Vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

A vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus (1), which is partitioned into an upper chamber (10U) and a lower chamber (10D) with a cylindrical drum roller (201) interposed therebetween, is characterized by being provided with: a lower chamber vacuum unit (500) that holds the lower chamber (10D) at a predetermined degree of vacuum (PD); an upper chamber vacuum unit (400) that maintains the upper chamber (10U) at a predetermined vacuum degree PU; an electron supply chamber (601) in which the hollow cathode (611) is housed; a valve (621) that maintains the inside of the electron supply chamber (601) at a predetermined degree of vacuum (PR) while supplying the ionization gas; and a power supply unit (603) that ionizes the gas in the electron supply chamber (601), in which a slit (613) that opens to the surface of the cartridge roller (201) is provided in the electron supply chamber (601), and an anti-diffusion cover (604) that prevents electrons from rebounding and diffusing from the cartridge roller (201) side is provided, whereby the surface of the cartridge roller (201) is appropriately charged, thereby improving the adhesion of the film.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus that improves the adhesion of a dielectric film to a cylindrical roller while suppressing the adverse effects caused by accidental discharge, thereby manufacturing a high-quality metal vapor deposition film. In particular, the present invention relates to a vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus that uses a hollow cathode and does not cause the apparatus to become large-sized. Background Art

[0002] Currently, there is known an apparatus that uses a cylindrical roller as a manufacturing apparatus for a film for a thin film capacitor, i.e., a metal vapor deposition dielectric film. This is an apparatus that conveys a continuously supplied strip-shaped resin film while abutting it against a cylindrical roller at a specified central angle (wrap angle) and performs metal vapor deposition at the abutting portion.

[0003] Since the film is thin, its temperature will actually be the same as the surface temperature of the cylindrical roller. Therefore, a mechanism for cooling the cylindrical roller is adopted to avoid thermal damage to the film during metal vapor deposition. Thereby, the quality of the metal vapor deposition film is improved.

[0004] Moreover, when the adhesion between the film and the cylindrical roller is high, uniform and rapid cooling is achieved. Therefore, a mechanism is also adopted to energize tungsten wires longitudinally arranged along the axis above the cylindrical roller to generate thermoelectrons and charge the cylindrical roller.

[0005] In addition, generally, the chamber is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with the cylindrical roller sandwiched therebetween, and the vacuum is adjusted so that the lower chamber where metal vapor deposition is performed maintains a pressure of about 10 -2 Pa (Pa: Pascal) or less, and the upper chamber maintains a pressure of about 10 -1 Pa.

[0006] At this time, the vacuum pump for the upper chamber uses a combination of a mechanical booster pump and a rotary pump, and in the lower chamber, an oil diffusion pump is further combined to achieve a high vacuum.

[0007] Generally speaking, the higher the vacuum degree, the more stages of vacuum pumping are required. In a vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus using a cylindrical roller, actually two sets of vacuum pump systems are required for the upper chamber and the lower chamber respectively. This is because, compared with a vacuum pump system that introduces a pressure of about 10 -2 Pa or less in the entire chamber without a partition, it is possible to avoid the structure of the entire apparatus from becoming large-sized and to introduce the apparatus at low cost.

[0008] However, when charging the cylindrical roller, electrons need to be emitted from the metal wire on the upper chamber side where the film is not wound. On the other hand, since the ambient air pressure is about 10 -1 Pa, there is a problem of abnormal discharge.

[0009] In order to avoid this situation, it is necessary to introduce a third vacuum pump system to make the air pressure near the wire at least about 10 -2 Pa, or introduce a large pump system that makes the air pressure in the entire upper chamber 10 -2 Pa where abnormal discharge does not occur, but there is a problem that it will cause the device structure to become large (as a result, the device will also become tall).

[0010] Prior art documents

[0011] Patent documents:

[0012] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-308609 Summary of the Invention

[0013] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0014] The present invention has been completed in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a metal film vapor deposition apparatus that can manufacture a high-quality metal vapor deposition film without causing the device to become large-sized.

[0015] Solutions to the Problems

[0016] The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus according to Technical Solution 1 is a vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus in which a cylindrical tubular roller is sandwiched and divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. It is characterized in that the tubular roller has a horizontal axis, and a belt-shaped dielectric film is brought into contact with the lower chamber side at a specified central angle and rotated and conveyed. The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus includes: an evaporation section provided in the lower chamber for diffusing metal vapor to the dielectric film; a vacuum pump for the lower chamber communicating with the lower chamber to keep the lower chamber at a first specified vacuum degree; a vacuum pump for the upper chamber communicating with the upper chamber to keep the upper chamber at a second specified vacuum degree; an electron supply chamber having a columnar shape and arranged longitudinally parallel to the axis, with a hollow cathode housed therein; a gas supply section for supplying ionization gas into the electron supply chamber; an indoor pressure control unit for keeping the electron supply chamber at a third specified vacuum degree; and a power supply section for ionizing the gas in the electron supply chamber through the hollow cathode. Further, a slit for emitting electrons is provided in the electron supply chamber parallel to the axis and opening to the surface of the tubular roller not covered by the dielectric film, and a prevention body for preventing electrons from rebounding from the tubular roller side and diffusing to the upper chamber side is provided between the electron supply chamber and the tubular roller, so that the surface of the tubular roller is charged to improve the adhesion of the dielectric film to the tubular roller and at the same time suppress accidental discharge in the upper chamber.

[0017] That is, according to the invention of Technical Solution 1, since an electron supply chamber containing a hollow cathode is used, and in this electron supply chamber, electrons ionized in a pressure environment atmosphere with a higher vacuum degree than that of the upper chamber are accelerated and emitted, it is possible to appropriately improve the tightness of the film while avoiding the enlargement of the device. Moreover, since the diffusion of electrons rebounding from the side of the cylindrical roller into the upper chamber is suppressed, the possibility of accidental discharge is reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a metal vapor deposition film with high quality and high reliability.

[0018] The size of the cylindrical roller can be appropriately designed. For example, it can be designed to have a diameter of 50 cm to 70 cm and an axial length (width) of 350 mm to 950 mm. In addition, in order to effectively charge the cylindrical roller, it is preferably covered with a dielectric layer (insulating layer) on the surface. For example, an example formed of ceramics can be cited. As the ceramics, examples include only alumina, alumina + titanium dioxide (a mixed ceramic of alumina and titanium dioxide, which can also be aluminum titanate locally), and only titanium dioxide. It should be noted that the thickness of the insulating layer can be exemplified by 30 μm to 100 μm.

[0019] As the material of the dielectric film, examples include PP (polypropylene), PPS (polyphenylene sulfide), PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), polyimide, etc. In addition, examples include a thickness of 1.5 μm to 50 μm and a width of 300 mm to 900 mm.

[0020] The first specified vacuum degree only needs to be a vacuum degree suitable for metal vapor deposition. For example, examples include (0.5 to 50) × 10 -2 Pa. The standard is about 10 -2 Pa level.

[0021] The second specified vacuum degree can be appropriately designed based on considering the leakage of the ionized gas from the electron supply chamber and the pressure difference with the lower chamber. For example, examples include (0.5 to 50) × 10 -1 Pa. The standard is about 10 -1 Pa level.

[0022] The third specified vacuum degree depends on the slit width, potential difference, gas supply amount, the vacuum degree of the upper chamber, etc. For example, examples include 0.5 Pa to 100 Pa. The standard is about 10 +1 Pa level.

[0023] As the gas for ionization, a noble gas with reactivity to the film and metal can be cited, such as Ar.

[0024] The voltage generated by the power supply unit is not particularly limited as long as it can effectively ionize the gas and enable electrons to be accelerated and continuously and stably emitted from the slit. Examples include a DC voltage of -4 kV to -16 kV with respect to the cathode (the slit part is grounded).

[0025] Examples of the slit interval can be 0.1 mm to 1.5 mm. With this interval, it is possible to appropriately and continuously emit electrons onto the surface of the cylindrical roller that does not contact the film. In addition, it can be said that since a stable electron beam is provided, even if electrons escape to the film side, the adsorption force between the surface of the cylindrical roller and the film can be maintained, thereby obtaining a high-quality vapor deposition film.

[0026] It should be noted that if the slit width is narrow, the electron beam will contact the surface of the cylindrical roller in a linear shape and hardly spread. The distance between the slit and the surface of the cylindrical roller can be, for example, 20 cm to 30 cm.

[0027] When manufacturing a metal vapor deposition film, the pressure PD in the lower chamber is about 10 -2 Pa level. Since the pressures and dimensions at various places are determined based on this, the slit width is actually determined in absolute value. With respect to the cross-sectional area S of the hollow cathode or the electron supply chamber, the standard of the slit width w is 1000 ≤ S / w ≤ 5000.

[0028] Here, ideally all electrons should adhere to the surface of the cylindrical roller, but in actual operation, there will be some rebounds. At this time, the shape of the upper chamber and the configuration of each part may cause electrons to easily accumulate in certain parts, resulting in abnormal discharge.

[0029] If the abnormal discharge hits the film, it will naturally cause damage to the vapor deposition film, etc. Even if it does not directly hit the film, it will affect each part and indirectly cause the film quality to decline.

[0030] Therefore, a preventive body for preventing such electron rebounds is provided. For example, it can be formed as a preventive plate that follows the outer shape of the cylindrical roller. It can also be appropriately grounded, or the two can be made to contact to make it equipotential with the cylindrical roller.

[0031] According to the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus described in Technical Solution 1, the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus described in Technical Solution 2 is characterized in that a guiding body is provided in the upper chamber, which makes the positively charged gas leaking from the slit face a specified direction.

[0032] That is to say, the invention of Technical Solution 2 transfers the gas to the place where electrons are likely to accumulate, eliminates the potential difference, and further suppresses the occurrence of accidental discharges. It is also possible to intentionally make the gas go to the place where abnormal discharges are particularly not desired to prevent abnormal discharges.

[0033] Even with the shielding body, some electrons will diffuse into the upper chamber and accumulate in areas where accumulation is likely. The guiding body guides the positively charged gas leaking from the slit and neutralizes it.

[0034] It should be noted that the guiding body can be a plate-shaped alignment plate or a shape with a throttle hole like a funnel. In addition, the guiding body can be formed (to avoid interference with the electron beam) like a cylindrical alignment port that communicates with the electron supply chamber and extends from the slit side.

[0035] Preferably, the guiding body is arranged near the slit and the shielding body is arranged near the cylindrical roller, but the two can also form an integral body with the guiding body as the upper surface and the shielding body as the lower surface.

[0036] According to the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus described in Technical Solution 1 or 2, the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus described in Technical Solution 3 is characterized in that the dielectric film in contact with the cylindrical roller is a dielectric film on which metal vapor deposition has been performed on one side using the same or different metal as the metal vapor, and the central angle is a specified central angle greater than 180° and less than or equal to 270°.

[0037] That is, the invention of Technical Solution 3 can manufacture a high-quality double-sided metal vapor deposition film or a high-quality single-sided multi-layer metal vapor deposition film.

[0038] When two cylindrical rollers are provided in the same apparatus and metal vapor deposition is first performed on one side, even if heat remains on the film, since the wrap angle can be increased and the film can be properly adhered to the cylindrical roller, the quality will not be reduced due to thermal damage of the film during the second vapor deposition.

[0039] In addition, when there is only one cylindrical roller and second (or more) metal vapor deposition is to be performed, stable vapor deposition can also be achieved without heating the already vapor-deposited metal film.

[0040] According to the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus described in Technical Solution 1 or 2, the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus described in Technical Solution 4 is characterized in that the indoor pressure control unit is an adjustment unit for the gas supply amount of the gas supply unit or a vacuum pump provided for the electron supply chamber.

[0041] That is, the invention of Technical Solution 4 can simply perform pressure control. In particular, as long as a valve (and a flow meter) is used to form the adjustment unit for the gas supply amount, the device structure can be simplified.

[0042] The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus according to Technical Solution 1 or 2, wherein the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus according to Technical Solution 5 is characterized in that the cylindrical roller is charged so that the pressure PD in the lower chamber, the pressure PU in the upper chamber, and the pressure PR in the electron supply chamber satisfy PD < PU < PR and 10PU ≤ PR ≤ 1000PU.

[0043] That is, the invention of Technical Solution 5 can keep the cylindrical roller in a stable and appropriate charged state.

[0044] It should be noted that, as shown in the above example, PD: 10 -2 Pa level, PU: 10 -1 Pa level, PR: 10 Pa level can be used as the standard.

[0045] Advantages of the Invention

[0046] According to the present invention, it does not lead to the enlargement of the apparatus, can keep the cylindrical roller appropriately and continuously charged, and manufacture a high-quality metal vapor deposition film. Description of the Drawings

[0047] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of a double-sided vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus to which the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is applied.

[0048] Figure 2 It is an enlarged cross-sectional schematic view of the electron supply part and its surroundings in the present embodiment. The state of electrons approaching the positive electrode side is represented by four levels of shading. It should be noted that, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the scale of the components in each figure does not necessarily reflect the ratio in the actual equipment. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0049] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. Here, a vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus for performing metal vapor deposition on both sides of a film will be described.

[0050] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view showing a structural example of a double-sided vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus to which the vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus of the present invention is applied.

[0051] It should be noted that, for the sake of convenience of explanation, hereinafter, the double-sided vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus will be simply referred to as the double-sided vapor deposition apparatus.

[0052] The double-sided vapor deposition apparatus 1 mainly includes a first vapor deposition part 100, a second vapor deposition part 200, a feeding and winding part 300, an upper chamber vacuum part 400, a lower chamber vacuum part 500, and an electron supply part 600.

[0053] Among them, a part of the first vapor deposition unit 100, the second vapor deposition unit 200, the feeding and winding unit 300, and the electron supply unit 600 is housed in the chamber 10.

[0054] It should be noted that the chamber 10 sandwiches the following cylindrical rollers 101 and 201 and is separated into an upper chamber 10U and a lower chamber 10D by a partition plate 11.

[0055] The first vapor deposition unit 100 includes a first cylindrical roller 101 and a first evaporator 102.

[0056] The second vapor deposition unit 200 includes a second cylindrical roller 201 and a second evaporator 202.

[0057] The feeding and winding unit 300 includes a feeding roller 301, a winding roller 302, a first limiting roller 303, a second limiting roller 304, and a plurality of auxiliary rollers 305.

[0058] The upper chamber vacuum unit 400 includes a rotary pump 401 and a mechanical booster pump 402.

[0059] The lower chamber vacuum unit 500 includes a rotary pump 501, a mechanical booster pump 502, and a diffusion pump 503.

[0060] The electron supply unit 600 includes an electron supply chamber 601, a gas cylinder 602, a power supply 603, an anti-diffusion cover 604, and a gas guide member 605.

[0061] The film F is a strip-shaped dielectric film with a width of 50 cm and a thickness of 5.0 μm. Before vapor deposition, it is a pure OPP film (biaxially oriented polypropylene film), wound into a roll, and installed on the feeding roller 301.

[0062] It should be noted that the axes of various rollers such as the feeding roller 301, the winding roller 302, the first cylindrical roller 101, and the second cylindrical roller are all parallel to each other and horizontally oriented. The film F sent out from the feeding roller 301 passes through each roller and is wound into a roll by the winding roller 302 as a film F with double-sided vapor deposition. It goes without saying that the length of each roller is longer than the width of the film F. Each roller has a roller length longer than the maximum film width usually used to adapt to various film widths, improving the versatility of the double-sided vapor deposition device 1.

[0063] The outline of the double-sided vapor deposition performed by the double-sided vapor deposition device 1 is as follows.

[0064] First, for the film F continuously conveyed from the feeding roller 301, in the first vapor deposition unit 100, a metal vapor deposition layer is formed on one side through the first cylindrical roller 101 and the first evaporator 102. Then, in the second vapor deposition unit 200, a metal vapor deposition layer is formed on the opposite side through the second cylindrical roller 201 with ceramic coated on its surface and the second evaporator 202.

[0065] Both the first cylindrical roller 101 and the second cylindrical roller 201 wind (abut) the film F at a specified central angle and perform metal vapor deposition from the outside. In particular, the second cylindrical roller 201 winds at a wrap angle of 240° and irradiates an electron beam onto the surface portion of the film F that is not in contact, so as to continuously attract the film F to the second cylindrical roller 201 and perform vapor deposition with better adhesion. In addition, as described below, the anti-diffusion cover 604 and the air guide member 605 can significantly reduce the possibility of accidental discharge.

[0066] Next, the double-sided vapor deposition apparatus 1 and its structure will be further described in detail.

[0067] The feeding roller 301 and the winding roller 302 are rotated by a drive motor (not shown) and are controlled so that the feeding and winding speeds of the film F are a constant 100 m / min. It should be noted that this speed is variable and can be appropriately changed according to the specifications.

[0068] The conveyed film F abuts against the first cylindrical roller 101 at a central angle of approximately 180° according to the positional relationship between the feeding roller 301 and the first limiting roller 303.

[0069] The first cylindrical roller 101 is a metal cylinder with a diameter of 60 cm and a width of 55 cm, and chromium plating is applied to the surface to improve wear resistance and the like. In addition, a cooling mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the cylinder, and the surface temperature is maintained at -10°C. This temperature is variable and can be appropriately changed according to the specifications.

[0070] The first evaporator 102 is disposed in the lower chamber 10D and has a crucible 121 that extends longitudinally in the axial direction of the cylindrical roller and a heating element 122 that heats it from below, causing the metal introduced therein, here zinc, to evaporate. It should be noted that a cover 123 with a slit is covered on the crucible 121, and the evaporated metal from the slit is blown onto the surface of the film F. A partition 124 is also provided to prevent the metal from diffusing to other places. It should be noted that the metal is not particularly limited and can be appropriately changed to aluminum or other metals according to the required specifications of the double-sided vapor deposition film.

[0071] It should be noted that although not shown here, a mask oil can also be used for patterning in the first vapor deposition section 100 as appropriate, and multiple metal vapor deposition layers can also be formed on one side by using multiple evaporators or the like.

[0072] The film F with a metal layer formed on one side is conveyed to the second vapor deposition section 200 via the auxiliary roller 305. Here, according to the positional relationship with the two second limiting rollers 304, the film F is closely attached to the second cylindrical roller 201 with a central angle (wrap angle) of approximately 240°. However, since metal vapor deposition is to be performed on the surface opposite to the previous vapor deposition surface, various rollers are arranged such that the vapor deposition layer side formed by the first vapor deposition section 100 is closely attached to the second cylindrical roller 201.

[0073] The second cylindrical roller 201 is a metal cylinder with a diameter of 60 cm and a width of 55 cm, and a ceramic of alumina + titanium dioxide with a thickness of 50 μm is coated on the surface (to form the insulating layer 211). It should be noted that the material and thickness of the insulating layer 211 can be appropriately changed according to the specifications. For example, as the material, in addition to alumina + titanium dioxide, only alumina or only titanium dioxide can also be used. The thickness can also be 10 μm to 100 μm. In addition, a cooling mechanism (not shown) is provided inside the cylinder, and the surface temperature is maintained at -15°C. This temperature is variable and can be appropriately changed. In the second cylindrical roller 201, the wrap angle of the film F is increased, and the close attachment of the film to the cylindrical roller is improved through dielectric action. Therefore, thermal damage does not occur, and even in the case of the second metal vapor deposition, the reliability of the film quality can be improved.

[0074] The second evaporator 202 is arranged in the lower chamber 10D and has a crucible 221 that extends longitudinally in the axial direction of the cylindrical roller and a heating element 222 that heats it from below. Similar to the first evaporator 102, zinc is evaporated. It should be noted that a cover 223 with a slit is covered on the crucible 221, and the evaporated metal from the slit is blown onto the surface of the film F (the pure OPP surface). A partition 224 is also provided to prevent the metal from diffusing to other places. It should be noted that the metal is not particularly limited and can be appropriately changed to aluminum or other metals according to the required specifications of the double-sided vapor deposition film.

[0075] In addition, similar to the first vapor deposition section 100, masking oil can be used as appropriate for patterning, and multiple metal vapor deposition layers can also be formed on one side by using multiple evaporators, etc. At this time, a control mechanism for aligning the patterns on the surface opposite to the side where vapor deposition has been performed can also be provided.

[0076] The upper chamber vacuum section 400 maintains the upper chamber 10U at a specified vacuum level (pressure PU). In this embodiment, specifically, evacuation is performed to maintain PU = 10 -1 Pa. For this purpose, a mechanical booster pump 402 is connected to the upper chamber 10U, and then a rotary pump 401 is connected to the mechanical booster pump 402 for degassing.

[0077] The lower chamber vacuum section 500 maintains the lower chamber 10D at a specified vacuum level (pressure PD). Specifically, in this embodiment, evacuation is performed to maintain PD = 10 -2 Pa. Since the vacuum level is high, first, a diffusion pump 503 is connected to the lower chamber 10D, and then a mechanical booster pump 502 and a rotary pump 501 are connected to the diffusion pump 503.

[0078] It should be noted that the gap of the partition 11 (the intervals from the first cylindrical roller 101 and the second cylindrical roller 201) is reduced to an extent that can achieve PU×0.1≥PD~10 -2 Pa.

[0079] In the case where the partition 11 is not provided, the entire chamber 10 must be evacuated to a high vacuum until the vacuum level required for vapor deposition is reached. Therefore, it takes a certain amount of time to start manufacturing (start vapor deposition), and it is not easy to operate. If a diffusion pump 503 with higher performance is used, although sometimes this start-up preparation time can be shortened to the same level as when there is a partition 11, it will result in a larger size and higher price of the entire device.

[0080] In the second vapor deposition section 200, the second cylindrical roller 201 is irradiated with an electron beam through the electron supply chamber 601. It should be noted that since the film F has a metal layer, although a part of the irradiated electrons will dissipate to the side of the take-up roller 302 etc. at the initial stage of application, an equipotential will be formed immediately. Moreover, since the electron beam from the electron supply chamber 601 is continuously irradiated as described later, the second cylindrical roller 201 can be continuously charged. Thus, even if there is a metal layer in between, the dielectric film part (pure film part) of the film F will be attracted to the side of the second cylindrical roller 201, thereby improving the tightness. Accordingly, the film quality and reliability are improved.

[0081] Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional schematic view of the electron supply section 600 of this embodiment and its surroundings. It should be noted that the electron supply chamber 601 is shown as a cross-sectional view taken perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical roller.

[0082] The electron supply chamber 601 is a rectangular parallelepiped that is long in one direction, and the length direction is parallel to the axis of the cylindrical roller 201. The size here is 510mm×45mm×45mm. In addition, the interval between the cylindrical roller 201 and the electron supply chamber 601 is 150mm.

[0083] The electron supply chamber 601 is composed of a hollow cathode 611 with a U-shaped cross-section and a positive electrode 612, and a slit 613 with a width of 1mm is longitudinally provided in the positive electrode 612.

[0084] Argon gas is supplied from the gas storage cylinder 602 into the hollow cathode 611. It should be noted that the supply amount of argon gas also depends on factors such as the applied voltage, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the electron supply chamber 601 to the interval of the slit 613 (the leakage amount into the upper chamber 10U), etc. However, by making it 5 cc to 30 cc per minute in terms of normal pressure conversion, an appropriate ionization state can be achieved. Here it is 10 cc per minute.

[0085] The adjustment of the argon gas supply amount is carried out by the valve 621. If it is 10 cc per minute, the pressure in the electron supply chamber 601 can be maintained at PR = 10 Pa. In the case of using a hollow cathode, it is preferably adjusted to 10PU ≤ PR ≤ 1000PU.

[0086] The power supply 603 is a DC power supply. The positive electrode 612 is grounded, and a voltage is supplied to make the negative electrode, that is, the hollow cathode 611 side, into a stable plasma state. Here it is -10 kV. Using this potential difference, the argon gas supplied into the hollow cathode 611 is stably ionized. It should be noted that the power supply is schematically depicted in the figure, and of course, the circuit can be appropriately configured.

[0087] The electrons generated by ionization are attracted to the positive electrode 612 side. A part of them passes through the slit 613 and is stably irradiated onto the cylindrical roller 201 as a linear electron beam along the axis with almost no diffusion.

[0088] Here, a part of the irradiated electrons will bounce back on the cylindrical roller 201 and thus diffuse to the upper chamber 10U side. To prevent this from happening, a diffusion prevention cover 604 is provided near the cylindrical roller 201. The diffusion prevention cover 604 is a curved panel with a cross-section in the shape of an arc along the surface of the cylindrical roller 201 and is relatively long in the axial direction. Due to the presence of the diffusion prevention cover 604, the electrons can be made to face the surface of the cylindrical roller 201 again, preventing discharge from occurring at unexpected positions and achieving the desired dielectric effect (film sticking effect). It should be noted that according to the specification method, the end of the diffusion prevention cover 604 can be in sliding contact with the end of the cylindrical roller to form an equipotential surface.

[0089] It should be noted that the diffusion prevention cover 604 can be said to be a curved panel with a long hole in the center. In addition, a gap also has to be left between it and the film F. Therefore, a very small part of the electrons sometimes leaks from these gaps to the upper chamber 10U.

[0090] When the double-sided gas-phase deposition device 1 is continuously operated, there will be positions where such a very small amount of leaked electrons accumulate and positions where they tend to gather (this position often depends on the device shape and the configuration of each part). If left unattended, it will also become a cause of abnormal discharge. Therefore, in order to prevent this from happening, a gas guiding member 605 is provided in the electron supply unit 600 for guiding the positively charged Ar leaking from the slit 613 +The gas is guided to its position. In the present embodiment, the orientation of the gas guide member 605 is designed to cause the Ar + gas to flow toward the take-up roll 302. In this way, even if electrons accumulate near the take-up roll 302, they will be neutralized, thereby enabling suppression of discharge to the product film on which double-sided vapor deposition has been performed.

[0091] In the prior art where a voltage is applied to the cylindrical roll itself, when the metal layer side of the film abuts against the surface of the cylindrical roll, if the surface of the cylindrical roll is metal, it is actually impossible to charge it (and impossible to attract the film). If an insulating layer is provided on the surface of the cylindrical roll, it can be charged, but the thickness of the insulating layer has to be at least several times the film thickness. Since the attractive force is proportional to the square of the voltage and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (thickness), the insulating layer will cause interference, and the close contact effect is only about one-tenth. If the applied voltage is increased accordingly, although the required attractive force can be generated on the film, since the chamber 10 is sometimes evacuated, abnormal discharge is likely to occur, which will instead damage the film.

[0092] In the second vapor deposition unit 200, effective close contact is achieved not by using a potential difference but by continuously charging the cylindrical roll 201 directly. In addition, by increasing the wrap angle, sufficient cooling of the film F is ensured, preventing thermal damage from occurring. Therefore, the quality of vapor deposition can be maintained and improved.

[0093] It should be noted that since a predetermined tension is applied to the film F by the restricting roll and the auxiliary roll, this also improves the close contact of the film with the cylindrical roll. According to the specification method, a voltage application mechanism can also be provided on the first restricting roll 303 and the second restricting roll 304, and by this mechanism, the film F is made to have a polarity, thereby improving the close contact degree with the cylindrical roll.

[0094] As described above, the double-sided vapor deposition apparatus 1 does not need to make the entire upper chamber 10U or a part thereof reach the same degree of vacuum as the lower chamber 10D, and does not cause the vacuum pump system or the apparatus structure to become large-sized, and thus a high-quality metal double-sided vapor deposition film can be manufactured. By simply adjusting the valve 621, stable generation and irradiation of the electron beam can be achieved, so it has excellent operability.

[0095] The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above structure.

[0096] For example, a structure in which an electrostatic elimination mechanism is provided near the delivery roll 301, the take-up roll 302, or the first restricting roll 303 and the second restricting roll 304 to eliminate static electricity from the film can also be adopted. It should be noted that even if static electricity is eliminated continuously or intermittently during vapor deposition, the surface of the second cylindrical roll 201 will be maintained in a predetermined charged state through the electron supply unit 600, so the film will be continuously attracted to the cylindrical roll.

[0097] In addition, instead of continuous double-sided vapor deposition, the first vapor deposition unit 100 may be omitted, and the present invention may be implemented as a single-sided vapor deposition apparatus. Further, the present invention can also be used as a double-sided vapor deposition apparatus for vapor-depositing the opposite side of a web that has undergone single-sided vapor deposition.

[0098]

Industrial Applicability

[0099] In order to improve the adhesion of the film to the first cylindrical roller 101, an electron supply chamber may be provided in the first vapor deposition unit 100.

[0100] Description of Reference Numerals

[0101] 1: Double-sided vapor deposition apparatus

[0102] 10: Chamber

[0103] 10D: Lower chamber

[0104] 10U: Upper chamber

[0105] 11: Partition

[0106] 100: First vapor deposition unit

[0107] 101: First cylindrical roller

[0108] 200: Second vapor deposition unit

[0109] 201: Second cylindrical roller

[0110] 202: Second evaporator

[0111] 211: Insulation layer

[0112] 221: Crucible

[0113] 222: Heating element

[0114] 223: Lid

[0115] 224: Partition

[0116] 300: Delivery and winding unit

[0117] 301: Delivery roller

[0118] 302: Winding roller

[0119] 400: Upper chamber vacuum unit

[0120] 401: Rotary pump

[0121] 402: Mechanical booster pump

[0122] 500: Lower chamber vacuum unit

[0123] 501: Rotary pump

[0124] 502: Mechanical supercharger pump

[0125] 503: Diffusion pump

[0126] 600: Electronic supply department

[0127] 601: Electronic supply room

[0128] 602: Gas storage cylinder

[0129] 603: Power supply

[0130] 604: Anti-diffusion cover

[0131] 605: Gas guiding part

[0132] 611: Hollow cathode

[0133] 612: Positive electrode

[0134] 613: Slit

[0135] 621: Valve.

Claims

1. A vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus, which is divided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber with a cylindrical drum roll sandwiched therebetween. The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus is characterized in that the drum roll has a horizontal axis and rotates and conveys while bringing a strip-shaped dielectric film into contact with it at a specified central angle on the lower chamber side. The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus includes: an evaporation section provided in the lower chamber for diffusing metal vapor onto the dielectric film; a vacuum pump for the lower chamber, which is connected to the lower chamber and maintains the lower chamber at a first specified vacuum degree; a vacuum pump for the upper chamber, which is connected to the upper chamber and maintains the upper chamber at a second specified vacuum degree; an electron supply chamber having a columnar outer shape and arranged longitudinally parallel to the axis, and internally accommodating a hollow cathode; a gas supply section for supplying ionization gas into the electron supply chamber; an indoor pressure control unit for maintaining the electron supply chamber at a third specified vacuum degree; and a power supply section for ionizing the gas in the electron supply chamber through the hollow cathode. Furthermore, a slit for emitting electrons is provided in the electron supply chamber parallel to the axis and opening to the surface of the drum roll not covered by the dielectric film. A prevention body is provided between the electron supply chamber and the drum roll to prevent electrons from rebounding from the drum roll side and diffusing to the upper chamber side. The surface of the drum roll is charged to improve the adhesion of the dielectric film to the drum roll and at the same time suppress accidental discharges in the upper chamber.

2. The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a guide body is provided in the upper chamber to direct the positively charged gas leaking from the slit in a specified direction.

3. The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the dielectric film in contact with the drum roll is a dielectric film whose one side has been subjected to metal vapor deposition with the same or different metal as the metal vapor, and the central angle is a specified central angle greater than 180° and less than or equal to 270°.

4. The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the indoor pressure control unit is an adjustment unit for the gas supply amount of the gas supply section or a vacuum pump provided for the electron supply chamber.

5. The vapor deposition film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drum roll is charged so that the pressure PD in the lower chamber, the pressure PU in the upper chamber, and the pressure PR in the electron supply chamber satisfy PD < PU < PR and 10PU ≤ PR ≤ 1000PU.

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