101, the second coating chamber 102, the third coating chamber 103, the fourth coating chamber 104 and the fifth coating chamber 105 are all installed with a fourth transportation mechanism 25, and each coating chamber is installed with a position identification device 14, the position identification device 14 includes a first rotating plate 141 pivotally connected at one end to the coating chamber, a second driving cylinder 142 for driving the first rotating plate 141 to swing up and down, and a position identification switch 143 fixedly installed at the other end of the first rotating plate 141; when the cage assembly 21 is transferred to the fourth transportation mechanism 25, the cage assembly 21 can abut against the position identification switch 143 to control the position of the cage assembly 21 in the coating chamber.

[0075] Specifically, the structures of the first transport mechanism 22, the second transport mechanism 231, the third transport mechanism 241 and the fourth transport mechanism 25 are roughly the same, all of which include a first track 221 set at a left and right interval, a first driving wheel 222 rotatably installed on the front and rear ends of the first track 221, a plurality of first driven wheels 223 rotatably installed on the first track 221 and located between the first driving wheels 222, and a first driving motor 224 for driving the first driving wheel 222 to rotate; the support frame 211 can be carried on the first driving wheel 222 and the first driven wheel 223, and when the first driving motor 224 drives the first driving wheel 222 to rotate, it can drive the support frame 211 to move along the extension direction of the first track 221.

[0076] Since the first driving wheel 222 is installed at both ends of the first track 221, when the cage assembly 21 is transferred from the first transport mechanism 22 to an adjacent first transport mechanism 22, the first driving wheel 222 can provide driving force to complete the transfer of the cage assembly 21 from one first transport mechanism 22 to the adjacent first transport mechanism 22. It can be seen that the first transport mechanism 22 transfers the cage assembly 21 to the second transport mechanism 231, or the second transport mechanism 231 transfers the cage assembly 21 to the fourth transport mechanism 25, or the fourth transport mechanism 25 transfers the cage assembly 21 to the adjacent fourth transport mechanism 25, or the fourth transport mechanism 25 transfers the cage assembly 21 to the third transport mechanism 241, or the third transport mechanism 241 transfers the cage assembly 21 to the first transport mechanism 22, and the working principle is the same, that is, the first driving wheels 222 at both ends provide driving force to drive the cage assembly 21 to transfer.

[0077] In some other embodiments of the present application, the coating chamber is equipped with a first top stop device 15 and a second top stop device 16, and the first top stop device 15 and the second top stop device 16 are arranged at an upper and lower interval; the first top stop device 15 includes a first fixed seat 151 fixedly installed in the coating chamber, a first rotating seat 152 rotatably installed below the first fixed seat 151, and a third driving motor 153 installed in the coating chamber and driving the first rotating seat 152 to rotate; the second top stop device 16 is fixedly installed on a third driving cylinder 161 in the coating chamber and a second rotating seat 162 of a telescopic rod rotatably installed on the third driving cylinder 161; the center position of the cage 212 is provided with an annular cylinder seat 213 passing through its upper and lower surfaces. When the cage assembly 21 is transferred to the fourth transportation mechanism 25 and the position identification switch 143 is triggered, the third driving cylinder 161 can drive the second rotating seat 162 to move upward, so that the first rotating seat 152 and the second rotating seat 162 correspondingly abut against the upper and lower ends of the annular cylinder seat 213. Such a structure is conducive to controlling the specific position of the cage assembly 21 in the coating chamber, and will not be offset, thereby improving the reliability of the coating work.

[0078] In more detail, the support base 211 is provided with an increasing sliding block 214, and the cage 212 can be rotatably mounted on the increasing sliding block 214, so that when the operator loads or unloads the coated product, it is not necessary to use a lot of force to rotate the cage 212 to change its position. The left and right sides of the bottom of the support base 211 are provided with limit bars 215, and the first driving wheel 222 and the first driven wheel 223 are provided with limit grooves 225 for the limit bars 215 to be inserted, so as to control the cage assembly 21 to be not easily separated from the first driving wheel 222 and the first driven wheel 223 during transportation.

[0079] In some other embodiments of the present application, a third stopper 26 is installed in the first transport mechanism 22 at the front end, and the third stopper 26 includes a fourth drive cylinder 261 and a third stopper seat 262 of a telescopic rod installed on the fourth drive cylinder 261. When the cage assembly 21 is transported to the first transport mechanism 22 at the front end, the fourth drive cylinder 261 can drive the third stopper seat 262 to move downward, so that the third stopper seat 262 stops at the top of the annular cylinder seat 213 to limit the position of the cage assembly 21. Such a structure is conducive to the reliability of controlling the transfer of the cage assembly 21 to the second transport mechanism 231, ensuring that the second transport mechanism 231 can only carry one cage assembly 21 at a time, and also avoiding the cage assembly 21 behind from colliding with the cage assembly 21 that has been transferred to the second transport mechanism 231.

[0080] Preferably, the third stopper device 26 further includes a support frame, and the fourth driving cylinder 261 is installed on the top of the support frame, so that the third stopper seat 262 is located above the first transport mechanism 22 .

[0081] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and only specifically describe the technical principles of the present invention. These descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention and cannot be interpreted as limiting the scope of protection of the present invention in any way. Based on the explanations here, any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention, and other specific implementations of the present invention that can be associated with by technicians in this field without creative labor, should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-chamber sputtering coating device, comprising a coating device (10), a feeding device (20) and a vacuum system (30); the coating device (10) is provided with a plurality of coating chambers, and the plurality of coating chambers are arranged in sequence along a first direction (x1); the feeding device (20) is used for loading and unloading a product to be coated into the coating chamber, and the vacuum system (30) is used for performing a vacuum operation on the coating chamber; Features: The vacuum pumping system (30) comprises a low vacuum pump group (31), a high vacuum pump group (32) and a freezing assembly (33); the low vacuum pump group (31) comprises a first Roots pump (312) and a first mechanical pump (313) which are conductively connected to the coating chamber in sequence; the high vacuum pump group (32) comprises a first molecular pump (322); the input end of the first molecular pump (322) is conductively connected to the coating chamber, and the output end of the first molecular pump (322) is conductively connected to the first Roots pump (312); the freezing assembly (33) comprises a refrigerator (331) and a freezing pipe (332); the freezing pipe (332) is arranged in the coating chamber and connected to the refrigerator (331).

2. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a first pipeline (311) and a second pipeline (321); One end of the first pipe (311) is connected to the coating chamber, the input end of the first Roots pump (312) is installed at the other end of the first pipe (311), and the input end of the first mechanical pump (313) is installed at the output end of the first Roots pump (312); One end of the second pipe (321) is conductively connected to the coating chamber, the input end of the first molecular pump (322) is installed on the other end of the second pipe (321), and the output end of the first molecular pump (322) is conductively connected to the first pipe (311).

3. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The coating chamber is provided with a first opening and a second opening; One end of the first pipeline is conductively connected to the first opening, and a first control valve (314) is provided at one end of the first pipeline (311) close to the first opening (11), and the first control valve (314) is used to control whether the first pipeline (311) is conductively connected or not conductively connected to the coating chamber; The coating chamber has second openings (12) at both ends of the left side and the right side, and the coating chamber has second openings (12) at both ends of the right side. The number of first molecular pumps (322) is equal to the number of second openings (12), one first molecular pump (322) is correspondingly installed at one second opening (12), and a third control valve (323) is installed between the first molecular pump (322) and the second opening (12). The third control valve (323) is used to control the conductive connection or non-conductive connection between the second opening (12) and the first molecular pump (322).

4. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first molecular pump (322) is connected to a first branch pipeline (324), the other end of the first branch pipeline (324) is conductively connected to the second pipeline (321), a second control valve (325) is provided at the connection between the second pipeline (321) and the first pipeline (311), and the second control valve (325) is located between the first control valve (314) and the first Roots pump (312).

5. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 1, 2 or 4, characterized in that: The plurality of coating chambers include a first coating chamber (101), a second coating chamber (102), a third coating chamber (103), a fourth coating chamber (104) and a fifth coating chamber (105) which are arranged in sequence along a first direction; the first coating chamber (101), the second coating chamber (102), the third coating chamber (103), the fourth coating chamber (104) and the fifth coating chamber (105) are all provided with a feed port (106) and a discharge port (107); the feed port (106) and the discharge port (107) are both installed with a gate valve assembly (13).

6. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gate valve assembly (13) comprises a first main shell (131) mounted on the feed port (106) and the discharge port (107), a first gate (132) movably mounted on the first main shell (131), and a first driving cylinder (133) for driving the first gate (132) to move up and down to open or close the feed port (106) and the discharge port (107).

7. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feeding device (20) comprises A plurality of cage components (21) for carrying the products to be coated; A plurality of first transport mechanisms (22) are arranged at intervals in sequence along a first direction (x1) on the left side of the plurality of coating chambers; the first transport mechanisms (22) are used to transport the cage assembly (21); A first loading assembly (23) is arranged at the front side of the first coating chamber (101); the first loading assembly (23) comprises a second transport mechanism (231) and a first transverse movement mechanism (232) for transporting the second transport mechanism (231) to move horizontally to the front side of the first transport mechanism (22) or the front side of the first coating chamber (101); the second transport mechanism (231) is used to transport the cage assembly (21) of the first transport mechanism (22) into the coating chamber; The first unloading component (24) is arranged at the rear side of the fifth coating chamber (105); the first unloading component (24) includes a third transport mechanism (241) and a third transverse movement mechanism (242) for transporting the third transport mechanism (241) to move horizontally to the rear side of the first transport mechanism (22) or the rear side of the fifth coating chamber (105); the third transport mechanism (232) is used to transport the cage assembly (21) in the coating chamber to the first transport mechanism (22).

8. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that: The cage assembly (21) comprises a supporting base frame (211) and a cage frame (212) rotatably mounted on the supporting base frame (211), wherein the cage frame (212) is used to carry the coated product; The first transport mechanism (22), the second transport mechanism (231) and the third transport mechanism (241) all include a first track (221) arranged at a left and right interval, a first driving wheel (222) rotatably mounted on the front and rear ends of the first track (221), a plurality of first driven wheels (223) rotatably mounted on the first track (221) and located between the first driving wheels (222), and a first driving motor (224) for driving the first driving wheel (222) to rotate; The support base (211) can be supported on the first driving wheel (222) and the first driven wheel (223); when the first driving motor (224) drives the first driving wheel (222) to rotate, the support base (211) can be driven to move along the extension direction of the first track (221).

9. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: It also includes a plurality of fourth transport mechanisms (25), one fourth transport mechanism (25) being installed in one coating chamber; Each coating chamber is equipped with a position identification device (14), which comprises a first rotating plate (141) pivotally connected at one end to the coating chamber, a second driving cylinder (142) for driving the first rotating plate (141) to swing up and down, and a position identification switch (143) fixedly installed at the other end of the first rotating plate (141); After the cage assembly (21) is transferred to the fourth transport mechanism (25), the cage assembly (21) can abut against the position identification switch (143) to control the position of the cage assembly (21) in the coating chamber.

10. The multi-chamber sputtering coating equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that: It also includes a first top stop device (15) and a second top stop device (16) installed in the coating chamber, and the first top stop device (15) and the second top stop device (16) are arranged with a vertical spacing; The first stop device (15) comprises a first fixed seat (151) fixedly mounted in the coating chamber, a first rotating seat (152) rotatably mounted below the first fixed seat (151), and a third driving motor (153) mounted in the coating chamber and driving the first rotating seat (152) to rotate; The second stop device (16) is fixedly mounted on a third driving cylinder (161) of the coating chamber and a second rotating seat (162) of a telescopic rod rotatably mounted on the third driving cylinder (161); The cage (212) is provided with an annular cylindrical seat (213) penetrating the upper and lower surfaces thereof at the center thereof. When the cage assembly (21) is transferred to the fourth conveying mechanism (25) and the position identification switch (143) is triggered, the third driving cylinder (161) can drive the second rotating seat (162) to move upward, so that the first rotating seat (152) and the second rotating seat (162) are respectively pressed against the upper end and the lower end of the annular cylindrical seat (213).

Images