Thin film manufacturing device

Abstract

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a thin film manufacturing apparatus that achieves a reduction in takt time. The thin film manufacturing apparatus (501) of the present disclosure is configured to include an ultrasonic atomization device (101), a heating mechanism (201), and a base material rotation mechanism (301). The base material rotation mechanism (301) performs a base material rotation process for rotating a cylindrical base material (15) including a film formation unit (15m) by driving a rotation belt drive motor (30). The cylindrical base material (15) is set to one of a first arrangement state and a second arrangement state by the base material rotation process. The ultrasonic atomization device (101) performs mist supply processing on a film formation region of the film formation unit (15m) set in the first arrangement state. After the film formation region of the film formation unit (15m) is set to the second arrangement state, the heating mechanism (201) performs a heating process for heating the film formation region in the second arrangement state after the mist supply process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a thin-film manufacturing apparatus used in the manufacture of electronic components, solar cells, etc. Background Technology

[0002] As an existing thin film manufacturing apparatus for performing fog supply and heating treatment, there is, for example, the fog coating film forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0003] The mist coating film-forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an apparatus that atomizes a raw material solution, which is a nanoparticle dispersion solution or a nanofiber solution, coats a liquid film of the raw material solution on a plate-shaped substrate, and then forms a thin film through a sintering and drying process based on heat treatment.

[0004] Conventional mist coating film forming apparatuses, after performing mist supply treatment to coat a uniform film of a dispersed solution onto a plate-shaped substrate, transport the plate-shaped substrate coated with the raw material solution film to the sintering and drying process for the sintering and drying process, which is to be carried out as a heat treatment for other processes.

[0005] Existing technical documents Patent documents Patent Document 1: International Publication No. 2018 / 011854 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve Conventional thin film manufacturing apparatuses, such as the aforementioned mist coating film forming apparatus, perform mist supply processing and heating processing (sintering and drying processes) in other processes that require substrate conveying processing. Therefore, with the increase in the number of conveying processes, manufacturing time is required accordingly.

[0007] That is, the traditional thin film manufacturing equipment that performs mist supply and heating processes will be replaced by other processes that require conveying, such as sintering and drying. As a result, the process time, number of processes and equipment size required for thin film manufacturing will increase, resulting in additional equipment costs and production cycle time.

[0008] The purpose of this disclosure is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a thin film manufacturing apparatus that at least achieves a reduction in production cycle time.

[0009] Methods for solving problems This disclosure relates to a thin film manufacturing apparatus that supplies a raw material solution to a substrate to form a thin film by atomization. The substrate has a cylindrical structure in which at least a portion of its side is designated as a film-forming region. The raw material solution atomization is achieved by atomizing the raw material solution. The thin film manufacturing apparatus includes: a substrate rotation mechanism that performs a substrate rotation process to rotate the substrate without moving it to a first configuration state or a second configuration state different from the first configuration state; a mist supply mechanism that performs a mist supply process to supply the raw material solution atom to the film-forming region in the first configuration state; and a heating mechanism that performs a heating process to heat the film-forming region in the second configuration state after the mist supply process.

[0010] Invention Effects In the thin film manufacturing apparatus of this disclosure, after performing a substrate rotation process by rotating the substrate through a substrate rotation mechanism and simultaneously supplying raw material solution mist to the film-forming region in a first configuration state through a mist supply mechanism, a heating process is performed to heat the film-forming region in a second configuration state through a heating mechanism, and a thin film is formed on the film-forming region.

[0011] The time required to change from the first configuration state to the second configuration state is the time required for substrate rotation processing, which involves rotating the substrate without moving it. Therefore, the time lag between mist supply processing and heating processing for the same film-forming area can be suppressed to the minimum required time.

[0012] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus of this disclosure is able to form a thin film on the film-forming area of ​​the substrate with reduced production cycle time.

[0013] The purpose, features, aspects, and advantages of this disclosure will become clearer from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of the thin film manufacturing apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a plan view (1) schematically showing the planar structure of the heating mechanism and the substrate rotation mechanism in the thin film manufacturing apparatus of Embodiment 1.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a plan view (2) schematically showing the planar structure of the heating mechanism and the substrate rotation mechanism in the thin film manufacturing apparatus of Embodiment 1.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a schematic representation Figure 3 A sectional view of the cross-sectional structure of section AA.

[0018] Figure 5 It is an enlarged representation Figure 4 A diagram illustrating the area of ​​interest.

[0019] Figure 6 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the rotational state of the film-forming portion.

[0020] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the cross-sectional structure of the substrate rotation mechanism used in a variation of Embodiment 1.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a top view schematically illustrating the planar structure of a single cylindrical substrate heating unit used in the thin film manufacturing apparatus of Embodiment 2.

[0022] Figure 9 It is a schematic representation Figure 8 A sectional view of the cross-sectional structure of the CC section.

[0023] Figure 10 This is a top view schematically showing the planar structure of the cylindrical substrate heating unit group and the substrate rotation mechanism used in the thin film manufacturing apparatus of Embodiment 2. Detailed Implementation

[0024] <Implementation Method 1> Figure 1 This is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the structure of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 according to Embodiment 1 of this disclosure. Figure 1 The document describes an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. Furthermore... Figure 1 The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system shown mainly represents the positional relationship between the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101, the cylindrical substrate 15, and the cylindrical substrate support clamp 16 of the heating mechanism 201.

[0025] Figure 2 and Figure 3 These are schematic plan views of the heating mechanism 201 and the substrate rotation mechanism 301 in the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501. Figure 4 It is a schematic representation Figure 3 A sectional view of the cross-sectional structure of section AA. Figures 2-4 The document contains an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system.

[0026] As shown in these figures, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501, which is the basic structure of Embodiment 1, includes an ultrasonic atomizing device 101, a heating mechanism 201, and a substrate rotation mechanism 301 as its main structural elements.

[0027] The ultrasonic atomizing device 101 includes an atomizing container 1, a gas supply unit 4, a mist supply pipe 5, and a nozzle 7 as its main structural elements.

[0028] The atomizing container 1 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 houses a raw material solution (not shown) within its internal space 1H. An ultrasonic transducer (not shown) is disposed on the bottom surface of the atomizing container 1. Examples of raw material solutions include, for example, a carbon-based material dispersion or a thermosetting resin solution.

[0029] A gas supply section 4, serving as a carrier gas supply pipe, is provided at the upper part of the atomizing container 1. Carrier gas G4 is supplied from the gas supply section 4 to the internal space 1H inside the atomizing container 1. A gas control device (not shown) is installed in the gas supply section 4, and the flow rate of the carrier gas G4 supplied to the atomizing container 1 is controlled by the gas control device.

[0030] In this ultrasonic atomizing device 101, if an ultrasonic vibration action is performed to apply ultrasonic vibration from an ultrasonic transducer to the internal space 1H of the atomizing container 1, the vibrational energy of the ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducer is transferred to the raw material solution inside the atomizing container 1.

[0031] Therefore, the raw material solution transforms into mist, and raw material solution mist MT is obtained within the internal space 1H of the atomizing container 1. In this way, by executing the ultrasonic vibration action of the ultrasonic transducer, the raw material solution mist MT after atomization is generated within the internal space 1H of the atomizing container 1.

[0032] When performing ultrasonic vibration, the raw material solution mist MT generated in the atomizing container 1 is supplied to the nozzle 7, which functions as a mist jetting unit, via the mist supply pipe 5, which becomes the mist delivery path, through the carrier gas G4 supplied from the gas supply unit 4.

[0033] As a result, the raw material solution mist MT is ejected from the mist outlet 7a located at the bottom of the nozzle 7 along the mist blowing direction DM (-Z direction).

[0034] In this way, the ultrasonic atomizing device 101, which serves as a mist supply mechanism, performs a mist supply process to supply raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 to the cylindrical substrate 15, which is the object of film formation.

[0035] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the heating mechanism 201 includes a cylindrical substrate support clamp 16, a worktable 17, and a heating clamp 18 as its main structural elements.

[0036] A heating fixture 18 is provided on the worktable 17, which serves as a support base. The heating fixture 18 is made of materials such as aluminum, which have good thermal conductivity.

[0037] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a pair of cylindrical substrate support clamps 16 of the heating mechanism 201 support a pair of retaining portions 15s of the cylindrical substrate 15 from below so that they can rotate.

[0038] like Figure 4 As shown, the heating fixture 18 has a heating fixture heating heater 18h inside. The heating fixture heating heater 18h is rod-shaped (cylindrical) extending along the Y direction inside the heating fixture 18. By heating the heating fixture heating heater 18h, the entire heating fixture 18 can be heated, generating heat from the heating surface S18. In addition, the shape of the heating fixture heating heater 18h is not limited to a cylindrical shape, and can also be other shapes such as a hexagonal prism.

[0039] Thus, the heating mechanism 201 with the heating fixture 18 performs heating treatment by transferring heat generated from the heating surface S18 of the heating fixture upwards. Figure 4 As shown, the cross-sectional structure of the heating surface S18 is a concave shape in the form of an arc.

[0040] like Figures 1-4 As shown, the cylindrical substrate 15 of the cylindrical structure (cylindrical structure) of the film-forming object includes a film-forming portion 15m and a pair of holding portions 15s as its main structural elements. The film-forming portion 15m is cylindrical in shape and has a pair of circular bottom surfaces and a side surface S15 disposed between the pair of bottom surfaces. At least a portion of the cylindrical side surface S15 is designated as a film-forming region, and the orientation of the pair of bottom surfaces is the height direction of the cylindrical film-forming portion 15m.

[0041] In this structure, the film-forming portion 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 is positioned above the heating surface S18 of the heating fixture 18, with the direction parallel to the horizontal direction (Y direction) as its height direction. That is, the cylindrical film-forming portion 15m is positioned horizontally above the heating fixture 18.

[0042] Therefore, the heating surface S18 of the heating fixture 18 in the heating mechanism 201 is positioned opposite the lower part of the side surface S15 of the horizontally placed film-forming part 15m.

[0043] Thus, the cylindrical substrate 15 having a film-forming portion 15m is disposed between the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 and the heating clamp 18 of the heating mechanism 201.

[0044] like Figure 4 As shown, the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 is configured to be located above the top 15p of the side surface S15 of the film-forming section 15m. That is, the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 is positioned opposite the upper part of the side surface S15 of the film-forming section 15m.

[0045] A pair of holding portions 15s are each cylindrical in shape and are connected to the two bottom surfaces of the film-forming portion 15m. At this time, a pair of holding portions 15s are connected to the two bottom surfaces of the film-forming portion 15m in such a way that the center of the bottom surface of the holding portion 15s is aligned with the center point 15c of the film-forming portion on the bottom surface of the film-forming portion 15m.

[0046] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the substrate rotation mechanism 301 includes a rotating belt drive motor 30, a clamping fixture 31, a bearing roller 32, a bearing roller support fixture 33, and a rotating belt 39 as its main structural elements.

[0047] The rotary belt drive motor 30 is mounted on the rotary belt 39 such that when it rotates counterclockwise, the upper part of the rotary belt 39 moves along the belt travel direction D39 (-X direction). Alternatively, the rotary belt drive motor 30 can rotate clockwise, causing the belt travel direction D39 to move along the +X direction.

[0048] Most of the bearing roller 32 is arranged on the upper part of the rotating belt 39 in such a way that it can rotate in conjunction with the movement of the rotating belt drive motor 30 along the belt travel direction D39.

[0049] One end of the bearing roller 32 in the -Y direction is not in contact with the rotating belt 39, and is supported from below by the bearing roller support clamp 33 so that it can rotate. The other end of the bearing roller 32 is connected to the clamping clamp 31, and the clamping clamp 31 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the bearing roller 32.

[0050] The clamping fixture 31 is connected to the retaining part 15s on the -Y direction side of a pair of retaining parts 15s. The retaining part 15s rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the clamping fixture 31.

[0051] The substrate rotation mechanism 301 of this structure can perform substrate rotation processing by being driven by a rotating belt drive motor 30.

[0052] Driven by the rotating belt drive motor 30, the upper part of the rotating belt 39 moves along the belt travel direction D39. The belt bearing roller 32 rotates clockwise in conjunction with the movement of the rotating belt 39. In conjunction with the rotation of the belt bearing roller 32, the clamping fixture 31 and a holding part rotate for 15 seconds.

[0053] As a result, in conjunction with the rotation of one holding part 15s, the film-forming part 15m and the other holding part 15s also rotate, thereby causing the cylindrical substrate 15 to rotate clockwise. Therefore, through the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, the cylindrical substrate 15 rotates. At this time, the film-forming part 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 rotates from the center point 15c of the film-forming part about the center line along the Y direction, which is the horizontal direction, as the axis of rotation.

[0054] During substrate rotation processing, the cylindrical substrate 15 does not move. That is, even when substrate rotation processing is performed, the positional relationship between the film-forming section 15m and the nozzle 7 and the heating fixture 18 remains constant.

[0055] Thus, the substrate rotation mechanism 301 in the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501, driven by the rotary belt drive motor 30, is capable of performing a substrate rotation process that rotates the cylindrical substrate 15 containing the film-forming section 15m. The substrate rotation process performed by the substrate rotation mechanism 301 is a process that rotates the cylindrical substrate 15 about the central axis of the film-forming section 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15.

[0056] The ultrasonic atomizing device 101, which serves as a mist supply mechanism, performs mist supply processing on the film-forming region 15m of the film-forming portion in the cylindrical substrate 15. The mist supply processing performed by the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 will be described below.

[0057] Through the execution of the mist supply process, the raw material solution mist MT generated from the atomizing container 1 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 is transported to the nozzle 7 via the mist supply pipe 5 through the carrier gas G4 supplied from the gas supply section 4. The nozzle 7 sprays the raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a along the mist blowing direction DM in the -Z direction.

[0058] In this way, the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 performs a mist supply process, blowing the raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 to the cylindrical substrate 15, which is the film-forming object.

[0059] In addition to the ultrasonic atomizing device 101, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1 also includes a substrate rotation mechanism 301 for rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 and a heating mechanism 201 including a heating fixture 18 disposed below the cylindrical substrate 15.

[0060] Hereinafter, the following state is defined as the first configuration state, in which the film-forming area provided on the side S15 of the film-forming section 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15 is positioned at the top, i.e. Figure 4 The upper semicircular portion of the side surface S15 shown is in a state where there is space above and no space below.

[0061] On the other hand, the second configuration state is set as follows: the film-forming region is configured below, that is, the film-forming region is configured in the position below. Figure 4 The lower semicircular portion of the side surface S15 shown is in a state where there is space below and no space above.

[0062] Thus, the first configuration state is that the film-forming area is located in the upper semicircular part of the side S15, with space above and no space below, and the second configuration state is that the film-forming area is located in the lower semicircular part of the side S15, with space below and no space above.

[0063] The mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 is disposed above the side surface S15 of the cylindrical substrate 15 (film-forming section 15m). Therefore, in the ultrasonic atomizing device 101, which serves as a mist supply mechanism, the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 is positioned opposite the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section 15m in the first configuration state.

[0064] The ultrasonic atomizing device 101 performs a mist supply process that supplies raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 to the film-forming area 15m of the film-forming section in a first configuration state where there is space above and no space below.

[0065] On the other hand, the heating surface S18 of the heating fixture 18 in the heating mechanism 201 is disposed below the side surface S15 in the cylindrical substrate 15. Therefore, the heating surface S18 of the heating fixture 18 in the heating mechanism 201 is positioned opposite to the film-forming region of the film-forming portion 15m in the second configuration state, which has space below and no space above.

[0066] The heating mechanism 201 performs a heating process to heat the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section 15m in the second configuration state after the mist supply treatment.

[0067] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 with this structure, the film-forming region on the side surface S15 of the film-forming section 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15 is set to a first configuration state by the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 301. That is, the film-forming region is located in the upper semicircle of the side surface S15.

[0068] After the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section 15m is set to the first configuration state, a film of the raw material solution mist MT is coated on the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section 15m, which is set to the first configuration state, by performing mist supply processing by the ultrasonic atomizing device 101.

[0069] For example, when the raw material solution for the raw material solution mist MT is a carbon-based material dispersion, the coating temperature during mist supply processing is set to approximately 50–60°C. The coating temperature refers to the temperature of the film-forming area located on the side surface S15 of the film-forming section 15m during mist supply processing. As a method for setting the coating temperature, for example, one could consider heating the film-forming area in a second configuration state beforehand to set the coating temperature, and then changing the setting to the first configuration state by performing a substrate rotation process.

[0070] Subsequently, through the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section 15m is changed from a first configuration state to a second configuration state. The second configuration state is the configuration state after rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 containing the film-forming section 15m half a turn from the first configuration state. The cylindrical substrate 15 is changed from the first configuration state to the second configuration state without any movement during the substrate rotation process. That is, the position of the cylindrical substrate 15 relative to the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 and the heating clamp 18 of the heating mechanism 201 does not change due to the substrate rotation process.

[0071] Furthermore, by adjusting the spray rate of the raw material solution mist MT in the mist supply process, it is possible to prevent the film of the raw material solution coated on the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section (15m) in the second configuration state from falling downwards. The spray rate of the raw material solution mist MT can be adjusted taking into account the property that the less the supply rate of the raw material solution mist MT per unit time, the less likely the film of the raw material solution coated on the film-forming area will fall.

[0072] After the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section 15m is set to the second configuration state, the heating mechanism 201 performs a heating process to heat the film-forming area in the second configuration state after the mist supply treatment.

[0073] That is, the heating mechanism 201 uses the heat generated from the heating surface S18 of the heating fixture 18 to perform a heating process that heats (sintersects and dries) the film of the raw material solution coated on the film-forming area by performing a mist supply process from below, thereby forming a desired functional film as a thin film.

[0074] As desired functional membranes, considerations include thin films formed by evaporating the solvent of the membrane from the raw material solution through heat treatment, and thin films formed by curing the membrane from the raw material solution through heat treatment. These thin films are all formed without chemical reactions.

[0075] The heating temperature during heat treatment is set to 80–100°C when the raw material solution is a carbon-based material dispersion, and to approximately 30–100°C when the raw material solution is a thermosetting resin solution. In the same raw material solution, the heating temperature is set higher than the coating temperature.

[0076] In this way, a film of raw material solution is coated on the film-forming area by the mist supply treatment of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101, and a thin film is formed from the film of raw material solution on the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section 15m by the heating treatment after the mist supply treatment. At this time, the heating treatment of the heating mechanism 201 is performed without being affected by the mist supply treatment.

[0077] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1 of this disclosure, after performing a substrate rotation process by means of a substrate rotation mechanism 301 to rotate the cylindrical substrate 15 and simultaneously supply raw material solution mist MT to the film-forming region in a first configuration state, a heating process is performed to heat the film-forming region in a second configuration state, and a thin film is formed on the film-forming region. Furthermore, the mist supply process is performed by an ultrasonic atomizing device 101, which serves as the mist supply mechanism, and the heating process is performed by a heating mechanism 201.

[0078] The time required to change from the first configuration state to the second configuration state is the time required for substrate rotation processing that rotates the cylindrical substrate 15 half a turn without moving it. Therefore, the time lag between mist supply processing and heating processing for the same film-forming area can be suppressed to the minimum required time.

[0079] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501, which has the basic structure of Embodiment 1, can reduce the production cycle time and form a thin film on the film-forming area provided on the side surface S15 of the film-forming section 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15.

[0080] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1, the substrate rotation process performed by the substrate rotation mechanism 301 is a process in which the cylindrical substrate 15 is rotated with the central axis of the film forming section 15m as the rotation axis. Therefore, the cylindrical substrate 15 will not move due to the substrate rotation process. That is, the position of the cylindrical substrate 15 relative to the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 and the heating clamp 18 of the heating mechanism 201 will not change due to the substrate rotation process.

[0081] Therefore, when changing the film-forming area from the first configuration state to the second configuration state, the only processing required is the substrate rotation process performed by the substrate rotation mechanism 301. That is, when changing from the first configuration state to the second configuration state, it is not necessary to move the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101, which serves as the mist supply mechanism, and the heating clamp 18 of the heating mechanism 201, respectively.

[0082] As a result, after performing the mist supply treatment, the heating mechanism 201 quickly performs heating treatment on the film-forming section 15m in the second configuration state, thereby further reducing the production cycle time.

[0083] Furthermore, in the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1, the cylindrical substrate 15 is disposed between the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 and the heating fixture 18 of the heating mechanism 201, allowing the nozzle 7 and the heating fixture 18 to be positioned close to the cylindrical substrate 15. Therefore, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1 enables a compact apparatus structure and reduces apparatus costs.

[0084] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1, even if the mist supply process of the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 and the heating process of the heating mechanism 201 are performed in parallel, the mist supply process and the heating process will not affect each other.

[0085] The first configuration state has no space below the film-forming region. Therefore, when mist supply processing is performed on the film-forming region in the first configuration state, it is almost unaffected by the heating process from the heating mechanism 201 below. Furthermore, the second configuration state has no space above the film-forming region. Therefore, when heating processing is performed on the film-forming region in the second configuration state, the supply of raw material solution mist MT from above to the film-forming region is cut off. Thus, as described above, the mist supply processing and the heating process do not affect each other.

[0086] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1 is able to form a thin film with high precision on the film-forming area provided on the side surface S15 of the film-forming section 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15.

[0087] Figure 5 It is an enlarged representation Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the region of interest, R1. The diagram shows the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system.

[0088] As shown in the figure, the XZ cross-section of the side surface S15 of the cylindrical film-forming part 15m is circular, and the XZ cross-section of the heating surface S18 of the heating fixture 18 is a concave shape with an arc (semi-circular) shape. The heating space distance d1 is set to be constant. That is, the radius of the circle of the specified heating surface S18 is set to be longer than the radius of the circle of the specified side surface S15 by the heating space distance d1.

[0089] A pair of holding portions 15s that are connected to and hold the film-forming portion 15m on both sides are supported on a pair of cylindrical substrate support clamps 16. Therefore, the film-forming portion 15m can be arranged above the heating surface S18 in such a way that the side surface S15 of the film-forming portion 15m does not contact the heating surface S18 of the heating clamp 18 while ensuring the heating space distance d1.

[0090] The heating space distance d1 is set to a range of 0.1 to 10 (mm). That is, the heating mechanism 201 is configured such that the distance between the side surface S15 of the film-forming portion 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15 and the heating surface S18 is in the range of 0.1 to 10 (mm).

[0091] The larger the heating space distance d1, the lower the degree of heating (heating rate, heating temperature) of the side surface S15 of the film-forming portion 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15. The smaller the heating space distance d1, the higher the degree of heating in the sintering process based on the heat treatment.

[0092] If the side surface S15 comes into contact with the heating surface S18, the film of the raw material solution will be damaged due to friction. Therefore, the lower limit of the heating space distance d1 is set to 0.1 mm. The lower limit of 0.1 mm is set considering the difficulty of setting a size on the order of 10 micrometers in terms of the machining accuracy of the heating surface S18 used to form the heating fixture 18. In addition, the upper limit of the heating space distance d1 of 10 mm is set considering that if the heating space distance d1 exceeds 10 mm, the temperature rise of the side surface S15 of the film-forming part 15m will be excessively reduced.

[0093] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1, the heating mechanism 201 is configured such that the distance between the side surface S15 of the film-forming portion 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15 and the heating surface S18 is in the range of 0.1 to 10 (mm), so that the heating surface S18 is arranged close to the side surface S15 of the film-forming portion 15m without contacting it.

[0094] Thus, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1 can perform heating treatment of the film of the raw material solution from the heating surface S18 of the heating fixture 18 without damaging the film of the raw material solution coated on the film-forming area due to the mist supply treatment.

[0095] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1 is able to form a thin film with high precision in the film-forming area by performing a heating treatment after the mist supply treatment.

[0096] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the rotational state of the film-forming section 15m. The diagram shows an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system.

[0097] As shown in the figure, the cross-sectional shape of the side surface S15 on the XZ plane is a circle with the center point 15c of the film-forming part as the center and the substrate radius r15. When the film-forming part 15m is rotated at an angular velocity ω15 by the substrate rotation process, the rotational speed v15 (=r15×w15) of the side surface S15 of the film-forming part 15m is determined to be the linear velocity of the side surface S15 of the film-forming part 15m.

[0098] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1, the substrate rotation mechanism 301 sets the linear velocity, i.e., the rotation speed v15, along the tangential direction of the side surface S15 of the film-forming section 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15 to 30 (mm / sec) or less. Furthermore, the rotation speed v15 can be set by driving control of the rotating belt drive motor 30.

[0099] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1, the linear velocity, i.e., the rotational speed v15, of the substrate rotation process performed by the substrate rotation mechanism 301 is set to 30 (mm / sec) or less. Therefore, when performing the mist supply process, a film of the raw material solution can be coated with high precision on the film-forming area. The above property applies regardless of the type of raw material solution in the raw material solution mist MT.

[0100] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1 can heat the film of the raw material solution well coated on the film-forming area by performing a heating treatment after the mist supply treatment, and form a thin film with high precision on the film-forming area.

[0101] Furthermore, when the rotational speed v15 is set to a high speed exceeding 30 (mm / sec), it becomes impossible to accurately coat the raw material solution mist MT on the film-forming area of ​​the side S15, followed by heat treatment (sintering and drying) based on the heating mechanism 201. Therefore, it is difficult to form the desired functional film as a thin film. Therefore, the rotational speed v15 is set to 30 (mm / sec) or less.

[0102] (Extended structure) In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1, as the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, an extended structure is considered to perform a multiple rotation process in which the cylindrical substrate 15 is rotated more than twice.

[0103] Hereinafter, an extended structure of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of Embodiment 1 will be described as thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A.

[0104] The substrate rotation mechanism 301 of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A performs multiple rotation processes as a substrate rotation process. Through the multiple rotation processes of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, the first and second configuration states of the film forming region are set multiple times.

[0105] The ultrasonic atomizing device 101 of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A, which serves as a mist supply mechanism, performs multiple mist supply processes corresponding to multiple first configuration states set for the same film-forming area, and the heating mechanism 201 performs multiple heating processes corresponding to multiple second configuration states set for the same film-forming area.

[0106] The operation of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A will be explained below with the rotation speed set to K (K≥2). Through multiple rotation processes of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, the film forming area changes in the following order: first configuration state, first second configuration state, second first configuration state, second second configuration state, ..., first configuration state of the Kth time and second configuration state of the Kth time.

[0107] When the ultrasonic atomizing device 101, which serves as a fog supply mechanism, is configured in the film-forming region as the first configuration state from the first to the Kth time, it performs the first to the Kth fog supply processes.

[0108] When the configuration state of the heating mechanism 201 in the film-forming region is set to the second configuration state from the first to the Kth time, the first to the Kth heating processes are performed.

[0109] Thus, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A, as an extended structure of Embodiment 1, can continuously perform the combination of mist supply processing and heating processing K times. As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A can form a thin film with a K-layer stacked structure, and correspondingly, the thickness of the final film can be made sufficiently thick.

[0110] Thus, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A, as an extended structure of Embodiment 1, can more easily form a relatively thick thin film by continuously performing a combination of fog supply processing and heating processing multiple times.

[0111] In addition, the heating temperature is set to be higher than the coating temperature. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the first configuration state setting for the jth time after performing the (j-1)th heating treatment (j=2 to K), and then perform the jth mist supply treatment after confirming that the temperature of the film-forming area has dropped from the heating temperature to the coating temperature.

[0112] (Modified example) Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the cross-sectional structure of the substrate rotation mechanism 302 used in a modified thin film manufacturing apparatus 501B, which is a thin film manufacturing apparatus 501. Figure 7 Indicates along Figure 3 The cross-sectional structure of the BB section is in Figure 7 The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is described in the document. The modified thin film manufacturing apparatus 501B is an apparatus in which the substrate rotation mechanism 301 in the basic structure of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 is replaced with a substrate rotation mechanism 302.

[0113] like Figure 7 As shown, the substrate rotation mechanism 302 includes a substrate rotation drive motor 40 and a clamping fixture 41 as its main structural elements.

[0114] The rotating substrate drive motor 40 is connected to one end of the clamping fixture 41, enabling it to perform a rotational motion that rotates the clamping fixture 41 clockwise. Alternatively, the rotation direction of the rotating substrate drive motor 40 can be counterclockwise. The clamping fixture 41 is connected to the holding part 15s on the -Y direction side of one of a pair of holding parts 15s.

[0115] This substrate rotation mechanism 302 can perform substrate rotation processing by being driven by a substrate drive motor 40.

[0116] Driven by the rotating substrate drive motor 40, the clamping fixture 41 rotates clockwise. In conjunction with the rotation of the clamping fixture 41, one holding part 15s, the film forming part 15m, and the other holding part 15s also rotate, thereby rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 clockwise.

[0117] Thus, in the modified thin film manufacturing apparatus 501B, the substrate rotation mechanism 302 performs a substrate rotation process by being driven by the substrate rotation drive motor 40, which rotates the cylindrical substrate 15 containing the film-forming section 15m. The substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 302 is the same as that of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, and is performed with the central axis of the film-forming section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 as the rotation center.

[0118] Thus, in the modified example of Embodiment 1, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501B, in which the substrate rotation mechanism 301 is replaced with the substrate rotation mechanism 302, also achieves the same effect as the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 with the basic structure of Embodiment 1.

[0119] In addition, the substrate rotation mechanism 302 can also perform multiple rotation processes in the same way as the substrate rotation mechanism 301, so the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501B achieves the same effect as the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A.

[0120] Furthermore, the rotation speed v15 in the substrate rotation mechanism 302 can be set to 30 (mm / sec) or less. That is, the rotation speed v15 can be set by driving the rotating substrate drive motor 40.

[0121] <Implementation Method 2> Figure 8 This is a top view schematically showing the planar structure of a single cylindrical substrate heating unit 50 used in the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2. Figure 9 It is a schematic representation Figure 8 A sectional view of the cross-sectional structure of the CC section. Figure 10 This is a plan view schematically showing the planar structure of the cylindrical substrate heating unit assembly 500 and the substrate rotation mechanism 303 used in the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2. Figures 8-10 The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is recorded in the table.

[0122] Hereinafter, the same reference numerals will be used to label the same structural elements as those in the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 (501A, 501B) of Embodiment 1, and descriptions will be omitted as appropriate. The description will focus on the features of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2.

[0123] In Embodiment 2, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 sets multiple cylindrical substrates 15 as the film forming objects, and provides multiple nozzles 7 and multiple heating fixtures 18 in a one-to-one correspondence with the multiple cylindrical substrates 15.

[0124] like Figure 8 As shown, the cylindrical substrate heating unit 50 includes a heating mechanism 202 and a rotating mechanism auxiliary component group 303p as its main structural elements.

[0125] The heating mechanism 202, like the heating mechanism 201 in Embodiment 1, includes a cylindrical substrate support clamp 16 and a worktable 17 (see reference). Figure 1 The heating fixture 18 is the main structural element.

[0126] like Figure 8 As shown, the auxiliary component group 303p of the rotating mechanism includes a clamping fixture 31, a bearing roller 32, and a bearing roller support fixture 33 as its main structural elements.

[0127] like Figure 9 As shown, a nozzle 7 is disposed above the film-forming portion 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15 of the cylindrical substrate heating unit 50.

[0128] like Figure 10 As shown, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 includes a cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500, a rotating belt drive motor 300 and a rotating belt 390 as its main structural elements.

[0129] The cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500 is constituted by N (=4) cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54 arranged adjacently along the X direction. The cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54 correspond one-to-one with the N cylindrical substrates 15.

[0130] The cylindrical substrate rotating units 51-54 are respectively positioned in relation to Figure 8 The cylindrical substrate heating unit 50 shown has the same structure. Therefore, the heating mechanism 202 and the rotation mechanism auxiliary component group 303p of each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54 are arranged in the same Y and Z directions.

[0131] The thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 includes N cylindrical substrates 15 and N heating fixtures 18 within the cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500. Furthermore, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 and the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51-54 within the cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500 each have N nozzles 7.

[0132] N nozzles 7 and N heating clamps 18 are arranged corresponding to the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54. Therefore, the N cylindrical substrates 15, N nozzles 7 and N heating clamps 18 correspond one-to-one.

[0133] N nozzles 7 are configured to spray raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a along the mist blowing direction DM to the corresponding cylindrical substrate 15 among the N cylindrical substrates 15.

[0134] N heating fixtures 18 are respectively configured such that, relative to the corresponding cylindrical substrate 15 among the N cylindrical substrates 15, the side surface S15 of the film-forming portion 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15 is heated from the lower heating surface S18.

[0135] Furthermore, when setting N nozzles 7, even if N units are set... Figure 1 The ultrasonic atomizing device 101 shown can also have an N-distribution structure, in which the mist supply pipe 5, which serves as the mist delivery path, is configured as an N-distribution pipe, and N nozzles 7 are connected to the mist supply pipe 5. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, the ultrasonic atomizing device 101 with N nozzles 7 will be referred to as an "N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizing device".

[0136] Thus, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 uses multiple cylindrical substrates 15 (film forming sections 15m) as film forming objects and has multiple nozzles 7 and multiple heating fixtures 18. Moreover, the multiple cylindrical substrates 15, multiple nozzles 7 and multiple heating fixtures 18 correspond one-to-one.

[0137] Multiple nozzles 7 are respectively configured to spray raw material solution mist MT from the mist spray outlet 7a onto the corresponding cylindrical substrate 15 among multiple cylindrical substrates 15.

[0138] The multiple heating clamps 18 are respectively configured to heat the lower part of the side surface S15 of the cylindrical substrate 15 from the heating surface S18 relative to the corresponding cylindrical substrate 15 among the multiple cylindrical substrates 15.

[0139] The rotary belt drive motor 300 is mounted on the rotary belt 390 such that when it rotates counterclockwise, the upper portion of the rotary belt 390 moves along the belt travel direction D39 (-X direction). Alternatively, the rotary belt drive motor 300 can rotate clockwise, with the belt travel direction D39 in the +X direction.

[0140] Most of the bearing rollers 32 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54 are arranged on the upper part of the rotating belt 390 in such a way that they can rotate in conjunction with the movement of the rotating belt drive motor 300 along the belt travel direction D39.

[0141] In each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54, one end of the bearing roller 32 is not in contact with the rotating belt 390, and is supported from below by the bearing roller support clamp 33 so that it can rotate. In each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54, the other end of the bearing roller 32 is connected to the clamping clamp 31, and the clamping clamp 31 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the bearing roller 32.

[0142] In each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54, the clamping fixture 31 is connected to one of the holding portions 15s on the -Y direction side of a pair of holding portions 15s. In each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54, one holding portion 15s rotates in conjunction with the rotational action of the clamping fixture 31.

[0143] Therefore, in each cylindrical substrate rotating unit 51 to 54, the film forming part 15m and the other holding part 15s rotate in conjunction with the rotation of one holding part 15s, thereby causing the cylindrical substrate 15 to rotate clockwise.

[0144] The substrate rotation mechanism 303 is composed of the auxiliary component group 303p of the rotation mechanism of each of the above-mentioned cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54, the motor 300 for driving the rotation belt, and the rotation belt 390.

[0145] The substrate rotation mechanism 303 of this structure can perform a simultaneous rotation process as a substrate rotation process by being driven by a rotating belt drive motor 300.

[0146] Driven by the rotating belt drive motor 300, the upper part of the rotating belt 390 moves along the belt travel direction D39. In conjunction with the movement of the rotating belt 390, the bearing rollers 32 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51-54 rotate clockwise. As the bearing rollers 32 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51-54 rotate, the cylindrical substrate 15 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51-54 rotates.

[0147] As a result, in each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54, the film-forming portion 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 rotates clockwise.

[0148] Thus, the substrate rotation mechanism 303 in the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 performs a simultaneous rotation process that rotates N cylindrical substrates 15 (film forming sections 15m) together. That is, the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 303 includes a simultaneous rotation process that rotates multiple cylindrical substrates 15 together.

[0149] The aforementioned substrate rotation mechanism 303 can perform a simultaneous rotation process by being driven by a rotating belt drive motor 300. The rotation of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 in the simultaneous rotation process is a rotation about the central axis of the film forming section 15m.

[0150] By rotating the substrates together using the substrate rotation mechanism 303, N cylindrical substrates 15 can be set to either a first configuration state or a second configuration state.

[0151] The N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizing device performs a mist supply process, supplying raw material solution mist MT from 7 nozzles 7 toward the film-forming areas of N cylindrical substrates 15, which are respectively set to a first configuration state.

[0152] The heating mechanism 202 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54 performs a heating treatment on the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming part 15m in the second configuration state after the mist supply treatment on the N cylindrical substrates 15 respectively.

[0153] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of this embodiment 2, the film-forming areas of each of the N (=4) cylindrical substrates 15 disposed on the side surface S15 of the film-forming section 15m are set to a first configuration state by the simultaneous rotation processing of the substrate rotation mechanism 303. That is, the film-forming areas of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 are located in the upper semicircle of the side surface S15, having space above and no space below.

[0154] Then, after the film-forming area of ​​each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 is set to the first configuration state, the N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizing device performs a mist supply process. The mist supply process will be described in detail below using an N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizing device employing an N-distribution structure mist supply pipe 5 as an example.

[0155] Through the execution of the mist supply process, the raw material solution mist MT generated from the atomizing container 1 of the N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizing device is transported to the seven nozzles 7 via the carrier gas G4 supplied from the gas supply unit 4 and the mist supply pipe 5 of the N distribution structure. The N nozzles 7 respectively spray the raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a along the mist blowing direction DM in the -Z direction.

[0156] In this way, the N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizing device performs a mist supply process, spraying raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a of each of the N nozzles 7. Therefore, the N nozzles 7 can coat a film of raw material solution mist MT onto the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming section 15m of the corresponding cylindrical substrate 15 among the N cylindrical substrates 15 respectively set to the first configuration state.

[0157] Subsequently, through the simultaneous rotation of the substrate rotation mechanism 303, the film-forming area of ​​the film-forming portion 15m of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 is changed from the first configuration state to the second configuration state. That is, the film-forming area of ​​each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 is located in the lower semicircle of the side surface S15, having space below and no space above.

[0158] Next, the heating mechanism 202 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51 to 54 performs a heat treatment (sintering and drying treatment) on the corresponding cylindrical substrate 15 among the N cylindrical substrates 15 that are set to the second configuration state, to heat the film of the raw material solution coated on the film forming area of ​​the film forming part 15m.

[0159] As a result, the film of the raw material solution on the film-forming area coated by performing the mist supply treatment is heated, thereby forming the desired functional film as a thin film on the film-forming area of ​​each of the N cylindrical substrates 15m.

[0160] In this way, through the mist supply process of the N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizing device, a film of the raw material solution is coated on the film-forming area of ​​each of the N cylindrical substrates 15. Then, through the heating process of the heating mechanisms 202 of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51-54, a thin film is formed from the film of the raw material solution on the film-forming area of ​​each of the N cylindrical substrates 15. At this time, the heating process of the heating mechanisms 202 of the cylindrical substrate rotating units 51-54 is performed independently of the mist supply process.

[0161] The thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 of this disclosure rotates N cylindrical substrates 15 together by means of a substrate rotation mechanism 303, and performs the following mist supply process and heating process to form a thin film in the film forming area.

[0162] The mist supply process involves supplying a raw material solution mist MT to the film-forming area of ​​N cylindrical substrates 15 in a first configuration using an N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizing device comprising N nozzles 7. The heating process involves heating the film-forming area of ​​the N cylindrical substrates 15 in a second configuration after performing the mist supply process.

[0163] Regarding the N cylindrical substrates 15, the time required to change from a first configuration state to a second configuration state without moving the N cylindrical substrates 15 is the time required for the N cylindrical substrates 15 to rotate together half a turn during the substrate rotation process. Therefore, the time lag between the mist supply process and the heating process for the same film-forming region in each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 can be suppressed to the minimum required time.

[0164] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 can reduce the production cycle time and form a thin film on the film forming area provided on the side surface S15 of the film forming section 15m of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15.

[0165] Furthermore, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 has a plurality of nozzles 7 and a plurality of heating fixtures 18 that correspond one-to-one with the plurality of cylindrical substrates 15 respectively, and the substrate rotation mechanism 303 performs a joint rotation process as a joint rotation process with respect to the plurality of cylindrical substrates 15.

[0166] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 can simultaneously form a thin film in the film-forming area of ​​multiple cylindrical substrates 15 by performing mist supply treatment and heating treatment on multiple cylindrical substrates 15 in parallel.

[0167] In addition, the substrate rotation mechanism 303 can perform multiple rotation processes on multiple cylindrical substrates 15, so the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of Embodiment 2 can more easily form multiple films with relatively thick film thicknesses in the film forming regions of each of the multiple cylindrical substrates 15.

[0168] <Other> In the above embodiment, the state in which the side surface S15 (film-forming area) of the film-forming portion 15m is disposed in the upper semicircular portion is set as the first configuration state, and the state in which the side surface S15 (film-forming area) of the film-forming portion 15m is disposed in the lower semicircular portion is set as the second configuration state. The second configuration state is set as the configuration state after rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 half a turn from the first configuration state.

[0169] However, the first and second configuration states can also be states other than those described above. For example, the relationship between the first and second configuration states can be reversed, with the first configuration state having the side surface S15 of the film-forming portion 15m positioned in the lower semicircular portion, and the second configuration state having the side surface S15 of the film-forming portion 15m positioned in the upper semicircular portion. In this case, the mist supply process is a process of supplying the raw material solution mist MT from below to above, and the heating process is a process of heating from above.

[0170] Thus, the first and second configuration states can be arbitrarily set, provided that the heating process performed by the heating mechanism 201 (202) is not affected by the mist supply process. For example, a shielding member can be provided above the cylindrical substrate 15 with an opening only at the top 15p of the film-forming portion 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15, and the state in which the raw material solution mist MT can be supplied from the opening of the shielding member can be designated as the first configuration state, and the other state can be designated as the second configuration state.

[0171] Furthermore, embodiments of this disclosure describe thin film manufacturing apparatuses 501 and 502 employing a mist coating (coating) method that involves a raw material solution (film) coating process based on mist supply treatment and a sintering and drying process based on heat treatment. The mist coating method is a manufacturing method that does not involve chemical reactions.

[0172] It can also be used to construct a thin film manufacturing apparatus that replaces the fog coating method and adopts the CVD spray method. The CVD spray method is a method of forming a thin film on the film-forming area by a chemical reaction caused by a combination of fog supply treatment and heat treatment.

[0173] In addition, in the above embodiment, the shape of the film-forming portion 15m in the cylindrical substrate 15 is set to a cylindrical shape, but it can be any rotatable cylinder (cylindrical) structure, or the substrate can be formed in a shape other than a cylinder.

[0174] While this disclosure has been described in detail, the foregoing description is illustrative in all respects and is not intended to limit the disclosure. It should be understood that numerous variations not illustrated can be conceived without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0175] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures 1 Atomizing container 7 nozzles 7a Mist outlet 15 Cylindrical substrate 15m film-forming section 18 Heating clamps 50-54 Cylindrical substrate rotating unit 101 Ultrasonic Atomizing Device 201,202 Heating mechanism 301-303 Substrate Rotation Mechanism 303p Rotating Mechanism Auxiliary Component Assembly 500 cylindrical substrate heating unit group 501, 501A, 502, 503 Thin Film Manufacturing Apparatus S15 side view S18 heating surface

Claims

1. A thin film manufacturing apparatus comprising supplying a raw material solution to a substrate to atomize and form a thin film, wherein the substrate has a cylindrical structure in which at least a portion of its side surface is designated as a film-forming region, and the raw material solution atomization is achieved by atomizing a raw material solution. The thin film manufacturing apparatus includes: The substrate rotation mechanism performs substrate rotation processing that rotates the substrate so that the film-forming region is in a first configuration state or a second configuration state different from the first configuration state without moving the substrate. The mist supply mechanism performs a mist supply process to supply the raw material solution mist to the film-forming region in the first configuration state; and The heating mechanism performs a heating process to heat the film-forming region in the second configuration state after the mist supply treatment.

2. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The film formed by coating the film-forming area with the raw material solution is processed by the mist supply. Through the heat treatment, the thin film is formed from the film of the raw material solution on the film-forming region without any chemical reaction. The substrate includes a cylindrical substrate with a cylindrical structure. The substrate rotation process performed by the substrate rotation mechanism is a process in which the cylindrical substrate is rotated with its central axis as the rotation axis. The second configuration state is the configuration state after rotating the cylindrical substrate half a turn from the first configuration state. The mist supply mechanism includes a nozzle that sprays the raw material solution mist from the mist outlet along the mist blowing direction. The heating mechanism includes a heating clamp with a heating surface, and the heating process is performed by heating the side of the cylindrical substrate from the heating surface. The cylindrical substrate is disposed between the nozzle in the mist supply mechanism and the heating fixture in the heating mechanism. The nozzle's mist outlet is positioned opposite the film-forming region in the first configuration state. The heating surface of the heating fixture in the heating mechanism is positioned opposite to the film-forming region in the second configuration state.

3. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, The substrate rotation mechanism performs the substrate rotation process with the central axis of the cylindrical substrate parallel to the horizontal direction. The first configuration state is a state in which there is space above the film-forming area but no space below it. The second configuration state is a state in which there is space below the film-forming region and no space above it. The nozzle's mist outlet is positioned above the side of the cylindrical substrate, and the mist blowing direction includes a direction from the mist outlet toward the side of the cylindrical substrate. The heating surface of the heating fixture in the heating mechanism is disposed below the side of the cylindrical substrate.

4. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, The linear velocity of the substrate rotation process along the tangential direction of the side of the cylindrical substrate is set to 30 (mm / sec) or less.

5. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The heating surface of the heating mechanism has a concave cross-sectional shape resembling an arc. The heating mechanism is configured such that the distance between the side of the cylindrical substrate and the heating surface is in the range of 0.1 to 10 (mm).

6. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, The substrate rotation process performed by the substrate rotation mechanism includes multiple rotation processes that rotate the substrate multiple times, thereby setting the first and second configuration states of the film-forming region multiple times through the multiple rotation processes. The fog supply mechanism performs the fog supply process multiple times in correspondence with the first configuration state of the set film-forming area. The heating mechanism performs the heating process multiple times in correspondence with the second configuration state of the film-forming region.

7. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein, The cylindrical substrate includes multiple cylindrical substrates. The nozzle includes multiple nozzles. The heating fixture includes multiple heating fixtures, and the multiple cylindrical substrates, the multiple nozzles, and the multiple heating fixtures correspond one-to-one. The substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism includes a simultaneous rotation process that rotates the plurality of cylindrical substrates together. The plurality of nozzles are respectively configured to spray the raw material solution mist from the mist spray outlet onto the corresponding cylindrical substrate among the plurality of cylindrical substrates. The plurality of heating fixtures are respectively configured to heat the corresponding cylindrical substrate among the plurality of cylindrical substrates from the heating surface on the side of the cylindrical substrate.

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