Coating machine

Abstract

The invention discloses a coating machine, which comprises: a process chamber combination, which comprises at least two process chambers which are arranged according to a coating process sequence and are respectively sealed, and each process chamber is internally provided with a conveying mechanism used for conveying a workpiece rack; the workpiece frame sent out from the outlet side of the process chamber combination is conveyed back to the inlet side of the process chamber combination through the conveying mechanism, and the conveying mechanism is provided with a jacking and rotating device used for jacking and rotating the workpiece frame; and the feeding and discharging mechanism is matched with the jacking and rotating device to disassemble and assemble the workpieces on the workpiece frame. The process chambers are arranged according to the coating process sequence, the workpiece frames are circularly conveyed between the outlet side and the inlet side of the process chamber combination through the conveying mechanism, then the workpieces on the workpiece frames are disassembled and assembled through the feeding and discharging mechanism, multi-chamber circulating coating is achieved, and the coating efficiency is remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vacuum coating equipment, and in particular to a coating machine for optical coating. Background Art

[0002] In the field of vacuum coating technology, vacuum coating equipment is a key device for material surface modification or coating treatment. Its working principle mainly relies on depositing coating materials onto the substrate surface by physical or chemical methods under a high vacuum environment to enhance material performance, improve appearance or achieve specific functions.

[0003] During the vacuum coating process, the substrate needs to be moved accurately and efficiently between different coating chambers and transport chambers. In order to ensure the coating quality and avoid mutual contamination of gas components in different coating chambers, gate valves (also called gate valves) are generally used in the prior art as isolation devices between chambers. Specifically, when it is necessary to perform a coating operation, the substrate in the transport chamber can be safely transported to the target coating chamber by opening the gate valve; after the coating is completed, the substrate is transported to the next processing chamber or directly taken out through the gate valve. During the coating process, closing the gate valve can ensure that a relatively independent vacuum enclosed space is formed in the coating chamber, so that the substrate can be coated in this space, effectively preventing interference and pollution from external gases.

[0004] However, although the existing vacuum coating equipment meets the basic coating needs to a certain extent, its functions are relatively simple and it is often limited to executing a single coating process. It is difficult to achieve multi-process cycle coating, which greatly limits the application scope of the equipment in complex coating needs. In addition, the existing equipment is often designed to be large and comprehensive, resulting in a large size of the equipment, which not only increases the manufacturing cost, but also puts forward higher requirements on the space of the use site, bringing many inconveniences to the installation, commissioning and maintenance of the equipment.

[0005] Therefore, how to design a coating machine that can achieve multi-process cycle coating is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently in the industry. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to solve the problem of single function of existing vacuum coating equipment, the present invention proposes a coating machine, which can realize multi-chamber circulation coating, has complete functions and small size, and effectively improves the coating efficiency.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is to design a coating machine, comprising:

[0008] A process chamber assembly, comprising at least two process chambers arranged in a coating process sequence and sealed separately, wherein a conveying mechanism for conveying a workpiece rack is provided in the process chamber;

[0009] A transport mechanism, wherein the workpiece rack sent out from the outlet side of the process chamber combination is transported back to the inlet side of the process chamber combination through the transport mechanism, and the transport mechanism is provided with a jacking and rotating device for jacking up and rotating the workpiece rack;

[0010] The loading and unloading mechanism cooperates with the jacking device to disassemble and assemble the workpieces on the workpiece rack.

[0011] Further, the process chamber combination is any one of a three-chamber combination, a four-chamber combination or a five-chamber combination;

[0012] The three-chamber combination is sequentially a pretreatment chamber, an AR chamber for preparing an AR film layer, and an AF chamber for preparing an AF film layer;

[0013] The four-chamber combination is sequentially a pretreatment chamber, an AR chamber for preparing an AR film layer, a DLC chamber for preparing a DLC film layer, and an AF chamber for preparing an AF film layer;

[0014] The five-chamber combination is sequentially a first preheating chamber and a second preheating chamber for preheating a workpiece, a first AR chamber and a second AR chamber for preparing an AR film layer, and a DLC chamber for preparing a DLC film layer.

[0015] Furthermore, the process chambers in the process chamber combination are arranged in a straight line, a U shape or an L shape.

[0016] Furthermore, the process chamber has two openings serving as an inlet and an outlet respectively, and each of the openings is equipped with a gate valve; wherein the gate valve comprises: a fixed frame installed at the opening, a door plate for covering the opening being provided in the fixed frame, and the door plate can move back and forth in a horizontal direction to open or close the opening.

[0017] Furthermore, the door panel includes: an outer panel and an inner panel, and a plurality of mutually parallel clamping shafts are hingedly installed between the outer panel and the inner panel, and the outer panel moves relative to the inner panel through the clamping shafts to press the inner panel against the opening for sealing.

[0018] Furthermore, the outer plate is driven to move by a transmission assembly, and the inner plate is provided with a limit block for limiting its moving position. The clamping shaft rotates when the outer plate and the inner plate move relative to each other, and the distance between the inner plate and the outer plate is increased when the clamping shaft rotates, thereby clamping the inner plate.

[0019] Furthermore, the gate valve further comprises: a sealing chamber horizontally arranged on one side of the fixed frame, the sealing chamber is communicated with the fixed frame, and the door plate moves back and forth in the fixed frame and the sealing chamber.

[0020] Furthermore, the gate valves between two adjacent process chambers share the fixed frame and the sealing chamber.

[0021] Furthermore, at least one observation window is provided on a side away from the fixed frame and / or the sealed chamber.

[0022] Furthermore, the loading and unloading mechanism is provided with a pre-processing device and at least one workpiece buffering device, and the loading and unloading mechanism transports the workpieces between the pre-processing device, the workpiece buffering device and the transportation mechanism.

[0023] Furthermore, the pre-processing device includes:

[0024] A cleaning device for cleaning a substrate;

[0025] The chip mounting device is used to mount the cleaned substrate on a carrier to obtain a workpiece to be coated, and the chip mounting device is connected to the outlet side of the cleaning device.

[0026] In some embodiments, the transport mechanism is equipped with a top-turning device, and the loading and unloading mechanism includes a loading and unloading robot. The loading and unloading robot cooperates with the top-turning device to remove the coated workpieces on the workpiece rack and load the workpieces to be coated onto the workpiece rack.

[0027] In some other embodiments, the transport mechanism comprises a loading section, a buffer section and a unloading section, the loading section is connected with the inlet side of the process chamber combination, the unloading section is connected with the outlet side of the process chamber combination, the loading section is equipped with a loading top rotating device, and the unloading section is equipped with a unloading top rotating device;

[0028] The loading and unloading mechanism comprises a loading and unloading robot and a loading robot. The loading and unloading robot cooperates with the loading and unloading turning device to dismantle the coated workpiece on the workpiece rack, and the loading robot cooperates with the loading and unloading turning device to load the workpiece to be coated onto the workpiece rack.

[0029] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0030] 1. The process chambers are arranged in the order of the coating process, and the workpiece rack is circulated and transported between the outlet and inlet sides of the process chamber combination by the transport mechanism, and then the workpieces on the workpiece rack are disassembled and assembled by the loading and unloading mechanism, so as to realize multi-chamber cyclic coating and significantly improve the coating efficiency;

[0031] 2. The process chamber combination can adopt a three-chamber combination, a four-chamber combination or a five-chamber combination. When the coating machine is working, the workpiece follows the workpiece rack and enters each process chamber in turn for corresponding process treatment, flexibly meeting different coating requirements;

[0032] 3. The gate valve is loaded from the side of the process chamber instead of lifting and loading in traditional technology, which reduces the overall height of the coating machine and thus reduces the height requirement for the installation space;

[0033] 4. The door panel includes an inner panel and an outer panel. When the door panel moves into the fixed frame and covers the opening of the process chamber, the inner panel reaches the specified position first, and the outer panel can continue to move along the moving direction of the door panel. The clamping shaft rotates when the outer panel and the inner panel move relative to each other to squeeze the inner panel to form a sealing structure, thereby achieving the sealing of the inner panel relative to the opening of the process chamber and improving the sealing performance of the door valve. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0035] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a coating machine of the present invention in a linear layout;

[0036] Figure 2 It is a top view schematic diagram of the coating machine of the present invention in a linear layout;

[0037] Figure 3 It is a top view schematic diagram of the coating machine of the present invention in an L-shaped layout;

[0038] Figure 4 It is a top view schematic diagram of a U-shaped layout of the coating machine of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gate valve of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a door panel of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 7 For the present invention Figure 6 The enlarged schematic diagram of point A in the middle;

[0042] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of the door panel of the present invention;

[0043] Fig. 9 It is a structural schematic diagram of the transmission assembly of the present invention;

[0045] 100, process chamber combination; 101, pretreatment chamber; 102, AR chamber; 103, DLC chamber; 104, AF chamber; 110, vacuum system; 200, transportation mechanism; 201, mobile car; 202, working section; 300, top rotation device; 400, loading and unloading mechanism; 500, cleaning equipment; 600, patch equipment; 700, workpiece buffer equipment; 800, workpiece rack; 900, gate valve;

[0046] 10. Fixed frame; 20. Sealing chamber; 210. Sealing reinforcement rib; 30. Door panel; 301. Inner panel; 302. Outer panel; 303. Clamping shaft; 304. Limiting block; 305. Reinforcement rib; 40. Transmission assembly; 401. Rack; 402. Gear; 403. Driving device; 50. Observation window. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention 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 invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the coating machine proposed by the present invention includes: a process chamber assembly 100, a transportation mechanism 200 and a loading and unloading mechanism 400. The process chamber assembly 100 includes at least two process chambers. The process chambers in the process chamber assembly 100 are arranged in sequence according to the coating process sequence. Each process chamber is a separately sealed vacuum chamber. A conveying mechanism for transporting a workpiece rack 800 is provided in the process chamber. The workpiece is hung on the workpiece rack 800. When the coating machine is working, the workpiece follows the workpiece rack 800 and enters each process chamber in sequence for corresponding process treatment.

[0049] The two ends of the transport mechanism 200 are respectively connected to the exit side and the entrance side of the process chamber assembly 100. Specifically, in some embodiments of the present invention, the transport mechanism 200 includes two mobile carts 201 and a working section 202. One mobile cart 201 can move to the exit side of the process chamber assembly 100, and the other mobile cart 201 can move to the entrance side of the process chamber assembly 100. The working section 202 is equipped with a top rotating device 300, and the loading and unloading mechanism 400 is located near the top rotating device 300.

[0050] The workpiece rack 800 sent out from the outlet side of the process chamber combination 100 is transferred to the working section 202 by a mobile trolley 201, and the workpiece rack 800 is further transported to the top rotating device 300, which lifts and rotates the workpiece rack 800 to cooperate with the loading and unloading mechanism 400 to remove the coated workpieces on the workpiece rack 800 and load the workpieces to be coated onto the workpiece rack 800. The loaded workpiece rack 800 is transferred to the inlet side of the process chamber combination 100 by another mobile trolley 201 for the next round of coating.

[0051] The coating machine designed in the present invention arranges process chambers according to the coating process sequence, and circulates the workpiece rack 800 between the outlet side and the inlet side of the process chamber assembly 100 through the transportation mechanism 200, and then disassembles and assembles the workpieces on the workpiece rack 800 through the loading and unloading mechanism 400, thereby realizing multi-chamber cyclic coating and significantly improving the coating efficiency.

[0052] It should be understood that in order to improve the uniformity of coating, the workpiece rack 800 is cylindrical in shape, and the workpieces are arranged circumferentially and loaded on the workpiece rack 800. A top rotating device 300 for lifting and rotating the workpiece rack 800 is also provided in the process chamber. After the workpiece rack 800 enters each process chamber, the top rotating device 300 in the process chamber lifts and rotates the workpiece rack 800.

[0053] The number and layout of the process chambers and the specific process of each chamber can be designed according to actual needs. The following is only an example of the preferred solution. The process chamber combination 100 is any one of a three-chamber combination, a four-chamber combination or a five-chamber combination.

[0054] Three chamber combination

[0055] The three-chamber combination is a pre-treatment chamber 101, an AR chamber 102 for preparing an AR film layer, and an AF chamber 104 for preparing an AF film layer.

[0056] The pretreatment chamber 101 includes heating, plasma cleaning and seed layer targets. Heating can be resistive or infrared heating to heat the substrate placed in the chamber, aiming to improve the exhaust efficiency and ensure uniform temperature on the surface of the substrate. Plasma cleaning is to clean the surface of the substrate through plasma technology, and at the same time activate the surface of the substrate to provide better adhesion conditions for subsequent coating processes. The seed layer target is made of materials such as C, Rb, Si, and ceramics. The seed layer target is deposited on the surface of the substrate to form a seed layer. The seed layer is used as a base layer before coating, which can improve the coating quality and adhesion.

[0057] AR chamber 102 includes heating, sputtering targets and ICP. Heating can be carried out by resistive or infrared heating to heat the substrate to improve the pumping efficiency and ensure temperature uniformity. The sputtering target uses a planar or rotating sputtering target of materials such as C, Rb, Si, ceramics, metals and alloy materials such as Al, Cu, Au, Ag, and oxide materials such as ITO and IZO. The sputtering power supply (including DC, medium frequency, pulsed radio frequency, etc.) provides energy to sputter the target material and deposit it on the surface of the substrate to form a single-layer film. ICP (inductively coupled plasma) is used to ionize reaction gases (such as O2, N2, H2, etc.) to cause these gases to react with the sputtered film layer, and finally form a compound film with specific properties.

[0058] The AF chamber 104 includes heating, seed layer targets and AF evaporation sources. Heating can be carried out by resistive or infrared heating to heat the substrate to improve the pumping efficiency and temperature uniformity. In addition, the chamber is also responsible for post-processing the film layer to improve the quality of the film layer. The seed layer target is similar to the pre-treatment chamber, and seed layer targets of materials such as C, Rb, Si, and ceramics are set to improve the coating quality and adhesion. The main function of the AF evaporation source is to heat the raw materials in the crucible, evaporate them and deposit them on the surface of the substrate, thereby forming a thin film with waterproof, oil-proof and anti-fingerprint effects.

[0059] Specifically, the working process of the AF evaporation source is to use resistance heating or other heating methods to heat the AF material (such as fluorine-containing coatings, the main component of which is perfluoropolyether) in the crucible to the evaporation temperature. As the temperature rises, the AF material gradually changes from solid to gaseous, forming an evaporation particle flow. The evaporated particle flow diffuses in a vacuum and shoots directly to the surface of the substrate. These particles are deposited and condensed on the substrate, gradually forming a uniform AF film. A thin film with extremely low surface tension will be formed on the surface of the substrate after being treated by the AF evaporation source. This film can significantly improve the hydrophobic, oil-repellent, and anti-fouling properties of the material, thereby effectively preventing the residue of stains such as fingerprints.

[0060] Four-chamber combination

[0061] The four-chamber combination is a pretreatment chamber 101, an AR chamber 102 for preparing an AR film layer, a DLC chamber 103 for preparing a DLC film layer, and an AF chamber 104 for preparing an AF film layer.

[0062] The four-chamber combination is a three-chamber combination with the addition of a DLC chamber 103, and the remaining pretreatment chamber 101, AR chamber 102 and AF chamber 104 are the same as the corresponding chambers of the three-chamber combination, that is, the introduction of the pretreatment chamber 101, AR chamber 102 and AF chamber 104 is as mentioned above.

[0063] The DLC chamber 103 includes heating, sputtering targets and process reserved positions. Heating can be carried out by resistive or infrared heating to heat the substrate to improve the pumping efficiency and temperature uniformity. The sputtering target adopts a C plane or rotating target, and the sputtering energy is provided by a sputtering power supply (DC, medium frequency, pulsed radio frequency, HIPIMS, etc.), so that the sputtered target particles react chemically with special gases (such as nitrogen, oxygen, etc.) in the cavity to generate DLC films with superhard properties. After these films are deposited on the surface of the substrate, they can play a role in scratch resistance and wear resistance, and significantly improve the surface performance of the substrate. A process reserved position is specially set in the DLC chamber, and this position can be customized and adjusted according to actual needs.

[0064] Five chamber combination

[0065] The five-chamber combination is sequentially the first preheating chamber and the second preheating chamber for preheating the workpiece, the first AR chamber and the second AR chamber for preparing the AR film layer, and the DLC chamber 103 for preparing the DLC film layer.

[0066] The five-chamber combination is provided with two preheating chambers, two AR chambers 102 and one DLC chamber 103. The preheating chamber is different from the pretreatment chamber 101 of the four-chamber combination or the three-chamber combination. The AR chamber 102 and the DLC chamber 103 are the same as the corresponding chambers of the four-chamber combination or the three-chamber combination, that is, the introduction of the AR chamber 102 and the DLC chamber 103 can be found above.

[0067] The preheating chamber includes heating, which can be resistive or infrared heating to heat the substrate to improve the extraction efficiency and temperature uniformity.

[0068] It should be noted that the arrangement shape of the process chamber assembly 100 can be designed according to actual needs. At least three layout schemes are provided below to adapt to different production needs and space conditions.

[0069] See also Figure 2 The linear layout is the most direct and simple, with each process chamber arranged in a straight line. Since all chambers are located in a straight line, it is easy to observe and maintain. However, when the number of process chambers increases, the transport route of the transport mechanism 200 will be correspondingly lengthened, resulting in a larger floor space, which may not be suitable for a production environment with limited space.

[0070] See also Figure 3 The L-shaped layout effectively shortens the transport route of the transport mechanism 200 by introducing a right-angle turn. This layout makes the overall structure of the coating machine more compact and reduces the floor space, and is particularly suitable for occasions with limited space.

[0071] See also Figure 4 The U-shaped layout further optimizes space utilization and further shortens the transportation route of the transportation mechanism 200 by forming a semi-closed loop. This layout not only improves space efficiency, but also promotes the cyclicity and continuity of the process flow and improves overall production efficiency.

[0072] For a single process chamber, the process chamber needs to maintain good sealing. The process chamber has two openings as an inlet and an outlet respectively. Each opening is equipped with a gate valve 900. After the workpiece on the workpiece rack 800 is processed in a process chamber, the gate valve 900 between the two chambers is opened (the gate valve between the process chambers is always sealed relative to the atmosphere), and the conveying mechanism in the chamber moves the coating drum to the next process chamber.

[0073] like Figure 5As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the gate valve 900 includes: a fixed frame 10 and a door plate 30. The fixed frame 10 is installed at the opening of the process chamber. The door plate 30 is located in the fixed frame 10, and the door plate 30 can move back and forth in the horizontal direction to open or close the opening. The gate valve 900 of the present invention is loaded from the side of the process chamber instead of the lifting loading in the traditional technology, which reduces the overall height of the coating machine and thus reduces the height requirement for the installation space.

[0074] like Figure 6 , 7 As shown, in order to improve the sealing performance of the gate valve 900, the preferred solution is that the door plate 30 includes: an outer plate 302 and an inner plate 301, and a plurality of mutually parallel clamping shafts 303 are hingedly installed between the outer plate 302 and the inner plate 301, where the plurality refers to two or more, and the outer plate 302 moves relative to the inner plate 301 through the clamping shaft 303 to press the inner plate 301 against the opening of the process chamber for sealing. When the door plate 30 is moved into the fixed frame 10 and covers the opening of the process chamber, after the inner plate 301 reaches the specified position, the outer plate 302 can still continue to move along the moving direction of the door plate 30, thereby driving the clamping shaft 303 to rotate, so as to squeeze the inner plate 301 to form a sealing structure, thereby achieving the sealing of the inner plate 301 relative to the opening of the process chamber, strengthening the sealing performance of the gate valve 900, and improving the coating quality.

[0075] like Figures 6 to 8 As shown, specifically, the outer plate 302 is driven to move by the transmission assembly 40, and the inner plate 301 is provided with a limit block 304 for limiting its moving position to ensure the position accuracy of the inner plate 301, and the clamping shaft 303 rotates when the outer plate 302 and the inner plate 301 move relative to each other.

[0076] When the inner plate 301 seals the opening, after the inner plate 301 moves to the specified position, the limit block 304 will limit the inner plate 301 from moving further, while the outer plate 302 can still move along the closing direction, so that the distance between the inner plate 301 and the outer plate 302 gradually increases, and the outer plate 302 tightly squeezes the inner plate 301 through the clamping shaft 303;

[0077] When the inner plate 301 leaves the opening, the outer plate 302 is driven by the transmission assembly 40 to move first, and the distance between the inner plate 301 and the outer plate 302 gradually decreases. Then, the inner plate 301 moves with the outer plate 302 driven by the clamping shaft 303 until the entire inner plate 301 completely leaves the opening.

[0078] It should be understood that, when the inner plate 301 seals the opening, when the angle θ between the clamping shaft 303 and the outer plate 302 is 90°, the distance between the inner plate 301 and the outer plate 302 is the largest, and the clamping effect of the inner plate 301 is the best; when the inner plate 301 leaves the opening, the outer plate 302 moves first and then moves with the inner plate 301, and the angle θ between the clamping shaft 303 and the outer plate 302 is less than 90°.

[0079] In addition, the inner plate 301 and the outer plate 302 are preferably square. In practical applications, the transmission assembly 40 can be arranged at the top and / or bottom of the outer plate 302. The stability and reliability of the transmission assembly 40 arranged at both the top and the bottom of the outer plate 302 are the best. In addition, in order to further improve the stability of the movement of the outer plate 302, a guide assembly is also arranged at the top and / or the bottom of the outer plate 302. The guide assembly can be a guide rail slider assembly. A guide rail is designed on the outer plate 302 and can slide along the guide rail to ensure that the outer plate 302 moves in a straight line.

[0080] like Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, in order to ensure that the vacuum state in the process chamber is maintained during the opening of the gate valve 900, the gate valve 900 further includes: a sealing chamber 20, the sealing chamber 20 is horizontally arranged on one side of the fixed frame 10, the sealing chamber 20 is connected to the fixed frame 10, and the door plate 30 moves back and forth in the fixed frame 10 and the sealing chamber 20. When the door plate 30 is completely moved into the fixed frame 10, the door plate 30 covers the opening of the process chamber; when the door plate 30 is completely moved into the sealing chamber 20, the door plate 30 is opened relative to the opening of the process chamber.

[0081] It should be noted that the sealed chamber 20 may be rectangular in shape, and a crisscross sealing reinforcement rib 210 is provided on the surface of the sealed chamber 20 to form a regular grid. The sealing reinforcement ribs 210 are evenly distributed at a predetermined interval to ensure that the sealed chamber 20 is subjected to balanced force in all directions.

[0082] like Fig. 9 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the transmission assembly 40 mentioned above includes a rack 401, a gear 402 and a driving device 403, and the driving device 403 can be a driving motor. Taking the transmission assembly 40 on the top of the outer plate 302 as an example, the top of the outer plate 302 is provided with a rack 401 arranged along its moving direction, the driving device 403 is installed on the fixed frame 10, and the output end of the driving device 403 is connected to the gear 402, and the gear 402 is meshed with the rack 401.

[0083] In this way, when the door panel 30 needs to move back and forth in the fixed frame 10 and the sealed chamber 20, the control unit of the coating machine will start the driving device 403, and the driving device 403 will drive the gear 402 to rotate forward or reverse, thereby driving the rack 401 to move horizontally relative to the gear 402, and at the same time the rack 401 will drive the outer plate 302 connected to it to move.

[0084] When the driving device 403 drives the gear 402 to rotate in the opposite direction, the rack 401 will drive the door panel 30 to move into the sealed chamber 20, and open the inner plate 301 relative to the opening of the process chamber, so as to allow the workpiece rack 800 to enter the current process chamber, or allow the workpiece rack 800 to move from the current process chamber to the next process chamber; and when the driving device 403 drives the gear 402 to rotate in the forward direction, the rack 401 will drive the outer plate 302 and the inner plate 301 to move into the fixed frame 10, and close and seal the inner plate 301 relative to the opening of the process chamber, so that a closed space is formed in the process chamber, and the workpiece is coated in the closed space.

[0085] It should be understood that in order to simplify the gate valve structure between the process chambers and make the coating machine more compact as a whole, the gate valve 900 between two adjacent process chambers shares the fixed frame 10 and the sealed chamber 20, that is, two door panels 30 are provided in the fixed frame 10, and each door panel 30 moves back and forth in the fixed frame 10 and the sealed chamber 20.

[0086] like Figure 8 As shown, in order to improve the strength of the inner plate 301, the inner plate 301 is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs 305, and an example is given in which the inner plate 301 is provided with crisscross reinforcing ribs 305 to form a regular grid. These reinforcing ribs 305 are evenly distributed at a predetermined interval, which improves the strength of the inner plate 301 and keeps it flat, and prevents the inner plate 301 from tilting during sealing, thereby reducing the sealing effect. In addition, the side of the inner plate 301 facing the opening is a sealing surface. In order to improve the sealing effect of the gate valve 900, a sealing member is provided around the sealing surface, and the sealing member is preferably a silicone sealing ring resistant to high temperature and high pressure.

[0087] like Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, at least one observation window 50 is provided on the side away from the fixed frame 10 and / or the sealed chamber 20, so that the user can observe the movement of the door panel 30 through the observation window 50, and carry out targeted maintenance in case of abnormality, thereby ensuring the production efficiency and coating quality of the coating machine.

[0088] like Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, a pre-processing device and at least one workpiece buffer device 700 are provided at the loading and unloading mechanism 400, and the loading and unloading mechanism 400 transports the workpiece between the pre-processing device, the workpiece buffer device 700 and the transportation mechanism 200. The function of the pre-processing device is to perform pre-processing on the workpiece before coating, such as cleaning the substrate, attaching the substrate to the carrier, etc. The function of the workpiece buffer device 700 is to temporarily store the workpiece to be coated or the coated workpiece. By configuring the pre-processing device and the workpiece buffer device 700 at the loading and unloading mechanism 400, the coating machine can realize the whole process processing from substrate loading to unloading, with high efficiency and complete functions, and greatly improve the production capacity.

[0089] like Figure 1 As shown, in some feasible embodiments, the pre-processing equipment includes: a cleaning device 500 and a patch device 600. The cleaning device 500 and the patch device 600 are both prior arts. The cleaning device 500 is used to clean the substrate. The patch device 600 is used to attach the cleaned substrate to a carrier to obtain a workpiece to be coated. The patch device 600 is connected to the outlet side of the cleaning device 500.

[0090] It should be pointed out that the number of loading and unloading mechanisms 400 can be designed according to actual needs. The following provides at least two design schemes of loading and unloading mechanisms 400 and their supporting transportation mechanisms 200.

[0091] The first is that the transport mechanism 200 is equipped with a top rotating device 300, and the loading and unloading mechanism 400 includes a loading and unloading robot, which cooperates with the top rotating device 300 to remove the coated workpieces on the workpiece rack 800 and load the workpieces to be coated onto the workpiece rack 800. This solution uses a loading and unloading robot to perform loading and unloading operations, and two workpiece buffer devices 700 can be placed at the loading and unloading robot, one for placing the workpieces to be coated, and the other for placing the coated workpieces.

[0092] The second type is that the transportation mechanism 200 includes a loading section, a buffer section and a unloading section, which is equivalent to dividing the above working section into three functional sections. The loading section is connected to the inlet side of the process chamber combination 100 through the mobile trolley 201, and the unloading section is connected to the outlet side of the process chamber combination 100 through the mobile trolley 201. The loading section is equipped with a loading top turning device, and the unloading section is equipped with a unloading top turning device.

[0093] The loading and unloading mechanism 400 includes a loading and unloading robot and a loading and unloading robot. The loading and unloading robot cooperates with the loading and unloading top rotating device to remove the coated workpieces on the workpiece rack 800. A workpiece buffer device 700 for placing the coated workpieces can be placed at the loading and unloading robot. The pre-processing equipment is placed at the loading and unloading robot. A workpiece buffer device 700 for placing the workpieces to be coated can also be placed at the loading and unloading robot. The loading and unloading robot cooperates with the loading and unloading top rotating device to load the workpieces to be coated onto the workpiece rack 800.

[0094] It should be understood that the process chambers mentioned above are all equipped with a vacuum system 110, and the vacuum system 110 is used to make the process chamber reach the vacuum degree required for coating. Among them, the vacuum system 110, the gate valve 900, the transportation mechanism 200, the loading and unloading mechanism 400, etc. are all connected to the control unit of the coating machine in communication, and the control unit adopts PLC programming control to realize the automatic production of the whole machine.

[0095] In addition, the working section 202 of the transmission mechanism and the transport mechanism 200 mentioned above can use a transmission roller to transport the workpiece rack 800, and the top-turning device 300 can use a lifting cylinder and a rotating motor. After the workpiece rack 800 moves to the top of the lifting cylinder, the lifting cylinder lifts the workpiece rack 800 upward, so that the workpiece rack 800 is connected to the output shaft of the rotating motor, and the rotating motor drives the workpiece rack 800 to rotate. The transmission mechanism, the transport mechanism 200 and the top-turning device 300 can all be selected from the existing technology, and the present invention does not impose any special restrictions on this.

[0096] It should be noted that the terms used above are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. When the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components and / or combinations thereof. The order of execution of actions, steps, etc. in the devices and methods shown in the specification and the accompanying drawings can be implemented in any order as long as there is no special explicit limitation on the order and the output of the previous processing is not used in the subsequent processing. Similar terms of order used for the convenience of description do not mean that they must be implemented in such an order.

[0097] Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0098] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. Coating machine, characterized in that, include: A process chamber assembly (100), comprising at least two process chambers arranged in a coating process sequence and sealed respectively, wherein a conveying mechanism for conveying a workpiece rack (800) is provided in the process chamber; A transport mechanism (200), wherein the workpiece rack (800) sent out from the outlet side of the process chamber assembly (100) is transported back to the inlet side of the process chamber assembly (100) via the transport mechanism (200), and the transport mechanism (200) is provided with a jacking and rotating device (300) for lifting and rotating the workpiece rack; The loading and unloading mechanism (400) cooperates with the jacking device (300) to assemble and disassemble the workpieces on the workpiece rack (800).

2. The coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process chamber combination (100) is any one of a three-chamber combination, a four-chamber combination or a five-chamber combination; The three-chamber combination is sequentially a pretreatment chamber (101), an AR chamber (102) for preparing an AR film layer, and an AF chamber (104) for preparing an AF film layer; The four-chamber combination is, in order, a pretreatment chamber (101), an AR chamber (102) for preparing an AR film layer, a DLC chamber (103) for preparing a DLC film layer, and an AF chamber (104) for preparing an AF film layer; The five-chamber combination is sequentially a first preheating chamber and a second preheating chamber for preheating a workpiece, a first AR chamber and a second AR chamber for preparing an AR film layer, and a DLC chamber (103) for preparing a DLC film layer.

3. The coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process chambers in the process chamber assembly (100) are arranged in a straight line, a U shape or an L shape.

4. The coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that: The process chamber has two openings serving as an inlet and an outlet respectively, and each of the openings is equipped with a gate valve (900); The gate valve (900) comprises: a fixed frame (10) installed at the opening, a door plate (30) for covering the opening is arranged inside the fixed frame (10), and the door plate (30) can move back and forth in a horizontal direction to open or close the opening.

5. The coating machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The door panel (30) comprises: an outer panel (302) and an inner panel (301); a plurality of mutually parallel clamping shafts (303) are hingedly installed between the outer panel (302) and the inner panel (301); the outer panel (302) moves relative to the inner panel (301) via the clamping shafts (303) so as to press the inner panel (301) against the opening for sealing.

6. The coating machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: The outer plate (302) is driven to move by a transmission assembly (40), and the inner plate (301) is provided with a limit block (304) for limiting its moving position. The clamping shaft (303) rotates when the outer plate (302) and the inner plate (301) move relative to each other. When the clamping shaft (303) rotates, the distance between the inner plate and the outer plate is increased, thereby clamping the inner plate (301).

7. The coating machine according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gate valve (900) further comprises: a sealing chamber (20) horizontally arranged on one side of the fixed frame (10), the sealing chamber (20) being connected to the fixed frame (10), and the door plate (30) moving back and forth within the fixed frame (10) and the sealing chamber (20).

8. The coating machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: The gate valve (900) between two adjacent process chambers shares the fixed frame (10) and the sealing chamber (20).

9. The coating machine according to claim 7, characterized in that: At least one observation window (50) is provided on a side away from the fixed frame (10) and / or the sealed chamber (20).

10. The coating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The loading and unloading mechanism (400) is provided with a pre-processing device and at least one workpiece buffer device (700), and the loading and unloading mechanism (400) transports the workpiece between the pre-processing device, the workpiece buffer device (700) and the transport mechanism (200).

11. The coating machine according to claim 10, characterized in that: The pre-processing device comprises: A cleaning device (500) for cleaning a substrate; The chip mounting device (600) is used to mount the cleaned substrate on a carrier to obtain a workpiece to be coated. The chip mounting device (600) is connected to the outlet side of the cleaning device (500).

12. The coating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The transport mechanism (200) is equipped with a top-turning device (300), and the loading and unloading mechanism (400) comprises a loading and unloading robot, and the loading and unloading robot cooperates with the top-turning device (300) to disassemble the coated workpiece on the workpiece rack (800) and load the workpiece to be coated onto the workpiece rack (800).

13. The coating machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The transport mechanism (200) comprises a loading section, a buffer section and a unloading section, the loading section is connected to the inlet side of the process chamber assembly (100), the unloading section is connected to the outlet side of the process chamber assembly (100), the loading section is equipped with a loading top rotating device, and the unloading section is equipped with a unloading top rotating device; The loading and unloading mechanism (400) comprises a loading and unloading robot and a loading robot. The loading and unloading robot cooperates with the loading and unloading turning device to dismantle the coated workpiece on the workpiece rack (800), and the loading robot cooperates with the loading and unloading turning device to load the workpiece to be coated onto the workpiece rack (800).

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