Self-reconfigurable modular chamber system of vacuum coating machine and rapid line changing method

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of vacuum coating machine, in particular to a self-reconfigurable modular chamber system and a quick line changing method of a vacuum coating machine, comprising a rack and a substrate, further comprising a clean chamber opened in the rack; a coating chamber group arranged at the top of the rack, comprising a plurality of chambers, and a plug valve arranged between adjacent chambers, one side of the coating chamber group being provided with a discharge port, and the discharge port being provided with an elimination assembly; wherein each chamber is provided with a transmission frame, the clean chamber is provided with a plurality of transmission frames, and each transmission frame located at the edge of the clean chamber is provided with a group of air cylinders below. The overall mechanism realizes a circulating process system; the modular process chamber of the chamber can be flexibly increased or decreased according to different process requirements of customers; the substrate can be directly placed on the transmission frame, reducing the need for manpower or consumables; in terms of coating process, various processes can be met, the coating process is an independent chamber, reducing the influence of pollution and other factors, and the rate is fast.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vacuum coating machine technology, specifically to a self-reconfigurable modular chamber system for vacuum coating machines and a rapid line-changing method. Background Technology

[0002] Vacuum coating machines mainly refer to a type of coating that needs to be carried out under high vacuum. They include many types, such as vacuum resistance heating evaporation, electron gun heating evaporation, magnetron sputtering, MBE molecular beam epitaxy, PLD laser sputtering deposition, ion beam sputtering, and many others.

[0003] Existing vacuum coating machines have low continuous coating efficiency due to the vacuum requirements of the chamber. Furthermore, existing coating machines use pasting or hanging methods to support the substrate, which not only reduces the overall coating efficiency but also makes loading and unloading difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a self-reconfigurable modular chamber system and a rapid line-changing method for a vacuum coating machine, which can effectively solve the problem of low continuous coating efficiency in existing technologies.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0006] This invention provides a self-reconfigurable modular chamber system for a vacuum coating machine, including a frame and a substrate, and further comprising:

[0007] The cleanroom is located within the rack;

[0008] The coating chamber assembly is located on the top of the frame and includes multiple chambers. A gate valve is provided between adjacent chambers. A discharge port is provided on one side of the coating chamber assembly, and an elimination component is provided at the discharge port for cleaning the substrate and eliminating static electricity.

[0009] Each of the chambers is equipped with a transmission frame, and the clean chamber is equipped with multiple transmission frames. Each transmission frame located at the edge of the clean chamber is equipped with a set of cylinders below it.

[0010] Furthermore, the coating chamber group includes a first chamber, a second chamber, a third chamber, a fourth chamber, and a fifth chamber.

[0011] Furthermore, a first gate valve is provided at the discharge port, a second gate valve is provided between the first and second chambers, a third gate valve is provided between the fourth and fifth chambers, and a second receiving port is provided on the other side of the coating chamber group, with a fourth gate valve provided at the second receiving port.

[0012] Furthermore, a first receiving port is provided on the side of the discharge port away from the first chamber. The first receiving port and the second receiving port are located at the two ends of the clean chamber, respectively, and are located directly above the two sets of cylinders.

[0013] Furthermore, the elimination component includes conveyor belts installed on both sides of the transmission frame. The conveyor belts and the transmission frame are driven synchronously. Multiple slots are provided at equal intervals on the conveyor belts. Each slot is provided with an adsorption element. The adsorption element has an adsorption groove. When the substrate squeezes the adsorption element downward, the air pressure inside the adsorption groove decreases.

[0014] Furthermore, an air extraction plate is slidably provided in the adsorption tank, a first piston tube is provided on the bottom wall of the slot, a first piston rod is movably inserted into the first piston tube, the top end of the first piston rod is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the adsorption element, a second piston tube is provided in the slot, a second piston rod is movably inserted into the top of the second piston tube, the top end of the second piston rod is fixedly connected to the air extraction plate, and a connecting pipe is connected between the first piston tube and the second piston tube.

[0015] Furthermore, the connecting pipe is equipped with an air intake valve, and the bottom wall of the air intake valve is equipped with a trigger switch. When the trigger switch slides up, the second piston pipe is connected to the external space through the air intake valve.

[0016] Furthermore, an ion gun is provided at the discharge port, and the ion gun is located directly above the transmission frame.

[0017] Furthermore, a mounting frame is fixedly installed on the side wall of the conveyor belt, and an air guide frame is fixedly installed on the mounting frame. The air guide frame is an arc-shaped plate. Multiple air collecting components are erected between the two conveyor belts, and air collecting pipes are connected between adjacent air collecting components. Air collecting grooves are opened on both outer walls of each air collecting component.

[0018] Furthermore, each of the gas collecting grooves is provided with a guide plate, and the guide plate is a straight plate, which is inclined from the groove opening of the gas collecting groove towards the adjacent gas collecting pipe.

[0019] Furthermore, an air outlet pipe is fixedly installed on the mounting frame, and a transmission box is fixedly installed at the end of each of the two air outlet pipes. A cleaning roller is rotatably installed between the two transmission boxes. The cleaning roller is provided with a diversion groove, and multiple air outlet holes communicating with the diversion groove are opened on the cleaning roller.

[0020] Furthermore, a bracket is fixedly installed in the diversion channel, the bracket extends into the transmission box, and a fan wheel is fixedly installed at one end of the bracket in the transmission box.

[0021] A rapid line-changing method, applied to the self-reconfigurable modular chamber system of the aforementioned vacuum coating machine, includes the following steps:

[0022] S1: Place the substrate at the feeding port and transport it to the coating chamber assembly via the transmission frame at that location;

[0023] S2: During the feeding process at the discharge port, the substrate is cleaned and static electricity is eliminated using the elimination component;

[0024] S3: The substrate with the coating completed is taken away at the second receiving port or enters the clean chamber until it reaches the first receiving port and is taken away or enters the discharge port again for secondary coating.

[0025] The technical solution provided by this invention has the following advantages compared with the known prior art:

[0026] This vacuum coating machine features a self-reconfigurable modular chamber system and a rapid line change method system, enabling a cyclic process system. The modular process chambers can be flexibly added or removed according to different customer process requirements. The substrate can be directly placed on the transmission frame, reducing manpower and consumables. In terms of coating processes, it meets various requirements (RF, CVD, magnetron target, planar target, arc source, etc.). Each coating process has an independent chamber, reducing contamination and other impacts, and offering advantages such as high speed. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the modular chamber system of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the transmission frame portion when the substrate is included;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the transmission frame section without the substrate.

[0031] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The left view;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the adsorption component.

[0033] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the gas collecting component.

[0034] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the cleaning roller section.

[0035] The labels in the diagram represent: 1. First chamber; 2. Second chamber; 3. Third chamber; 4. Fourth chamber; 5. Fifth chamber; 6. Ionizing air gun; 7. First insert valve; 8. Second insert valve; 9. Third insert valve; 10. Fourth insert valve; 11. Base plate; 12. Transmission frame; 13. Clean chamber; 14. Frame; 15. Cylinder; 16. Conveyor belt; 17. Mounting frame; 18. Air guide frame; 19. Adsorption component; 2 0. Adsorption tank; 21. Exhaust plate; 22. First piston tube; 23. First piston rod; 24. Second piston tube; 25. Second piston rod; 26. Connecting pipe; 27. Inlet valve; 28. Trigger switch; 29. ​​Gas collecting component; 30. Gas collecting pipe; 31. Gas collecting groove; 32. Guide plate; 33. Exhaust pipe; 34. Transmission box; 35. Cleaning roller; 36. Diverter groove; 37. Exhaust hole; 38. Support; 39. Impeller. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are all within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] The present invention will be further described below with reference to embodiments.

[0038] Example 1:

[0039] refer to Figure 1 The self-reconfigurable modular chamber system of the vacuum coating machine includes a frame 14 and a substrate 11, and also includes a clean chamber 13, which is formed in the frame 14.

[0040] The coating chamber assembly, located at the top of the frame 14, comprises a first chamber 1, a second chamber 2, a third chamber 3, a fourth chamber 4, and a fifth chamber 5. A first gate valve 7 is located at the discharge port, a second gate valve 8 is located between the first chamber 1 and the second chamber 2, and a third gate valve 9 is located between the fourth chamber 4 and the fifth chamber 5. A second receiving port is located on the other side of the coating chamber assembly, and a fourth gate valve 10 is located at the second receiving port. A discharge port is located on one side of the coating chamber assembly, and an elimination component is located at the discharge port for cleaning the substrate 11 and eliminating static electricity. A first receiving port is located on the side of the discharge port away from the first chamber 1. The first and second receiving ports are located at opposite ends of the clean chamber 13 and directly above the two sets of cylinders 15. The elimination component includes conveyor belts 16 mounted on both sides of the transmission frame 12. The conveyor belts 16 and the transmission frame 12 are synchronously driven. Multiple slots are evenly spaced on the conveyor belts 16, each slot containing a... An adsorption element 19 is provided, and an adsorption groove 20 is provided on the adsorption element 19. When the substrate 11 squeezes the adsorption element 19 downward, the air pressure inside the adsorption groove 20 decreases. An air extraction plate 21 is slidably provided in the adsorption groove 20. A first piston tube 22 is provided on the bottom wall of the slot. A first piston rod 23 is movably inserted into the first piston tube 22. The top end of the first piston rod 23 is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the adsorption element 19. A second piston tube 24 is provided in the slot. A second piston rod 25 is movably inserted into the top of the second piston tube 24. The top end of the second piston rod 25 is fixedly connected to the air extraction plate 21. A connecting pipe 26 connects the first piston tube 22 and the second piston tube 24. An air inlet valve 27 is provided on the connecting pipe 26. A trigger switch 28 is provided on the bottom wall of the air inlet valve 27. When the trigger switch 28 slides upward, the second piston tube 24 is connected to the external space through the air inlet valve 27. It is worth noting that both the first piston tube 22 and the second piston tube 24 are provided with elastic rods for resetting.

[0041] To improve the stability of the conveying process without affecting the coating on the upper surface, conveyor belts 16 are installed on both sides of the transmission frame 12 at the discharge port. Adsorption elements 19 are installed on the outer wall of the conveyor belts 16. When the substrate 11 is placed on the adsorption element 19, the substrate 11 itself will squeeze the adsorption element 19 downward. As the adsorption element 19 moves downward, the first piston rod 23 slides into the first piston tube 22. The first piston tube 22 draws air from the second piston tube 24, and the second piston rod 25 moves downward, which lowers the air pressure inside the adsorption tank 20, adsorbing the bottom of the substrate 11 and improving the stability during coating.

[0042] During its conveying process, the bottom of the adsorption component 19 moves to the rotating roller of the conveyor belt 16, and the air inlet valve 27 is squeezed and moved upward, so that the air inlet valve 27 connects the second piston tube 24 to the external space. The second piston tube 24 is only connected to the first piston tube 22 through the connecting pipe 26. When being drawn out, the second piston rod 25 moves downward, and when connected to the external air, the second piston rod 25 moves upward and resets under the action of the elastic rod. The first piston tube 22 is provided with an air outlet. After losing the pressure above, the air drawn in is discharged through the air outlet. One-way valves are provided at both the connecting pipe 26 and the air outlet.

[0043] Example 2:

[0044] refer to Figure 1-3 as well as Figure 6-7 An ion gun 6 is installed at the discharge port, and the ion gun 6 is located directly above the transmission frame 12. A mounting frame 17 is fixedly installed on the side wall of the conveyor belt 16, and a guide frame 18 is fixedly installed on the mounting frame 17. The guide frame 18 is an arc-shaped plate. Multiple gas collecting components 29 are installed between the two conveyor belts 16, and gas collecting pipes 30 connect adjacent gas collecting components 29. Each gas collecting component 29 has a gas collecting groove 31 on both outer walls, and a guide plate 32 is installed in each gas collecting groove 31. The guide plate 32 is a straight plate and slopes from the opening of the gas collecting groove 31 towards the adjacent gas collecting pipe 30. Figure 7 As shown, an air outlet pipe 33 is fixedly installed on the mounting bracket 17. A transmission box 34 is fixedly installed at the ends of the two air outlet pipes 33. A cleaning roller 35 is rotatably installed between the two transmission boxes 34. A diversion groove 36 is provided in the cleaning roller 35. Multiple air outlet holes 37 connected to the diversion groove 36 are opened on the cleaning roller 35. A bracket 38 is fixedly installed in the diversion groove 36. The bracket 38 extends into the transmission box 34. A fan wheel 39 is fixedly installed at one end of the bracket 38 in the transmission box 34.

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown, when a high-speed airflow is ejected through the ion gun 6, the airflow hits the substrate 11, and then flows along the surface of the substrate 11 to the air guide frame 18. The airflow is then guided by the air guide frame 18 to enter the gas collecting component 29. Figure 7 As shown, the airflow is concentrated and collected into the air outlet pipe 33. The airflow enters the transmission box 34, driving the impeller 39 to rotate. The impeller 39 drives the cleaning roller 35 to rotate. Some brushes (made of materials that prevent static electricity from friction) can be installed on the outside of the cleaning roller 35. While rotating, airflow is also sprayed out from the air outlet 37, which, in conjunction with the brushes, improves the cleaning effect on the bottom of the substrate 11. This facilitates the subsequent coating effect on the other side of the substrate 11.

[0046] Each chamber is equipped with a transmission frame 12, and the clean chamber 13 is equipped with multiple transmission frames 12. Each transmission frame 12 located at the edge of the clean chamber 13 is equipped with a set of cylinders 15.

[0047] A rapid line-changing method, applied to a self-reconfigurable modular chamber system of a vacuum coating machine, includes the following steps:

[0048] S1: Place the substrate 11 at the feeding port and transport it to the coating chamber assembly via the transmission frame 12 at that location;

[0049] S2: During the feeding process at the discharge port, the substrate 11 is cleaned and static electricity is eliminated using the elimination component;

[0050] S3: The substrate 11 after coating is taken away at the second receiving port or enters the clean chamber until it reaches the first receiving port and is taken away or enters the discharge port again for secondary coating.

[0051] The loading and unloading can be done manually or by robotic arms, depending on the actual needs and application scenarios.

[0052] Dust and foreign matter on the surface of the substrate 11 are removed by blowing with an ion gun 6 to prevent contamination of the coating and ensure the quality of the film. The first gate valve 7 opens to enter the first chamber 1, while simultaneously closing the first gate valve 7 and keeping the second gate valve 8 closed (to reduce the space in the vacuum chamber and shorten the pump's evacuation time). Once the vacuum is reached, the coating process is initiated. After the first coating process, the second gate valve 8 is opened, while the first gate valve 7 and the fourth gate valve 10 are closed (the second gate valve 8 and the third gate valve 9 are open; the second chamber 2, third chamber 3, fourth chamber 4, and fifth chamber 5 have all been pre-evacuated to the required vacuum level by the pump unit to ensure the chambers are not evacuated). The substrate 11 sequentially passes through the second chamber 2, third chamber 3, fourth chamber 4, and fifth chamber 5 for further processing. Coating process; After the coating process in the second chamber 2, third chamber 3, fourth chamber 4, and fifth chamber 5 is completed, the substrate moves to the fifth chamber 5. At this time, the second gate valve 8 and the third gate valve 9 are closed, and the first gate valve 7 (for the uncoated substrate 11) is opened to enter the first chamber 1. The fourth gate valve 10 is also opened indirectly, so that the coated substrate 11 moves from the fifth chamber 5 to the cylinder 15 for exchange transmission, and is conveyed up and down to the clean chamber 13 (when the customer considers cost saving, the exchange transmission part and the clean chamber can be omitted, and the coated finished product can be directly taken away from the second receiving port). The finished product moves to the upper and lower cylinders and is conveyed to the first receiving port position for manual or robotic arm grabbing and taking out.

[0053] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions will not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the protection scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-reconfigurable modular chamber system for a vacuum coating machine, comprising a frame and a substrate, characterized in that, Also includes: The cleanroom is located within the rack; The coating chamber assembly is located on the top of the frame and includes multiple chambers. A gate valve is provided between adjacent chambers. A discharge port is provided on one side of the coating chamber assembly, and an elimination component is provided at the discharge port for cleaning the substrate and eliminating static electricity. Each of the chambers is equipped with a transmission frame, and the clean chamber is equipped with multiple transmission frames. A set of cylinders is provided below each transmission frame located at the edge of the clean chamber. The elimination component includes conveyor belts installed on both sides of the transmission frame. The conveyor belts and the transmission frame are driven synchronously. Multiple slots are provided at equal intervals on the conveyor belts. Each slot is provided with an adsorption element. An adsorption groove is opened on the adsorption element. When the substrate squeezes the adsorption element to move downward, the air pressure inside the adsorption groove decreases. An ion gun is installed at the discharge port, and the ion gun is located directly above the transmission frame. A mounting frame is fixedly installed on the side wall of the conveyor belt, and an air guide frame is fixedly installed on the mounting frame. The air guide frame is an arc-shaped plate. Multiple air collection components are installed between the two conveyor belts. Air collection pipes are connected between adjacent air collection components. Air collection grooves are opened on both outer walls of each air collection component. Each of the gas collection slots is equipped with a guide plate, and the guide plate is a straight plate. The guide plate is inclined from the slot opening of the gas collection slot towards the adjacent gas collection pipe. An air outlet pipe is fixedly installed on the mounting frame. A transmission box is fixedly installed at the end of each of the two air outlet pipes. A cleaning roller is rotatably installed between the two transmission boxes. The cleaning roller is provided with a diversion groove and has multiple air outlet holes that communicate with the diversion groove. A bracket is fixedly installed in the diversion channel, the bracket extends into the transmission box, and a wind turbine is fixedly installed at one end of the bracket in the transmission box; A suction plate is slidably provided in the adsorption tank. A first piston tube is provided on the bottom wall of the slot. A first piston rod is movably inserted into the first piston tube. The top end of the first piston rod is fixedly connected to the bottom end of the adsorption element. A second piston tube is provided in the slot. A second piston rod is movably inserted into the top of the second piston tube. The top end of the second piston rod is fixedly connected to the suction plate. A connecting pipe is connected between the first piston tube and the second piston tube. The connecting pipe is equipped with an air intake valve, and the bottom wall of the air intake valve is equipped with a trigger switch. When the trigger switch slides up, the second piston tube is connected to the external space through the air intake valve.

2. The self-reconfigurable modular chamber system of the vacuum coating machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating chamber group includes a first chamber, a second chamber, a third chamber, a fourth chamber, and a fifth chamber.

3. The self-reconfigurable modular chamber system of the vacuum coating machine according to claim 2, characterized in that, A first gate valve is provided at the discharge port, a second gate valve is provided between the first and second chambers, a third gate valve is provided between the fourth and fifth chambers, and a second receiving port is provided on the other side of the coating chamber group, with a fourth gate valve provided at the second receiving port.

4. The self-reconfigurable modular chamber system of the vacuum coating machine according to claim 3, characterized in that, The discharge port is located on the side away from the first chamber, and the first and second discharge ports are located at the two ends of the clean chamber, respectively, and are located directly above the two sets of cylinders.

5. A rapid line-changing method, applied to the self-reconfigurable modular chamber system of the vacuum coating machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Place the substrate at the feeding port and transport it to the coating chamber assembly via the transmission frame at that location; S2: During the feeding process at the discharge port, the substrate is cleaned and static electricity is eliminated using the elimination component; S3: The substrate with the coating completed is taken away at the second receiving port or enters the clean chamber until it reaches the first receiving port and is taken away or enters the discharge port again for secondary coating.

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