Continuous vacuum coating equipment and coating method

Abstract

The invention discloses continuous vacuum coating equipment and a coating method. The continuous vacuum coating equipment comprises a coating cavity and a conveying device, and the coating cavity comprises a first acceleration section and a working section; the conveying device comprises a first conveying assembly configured to operate at a first speed, a second conveying assembly configured to operate at a second speed smaller than the first speed, and a third conveying assembly configured to operate at a second speed smaller than the first speed, the conveying speed of the second conveying assembly is adjustable, and the second conveying assembly is configured to operate at the first speed when bearing the same workpiece frame together with the first conveying assembly; when the second conveying assembly and the third conveying assembly jointly bear the same workpiece frame, the second conveying assembly operates at the second speed. Through the first conveying assembly and the second conveying assembly which can be independently controlled, the distance between the front workpiece frame and the rear workpiece frame can be dynamically adjusted, the front workpiece frame and the rear workpiece frame can continuously pass through the working section in an end-to-end queue mode, the production efficiency can be improved, the invalid coating space can be reduced, and the product quality is improved. The utilization rate of the target material is increased; and the cleanliness of the coating cavity is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vacuum coating technology, and in particular to a continuous vacuum coating equipment and coating method. Background Technology

[0002] Continuous vacuum coating is a coating method that enables online transfer of multiple substrates for coating. In this coating process, multiple substrates enter and pass through the coating area at a fixed process speed to achieve continuous coating.

[0003] Currently, conventional continuous vacuum coating equipment includes multiple chambers arranged linearly (inline structure), including a feed end, a buffer chamber, an acceleration chamber, a coating process chamber, a buffer chamber, and a discharge chamber. During operation, the workpiece holder carrying the substrate is conveyed. When the current workpiece holder enters the coating process chamber at the process speed, the subsequent workpiece holder catches up with the previous workpiece holder at a speed greater than the process speed in the acceleration chamber. When the subsequent workpiece holder enters the coating process chamber at the process speed, the front and rear workpiece holders pass through the coating chamber continuously at a certain interval. However, this interval leads to target material waste during the coating process and sputtering around the substrate, affecting the cleanliness of the coating chamber. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the problems of the prior art, this application provides a continuous vacuum coating equipment and coating method to realize that the front and rear workpiece holders pass through the working section in a queue with the head and tail connected, thereby improving the target material utilization rate and production efficiency.

[0005] A continuous vacuum coating apparatus includes a coating chamber and a conveying device disposed within the coating chamber for conveying a workpiece rack. The coating chamber includes a first acceleration section and a working section, and the workpiece section is provided with a coating source assembly. The conveying device includes a first conveying component, a second conveying component, and a third conveying component arranged sequentially at intervals. The first conveying component and the second conveying component are disposed in the first acceleration section, and the third conveying component is disposed in the workpiece section. The first conveying component is configured to operate at a first speed, and the third conveying component is configured to operate at a second speed less than the first speed; The conveying speed of the second conveying component is adjustable and configured as follows: When it shares the same workpiece rack with the first conveying component, it operates at the first speed; When it shares the same workpiece rack with the third conveying assembly, it operates at the second speed.

[0006] Several alternative methods are provided below, but they are not intended as additional limitations on the overall solution above. They are merely further additions or optimizations. Provided there are no technical or logical contradictions, each alternative method can be combined individually with respect to the overall solution above, or multiple alternative methods can be combined with each other.

[0007] Optionally, a first idler wheel is provided between the first conveying component and the second conveying component.

[0008] Optionally, the length of the first conveying component is greater than the length of the second conveying component.

[0009] Optionally, the coating cavity further includes a second acceleration section, the first acceleration section and the second acceleration section are disposed at both ends of the working section, and the second acceleration section is provided with a fourth conveying component and a fifth conveying component arranged sequentially at intervals, the fifth conveying component being configured to operate at a third speed greater than the second speed; The conveying speed of the fourth conveying component is adjustable and configured as follows: When it shares the same workpiece rack with the third conveying assembly, it operates at the second speed; When it shares the same workpiece rack with the fifth conveying component, it switches to the third speed.

[0010] A second idler wheel is provided between the fourth conveying component and the fifth conveying component.

[0011] Optionally, the length of the fifth conveying component is greater than the length of the fourth conveying component.

[0012] Optionally, the continuous vacuum coating equipment has two coating chambers arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner, with a transfer chamber between the two coating chambers, and a reversing mechanism for changing the running direction of the workpiece holder is provided in the transfer chamber.

[0013] Optionally, the two coating chambers are a first coating chamber and a second coating chamber, the inlet end of the first coating chamber is connected to a feeding chamber and a first buffer chamber, and the outlet end of the second coating chamber is connected to a discharging chamber and a second buffer chamber.

[0014] Optionally, a heating device is provided inside the first buffer cavity.

[0015] Optionally, when the second conveying assembly carries the same workpiece rack alone, it operates at the first speed.

[0016] Optionally, the head and tail of the workpiece holder are provided with structures that can be aligned with each other and form a complementary fit.

[0017] This application provides a coating method based on the continuous vacuum coating equipment, the coating method comprising controlling multiple workpiece holders to continuously pass through the working section in a queue with the head and tail connected.

[0018] Optionally, the method of implementing the head-to-tail queue includes: controlling adjacent front and rear workpiece frames so that when the tail of the current workpiece frame reaches the starting position of the third conveying component, the head of the rear workpiece frame simultaneously reaches the starting position of the third conveying component.

[0019] Optionally, when the second conveying component is cooperating with the third conveying component to convey the front workpiece carrier at the second speed, the first conveying component simultaneously conveys the rear workpiece carrier at the first speed, thereby realizing the parallel conveying of the front and rear workpiece carriers in the first acceleration phase.

[0020] Optionally, the coating method further includes controlling the timing of the tail of the front workpiece holder disengaging from the second conveying assembly to be earlier than the timing of the rear workpiece holder entering the second conveying assembly.

[0021] Optionally, the coating method further includes: the rear workpiece holder pausing for a period of time during its travel, waiting for the tail of the front workpiece holder to detach from the second conveying assembly before entering the second conveying assembly.

[0022] Compared to existing technologies, this application can dynamically adjust the spacing between the front and rear workpiece holders through independently controllable first and second conveying components, enabling the front and rear workpiece holders to continuously pass through the working section in a queue formation. This not only improves production efficiency but also reduces ineffective coating space, which is beneficial for improving the utilization rate of the target material and the cleanliness of the coating chamber. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of an existing continuous vacuum coating equipment; Figure 2 This is a process diagram of a coating method based on existing continuous vacuum coating equipment; Figure 3 This is another process diagram of a coating method based on existing continuous vacuum coating equipment; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the continuous vacuum coating equipment of this application; Figure 5 This is a process diagram of the coating method based on the continuous vacuum coating equipment of this application; Figure 6 This is another process diagram of the coating method based on the continuous vacuum coating equipment of this application; Figure 7 This is another process diagram of the coating method based on the continuous vacuum coating equipment of this application; Figure 8 This is another process diagram of the coating method based on the continuous vacuum coating equipment of this application; Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating the effect of the front and rear workpiece holders being aligned and forming a complementary fit in one embodiment. Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the continuous vacuum coating surface equipment for double-sided coating according to this application; Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating the transfer process of a coating method based on the continuous vacuum coating equipment of this application. Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating the escape process of the front workpiece holder in the coating method. Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating the process of the front workpiece holder escaping into the transfer cavity during the coating process. Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating the process of the front workpiece holder changing direction in the transfer cavity during the coating process. Figure 15 This is a diagram showing the process of the front workpiece holder entering the second coating chamber in the coating method. Figure 16 This is a diagram showing the process of the workpiece holder entering the transfer cavity in the coating method. Figure 17 This diagram illustrates the process of the workpiece holder reversing direction in the transfer cavity during the coating process. Figure 18 This is a diagram showing the process of the workpiece holder entering the second coating chamber in the coating method. Figure 19 This diagram illustrates the process of the front and rear workpieces chasing each other in the second coating chamber during the coating process. Figure 20 This is a process diagram showing the front and rear workpiece holders passing through the working section in a queue that is connected end to end in the coating method. Figure 21 This diagram illustrates the process of the front workpiece holder beginning to escape during the coating process. Figure 22 This is a diagram illustrating the process of the front workpiece holder escaping away from the rear workpiece holder in the coating method. Figure 23 This is a process diagram showing the sequential discharge of the front and rear workpiece holders from the equipment in the coating process.

[0024] The annotations in the figure are explained as follows: 100. Feed chamber; 200. First buffer chamber; 300, Coating chamber; 310, First acceleration section; 320, Working section; 330, Second acceleration section; 340, First coating chamber; 350, Second coating chamber; 400. Transfer chamber; 410. Reversing mechanism; 500. Conveying device; 510. First conveying assembly; 520. Second conveying assembly; 530. Third conveying assembly; 540. Fourth conveying assembly; 550. Fifth conveying assembly; 560. First idler wheel; 570. Second idler wheel; 600. Coating source assembly; 700. Second buffer chamber; 800. Discharge chamber; P1, front workpiece holder; P2, rear workpiece holder; G, Spacing; D1: First valve; D2, Second valve; D3, Third valve; D4, Fourth valve; D5, Fifth valve; D6, Sixth valve; D7, Seventh valve; D8, Eighth valve. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0026] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or it can be connected to a component in between. When a component is said to be "set on" another component, it can be directly set on the other component or it may be set to a component in between.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0028] See Figures 1-3This invention provides an existing continuous vacuum coating apparatus, comprising a feed chamber 100, a buffer chamber (first buffer chamber 200), and a coating chamber 300 connected in sequence. The feed chamber 100 serves as the entry point for the workpiece carrier to bring the workpiece into the apparatus, primarily functioning to isolate the atmospheric environment from the vacuum environment of the apparatus. The first buffer chamber 200 is a transition unit for vacuum buffering, primarily functioning to further enhance the vacuum level and stabilize the vacuum environment. It can also be used for pre-treatment of the workpiece; for example, the first buffer chamber 200 can be equipped with a heating device for heat treatment of the workpiece. The coating chamber 300 includes two interconnected chambers, having a first acceleration section 310 and a working section 320. The working section 320 is equipped with a coating source assembly 600, which includes a sputtering target material, typically having multiple targets arranged along the conveying direction of the workpiece carrier.

[0029] To control airflow and vacuum environment, a first valve D1 is provided at the inlet end of the feed chamber 100, a second valve D2 is provided at the connection between the feed chamber 100 and the first buffer chamber 200, and a third valve D3 is provided at the connection between the first buffer chamber 200 and the coating chamber 300.

[0030] The continuous vacuum coating equipment also includes a conveying device 500, which is used to convey the workpiece rack in a vacuum environment. Specifically, the conveying device 500 includes a conveying assembly and a driving mechanism. The conveying assembly generally consists of several equally spaced conveying wheels. The conveying wheels include a driving wheel set and a driven wheel set. The driven wheel set is located on the vacuum side and is used to support the workpiece rack. The driving wheel set is located on the atmospheric side and is connected to the driving mechanism. Only the driving wheel set is shown in the figure.

[0031] Furthermore, both the feeding chamber 100 and the first buffer chamber 200 are independently equipped with a conveying assembly, and the first acceleration section 310 and the working section 320 in the coating chamber 300 are each equipped with a conveying assembly. The drive wheel sets of each conveying assembly are connected by a synchronous belt to achieve synchronous transmission. The workpiece rack is configured to a certain conveying speed in each chamber. By controlling each conveying device 500, the workpiece rack can be conveyed in each chamber at different speeds. Moreover, between the first acceleration section 310 and the working section 320, the compression gap G between the front workpiece rack P1 and the rear workpiece rack P2 can be controlled to accelerate production efficiency.

[0032] During operation, the front workpiece holder P1 enters the feeding chamber 100 and completes the initial vacuuming. Then, valve D2 is opened, and it enters the first buffer chamber 200. After the second vacuuming is completed in the first buffer chamber 200, valve D3 is opened, and it enters the coating chamber 300. After the front workpiece holder P1 enters the coating chamber 300, valve D3 is closed. At this time, the rear workpiece holder P2 waits in the first buffer chamber 200. The front workpiece holder P1 accelerates forward in the first acceleration section 310 and passes through the coating source assembly at a fixed process speed in the working section 320 for coating.

[0033] To dynamically monitor and control the coating process, the continuous vacuum coating equipment also includes detection elements for monitoring and reporting the position of the workpiece holder. These detection elements can be sensors, such as sensors S1 to S6. Specifically, sensors S3 and S4 are located at the beginning and end of the conveying process in the first acceleration section 310, respectively, while sensors S5 and S6 are located at the beginning and end of the coating process in the working section 320.

[0034] When the tail of the current workpiece carrier P1 leaves the sensor S4, that is, when the current workpiece carrier P1 detaches from the conveying assembly of the first acceleration section 310, the subsequent workpiece carrier P2 is only allowed to enter the first acceleration section 310 and begin accelerating to catch up. Therefore, the waiting time is relatively long. When the sensor S5 senses the head of the subsequent workpiece carrier P2, the first acceleration section 310 switches to process speed, and the subsequent workpiece carrier P2 is conveyed into the working section 320 at process speed.

[0035] Figure 2 , 3 In the process, after the rear workpiece holder P2 enters the coating chamber 300, it chases the front workpiece holder P1 at a chasing speed. When it enters the sputtering coating start position (sensor S5 sensing position), it performs sputtering coating at a fixed process speed, just like the front workpiece holder P1. Since the conveying stroke of the first acceleration section 310 is limited, there is a certain distance G between the front workpiece holder P1 and the rear workpiece holder P2, and they maintain this distance G and move forward at a constant speed together in the working section 320.

[0036] The chasing speed is typically 400 mm / s, the process speed is 100 mm / s, and the distance G between the front workpiece holder P1 and the rear workpiece holder P2 is 350.5 mm. This distance leads to target material waste during the coating process and sputtering around the target, thus affecting the cleanliness of the coating chamber 300.

[0037] To address the existing technical problems, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figures 4-8 In the continuous vacuum coating equipment provided in this application, the conveying device 500 includes a first conveying component 510, a second conveying component 520, and a third conveying component 530 arranged sequentially at intervals. The first and second conveying components 510 and 520 are located in a first acceleration section 310, and the third conveying component 530 is located in a working section 320. The first conveying component 510 is configured to operate at a first speed, and the third conveying component 530 is configured to operate at a second speed. The first speed is a chasing speed, and the second speed is a process speed, i.e., the second speed is less than the first speed. The conveying speed of the second conveying component 520 is adjustable and configured to operate at the first speed when it carries a workpiece alone or when it shares the same workpiece with the first conveying component 510; and at the second speed when it shares the same workpiece with the third conveying component 530.

[0038] This application independently divides the conveying components into a first conveying component 510 and a second conveying component 520, which can be configured with different speeds. When the tail of the current workpiece frame P1 disengages from the first conveying component 510, the rear workpiece frame P2 can begin to enter the first acceleration phase 310, which can effectively reduce the waiting time of the rear workpiece frame P2.

[0039] Specifically, sensors S3 to S8 are installed within the coating chamber 300. Sensors S3 and S4 are located at the starting and ending points of the first conveying assembly 510, respectively; sensors S5 and S6 are located at the starting and ending points of the second conveying assembly 520, respectively; and sensors S7 and S8 are located at the starting and ending points of the third conveying assembly 530, respectively. The coating source assembly 600 is located between sensors S7 and S8.

[0040] In terms of workflow, when the tail of the current workpiece holder P1 leaves the sensor S4, the rear workpiece holder P2 enters the first acceleration phase 310 at a first speed to accelerate and catch up with the front workpiece holder P1. See [link to previous section]. Figure 5 See also Figure 6 When sensor S7 senses the head of the front workpiece holder P1, the second conveying assembly 520 switches to the second speed (process speed) to stably convey the front workpiece holder P1.

[0041] That is, when the second conveying component 520 is cooperating with the third conveying component 530 to convey the front workpiece frame P1 at the second speed, the first conveying component 510 simultaneously conveys the rear workpiece frame P2 at the first speed, thereby realizing the parallel conveying of the front and rear workpiece frames by the first acceleration section 310.

[0042] See Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, since the first speed is greater than the second speed, the rear workpiece frame P2 is only allowed to contact the second conveying component 520 (switched to the first speed) after the tail of the front workpiece frame P1 is disengaged from the sensor S6, so that the front and rear sections of the rear workpiece frame P2 run at the same speed, ensuring the stable operation of the rear workpiece frame P2.

[0043] Specific measures may include: the length of the first conveying component 510 is greater than the length of the second conveying component 520 and / or a certain interval is set between the first conveying component 510 and the second conveying component 520.

[0044] After the tail of the current workpiece holder P1 is disengaged from the sensor S6, and the sensor S5 senses the head of the rear workpiece holder P2, the second conveying component 520 is switched from the second speed to the first speed, so that the rear workpiece holder P2 continues to chase the workpiece holder.

[0045] See Figure 8The system controls the front workpiece holder P1 and the rear workpiece holder P2 so that when the tail of the front workpiece holder P1 reaches the starting position of the third conveying component 530 (the position sensed by sensor S7), the head of the rear workpiece holder P2 simultaneously reaches the starting position of the third conveying component 530. This allows the front and rear workpiece holders to pass through the working section 320 in a head-to-tail queue, achieving seamless docking. In other words, the distance G between the front workpiece holder P1 and the rear workpiece holder P2 is minimized, appearing almost zero distance visually. This application not only improves production efficiency but also reduces ineffective coating space, which is beneficial for improving the utilization rate of the target material and the cleanliness of the coating chamber 300.

[0046] To ensure the operational stability of the rear workpiece frame P2, a first idler wheel 560 is provided between the first conveying component 510 and the second conveying component 520. The function of the first idler wheel 560 is to provide support force within the interval between the first conveying component 510 and the second conveying component 520, and to facilitate the speed switching of the rear workpiece frame P2.

[0047] Specifically, in one embodiment, the first acceleration section 310 is equipped with six transmission wheels according to the actual size of the workpiece rack, and the transmission wheels are evenly distributed; the first conveying assembly 510 consists of the first three transmission wheels, the idler wheel is the fourth transmission wheel, and the second conveying assembly 520 consists of the last two transmission wheels.

[0048] Under the above conditions, if the first speed is relatively high, when the head of the rear workpiece frame P2 begins to contact the second conveying component 520 (when the sensor S5 senses the head), the operation of the first conveying component 510 and the second conveying component 520 can be stopped, so that the rear workpiece frame P2 stops for a period of time, and waits for the tail of the front workpiece frame P1 to disengage from the second conveying component 520 before entering the second conveying component 520, so as to avoid the rear workpiece frame P2 colliding with the front workpiece frame P1.

[0049] See Figure 9 In the illustrated embodiment, the head and tail of the workpiece holder are provided with mutually aligned and complementary structures along the conveying direction. Specifically, the workpiece holder has a frame structure, and the front side (head) and rear side (tail) are sloping, with their inclination angles being complementary.

[0050] See Figure 10 The coating cavity 300 includes a second acceleration section 330, and the first acceleration section 310 and the second acceleration section 330 are disposed at both ends of the working section 320. The second acceleration section 330 can be used to realize the escape of the front workpiece holder P1.

[0051] Along the conveying direction of the workpiece rack, the second acceleration section 330 is provided with a fourth conveying assembly 540 and a fifth conveying assembly 550 arranged sequentially at intervals. The fifth conveying assembly 550 is configured to operate at a third speed (escape speed), which is greater than the second speed (process speed). The conveying speed of the fourth conveying assembly 540 is adjustable and configured to operate at the second speed when it shares the same workpiece rack with the third conveying assembly 530; and switch to the third speed when it carries the same workpiece rack alone or when it shares the same workpiece rack with the fifth conveying assembly 550.

[0052] Specifically, sensors S9 to S12 are provided in the coating cavity 300. Sensors S9 and S10 are located at the beginning and end of the fourth conveying assembly 540, respectively, and sensors S11 and S12 are located at the beginning and end of the fifth conveying assembly 550, respectively.

[0053] When sensor S9 senses the head of the front workpiece holder P1, the fourth conveying assembly 540 is configured to operate at the second speed; after the tail of the front workpiece holder P1 disengages from sensor S8, the fourth conveying assembly 540 is switched to the third speed, causing the front workpiece holder P1 to accelerate and escape.

[0054] Furthermore, since the third speed is greater than the second speed, the rear workpiece frame P2 is only allowed to start contacting the fourth conveying component 540 (switched to the second speed) after the tail of the front workpiece frame P1 is disengaged from the sensor S10, so that the front and rear sections of the rear workpiece frame P2 have the same running speed, ensuring the stable operation of the rear workpiece frame P2.

[0055] In this design, the lengths of the fourth conveyor assembly 540 and the fifth conveyor assembly 550 are both shorter than the length of the third conveyor assembly 530. Furthermore, the length of the fifth conveyor assembly 550 is greater than the length of the fourth conveyor assembly 540, and / or a certain interval is provided between the fourth conveyor assembly 540 and the fifth conveyor assembly 550. This design allows the fourth conveyor assembly 540 to simultaneously convey the rear workpiece rack P2 at the second speed while the fifth conveyor assembly 550 is conveying the previous workpiece at the third speed, thereby achieving parallel conveying of the front and rear workpiece racks by the second acceleration section 330, which is beneficial for improving production cycle time.

[0056] To ensure the operational stability of the rear workpiece rack P2, a second idler wheel 570 is provided between the fourth conveying assembly 540 and the fifth conveying assembly 550. The function of the second idler wheel 570 is to provide support force within the interval between the fourth conveying assembly 540 and the fifth conveying assembly 550, and to facilitate the speed switching of the rear workpiece rack P2.

[0057] Under the above conditions, if the third speed is large, when the head of the rear workpiece frame P2 begins to contact the fifth conveying component 550 (when the sensor S11 senses the head), the operation of the fourth conveying component 540 and the fifth conveying component 550 can be stopped, so that the rear workpiece frame P2 stops for a period of time, and waits for the tail of the front workpiece frame to disengage from the second conveying component before entering the second conveying component. This avoids the rear workpiece frame P2 colliding with the front workpiece frame P1, or provides time for subsequent operations, such as orderly unloading and reversing for a second coating.

[0058] See Figures 11-23 One embodiment of this application provides a continuous vacuum coating equipment for double-sided coating, including a first coating chamber 340, a second coating chamber 350 and a transfer chamber 400. The two coating chambers 300 are arranged symmetrically, forming a mirror inline structure. The transfer chamber 400 is located between the first coating chamber 340 and the second coating chamber 350 and is used to change the direction of the workpieces on the workpiece holder. A reversing mechanism 410 is provided in the transfer chamber 400 to realize the rapid change of the running direction of the workpiece holder.

[0059] A fourth valve D4 is provided at the junction of the first coating chamber 340 and the transfer chamber 400, and a fifth valve D5 is provided at the junction of the second coating chamber 350 and the transfer chamber 400. During the escape process of the front workpiece, the fourth valve D4 and the fifth valve D5 are normally open.

[0060] Furthermore, the outlet end of the second coating chamber 350 is sequentially connected to a second buffer chamber 700 and a discharge chamber 800. The discharge chamber 800 is used to isolate the atmosphere from the vacuum environment of the equipment, and the second buffer chamber 700 acts as a vacuum buffer between the discharge chamber 800 and the second coating chamber 350. A sixth valve D6 is installed at the connection between the second coating chamber 350 and the second buffer chamber 700, a seventh valve D7 is installed at the connection between the second buffer chamber 700 and the discharge chamber 800, and an eighth valve D8 is installed at the outlet end of the discharge chamber 800.

[0061] The second coating chamber 350 is equipped with sensors S13 to S22. Sensors S13 and S14 are located at the starting and ending points of the first conveying assembly 510, respectively; sensors S15 and S16 are located at the starting and ending points of the second conveying assembly 520, respectively; sensors S17 and S18 are located at the starting and ending points of the third conveying assembly 530, respectively; the coating source assembly 600 is located between sensors S17 and S18; sensors S19 and S20 are located at the starting and ending points of the fourth conveying assembly 540, respectively; and sensors S21 and S22 are located at the starting and ending points of the fifth conveying assembly 550, respectively.

[0062] The first buffer chamber 200 is equipped with sensors S1 and S2, and the second buffer chamber 700 is equipped with sensors S23 and S24 to provide timely feedback on the position of the workpiece holder.

[0063] In terms of workflow, in the first production half-line formed by the feeding chamber 100, the first buffer chamber 200 and the first coating chamber 340, the front workpiece holder P1 and the rear workpiece holder P2 complete the continuous passage through the working section 320 in a queue with the front and rear connected, and the front workpiece holder P1 escapes into the transfer chamber 400.

[0064] Controlling the front workpiece holder P1 and the rear workpiece holder P2, when the rear workpiece holder P2 is disengaging from the third conveyor assembly 530 (sensor S8 detects the tail of the rear workpiece holder P2), the front workpiece holder P1 is rotating on the reversing mechanism 410. Until the rotation is complete, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 14 , 15 .

[0065] After the front workpiece holder P1 completes the reversal, it enters the second production line formed by the second coating chamber 350, the second buffer chamber 700, and the discharge chamber 800 to complete the second coating. The specific workflow of the front workpiece holder P1 in the second coating chamber 350 and the second buffer chamber 700 is the same as that of the first production line.

[0066] Furthermore, during the escape process, the front workpiece holder P1 and the rear workpiece holder P2 are controlled. When the tail of the front workpiece holder P1 is disengaged from the sensor S20, the sixth valve D6 is opened, and the head of the rear workpiece holder P2 is still on the third conveying assembly 530 (not reaching the sensor S19).

[0067] See Figure 22 When the tail of the current workpiece holder P1 finishes entering the second buffer chamber 700 (sensor S23 detects the tail), the seventh valve D7 is opened. At this time, the tail of the rear workpiece holder P2 is disengaging from the third conveying assembly 530 (sensor S18). The front workpiece holder P1 passes through the second buffer chamber 700 to the discharge chamber 800, and after being emptied, the eighth valve D8 is opened, and the front workpiece holder P1 is discharged. During this process, the rear workpiece holder P2 enters the second buffer chamber 700 and is discharged from the discharge chamber 800 in sequence.

[0068] This application is based on a continuous vacuum coating equipment, which can improve the efficiency of double-sided coating, thereby increasing efficiency, and reduce sputtering contamination of the coating chamber 300 and reduce the cleaning frequency of the coating chamber 300.

[0069] The technical features of the embodiments described above can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other, it should be considered to be within the scope of this specification. When technical features of different embodiments are embodied in the same drawing, it can be regarded as the drawing also disclosing examples of combinations of the various embodiments involved.

[0070] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A continuous vacuum coating apparatus, comprising a coating chamber and a conveying device disposed within the coating chamber for conveying a workpiece rack, characterized in that: The coating cavity includes a first acceleration section and a working section, and the workpiece section is provided with a coating source assembly. The conveying device includes a first conveying component, a second conveying component, and a third conveying component arranged sequentially at intervals. The first conveying component and the second conveying component are disposed in the first acceleration section, and the third conveying component is disposed in the workpiece section. The first conveying component is configured to operate at a first speed, and the third conveying component is configured to operate at a second speed less than the first speed; The conveying speed of the second conveying component is adjustable and configured as follows: When it shares the same workpiece rack with the first conveying component, it operates at the first speed; When it shares the same workpiece rack with the third conveying assembly, it operates at the second speed.

2. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, A first idler wheel is provided between the first conveying component and the second conveying component.

3. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The length of the first conveying component is greater than the length of the second conveying component.

4. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating chamber further includes a second acceleration section. The first acceleration section and the second acceleration section are disposed at both ends of the working section. The second acceleration section is provided with a fourth conveying component and a fifth conveying component arranged at intervals in sequence. The fifth conveying component is configured to run at a third speed greater than the second speed. The conveying speed of the fourth conveying component is adjustable and configured as follows: When it shares the same workpiece rack with the third conveying assembly, it operates at the second speed; When it shares the same workpiece rack with the fifth conveying component, it switches to the third speed.

5. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, A second idler wheel is provided between the fourth conveying component and the fifth conveying component.

6. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The length of the fifth conveying component is greater than the length of the fourth conveying component.

7. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The continuous vacuum coating equipment has two coating chambers arranged in a rotationally symmetrical manner, and a transfer chamber is provided between the two coating chambers. The transfer chamber is provided with a reversing mechanism for changing the running direction of the workpiece rack.

8. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The two coating chambers are a first coating chamber and a second coating chamber. The inlet end of the first coating chamber is connected to a feeding chamber and a first buffer chamber, and the outlet end of the second coating chamber is connected to a discharging chamber and a second buffer chamber.

9. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the second conveying component carries the same workpiece rack alone, it operates at the first speed.

10. The continuous vacuum coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The head and tail of the workpiece holder are provided with structures that can be aligned with each other and form a complementary fit.

11. A coating method based on the continuous vacuum coating equipment according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that, The coating method includes controlling multiple workpiece holders to continuously pass through the working section in a queue formation with the head and tail connected.

12. The coating method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method of realizing the head-to-tail queue includes controlling adjacent front and rear workpiece frames so that when the tail of the current workpiece frame reaches the starting position of the third conveying component, the head of the rear workpiece frame simultaneously reaches the starting position of the third conveying component.

13. The coating method according to claim 11, characterized in that, When the second conveying component is cooperating with the third conveying component to convey the front workpiece carrier at the second speed, the first conveying component simultaneously conveys the rear workpiece carrier at the first speed, thereby realizing the parallel conveying of the front and rear workpiece carriers in the first acceleration phase.

14. The coating method according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: The timing at which the tail of the front workpiece holder disengages from the second conveying assembly is earlier than the timing at which the rear workpiece holder enters the second conveying assembly.

15. The coating method according to claim 14, characterized in that, Also includes: The rear workpiece carrier pauses for a period of time during its movement, and then enters the second conveying assembly after the tail of the front workpiece carrier disengages from the second conveying assembly.

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