Automatic vacuum evaporation coating system

Abstract

The invention provides an automatic vacuum evaporation coating system which comprises a main cavity and an auxiliary cavity which can be independently maintained in a vacuum environment. The evaporation device is positioned in the main cavity and is used for evaporating a film material and depositing the film material on the substrate; the automatic vacuum feeding device is positioned in the main cavity and is used for continuously and controllably providing the film material for the evaporation device under a vacuum condition; the automatic substrate loading and unloading device is positioned in the auxiliary cavity and is used for continuously providing the substrates for the main cavity for multiple times; in the process of continuously providing the substrate for multiple times, the main cavity maintains the vacuum environment. According to the automatic vacuum evaporation coating system disclosed by the invention, the film materials and the substrates can be supplied to the evaporation device according to the preset number and speed in a vacuum environment, so that the stability and the continuity of an evaporation coating process are ensured. According to the system, long-time evaporation coating and multi-batch coating operation can be realized under the condition that the vacuum environment of the main cavity is not damaged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of evaporation coating technology, and specifically to an automated vacuum evaporation coating system. Background Technology

[0002] Evaporation deposition technology is one of the key technologies for film preparation. However, the continuous supply of film material and substrate has always been a challenge for evaporation deposition equipment. Traditional evaporation deposition processes usually require manual addition of film material, which makes it difficult to maintain a stable amount of film material in the evaporation boat / crucible during continuous evaporation deposition, thus affecting the consistency of coating parameters. This instability not only hinders the automatic, continuous, and stable deposition of films but also makes it difficult to guarantee the batch-to-batch stability and repeatability of evaporation deposition. How to meet the urgent need for large-volume, multi-batch continuous thermal evaporation deposition of films and ensure the quality stability and repeatability of evaporated products is a topic that researchers continue to focus on and study.

[0003] The information disclosed in this section is only for understanding the background of the inventive concept of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above, this disclosure provides an automated vacuum evaporation coating system, which includes:

[0005] The main cavity and the auxiliary cavity can each be maintained in a vacuum environment independently;

[0006] An evaporation device, located in the main cavity, is used to evaporate the film material and deposit it onto the substrate;

[0007] An automatic vacuum feeding device, located in the main cavity, is used to continuously and controllably supply the film material to the evaporation device under vacuum conditions;

[0008] An automatic substrate loading and unloading device, located in the secondary cavity, is used to continuously and repeatedly supply the substrate to the main cavity; wherein, during the continuous and repeated supply of the substrate, the main cavity maintains the vacuum environment.

[0009] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the evaporation apparatus includes one of a thermal evaporation coating apparatus, an electron beam evaporation coating apparatus, and a laser evaporation coating apparatus.

[0010] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the evaporation apparatus is provided with an evaporation boat or an evaporation crucible for holding the film material to be evaporated.

[0011] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the automatic vacuum feeding device includes:

[0012] Storage unit for storing the film material;

[0013] A pushing unit is used to push the film material onto the evaporation device by means of electric or pneumatic power.

[0014] A movable component is used to control the movement of the automatic vacuum feeding device within the main cavity.

[0015] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system further includes:

[0016] A monitor is used to monitor in real time at least one of the following parameters of the evaporation device: the amount of film material, the melting status, and the evaporation rate.

[0017] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system further includes:

[0018] A crystal oscillator is used to monitor the film thickness of the film material in real time and accurately, so as to precisely control the evaporation rate of the film material.

[0019] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the material of the film includes one of aluminum, silver, silicon dioxide, and chromium; the shape of the film includes one of columnar, granular, or filamentous.

[0020] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the substrate includes one of a silicon substrate, a quartz substrate, and a plastic substrate; the shape of the substrate includes one of a circle and a square.

[0021] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system further includes:

[0022] A vacuum system is used to extract gas from the main cavity and the auxiliary cavity to maintain a vacuum environment.

[0023] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system further includes:

[0024] Control system, used to control the automated operation during the coating process.

[0025] This disclosed automated vacuum evaporation coating system integrates an automated vacuum feeding device and an automated substrate loading and unloading device, achieving a fully automated vacuum evaporation coating technology. The system can stably and continuously supply film material and substrates in a vacuum environment, significantly improving the quality stability and production efficiency of the evaporated film. This system is particularly suitable for automated film evaporation deposition on multiple batches of substrates, effectively ensuring the quality stability and production capacity of the evaporated products. Attached Figure Description

[0026] The above and other objects, features and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automated vacuum evaporation coating system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an automated vacuum evaporation coating system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an automated vacuum evaporation coating system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure label:

[0031] 1. Evaporation device; 2. Automatic vacuum feeding device; 3. Automatic substrate loading and unloading device; 4. Main chamber; 5. Monitor; 6. Vacuum system; 7. Control system; 8. Substrate; 9. Thermal evaporation coating device; 10. Automatic substrate loading and unloading device for circular substrates; 11. Circular substrate; 12. Electron beam evaporation coating device; 13. Automatic substrate loading and unloading device for square substrates; 14. Square substrate; 30. Secondary chamber. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0033] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. The terms “comprising,” “including,” etc., as used herein indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, or components.

[0034] All terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. It should be noted that the terms used herein are to be interpreted in a manner consistent with the context of this specification, and not in an idealized or overly rigid way.

[0035] Evaporation deposition is an important film preparation technology widely used in optics, electronics, semiconductors, and other fields. Traditional evaporation deposition processes typically require manual addition of the film material, making it difficult to maintain a stable amount of material in the evaporation boat / crucible during continuous deposition, thus affecting the consistency of coating parameters. This instability not only hinders automated, continuous, and stable film deposition but also makes it difficult to guarantee batch-to-batch stability and repeatability of evaporation deposition.

[0036] To address at least one aspect of the above problems, this disclosure provides an automated vacuum evaporation coating system.

[0037] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an automated vacuum evaporation coating system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the automatic vacuum evaporation coating system includes: a main chamber 4 and a secondary chamber 30, each capable of independently maintaining a vacuum environment; an evaporation device 1, located in the main chamber 4, used to evaporate the film material and deposit it onto the substrate 8; an automatic vacuum feeding device 2, located in the main chamber 4, used to continuously and controllably supply film material to the evaporation device 1 under vacuum conditions; and an automatic substrate loading and unloading device 3, located in the secondary chamber 30, used to continuously and repeatedly supply the substrate 8 to the main chamber 4; wherein, during the continuous and repeated supply of the substrate 8, the main chamber 4 maintains a vacuum environment.

[0039] The main cavity 4 is the core area of ​​the vapor deposition process, maintaining a high vacuum to ensure the quality and uniformity of the film deposition. During the vapor deposition process, the vacuum level within the main cavity 4 is unaffected by external interference and remains at its optimal state. The secondary cavity 30 provides an independent vacuum environment for the automatic substrate loading and unloading device 3. When changing the substrate 8, the secondary cavity 30 can operate independently without affecting the vacuum state of the main cavity 4. This design avoids the problem of a decrease in the vacuum level of the main cavity 4 due to frequent substrate 8 changes, ensuring the continuity of the vapor deposition process.

[0040] The automatic vacuum feeding device 2, as the feeding section, can continuously supply film material to the evaporation unit 1, ensuring the continuity and stability of the evaporation process. This device precisely controls the quantity and speed of film material supply to meet the requirements of different processes for film thickness and deposition rate.

[0041] The automatic substrate loading / unloading device 3 can quickly and accurately replace the substrate 8 within the secondary cavity 30. Through preset programs and operations, the substrate 8 replacement process is automated, significantly reducing replacement time. In mass production, rapid substrate 8 replacement is crucial for improving production efficiency. The design of the secondary cavity 30 allows substrate 8 replacement to be performed without affecting the vacuum state of the main cavity 4, thus achieving continuous and efficient mass production.

[0042] The automatic vacuum feeding device 2 and the automatic substrate loading and unloading device 3 work together to achieve a stable and continuous supply of film material and substrate 8 under vacuum conditions, ensuring the efficient and stable operation of the evaporation coating process. This synergistic effect not only improves production efficiency but also significantly enhances the quality stability and consistency of the evaporated film layer.

[0043] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the evaporation apparatus 1 includes one of a thermal evaporation coating apparatus 9, an electron beam evaporation coating apparatus 12, and a laser evaporation coating apparatus.

[0044] The thermal evaporation coating apparatus 9 heats the evaporation source to bring the film material to the evaporation temperature, thereby evaporating and depositing it onto the substrate 8 in a vacuum environment. This apparatus typically uses resistance heating or induction heating to provide the necessary heat. Thermal evaporation coating is suitable for coating various metals (such as Al, Ag, Cr, etc.), which can evaporate smoothly after heating and form a uniform thin film on the substrate 8.

[0045] Electron beam evaporation coating apparatus 12 utilizes a high-energy electron beam to bombard an evaporation source, causing the film material to absorb energy and evaporate. The electron beam allows for precise control of the evaporation rate and film thickness, making it suitable for high-precision coating requirements. Electron beam evaporation coating is applicable to dielectric materials (such as SiO2) and organic materials, and can precisely control the thickness and uniformity of the film.

[0046] Laser evaporation coating equipment utilizes a high-energy laser beam to irradiate an evaporation source, causing the film material to absorb the laser energy and evaporate. The laser beam allows for precise control of the evaporation area and rate, making it suitable for substrates with complex shapes and for high-precision film deposition. Laser evaporation coating can process high-melting-point materials while also precisely controlling the thickness and uniformity of the film.

[0047] By selecting different types of evaporation devices 1, the automatic vacuum evaporation coating system of this disclosure can adapt to a variety of different evaporation coating process requirements. Users can select a suitable evaporation device 1 according to specific process requirements and material properties.

[0048] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the evaporation apparatus 1 is provided with an evaporation boat or an evaporation crucible for holding the film material to be evaporated.

[0049] Evaporation boats are typically made of high-melting-point metals (such as tungsten, molybdenum, and tantalum) or ceramic materials (such as boron nitride and titanium diboride). These materials possess high melting points, good thermal stability, and corrosion resistance, enabling them to maintain structural integrity under high-temperature vacuum conditions. The primary function of the evaporation boat is to support the film material and evaporate it through heating. The film material can be columnar, granular, or filamentous, with the appropriate shape and size selected based on specific process requirements. Evaporation boats are typically heated using resistance heating or induction heating.

[0050] Evaporation crucibles are typically made of ceramic materials (such as quartz and alumina) or metallic materials (such as tantalum and molybdenum). These materials possess high melting points, good thermal stability, and corrosion resistance, enabling them to operate stably in high-temperature vacuum environments. The primary function of an evaporation crucible is to hold large quantities of film material and evaporate it through heating. Evaporation crucibles are commonly used in electron beam evaporation deposition and laser evaporation deposition, capable of handling high-melting-point materials and large quantities of film material. The heating methods for evaporation crucibles are diverse, including electron beam bombardment and laser irradiation.

[0051] In embodiments of this disclosure, the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 includes: a storage unit for storing film material; a pushing unit for pushing the film material onto the evaporation device 1 by means of electric or pneumatic power; and a moving component for controlling the movement of the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 within the main cavity 4.

[0052] The automatic vacuum feeding device 2 has a dedicated film material storage unit that can hold a certain amount of columnar, granular, or filamentous film material. This film material is pre-loaded into the device according to specific coating requirements, providing sufficient raw materials for continuous coating. The automatic vacuum feeding device 2, powered by an electric or pneumatic system, precisely pushes the film material onto the evaporation boat or crucible according to a preset program and parameters. The quantity of film material pushed each time, the pushing rate, and the pushing time interval can be precisely adjusted by the control system 7 to ensure the continuity and uniformity of the film material supply. The automatic vacuum feeding device 2 is also equipped with a moving component that can move flexibly within the main chamber 4. During feeding, the moving component can move the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 precisely to the vicinity of the evaporation boat or crucible, ensuring that the film material is accurately pushed into place. After feeding is completed, the device can automatically move to a position away from the evaporation boat or crucible to avoid interfering with the evaporation process.

[0053] In embodiments of this disclosure, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system further includes: a monitor 5 for real-time monitoring of at least one parameter among the film quantity, melting status, and evaporation rate on the evaporation apparatus 1; and a crystal oscillator for real-time and accurate monitoring of the film thickness to precisely control the evaporation rate of the film.

[0054] Inside the main cavity 4, the monitor 5 and crystal oscillator can monitor parameters such as the amount of film material, melting status, and evaporation rate on the evaporation boat in real time, ensuring precise control of the evaporation process. The collected parameters can be fed back to the control system 7, which dynamically adjusts the supply of film material and the replacement of the substrate 8 based on the feedback data, ensuring the stability of the evaporation process.

[0055] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the material of the film includes one of aluminum, silver, silicon dioxide, and chromium; the shape of the film includes one of columnar, granular, or filamentous.

[0056] Aluminum and silver have low melting points and readily form uniform thin films during evaporation, making them suitable for thermal evaporation and electron beam evaporation processes. Columnar film materials possess a large surface area and good thermal stability, making them suitable for continuous evaporation processes. Granular film materials have small dimensions and high specific surface area, making them suitable for rapid evaporation and high-precision control. Filamentous film materials have long lengths and small diameters, making them suitable for continuous evaporation and the preparation of uniform film layers. By selecting different film material materials and shapes, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system disclosed herein can adapt to various evaporation coating process requirements.

[0057] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the substrate 8 includes one of a silicon substrate, a quartz substrate, and a plastic substrate; the shape of the substrate 8 includes one of a circle and a square.

[0058] Silicon substrates have a low coefficient of thermal expansion, enabling them to remain stable at high temperatures and making them suitable for various evaporation coating processes. Quartz substrates are chemically inert, remaining stable in a variety of chemical environments and suitable for various evaporation coating processes. Plastic substrates have low density, making them particularly advantageous in applications with strict weight constraints, such as aerospace; plastic substrates also possess good flexibility, being able to bend without easily breaking, making them suitable for flexible electronic devices, wearable devices, and other fields. By selecting different substrate materials and shapes, the system can adapt to a variety of application requirements. The properties of silicon and quartz substrates make them suitable for different optical and electronic applications, while circular and square substrates offer different geometric characteristics and processing flexibility.

[0059] In embodiments of this disclosure, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system further includes: a vacuum system 6 for extracting gas from the main chamber 4 and the secondary chamber 30 to maintain a vacuum environment; and a control system 7 for controlling the automated operation during the coating process.

[0060] The main function of the vacuum system 6 is to extract the gas from the main chamber 4 and the auxiliary chamber 30 to maintain a high vacuum environment. This ensures that the vapor deposition process is not affected by external air and impurities, improving the purity and quality of the film. The control system 7 is responsible for the automated operation of the entire vapor deposition process, including film material supply, substrate 8 replacement, evaporation rate control, and vacuum maintenance. Through the monitor 5 and crystal oscillator, the control system 7 can monitor various parameters in the vapor deposition process in real time, such as film material quantity, melting status, and evaporation rate, and dynamically adjust the operating parameters based on this data.

[0061] The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system disclosed herein is equipped with an evaporation device 1, an automatic vacuum feeding device 2, an automatic substrate loading and unloading device 3, and other supporting components such as a main chamber 4, a secondary chamber 30, a vacuum system 6, and a control system 7. The automatic vacuum feeding device 2 stores a number of columnar or granular film materials and is powered by electricity or pneumatics. It can push one or more sections of film material onto the evaporation boat / crucible according to instructions, achieving continuous and controllable supply of film material. Inside the main chamber 4, a monitor 5 and a crystal oscillator device monitor parameters such as the quantity, melting status, and evaporation rate of the film material on the evaporation boat in real time. Then, the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 in the main chamber 4 supplies film material to the evaporation boat / crucible according to a specified quantity and speed, and the automatic substrate loading and unloading device 3 supplies substrates 8 according to a specified quantity and speed. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system disclosed herein can supply film material and substrates 8 in a vacuum environment according to a preset quantity and speed, ensuring the stability and continuity of the evaporation coating process. Under vacuum conditions without damaging the evaporation coating process chamber, long-term evaporation coating and multiple batch coating can be achieved, which effectively improves the quality stability and production efficiency of the evaporated coating layer and solves the problems of poor quality stability and low production capacity in existing evaporation coating technologies.

[0062] The automated vacuum evaporation coating system disclosed herein effectively solves the problems of low processing efficiency, high equipment cost, and high processing cost faced by traditional electron beam lithography technology in the fabrication of single-photon detector structures with resolution in the hundreds of nanometers range. By employing conventional coating, resist coating, and etching processes, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system of this disclosure can efficiently fabricate superconducting single-photon detector structures with resolutions of hundreds of nanometers and higher. This not only expands the application range of surface plasmon lithography technology but also provides a low-cost superconducting single-photon detector fabrication method suitable for large-area production, paving a new path for the industrial application of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs). In addition, this disclosure can also be used for the efficient fabrication of film wafers in super-resolution lithography, which is beneficial for further improving quality and efficiency.

[0063] The present disclosure will be further described below through specific embodiments. The high-speed, high-precision pneumatic control system 7 and control method described above will be specifically illustrated in the following embodiments. However, the following embodiments are merely illustrative of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0064] Example 1

[0065] The structural diagram of the automatic vacuum evaporation coating system in Embodiment 1 of this disclosure is shown below. Figure 2As shown, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system includes a thermal evaporation coating device 9, an automated vacuum feeding device 2, an automated substrate loading and unloading device 10 for circular substrates, a main chamber 4, a secondary chamber 30, and supporting components such as a vacuum system 6 and a control system 7. An evaporation boat is mounted on the thermal evaporation coating device 9. This system allows for multiple batches of substrate evaporation coating to be completed without disrupting the vacuum by having the automated vacuum feeding device 2 supply film material repeatedly while the automated substrate loading and unloading device 10 supplies film material to the evaporation boat multiple times, thus completing multiple batches of substrate evaporation coating without disrupting the vacuum. The automated vacuum feeding device 2 stores a quantity of film material and uses electric power to push the film material onto the evaporation boat according to instructions, allowing for continuous film material feeding. The automated vacuum feeding device 2 is equipped with a moving component, which can be controlled to move to the vicinity of the evaporation boat for feeding, and can move to a position away from the evaporation boat after feeding is completed. The automated substrate loading and unloading device 10 can continuously and controllably supply film material to the circular substrates 11 for evaporation coating under vacuum conditions; the circular substrates 11 can be silicon substrates. The main chamber 4 is equipped with a monitor 5 and a crystal oscillator, which can monitor parameters such as the quantity, melting status, and evaporation rate of the film material on the evaporation boat in real time. Then, the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 supplies the film material to the evaporation boat according to a specified quantity and speed, enabling the system to perform multiple batch coatings. The diameter of the main chamber 4 is 550mm. The film material can be Ag, and its shape can be cylindrical. The film material can be pushed out one section at a time, and the specific quantity, pushing rate, and pushing time can be controlled by the control software.

[0066] Example 2

[0067] The structural diagram of the automatic vacuum evaporation coating system in Embodiment 2 of this disclosure is shown below. Figure 2As shown, the automatic vacuum evaporation coating system includes a thermal evaporation coating device 9, an automatic vacuum feeding device 2, an automatic substrate loading and unloading device 10 for circular substrates, a main cavity 4, a secondary cavity 30, and supporting components such as a vacuum system 6 and a control system 7. An evaporation boat is mounted on the thermal evaporation coating device 9. This system can maintain a vacuum in the main cavity 4, with the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 repeatedly supplying film material and the automatic substrate loading and unloading device 10 repeatedly supplying circular substrates 11 for evaporation coating, thus completing multiple batches of substrate evaporation coating without disrupting the vacuum. The automatic vacuum feeding device 2 stores a quantity of film material and uses electric power to push the film material onto the evaporation boat according to instructions, allowing for continuous film material feeding. The automatic vacuum feeding device 2 is equipped with a moving component, which can be controlled to move near the evaporation boat for feeding, and can move away from the evaporation boat after feeding is completed. The automatic substrate loading and unloading device 10 can continuously and controllably supply circular substrates 11 for evaporation coating under vacuum conditions; the circular substrates 11 can be silicon substrates. The main chamber 4 is equipped with a monitor 5 and a crystal oscillator, which can monitor parameters such as the quantity, melting status, and evaporation rate of the film material on the evaporation boat in real time. Then, the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 supplies the film material to the evaporation boat according to a specified quantity and speed, enabling the system to perform multiple batch coatings. The diameter of the main chamber 4 is 700mm. The film material can be Al material, and its shape can be filamentous. The film material can be pushed in specified lengths each time, and the specific pushing length, pushing rate, and pushing time can be controlled by control software.

[0068] Example 3

[0069] The structural diagram of the automated vacuum evaporation coating system in Embodiment 3 of this disclosure is shown below. Figure 3As shown, the automated vacuum evaporation coating system includes an electron beam evaporation coating device 12, an automated vacuum feeding device 2, an automated substrate loading and unloading device 13 for square substrates, a main chamber 4, a secondary chamber 30, and supporting components such as a vacuum system 6 and a control system 7. An evaporation crucible is mounted on the electron beam evaporation coating device 12. This system can maintain a vacuum in the main chamber 4 while the automated vacuum feeding device 2 provides film material multiple times, and the automated substrate loading and unloading device 13 provides square substrates 14 multiple times, thus completing multiple batches of substrate evaporation coating without disrupting the vacuum. The automated vacuum feeding device 2 stores a quantity of film material and uses pneumatic power to push the film material onto the evaporation crucible according to instructions, allowing for continuous film material feeding. The automated vacuum feeding device 2 is equipped with a moving component, which can be controlled to move to the vicinity of the evaporation crucible for feeding, and can move to a position away from the evaporation crucible after feeding is completed. The automatic substrate loading and unloading device 13 for square substrates can continuously and controllably supply square substrates 14 for evaporation coating under vacuum conditions. The square substrate 14 can be a quartz substrate. The main cavity 4 is equipped with a monitor 5 and a crystal oscillator, which can monitor parameters such as the quantity of film material, melting status, and evaporation rate on the evaporation crucible in real time. Then, the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 supplies film material to the evaporation crucible according to a specified quantity and speed, enabling the system to perform multiple batch coatings. The diameter of the main cavity 4 is 3000 mm. The film material can be a silicon dioxide dielectric material, and its shape can be granular. The film material can be pushed out in batches of several granules, and the specific quantity of film material pushed out can be set by the control software.

[0070] Example 4

[0071] The structural diagram of the automated vacuum evaporation coating system in Embodiment 4 of this disclosure is shown below. Figure 1As shown, the automatic vacuum evaporation coating system includes an evaporation device 1, an automatic vacuum feeding device 2, an automatic substrate loading and unloading device 3, a main chamber 4, a secondary chamber 30, and supporting components such as a vacuum system 6 and a control system 7; the evaporation device 1 is equipped with an evaporation boat. This system can maintain a vacuum in the main chamber 4, with the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 repeatedly supplying film material and the automatic substrate loading and unloading device 3 repeatedly supplying substrates 8 for evaporation coating, thereby completing multiple batches of evaporation coating on substrates 8 without disrupting the vacuum. The evaporation device 1 can be a thermal evaporation coating device. The automatic vacuum feeding device 2 stores a certain amount of film material and uses pneumatic power to push the film material onto the evaporation boat according to instructions, allowing for continuous film material feeding. The automatic vacuum feeding device 2 is equipped with a moving component, which can be controlled to move to the vicinity of the evaporation boat for feeding, and can move to a position away from the evaporation boat after feeding is completed. The automatic substrate loading and unloading device 3 can continuously and controllably supply substrates 8 for evaporation coating under vacuum conditions. The substrate 8 can be rectangular in shape and made of plastic. The main chamber 4 is equipped with a monitor 5 and a crystal oscillator, which can monitor parameters such as the quantity, melting status, and evaporation rate of the film material on the evaporation boat in real time. Then, the automatic vacuum feeding device 2 supplies the film material to the evaporation boat according to a specified quantity and speed, enabling the system to perform multiple batch coatings. The diameter of the main chamber 4 is 1000mm. The film material can be Cr material, and the shape can be granular. The film material can be pushed in a specified quantity each time, and the specific quantity, pushing rate, and pushing time can be controlled by control software.

[0072] Those skilled in the art will understand that the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of this disclosure can be combined or combined in various ways, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly described in this disclosure. In particular, the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of this disclosure can be combined or combined in various ways without departing from the spirit and teachings of this disclosure. All such combinations and / or combinations fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0073] Although this disclosure has been shown and described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes in form and detail may be made to this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should not be limited to the above embodiments, but should be defined not only by the appended claims, but also by their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automatic vacuum evaporation coating system, characterized in that, The application relates to an automatic vacuum evaporation coating system. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system comprises a main cavity and a secondary cavity, which can be independently maintained in a vacuum environment. An evaporation device is arranged in the main cavity, which is used for evaporating and depositing a film material on a substrate. An automatic vacuum material supply device is arranged in the main cavity, which is used for continuously and controllably supplying the film material to the evaporation device under a vacuum condition. An automatic substrate feeding and discharging device is arranged in the secondary cavity, which is used for continuously providing the substrate to the main cavity for multiple times; wherein the main cavity maintains the vacuum environment during the continuous multiple times of providing the substrate.

2. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The evaporation device comprises one of a thermal evaporation coating device, an electron beam evaporation coating device and a laser evaporation coating device.

3. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The evaporation device is provided with an evaporation boat or an evaporation crucible, which is used for carrying the film material to be evaporated.

4. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic vacuum material supply device comprises: A storage unit is used for storing the film material. A pushing unit is used for pushing the film material to the evaporation device by using electric or pneumatic power as the power. A moving assembly is used for controlling the movement of the automatic vacuum material supply device in the main cavity.

5. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system further comprises: A monitor is used for monitoring at least one parameter of the film material on the evaporation device in real time, such as the quantity of the film material, the melting condition and the evaporation rate.

6. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system further comprises: A crystal oscillator device is used for monitoring the film thickness of the film material in real time and accurately, so as to accurately control the evaporation rate of the film material.

7. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The material of the film material comprises one of aluminum, silver, silicon dioxide and chromium; and the shape of the film material comprises one of a columnar shape, a granular shape and a filamentous shape.

8. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The substrate comprises one of a silicon substrate, a quartz substrate and a plastic substrate; and the shape of the substrate comprises one of a circular shape and a square shape.

9. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system further comprises: A vacuum system is used for pumping out the gas in the main cavity and the secondary cavity, so as to maintain the vacuum environment.

10. The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic vacuum evaporation coating system further comprises: A control system is used for controlling the automatic operation in the coating process.

Images