Magnetron delivery valve and magnetron sputtering coating machine using same

Abstract

The invention discloses a magnetic control delivery valve and a magnetron sputtering coating machine using the same, and belongs to the field of magnetron sputtering. The driving assemblies are arranged on the fixing plate and penetrate through the fixing plate to be connected with the sealing valves below the driving assemblies. The sealing valve is arranged in the sealing base, and the sealing valve is sealed under the control of the driving assembly. The coating machine comprises a vacuum main cavity, and an unwinding cavity and a winding cavity are arranged at the two ends of the vacuum main cavity respectively. And the plurality of magnetic control delivery valves are respectively arranged between the unwinding / winding cavity and the vacuum main cavity. The first sealing face and the second sealing face are arranged between the sealing valve and the sealing base, the risk that the vacuum main cavity leaks when the magnetic control conveying valve is closed can be effectively avoided, meanwhile, sealing rings arranged on the sealing valve and the sealing base are arranged along the shapes of the surfaces of the sealing rings, and then the sealing valve and the sealing base are in sealing fit. And the sealing performance can be further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of magnetron sputtering, and in particular relates to a magnetron sputtering coating machine using the magnetron sputtering coating machine. Background Art

[0002] The magnetron sputtering coating machine is a device that uses magnetron sputtering technology for coating. The magnetron sputtering coating machine uses magnetic field control technology. In the device, a power supply generates a magnetic field, which controls the movement trajectory of electrons, causing the electrons to move around the surface of the target material and collide with the atoms on the surface of the target material, exciting the atoms on the surface of the target material to fly out of the surface. Subsequently, the excited target atoms will be deposited on the surface of the substrate to form a thin film. This process is achieved through the sputtering phenomenon, that is, energy sources such as high-energy particles or high-speed airflow bombard the solid surface, causing the atoms or molecules on the solid surface to be excited to leave the solid surface, and then fly in a vacuum and deposit on the surface of the substrate. The whole process is carried out in a high vacuum environment. The high vacuum environment can reduce the influence of gas impurities on the quality of the film, thereby obtaining a high-quality, pure and dense film.

[0003] After a sputtering coating is completed, the magnetron sputtering coating machine needs to replace the film roll and the film roll. In the related technology, when replacing the film roll and the film roll, the entire vacuum chamber needs to be opened and the vacuum is released to the standard atmospheric state before replacement. When the coating is started again, the gas in the vacuum chamber needs to be evacuated to an extremely high vacuum state. Since the magnetron sputtering coating machine is usually large in size, the corresponding gas volume in the vacuum chamber is also large. It takes a very long time to evacuate the vacuum environment in the vacuum chamber from the standard atmospheric state to the vacuum degree required for operation. The pre-vacuuming time is about 60 minutes, which reduces production efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a magnetron delivery valve and a magnetron sputtering coating machine using the delivery valve to solve the problems in the prior art.

[0005] To this end, the present invention provides a magnetron delivery valve and a magnetron sputtering coating machine using the delivery valve, comprising: A magnetron transfer valve, used between a magnetron sputtering coating machine and a winding / unwinding chamber, comprises a fixing plate; A plurality of drive components are arranged on the fixed plate, and the drive components penetrate the fixed plate and are connected to the sealing valve below; The sealing valve is arranged inside the sealing base, and the sealing valve is controlled by the driving component to achieve sealing; Among them, the sealing valve includes a first sealing surface and a second sealing surface, the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface are both in contact with the interior of the sealing base, the first sealing surface is used to seal the lower part of the sealing valve in contact with the sealing base, and the second sealing surface is used to seal the upper part of the sealing valve in contact with the sealing base.

[0006] As a further description of the above technical solution, the sealing valve includes an upper base with two ends protruding downward, the upper base includes a front side portion and a rear side portion, and the front side portion is provided with a valve body with a thickness half that of the upper base; A sealing ring 1 is integrally arranged along the lower edge of the valve body, the two ends of the upper base and the lower edge of the rear side portion.

[0007] As a further description of the above technical solution, the sealing base includes a base body, and a through groove is provided at the upper end of the base body, and the through groove is a movement path of the sealing valve; An inner cavity is provided in the base body, and two ends of the bottom wall of the inner cavity are respectively provided with a convex structure 1, and the bottom wall of the inner cavity is provided with an upward convex structure 2, and the convex structure 2 is adapted to the rear side of the sealing valve; The second sealing ring is formed integrally along the bottom wall of the inner cavity, the upper surface of the protruding structure one and the upper surface of the protruding structure two.

[0008] As a further description of the above technical solution, the valve body is a trapezoidal plate with gradually narrowed ends, and the shape of the valve body is compatible with the shape formed by the protruding structure 1 and the bottom wall of the inner cavity.

[0009] As a further description of the above technical solution, the protrusion structure 2 is an internally hollow structure, and a plurality of protrusion structures 3 extending downward are arranged inside the protrusion structure 2, and the protrusion structure 3 is used to reduce the friction between the sealing valve and the sealing base.

[0010] As a further description of the above technical solution, the protruding structure three is a self-lubricating friction plate.

[0011] As a further description of the above technical solution, the material of the self-lubricating friction plate is any one of a copper-based self-lubricating material, an iron-based self-lubricating material and an aluminum-based self-lubricating material.

[0012] As a further description of the above technical solution, the driving assembly includes a cylinder, a pull rod is provided at the lower end of the cylinder, and the pull rod is connected to the upper edge of the sealing valve.

[0013] As a further description of the above technical solution, the driving assembly includes a guide rod, which is connected to the middle part of the sealing valve, and the guide rod is used to ensure the stability of the sealing valve during movement.

[0014] A magnetron sputtering coating machine using any of the above-mentioned magnetron delivery valves comprises a vacuum main chamber; The unwinding chamber and the winding chamber are respectively arranged at two ends of the vacuum main chamber; A plurality of magnetically controlled conveying valves are respectively arranged between the unwinding / rewinding chamber and the vacuum main chamber; When replacing the film roll, the magnetically controlled conveying valve is controlled to be closed, and the unwinding / rewinding chamber is isolated from the vacuum chamber to ensure that the vacuum environment in the vacuum main chamber is leak-free.

[0015] Beneficial effects: The present invention provides a magnetron delivery valve and a magnetron sputtering coating machine using the delivery valve. The present application effectively avoids the risk of leakage in the vacuum main chamber when the magnetron delivery valve is closed by setting a first sealing surface and a second sealing surface between the sealing valve and the sealing base. At the same time, the sealing rings arranged on the sealing valve and the sealing base are arranged along the shape of their surfaces, and the latter two are sealed and cooperated to further improve the sealing performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, 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 invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of the magnetically controlled delivery valve provided by the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 A top view of the magnetically controlled delivery valve provided by the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 The present invention provides Figure 2 Cross-sectional view of the AA portion.

[0020] Figure 4 A three-dimensional diagram of the sealing valve provided by the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 A three-dimensional diagram of the sealing base provided by the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 A top view of the sealing base provided by the present invention.

[0023] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the magnetron sputtering coating machine provided by the present invention.

[0024] In the figure: 100, magnetically controlled transfer valve; 110, fixed plate; 120, driving assembly; 121, cylinder; 122, guide rod; 130, sealing valve; 131, upper base; 132, front side; 133, rear side; 134, valve body; 135, sealing ring 1; 140, sealing base; 141, base body; 142, through groove; 143, protruding structure 1; 144, protruding structure 2; 145, sealing ring 2; 146, protruding structure 3; 150, first sealing surface; 160, second sealing surface; 200, vacuum main cavity; 300, unwinding cavity; 400, winding cavity. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The content of the present invention can be more easily understood by selecting the following detailed description of the preferred implementation method of the present invention and the embodiments included. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. When there is a conflict, the definition in this specification shall prevail.

[0026] The embodiment of the present invention provides a magnetron sputtering coating machine using the same, which solves the problem in the prior art that after completing one sputtering coating, the magnetron sputtering coating machine needs to open the entire vacuum chamber, release the vacuum to the standard atmospheric state, and then carry out the loading, unloading and replacement of the film roll. When starting the coating again, the gas in the vacuum chamber needs to be evacuated to an extremely high vacuum state. However, since the magnetron sputtering coating machine is usually large in size, the corresponding gas volume in the vacuum chamber is also large. It takes a very long time to evacuate the vacuum environment in the vacuum chamber from the standard atmospheric state to the vacuum degree required for operation. The pre-vacuuming time is about 60 minutes, and for a vacuum chamber with a larger volume, the time required will be even longer. This invisibly increases the difficulty of the next sputtering coating, thereby reducing the problem of production efficiency.

[0027] The technical concept of the present invention is to provide a magnetron transfer valve 100 between the vacuum main chamber 200 and the winding / unwinding chamber of the magnetron sputtering coating machine. When the film roll needs to be replaced, the magnetron transfer valve 100 is closed to ensure that the vacuum environment in the vacuum main chamber 200 is leak-free, and the winding / unwinding chambers 300 on both sides are opened to replace the internal film roll. However, in actual operation, it is found that although the sealing valve 130 of the magnetron transfer valve 100 and the sealing base 140 can be sealed, there will still be a certain degree of vacuum environment leakage after the sealing valve 130 is completely closed. After long-term and multiple uses, the effect of sputtering coating will be reduced and it may even make it impossible to perform sputtering coating. After research, it was found that although a certain degree of sealing can be achieved through the cooperation between the sealing valve 130 and the sealing base 140, the sealing valve 130 needs to be driven by the driving component 120 when closing or opening, and the driving component 120 will cause the upper end of the sealing valve 130 to have a risk of leakage. The present application can effectively avoid the risk of leakage in the vacuum main cavity 200 when the magnetically controlled delivery valve 100 is closed by setting a first sealing surface 150 and a second sealing surface 160 between the sealing valve 130 and the sealing base 140. At the same time, the sealing rings arranged on the sealing valve 130 and the sealing base 140 are arranged along the shape of their surfaces, and the latter two are sealed and cooperated, which can further improve the sealing performance.

[0028] The following examples are specifically described: like Figure 1-3 As shown, a magnetron transfer valve is used between a magnetron sputtering coating machine and a winding / unwinding chamber, and includes a fixing plate 110; A plurality of drive components 120 are disposed on the fixing plate 110, and the drive components 120 penetrate the fixing plate 110 and are connected to the sealing valve 130 below; The sealing valve 130 is disposed inside the sealing base 140 , and the sealing valve 130 is controlled by the driving assembly 120 to achieve sealing; Among them, the sealing valve 130 includes a first sealing surface 150 and a second sealing surface 160, and the first sealing surface 150 and the second sealing surface 160 are both in contact with the interior of the sealing base 140. The first sealing surface 150 is used to seal the lower part of the sealing valve 130 that contacts the sealing base 140, and the second sealing surface 160 is used to seal the upper part of the sealing valve 130 that contacts the sealing base 140.

[0029] When the sealing valve 130 moves downward under the drive of the driving assembly 120, the first sealing surface 150 of the sealing valve 130 fits with the corresponding position of the sealing base 140, achieving the first step of sealing, that is, sealing the connection between the lower surface of the sealing valve 130 and the sealing base 140. The second sealing surface 160 of the sealing valve 130 fits with the corresponding position of the sealing base 140, achieving the second step of sealing, that is, sealing the upper part of the sealing valve 130 and the upper part of the sealing base 140. Through double sealing, the possibility of vacuum leakage when the vacuum main cavity 200 is sealed by the magnetic control delivery valve 100 can be effectively reduced.

[0030] like Figure 4 As shown, the sealing valve 130 includes an upper base 131 with two ends protruding downward, and protrusions extending downward are formed at both ends of the upper base 131. The upper base 131 includes a front side portion 132 and a rear side portion 133. The front side portion 132 is provided with a valve body 134 with a half thickness of the upper base 131. The front side portion 132 and the rear side portion 133 are symmetrically arranged about the central axis in the length direction of the upper base 131. When sealing, the bottom surface of the valve body 134 fits with the bottom wall of the sealing base 140, and the inner wall of the rear side portion 133 fits with the protrusion of the sealing base 140, so as to achieve double sealing and further improve the sealing effect.

[0031] In some embodiments, the cross-section of the sealing valve 130 is L-shaped, and the bottom wall of the longer end thereof fits against the bottom wall of the sealing base 140 , while the bottom wall on the other side of the sealing valve 130 fits against the protrusion in the sealing base 140 .

[0032] The sealing ring 135 is integrally provided along the lower edge of the valve body 134, the two ends of the upper base 131 and the lower edge of the rear side portion 133. Specifically, the sealing ring 135 is distributed in the shape of the valve body 134 and fits with the valve base to improve the sealing performance.

[0033] Optionally, the valve body 134 is in the shape of an inverted trapezoidal plate with gradually narrowed ends. Compared with the existing specific plate, under the same material, the mass of the valve body 134 can be reduced, so it is easier to control the opening and closing of the valve body 134 by the driving component 120. At the same time, although the valve body 134 is in the shape of an inverted trapezoidal plate, it can still be effectively sealed with the sealing base 140. A protruding structure 143 is provided at both ends of the bottom wall of the sealing base 140. The protruding structure 143 is adapted to the shape of the valve body 134. When the valve body 134 moves downward, it cooperates with the protruding structures 143 at both ends to achieve effective sealing.

[0034] like Figure 5-Figure 6As shown, the sealing base 140 includes a base body 141, and a through groove 142 is provided at the upper end of the base body 141. The through groove 142 is the movement path of the sealing valve 130. A fixing plate 110 is fixed at the upper end of the through groove 142. The fixing plate 110 and the edge of the through groove 142 are fixed by screws, and a sealing ring is fixed on the inner wall of the fixing plate 110. The position of the sealing ring corresponds to the edge position of the through groove 142, so as to achieve sealing of the upper end of the sealing base 140.

[0035] An inner cavity is provided in the base body 141, and protruding structures 143 are provided at both ends of the bottom wall of the inner cavity, and a protruding structure 144 is provided on the bottom wall of the inner cavity, and the protruding structure 144 is adapted to the rear side portion 133 of the sealing valve 130. The protruding structure 143 is provided at both ends of the inner wall of the base body 141, and the closer it is to the side wall of the base body 141, the higher its height is, and then it is connected to the protruding structure 144. The shape formed by the protruding structure 143 at both ends and the bottom wall of the base body 141 is adapted to the shape of the valve body 134 of the sealing valve 130. The second protrusion structure 144 is a trapezoidal structure arranged on the inner wall of the base body 141, and its length is consistent with the length of the inner wall of the base body 141, and the second protrusion structure 144 is adapted to the position and shape of the rear side portion 133 of the sealing valve 130. When the sealing valve 130 moves downward, the second protrusion structure 144 fits with the rear side portion 133, thereby achieving further sealing.

[0036] A sealing ring 145 is provided in the base body 141. The sealing ring 145 is integrally formed along the bottom wall of the inner cavity, the upper surface of the protruding structure 143 and the upper surface of the protruding structure 144. When the delivery valve is closed, the sealing ring 145 fits with the corresponding position of the sealing valve 130 (the position of the non-sealing ring 135, the sealing ring 135 fits with the position of the non-sealing ring 145 in the base body 141), thereby achieving further double sealing and effectively preventing vacuum leakage.

[0037] Continue to refer Figure 5-Figure 6 The second protruding structure 144 is a hollow structure inside, which can effectively reduce the weight of the entire valve base, thereby reducing the weight of the magnetically controlled delivery valve 100, and a third protruding structure 146 is provided inside the second protruding structure 144, i.e., in the hollow part. The third protruding structure 146 adopts a self-lubricating friction material, which can effectively reduce the problem of wear and tear of grooves or openings caused by long-term hard friction between the sealing valve 130 and the sealing base 140, thereby affecting the sealing of the entire delivery valve, and can also improve the service life of the delivery valve.

[0038] Optionally, in some embodiments, the self-lubricating friction structure in the protrusion structure three 146 can be configured as a self-lubricating friction plate close to the sealing valve 130, the shape of the self-lubricating friction plate is the same as the shape of the protrusion structure three 146, and the self-lubricating friction plate and the protrusion structure three 146 are connected by screws.

[0039] Optionally, the material of the self-lubricating friction plate is any one of a copper-based self-lubricating material, an iron-based self-lubricating material and an aluminum-based self-lubricating material. Among them, the copper-based self-lubricating material can be a copper-graphite composite material or a copper-lead-tin alloy. The iron-based self-lubricating material can be an iron-graphite composite material or an oil-containing bearing material (iron-based). The aluminum-based self-lubricating material can be an aluminum-graphite-silicon alloy or an aluminum-tin alloy. The specific selection can be based on actual needs and is not limited here.

[0040] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the drive assembly 120 includes a cylinder 121, a pull rod is provided at the lower end of the cylinder 121, and the pull rod is connected to the upper edge of the sealing valve 130. The drive assembly 120 also includes a guide rod 122, and the guide rod 122 is connected to the middle part of the sealing valve 130. The guide rod 122 is used to ensure the stability of the sealing valve 130 during movement. After completing a sputtering coating, by operating the button, under the action of the force of compressed air, the rod of the cylinder 121 is extended into place, so that the movable sealing valve 130 is pressed down and tightly cooperates with the sealing ring of the sealing base 140, which can effectively improve the sealing performance.

[0041] Optionally, the cylinder 121 may use two standard cylinders 121 with a cylinder diameter of 100 mm. When the cylinder 121 drives the sealing valve 130 to move, the guide rod 122 will also move synchronously.

[0042] like Figure 7 As shown, the present invention also discloses a magnetron sputtering coating machine using the above-mentioned magnetron delivery valve 100, including a vacuum main chamber 200; The unwinding chamber 300 and the winding chamber 400 are respectively arranged at two ends of the vacuum main chamber 200; A plurality of magnetically controlled delivery valves 100 are respectively disposed between the unwinding / rewinding chamber 400 and the vacuum main chamber 200; When replacing the film roll, the magnetically controlled conveying valve 100 is controlled to be closed, and the unwinding / rewinding chamber 400 is isolated from the vacuum chamber to ensure that the vacuum environment in the vacuum main chamber 200 is leak-free.

[0043] Specifically, after a sputtering coating is completed, the rod of the cylinder 121 is extended to the position by operating the button under the force of the compressed air, so that the movable sealing valve 130 is pressed down and closely cooperates with the sealing ring of the sealing base 140 of the conveying valve body, ensuring that the vacuum environment in the vacuum main chamber 200 is leak-free. At this time, the winding and unwinding chambers 300 on both sides are opened to load, unload and replace the film roll. During the sputtering coating process, the rod of the cylinder 121 is retracted to the position, leaving a gap between the middle and lower parts to facilitate the film roll to pass through, realizing the roll-to-roll process.

[0044] Finally, it should be noted that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, it is still possible for those skilled in the art to modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or to make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A magnetron transfer valve, used between a magnetron sputtering coating machine and a winding / unwinding chamber, characterized in that: Includes fixing plate; A plurality of drive components are arranged on the fixed plate, and the drive components penetrate the fixed plate and are connected to the sealing valve below; The sealing valve is arranged inside the sealing base, and the sealing valve is controlled by the driving component to achieve sealing; Among them, the sealing valve includes a first sealing surface and a second sealing surface, the first sealing surface and the second sealing surface are both in contact with the interior of the sealing base, the first sealing surface is used to seal the lower part of the sealing valve in contact with the sealing base, and the second sealing surface is used to seal the upper part of the sealing valve in contact with the sealing base.

2. The magnetically controlled delivery valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing valve comprises an upper base with two ends protruding downwards, the upper base comprises a front side portion and a rear side portion, and the front side portion is provided with a valve body having a thickness half that of the upper base; A sealing ring 1 is integrally arranged along the lower edge of the valve body, the two ends of the upper base and the lower edge of the rear side portion.

3. The magnetically controlled delivery valve according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sealing base comprises a base body, the upper end of which is provided with a through groove, and the through groove is a movement path of the sealing valve; An inner cavity is provided in the base body, and two ends of the bottom wall of the inner cavity are respectively provided with a convex structure 1, and the bottom wall of the inner cavity is provided with an upward convex structure 2, and the convex structure 2 is adapted to the rear side of the sealing valve; The second sealing ring is formed integrally along the bottom wall of the inner cavity, the upper surface of the protruding structure one and the upper surface of the protruding structure two.

4. The magnetically controlled delivery valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: The valve body is a trapezoidal plate with gradually narrowed ends, and the shape of the valve body is compatible with the shape formed by the protruding structure 1 and the bottom wall of the inner cavity.

5. The magnetically controlled delivery valve according to claim 3, characterized in that: The protruding structure 2 is a structure with a hollow interior, and a plurality of protruding structures 3 extending downward are arranged inside the protruding structure 2. The protruding structure 3 is used to reduce the friction between the sealing valve and the sealing base.

6. The magnetically controlled delivery valve according to claim 5, characterized in that: The protruding structure three is a self-lubricating friction plate.

7. The magnetically controlled delivery valve according to claim 6, characterized in that: The material of the self-lubricating friction plate is any one of a copper-based self-lubricating material, an iron-based self-lubricating material and an aluminum-based self-lubricating material.

8. The magnetically controlled delivery valve according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly comprises a cylinder, a pull rod is arranged at the lower end of the cylinder, and the pull rod is connected to the upper edge of the sealing valve.

9. The magnetically controlled delivery valve according to claim 8, characterized in that: The driving assembly comprises a guide rod, which is connected to the middle part of the sealing valve and is used to ensure the stability of the sealing valve during movement.

10. A magnetron sputtering coating machine using the magnetron delivery valve according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: including a vacuum main chamber; The unwinding chamber and the winding chamber are respectively arranged at two ends of the vacuum main chamber; A plurality of magnetically controlled conveying valves are respectively arranged between the unwinding / rewinding chamber and the vacuum main chamber; When replacing the film roll, the magnetically controlled conveying valve is controlled to be closed, and the unwinding / rewinding chamber is isolated from the vacuum main chamber to ensure that the vacuum environment in the vacuum main chamber is leak-free.

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