Processing apparatus for processing flexible substrate and method thereof

Abstract

A processing apparatus (100) for processing a flexible substrate (10) is described. The processing apparatus (100) comprises a vacuum processing chamber (110) comprising at least one deposition source (111) for depositing a layer of material on a flexible substrate (10). Further, the processing apparatus (100) comprises a post-processing chamber (120), the post-processing chamber comprising a post-processing roller (130) and a gas supply (140). The post-processing roller (130) has a substrate facing surface (131) that includes a plurality of gas outlets (132). The gas supply (140) is connected to the post-processing roller (130) to provide gas through the plurality of gas outlets (132) into a gap between the flexible substrate and the substrate-facing surface (131).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for processing flexible substrates using roll-to-roll processing, in particular coating flexible substrates with thin layers. In particular, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatus and methods for coating substrates by evaporating reactive materials such as alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, e.g., lithium. Background Art

[0002] Various techniques are known for depositing layers on substrates, such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and physical vapor deposition (PVD). In order to coat a substrate at a high deposition rate, thermal evaporation can be used as a PVD process. For thermal evaporation, a source material is heated and evaporated to produce a vapor that can be directed onto a substrate to coat the substrate. The temperature used to achieve a high deposition rate depends on the physical properties of the source material (e.g., vapor pressure as a function of temperature) and the physical limitations of the substrate (e.g., melting point).

[0003] For example, a source material to be deposited on a substrate is heated in an evaporator crucible to generate a vapor at an elevated vapor pressure. The vapor can flow from the evaporator crucible to a heated vapor distributor having a plurality of nozzles. The vapor can be directed through the plurality of nozzles onto a surface of a substrate disposed in a vacuum chamber to deposit a coating on the substrate.

[0004] Modern thin-film lithium batteries may include a lithium coating. The lithium coating is formed, for example, by depositing lithium in a gaseous state onto a substrate. Since lithium is highly reactive, a number of measures need to be taken to operate and maintain such a vapor deposition system without safety hazards.

[0005] For alkali and alkaline earth metals, some deposition methods are less suitable for high-volume and low-cost manufacturing because these methods have severe challenges in managing the high reactivity of such materials while scaling up to high-volume production. This poses challenges in producing uniformly deposited pure lithium. Lithium is of particular interest because it is suitable for producing high energy density batteries and storage batteries, i.e., primary and secondary batteries. However, lithium is difficult to process, for example, because of its high reactivity, it is challenging to transport, melt and evaporate lithium in a vacuum system, control the flow rate of lithium, and clean and maintain the components involved. As a result, lithium coatings tend to be passivated.

[0006] In view of the above, it would be beneficial to provide an improved processing apparatus and method for processing flexible substrates that is suitable for depositing reactive materials (eg, lithium) and that can address at least some of the problems in the prior art. Summary of the invention

[0007] In view of the above, a processing device and method for processing a flexible substrate according to the independent claims are provided. Further aspects, advantages and features are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a processing device for processing a flexible substrate is provided. The processing device includes a vacuum processing chamber, and the vacuum processing chamber includes at least one deposition source for depositing a material layer on the flexible substrate. Further, the processing device includes a post-processing chamber, and the post-processing chamber includes a post-processing roller and a gas supplier. The post-processing roller has a surface facing the substrate, and the surface facing the substrate includes a plurality of gas outlets. The gas supplier is connected to the post-processing roller to provide gas through the plurality of gas outlets to the gap between the flexible substrate and the surface facing the substrate.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a processing device for processing a flexible substrate is provided. The processing device includes a vacuum processing chamber. The vacuum processing chamber includes at least one deposition source for depositing a material layer on the flexible substrate. In addition, the vacuum processing chamber includes a post-processing roller. The post-processing roller has a surface facing the substrate, and the surface facing the substrate includes a plurality of gas outlets. The post-processing roller is connected to a gas supplier to provide gas through the plurality of gas outlets into a gap between the flexible substrate and the surface facing the substrate.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for processing a flexible substrate is provided. The method includes depositing a material on the flexible substrate. In addition, the method includes guiding the flexible substrate having a layer of deposited material over a post-processing roller. Further, the method includes providing a gas into a gap between the flexible substrate and the substrate-facing surface through a plurality of gas outlets disposed in a substrate-facing surface of the post-processing roller.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a coated flexible substrate is provided. The method comprises using at least one of a processing device according to any embodiment described herein, a vacuum processing device according to any embodiment described herein, and a method for processing a flexible substrate according to any embodiment described herein.

[0012] Embodiments also relate to apparatus for performing the disclosed methods and include apparatus components for performing each described method aspect. These method aspects can be performed by hardware components, computers programmed by appropriate software, by any combination of the two, or in any other manner. In addition, embodiments according to the present disclosure also relate to methods for operating the described apparatus. Methods for operating the described apparatus include method aspects for performing each function of the apparatus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to be able to understand in detail the manner in which the above-mentioned features of the present disclosure are achieved, reference may be made to the embodiments or the more specific description of the present disclosure briefly summarized above. The accompanying drawings relate to the embodiments of the present disclosure and are described below:

[0014] Figure 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a processing device according to embodiments described herein;

[0015] Figure 2 A detailed schematic cross-sectional portion of a post-processing roller according to embodiments described herein is shown.

[0016] Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a processing device according to another embodiment described herein;

[0017] Figure 4 A block diagram for explaining a method of processing a flexible substrate according to an embodiment described herein is illustrated, and

[0018] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a processing device according to further embodiments described herein is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same components. Only the differences with respect to the various embodiments are described. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the present disclosure and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. Further, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used on other embodiments or used in combination with other embodiments to produce yet another embodiment. The description is intended to include such modifications and variations.

[0020] refer to illustratively Figures 1 to 3 , a processing device 100 for processing a flexible substrate 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0021] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the processing device 100 includes a vacuum processing chamber 110, such as Figure 1. The vacuum processing chamber 110 includes at least one deposition source 111 for depositing materials on the flexible substrate 10. Specifically, the vacuum processing chamber 110 generally includes a processing roller 105 for guiding the flexible substrate through the at least one deposition source 111. The processing roller 105 may also be referred to as a coating roller. Further, the processing apparatus 100 may include a post-processing chamber 120, and the post-processing chamber 120 includes a post-processing roller 130 and a gas supplier 140. Alternatively, the post-processing roller 130 may be disposed in the vacuum processing chamber 110. The post-processing roller 130 has a surface 131 facing the substrate, and the surface 131 facing the substrate includes a plurality of gas outlets 132, such as Figure 2 A gas supplier 140 is connected to the post-processing roller 130 to provide gas into a gap 133 between the flexible substrate and the substrate-facing surface 131 through a plurality of gas outlets 132 .

[0022] Thus, an improved processing device for processing a flexible substrate is advantageously provided. In particular, providing the processing device with a separate post-processing roller having a gas supply advantageously provides the possibility of providing the post-processing gas to the processed substrate surface more efficiently. Thus, the transfer speed of the flexible substrate through the processing system can be increased without adversely affecting the quality of the post-processing. In addition, the use of a separate post-processing roller configured for applying the post-processing gas to the processed substrate surface provides the possibility of applying the post-processing gas at an elevated gas pressure, which further improves the quality of the post-processing. In other words, the use of a post-processing roller configured as an air cushion roller to provide the post-processing gas, in particular the passivation gas, for example for passivating a lithium layer or coating, increases the effectiveness of exposing the gas to the surface to be post-processed (in particular to be passivated). Further, advantageously, a higher passivation gas pressure and more passivation gas molecules can be provided to the substrate surface to be passivated, which allows an increased substrate transfer speed and a lower pressure in the post-processing chamber (which may be a rewinding chamber including a take-up roller for taking up the processed substrate). Further, it should be noted that a higher passivation gas pressure and a larger number of passivation gas molecules may be provided to the substrate surface to be passivated compared to the prior art, while a deposition process, for example in an adjacent vacuum processing chamber or in the same vacuum chamber, is not affected.

[0023] Before describing various other embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail, some aspects regarding some terms used herein are explained.

[0024] In the present disclosure, a "processing device for processing a flexible substrate" may be understood as a device configured to process (in particular coat) a flexible substrate. In particular, the processing device may be a roll-to-roll (R2R) processing system. A roll-to-roll processing system may be understood as a processing system having a plurality of rollers for guiding a substrate along a substrate transport path. For example, as described below with reference to Figure 5 Illustratively described in more detail, the roll-to-roll processing system may include a supply roller 102 , a plurality of guide rollers 101 , a processing drum 105 , a post-processing drum 130 , and a take-up roller 103 .

[0025] Typically, the processing device includes at least one vacuum processing chamber configured to provide a coating on a flexible substrate. The coating on the flexible substrate can be understood as a material layer deposited on the flexible substrate, for example, by using a deposition source as described herein. A vacuum processing chamber can be understood as a chamber suitable for processing (e.g., depositing a material layer) on a substrate under vacuum conditions. Therefore, a vacuum processing chamber can also be referred to as a vacuum deposition chamber. In the present disclosure, the term "vacuum" can be understood as a technical vacuum with a vacuum pressure of less than, for example, 10 mbar. Typically, the pressure in a vacuum chamber as described herein can be between 10-5 mbar and about 10-8 mbar, more typically between 10-5 mbar and 10-7 mbar, and even more typically between about 10-6 mbar and about 10-7 mbar.

[0026] In the present disclosure, a "flexible substrate" or a "film substrate" may be understood as a bendable substrate. For example, a "flexible / film substrate" may be a "foil" or a "roll". In the present disclosure, the term "flexible substrate", the term "substrate" and the term "film substrate" may be used synonymously. For example, a flexible substrate as described herein may be made of or contain materials such as PET, HC-PET, PE, PI, PU, ​​TaC, OPP, BOOP, CPP, one or more metals (e.g., copper), paper, combinations thereof, and includes coated substrates such as hard-coated PET (e.g., HC-PET, HC-TaC), etc. In some embodiments, the flexible substrate is a COP substrate having an index matched (IM) layer disposed on both sides thereof. For example, the substrate thickness may be 1 μm or more and 1 mm or less, in particular 500 μm or less, or even 200 μm or less. In particular, the thickness of the substrate may be 4 μm. The substrate width WS may be 0.1 m≤W≤6 m. The substrate may be a transparent or opaque substrate. In particular, the substrate may be a metal foil, such as a copper foil.

[0027] In the present disclosure, a "post-processing chamber" may be understood as a chamber configured to post-process a previously processed, in particular coated, substrate. Thus, it should be understood that the post-processing chamber is typically arranged downstream of a main processing chamber (eg, a vacuum deposition chamber).

[0028] In the present disclosure, a "post-processing roller" may be understood as a roller or drum configured for post-processing on a treated surface, particularly a coated surface, of a flexible substrate. Typically, the post-processing roller has a substrate-facing surface for contacting the flexible substrate. The substrate-facing surface may be considered as a portion or region of the post-processing roller that faces and / or guides the substrate. For example, the substrate-facing surface may be understood as a surface of the roller that is adjacent to the substrate or that can contact the substrate. In particular, the substrate-facing surface may be adjacent to the substrate surface that is opposite to the substrate surface that is coated during the coating or deposition process. The substrate-facing surface generally includes a substrate-facing surface portion, i.e., a portion of the substrate on which the substrate of the post-processing roller is guided or on which the substrate contacts the substrate-facing surface of the post-processing roller. Since the substrate moves via the roller, the substrate-facing surface portion may vary continuously, i.e., the substrate-facing surface portion may correspond to a corresponding portion of the substrate that is adjacent to the roller or in contact with the post-processing roller at a given point in time during the substrate transmission (by the rotation of the post-processing roller).

[0029] Typically, the surface facing the substrate is a curved outer surface of the post-processing roller, in particular a cylindrical outer surface. Therefore, the post-processing roller is generally rotatable around the rotation axis of the post-processing roller. It should be understood that the surface portion facing the substrate is a portion of the curved substrate-facing surface (e.g., a cylindrically symmetrical surface) of the post-processing roller. The curved substrate facing the surface of the post-processing roller may be adapted to contact (at least partially) with the flexible substrate during the guiding of the flexible substrate. The surface portion facing the substrate may be defined as an angular range of the post-processing roller within which the substrate is guided or may contact the flexible substrate during the guiding of the substrate. For example, the surface portion facing the substrate may correspond to the wrap angle of the post-processing roller. For example, the wrap angle of the post-processing roller may be 90° or greater, in particular 180° or greater, or even 270° or greater. According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the post-processing roller 100 is cylindrical and has a length L of 0.2 m≦L≦8.5 m. Further, the diameter D of the roller may be 0.1 m≦D≦3.0 m. Thus, advantageously, the roller is configured for guiding and transporting flexible substrates having a large width. Still further, the post-processing roller may be a segmented air cushion roller configured for providing post-processing gas exclusively to the contact area of ​​the substrate with the post-processing roller, in particular during substrate guiding.

[0030] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, a first subgroup of gas outlets (e.g., open gas outlets) can be disposed in a substrate guiding region of a post-processing roller. A second subgroup of gas outlets (e.g., closed gas outlets) can be disposed outside the substrate guiding region. Since gas is emitted only into the substrate guiding region where gas is needed, no or little gas is emitted directly into regions that do not overlap with the substrate. Thus, gas waste can be reduced and / or better gas separation between the vacuum processing chamber and the post-processing chamber can be obtained.

[0031] According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, in addition to or instead of the subgroup of gas outlets, the outer surface of the post-processing roller can be coated with a microporous surface. The microporous surface can allow a small amount of gas to flow from the inside of the post-processing roller to the surface of the post-processing roller. The gas can form an air cushion between the post-processing roller and the flexible substrate guided above the post-processing roller. Specifically, the air cushion is arranged in the gap between the flexible substrate and the surface facing the substrate.

[0032] In the present disclosure, a "gas supply" may be understood as a system configured to provide a gas supply. For example, a gas supply may be understood as a gas distribution system configured to provide a gas flow through one or more gas outlets of a post-processing roller, in particular into a gap between the flexible substrate and a surface facing the substrate. Figure 1 As shown illustratively, a gas supply can be connected to a post-processing roller. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that a gas supply can also be (at least partially) arranged inside a roller. More particularly, a gas supply can be connected to a roller and can supply a gas flow through one or more gas outlets arranged in the surface of the roller. A gas supply channel can be provided inside the roller. These gas supply channels can be connected to one or more gas outlets. In particular, a gas flow can be provided at a surface portion facing the substrate, that is, a gas flow can be supplied through one or more gas outlets at a position where the substrate can contact the surface facing the substrate or be guided along the surface facing the substrate. The distance between the substrate and the surface facing the substrate of the roller, that is, the size of the gap between the substrate and the surface facing the substrate, can vary according to the pressure of the gas flow that can be provided toward the substrate and the tension applied to the substrate. Advantageously, a gas flow can be provided to prevent the substrate from directly contacting the post-processing roller. Therefore, the post-processing roller as described herein can be referred to as an air cushion post-processing roller.

[0033] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the gas supplier 140 provides a passivation gas for passivating the material layer deposited on the flexible substrate. In other words, the gas supplier 140 is generally configured to provide a passivation gas. For example, the gas supplier 140 may include a gas tank with a passivation gas. Specifically, the passivation gas may be carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, ozone, water vapor, or any mixture thereof.

[0034] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, at least one deposition source 111 is configured for depositing an alkali metal, in particular lithium, or an alkaline earth metal on the flexible substrate 10. For example, the at least one deposition source 111 can be an evaporation source having a crucible containing a source material to be deposited. The source material can be heated in the crucible to a temperature above the evaporation temperature of the source material. The evaporated material can then be directed toward a plurality of nozzles in a vapor distributor for directing the evaporated material toward the flexible substrate.

[0035] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, at least one deposition source 111 can include a plurality of deposition sources that can be arranged in a circumferential direction around the processing drum 105. When the processing drum rotates, the flexible substrate 10 is guided past the plurality of deposition sources facing the front surface 10F of the substrate, so that the front surface 10F of the substrate 10 can be coated while moving past the deposition sources at a predetermined speed. For example, the plurality of deposition sources can include one or more units selected from the group consisting of: a sputtering deposition unit, such as an AC (alternating current) sputtering source or a DC (direct current) sputtering source, an RF (radio frequency) sputtering source, an MF (medium frequency) sputtering source, a pulsed sputtering source, a pulsed DC sputtering source, a magnetron sputtering source, a reactive sputtering source, a CVD deposition unit, a PECVD deposition unit, a PVD deposition unit, or another suitable deposition unit. It should be understood that the deposition unit as described herein is generally suitable for depositing a thin film on a flexible substrate, for example to form a flexible display device, a touch screen device component, or other electronic or optical device. The deposition source as described herein may be configured for depositing at least one material selected from the group consisting of a conductive material, a semiconductor material, a dielectric material, an isolation material, an alkali metal (particularly lithium), or an alkaline earth metal.

[0036] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the vacuum processing chamber is configured for processing at a processing pressure p1 of p1≤1×10-4 mbar. Specifically, the vacuum processing chamber 110 can be connected to a first vacuum pump 151, which is configured to provide the processing pressure p1, such as Figure 3 Shown illustratively.

[0037] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the post-processing chamber is configured for processing at a post-processing pressure p2 of p2 ≤ 1×10-1 mbar. In particular, the post-processing chamber can be connected to a second vacuum pump 152, which is configured to provide the post-processing pressure p2, such as Figure 3 As shown in the figure for illustrative purposes.

[0038] According to an embodiment which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the gas supplier 140 is configured for providing a gas pressure pg of 1 mbar≤pg≤100 mbar, in particular 1 mbar≤pg≤50 mbar, into the gap 133 between the flexible substrate 10 and the substrate-facing surface 131 .

[0039] According to an embodiment which can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the gas supplier arrangement 140 is configured for providing a gas flow rate between 1 sccm and 200 sccm, in particular a gas flow rate of <50 sccm, into the gap 133 between the flexible substrate and the substrate facing surface 131 .

[0040] refer to illustratively Figure 3 According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the vacuum processing chamber 110 is separated from the post-processing chamber 120 by a seal 125. Typically, the seal 125 is disposed in the wall 115 between the vacuum processing chamber 110 and the post-processing chamber 120. Further, the seal is configured to allow the flexible substrate to be transferred from the vacuum processing chamber 110 to the post-processing chamber 120. The seal 125 may be configured to at least substantially separate the pressure conditions of the vacuum processing chamber 110 (e.g., at a processing pressure p1) and the post-processing chamber 120 (e.g., at a post-processing pressure p2).

[0041] For example, the seal 125 may include an inflatable seal configured to press the substrate against a flat sealing surface. Thus, even when the flexible substrate may be present in an opening in the wall 115 between the vacuum processing chamber 110 and the post-processing chamber 120, the opening may be sealed. In other words, closing or opening the seal 125 may not require removal of the flexible substrate. Alternatively, the seal 125 may be provided by a gap gate or load lock valve that is used to separate the vacuum processing chamber 110 from the post-processing chamber 120. It should be understood that the gap gate or load lock valve is configured so that the flexible substrate 10 can move through the gap gate or load lock valve while maintaining different pressure conditions in the vacuum processing chamber 110 and the post-processing chamber 120.

[0042] refer to illustratively Figure 5According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the processing device 100 may include a supply chamber 112, a vacuum processing chamber 110, a post-processing chamber 120, and an optional take-up chamber 113. Typically, the supply chamber 112 includes a supply roller 102. In other words, the supply chamber 112 is configured to accommodate the supply roller 102 on which the flexible substrate is wound. During operation, the flexible substrate 10 can be unwound from the supply roller 102 and transported from the supply chamber 112 through the vacuum processing chamber 110 and the post-processing chamber 120 along the substrate transport path in the transport direction T to the take-up chamber 113. The take-up chamber 113 typically includes a take-up roller 103 suitable for receiving the processed substrate. According to an example (not explicitly shown), the take-up roller 103 can be arranged in the post-processing chamber 120. Therefore, it should be understood that according to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the processing device 100 may further include at least one of the following: a supply chamber 112 for accommodating a supply roller 102 for providing an unprocessed flexible substrate, and a take-up chamber 113 for accommodating a take-up roller 103 for taking up a processed flexible substrate.

[0043] refer to illustratively Figure 5 According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, one or more additional seals 126 can be provided between adjacent chambers of the processing system. For example, another seal 126 can be provided in the wall between the supply chamber 112 and the vacuum processing chamber 110. Additionally or alternatively, an additional seal 126 can be provided in the wall between the post-processing chamber 120 and the take-up chamber 113. It should be understood that, as described herein, one or more additional seals 126 can be configured as a seal 125 provided between the vacuum processing chamber 110 and the post-processing chamber 120.

[0044] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the processing roller 105 can be an air cushion roller that can be configured similarly to the post-processing roller 130. The processing roller 105 as an air cushion roller can be connected to a cooling gas supplier (not explicitly shown) for providing cooling gas to the back side 10B of the flexible substrate 10 during material deposition. Therefore, it should be understood that the processing device 100 may include two or more air cushion rollers, such as a first air cushion roller (such as the processing roller 105) disposed in the processing chamber and configured to provide cooling gas and a second air cushion roller (such as the post-processing roller 130) disposed in the post-processing chamber and configured to provide a post-processing gas as described herein.

[0045] refer to illustratively Figure 4The block diagram shown in FIG. 1 depicts a method 200 for processing a flexible substrate 10 according to the present disclosure. According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the method 200 includes depositing (by Figure 4 In addition, the method 200 includes guiding (represented by block 210 in the figure) above the post-processing roller 130. Figure 4 The method further comprises providing (by a plurality of gas outlets 132 disposed in a substrate-facing surface 131 of a post-processing roller 130) a flexible substrate having a layer of a deposited material. Figure 4 The block 230 in FIG. 2 represents that the gas is introduced into the gap between the flexible substrate 10 and the substrate-facing surface 131. It should be understood that the method 200 for processing the flexible substrate 10 can be performed by using the processing device 100 according to any embodiment described herein.

[0046] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the gas provided through the plurality of gas outlets 132 is a passivation gas for passivating the deposited material layer. For example, the passivation gas may be carbon dioxide or any other suitable gas for passivating the deposited material layer, in particular for passivating a layer or coating of an alkali metal, in particular lithium, or an alkaline earth metal.

[0047] For example, freshly coated lithium (Li) is highly reactive with water and air. For battery applications, the Li-coated substrate can be passivated, such as with CO2 gas, to form a defined and more stable Li2CO3 surface on top of the Li layer. Thus, the risk of damaging the coating can be reduced and substrate processing and transport can be facilitated. For example, the thickness Tp of the passivation layer (e.g., Li2CO3) can be 2 nm≤Tp≤20 nm, such as Tp=10 nm±2 nm. The thickness Tc of the coating to be passivated, such as the thickness of the Li coating, can be 1 μm≤Tc≤30 μm, such as Tp=10 μm±2 μm. Therefore, the thickness Tp of the passivation layer can be three orders of magnitude smaller than the thickness Tc of the coating.

[0048] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, depositing (by Figure 4 The material includes depositing an alkali metal (particularly lithium) or an alkaline earth metal on a flexible substrate.

[0049] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, depositing (by Figure 4 The material is processed in the vacuum processing chamber 110 at a processing pressure p1 of p1≤1×10-4.

[0050] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the post-processing roller 130 is guided (by Figure 4 The flexible substrate having a layer of deposited material is processed in the post-processing chamber 120 at a post-processing pressure p2 of p2 ≤ 1×10 −1 mbar.

[0051] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the gas outlet 132 is provided (by Figure 4 Block 230 in FIG. 2 represents) the gas comprises providing a gas pressure pg of 1 mbar≤pg≤100 mbar, in particular 1 mbar≤pg≤10 mbar, into the gap 133 between the flexible substrate 10 and the substrate-facing surface 131 .

[0052] According to an embodiment that can be combined with any other embodiment described herein, the gas is provided via a plurality of gas outlets 132 (by Figure 4 The gas comprises providing a gas flow rate between 1 sccm and 200 sccm, in particular a gas flow rate of <50 sccm, into the gap between the flexible substrate and the substrate-facing surface 131.

[0053] In view of the embodiments described herein, it should be understood that according to aspects of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a coated flexible substrate may be provided. The method includes using at least one of the processing device 100 according to any embodiment described herein and the method 200 for processing a flexible substrate according to any embodiment described herein. Specifically, this method of manufacturing a coated flexible substrate may be a method of manufacturing a passivated lithium-coated flexible substrate.

[0054] According to yet another embodiment, a method for manufacturing an anode of a battery is provided. This method for manufacturing an anode includes performing a method 200 for processing a flexible substrate according to any of the embodiments described herein. Specifically, this method for manufacturing an anode may include guiding a flexible substrate including an anode layer in a processing device 100 according to any of the embodiments described herein, and depositing a lithium-containing material or lithium on the flexible substrate with a deposition source according to any of the embodiments described herein.

[0055] In view of the above, it should be appreciated that embodiments as described herein provide an improved processing apparatus and an improved method for processing flexible substrates, as compared to the prior art, particularly for battery applications, such as lithium batteries. Specifically, embodiments of the present disclosure beneficially provide for more efficient use of post-processing gases, particularly for passivation of coatings disposed on flexible substrates. Thus, the transfer speed of flexible substrates through a processing system may be increased without adversely affecting post-processing quality. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure beneficially provide for an increase in overall productivity.

[0056] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments, other and further embodiments may be devised without departing from the basic scope, and the scope is determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A processing device (10) for processing a flexible substrate (100), comprising: - a vacuum processing chamber (110), comprising at least one deposition source (111), the deposition source being used to deposit a material layer on the flexible substrate (10), and - a post-processing chamber (120), comprising a post-processing roller (130) and a gas supplier (140), wherein the post-processing roller (130) has a substrate-facing surface (131), the substrate-facing surface comprising a plurality of gas outlets (132), and wherein the gas supplier (140) is connected to the post-processing roller (130) to provide gas into a gap (133) between the flexible substrate (10) and the substrate-facing surface (131) through the plurality of gas outlets (132).

2. The processing device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the gas supplier (140) provides a passivation gas, in particular carbon dioxide, for passivating the material layer deposited on the flexible substrate.

3. The processing device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least one deposition source (111) is configured to deposit an alkali metal, in particular lithium, or an alkaline earth metal on the flexible substrate (10).

4. The processing device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vacuum processing chamber (110) is configured to -4 The process is performed at a process pressure p1 of 100 mbar. In particular, the vacuum process chamber (110) is connected to a first vacuum pump (151) configured to provide the process pressure p1.

5. The processing device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the post-processing chamber (120) is configured to -1 The post-treatment is performed at a post-treatment pressure p2 of 100 mbar. In particular, the post-treatment chamber (120) is connected to a second vacuum pump (152) configured to provide the post-treatment pressure p2.

6. The processing device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the gas supply (140) is 1 mbar≦p g ≦100 mbar, especially 1 mbar ≦ p g ≦10 mbar air pressure p g Provided in the gap (133) between the flexible substrate (10) and the substrate-facing surface (131).

7. The processing device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the gas supplier (140) provides a gas flow rate between 1 sccm and 200 sccm, in particular < 50 sccm, into the gap between the flexible substrate and the substrate-facing surface (131).

8. The processing device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the vacuum processing chamber (110) and the post-processing chamber (120) are separated by a seal (125).

9. The processing device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the vacuum processing chamber (110) further comprises a processing roller (105) for guiding the flexible substrate to pass through the at least one deposition source (111), and the processing device (100) further comprises at least one of a supply chamber (112) and a take-up chamber (113), wherein the supply chamber (112) accommodates a supply roller (102) for providing an unprocessed flexible substrate, and the take-up chamber (113) accommodates a take-up roller (103) for taking up the processed flexible substrate.

10. A processing device (100) for processing a flexible substrate (10), comprising a vacuum processing chamber (110), the vacuum processing chamber (110) comprising at least one deposition source (111) for depositing a material layer on the flexible substrate (10) and a post-processing roller (130), the post-processing roller (130) having a substrate-facing surface (131), the substrate-facing surface comprising a plurality of gas outlets (132), the post-processing roller (130) being connected to a gas supplier (140) for supplying gas into a gap (133) between the flexible substrate (10) and the substrate-facing surface (131) through the plurality of gas outlets (132).

11. A method (200) for processing a flexible substrate (10), comprising the following steps: - depositing (210) a material on the flexible substrate (10), and - guiding (220) said flexible substrate with said deposited layer of said material over a post-processing roller (130), and - providing (230) gas into a gap (133) between the flexible substrate (10) and the substrate-facing surface (131) of the post-processing roller (130) through a plurality of gas outlets (132) provided in the substrate-facing surface (131) of the post-processing roller (130).

12. The method (200) according to claim 11, wherein the gas is a passivation gas for the layer of deposited material, in particular carbon dioxide.

13. The method (200) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the step of depositing (210) the material comprises the following steps: Alkali metal, in particular lithium, or alkaline earth metal is deposited on the flexible substrate (10).

14. The method (200) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the step of depositing (210) the material on the flexible substrate (10) is performed in a vacuum processing chamber (110) at p1≦1×10 - 4 mbar, and wherein the step of guiding (220) the flexible substrate having the layer of the deposited material over the post-processing roller (130) is performed in the post-processing chamber (120) at a process pressure p1 of p2≦1×10 -1 The post-treatment is carried out at a pressure p2 of 100 mbar.

15. The method (200) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the step of providing (230) the gas through the plurality of gas outlets (132) comprises the following steps: 1 mbar ≦ p g ≦100 mbar, especially 1 mbar ≦ p g ≦10 mbar air pressure p g Provided in the gap (133) between the flexible substrate (10) and the substrate-facing surface (131).

16. The method (200) according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the step of providing (230) the gas through the plurality of gas outlets (132) comprises the following steps: A gas flow rate between 1 sccm and 200 sccm, in particular < 50 sccm, is provided into the gap between the flexible substrate and the substrate-facing surface (131).

17. A method of manufacturing a coated flexible substrate, comprising using at least one of the processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and the method of processing a flexible substrate according to any one of claims 11 to 16.

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