A coating device

Abstract

The application discloses a coating device, which aims at fixing a substrate holder on a coating position by a fixing mechanism, effectively avoiding the substrate holder from deviating during coating, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the film thickness deposited on the substrate surface and improving the quality of the coating product. The technical scheme comprises a shell, a magnetic attraction mechanism, a substrate holder, a conveying track and a fixing mechanism. A process cavity is arranged in the shell, the magnetic attraction mechanism is arranged on the top wall of the process cavity, the top of the substrate holder is made of magnetic material, the magnetic attraction mechanism is used for attracting the substrate holder, so that the substrate holder is kept in an upright state. The conveying track is arranged on the bottom wall of the process cavity, the conveying track is provided with a coating position, and the conveying track conveys the substrate holder to the coating position for coating. The fixing mechanism is arranged in the process cavity, and the fixing mechanism is used for fixing the substrate holder on the coating position, and belongs to the technical field of sputtering coating.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of sputtering coating, and more specifically, relates to coating apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Sputtering coating technology uses ions to bombard the surface of a target material, and the phenomenon of the target material's atoms being ejected is called sputtering. The atoms generated by sputtering are deposited on the surface of the substrate to form a film, which is called sputtering coating. Usually, gas discharge is used to generate gas ionization, and the positive ions bombard the cathode target at high speed under the action of an electric field, ejecting the cathode target atoms or molecules, which fly to the surface of the substrate to be coated and deposit into a thin film.

[0003] CN209669342U discloses a magnetron sputtering vacuum coating apparatus with adjustable sputtering distance, comprising: a vacuum chamber, inside which a substrate holder and a conveying mechanism for conveying the substrate holder are disposed, the substrate holder having a grinding rod at its bottom; a lifting mechanism for supporting the substrate holder, including a vertically movable lifting slider and a lifting slide block cooperating with the lifting slider, the lifting slider having a support portion cooperating with the end of the grinding rod; and a translation mechanism for driving the lifting mechanism and the substrate holder to move along the direction of travel of the vertical conveying mechanism after the substrate holder is supported.

[0004] In the above technical solution, by setting a translation mechanism and a lifting mechanism, the substrate holder is first lifted before translating the substrate holder, and then the translation mechanism is used to move the whole to change the relationship between the substrate holder and the target material. However, when the conveying mechanism transports the substrate holder, since there is no positioning component for positioning the substrate holder and a fixing mechanism for fixing the substrate holder, the accuracy of positioning of the conveying mechanism when transporting the substrate holder cannot be guaranteed. Moreover, the substrate holder is also prone to displacement during coating, which leads to uneven film thickness in subsequent coating. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of this invention is to provide a coating apparatus that uses a fixing mechanism to fix the substrate holder on the coating position, effectively preventing substrate holder misalignment during coating, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the film thickness deposited on the substrate surface and improving the quality of the coated product.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a coating apparatus is provided, comprising a housing, a magnetic attraction mechanism, a substrate holder, a conveying track, and a fixing mechanism;

[0007] The housing contains a process cavity, and a magnetic attraction mechanism is located on the top wall of the process cavity. The top of the substrate holder is made of magnetic material, and the magnetic attraction mechanism is used to attract the substrate holder so that the substrate holder remains upright.

[0008] The conveyor track is located on the bottom wall of the process chamber. The conveyor track has a coating position, and the conveyor track transports the substrate holder to the coating position for coating.

[0009] The fixing mechanism is located inside the process chamber and is used to fix the substrate holder on the coating position.

[0010] The coating apparatus also includes a sputtering cathode assembly and a vacuum system, with the housing connected to the sputtering cathode assembly and the vacuum system.

[0011] The coating apparatus described above also includes an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, and a drive mechanism;

[0012] The magnetic attraction mechanism includes multiple supports and multiple magnetic strips; the multiple supports are arranged at intervals along the X-axis on the top wall of the process cavity, and the multiple magnetic strips are connected to the bottom of each support, with the length of the magnetic strips extending along the X-axis.

[0013] The conveyor track includes multiple conveyor wheels, which are spaced apart along the X-axis on the bottom wall of the process chamber. The circumferential surface of the conveyor wheels has a recess that mates with the grinding rod of the substrate holder. Each conveyor wheel is connected to a drive mechanism, which is used to drive the conveyor wheel to rotate.

[0014] Magnetic strips are used to attract the substrate holder being transported on the conveyor wheel to keep the substrate holder upright. The sputtering cathode assembly and the conveyor wheel are arranged at intervals along the Y-axis.

[0015] In the above coating device, two fixing blocks are provided on one side of the bottom of the substrate holder;

[0016] The fixing mechanism includes a positioning component and a clamping component. The positioning component is used to detect whether the substrate holder being transported on the conveyor track has reached the coating position.

[0017] The clamping components are symmetrically arranged in the process cavity, with each clamping component corresponding to a fixed block. The two clamping components work together to clamp and fix the two fixed blocks.

[0018] In the above coating apparatus, the positioning component includes two fixed seats that are spaced apart above the process cavity along the X-axis direction, and the fixed seats are provided with viewing windows;

[0019] Each mounting base is detachably connected to a set of through-beam sensors, whose beams can pass through the viewing window and enter the process chamber; the substrate holder is positioned by two sets of through-beam sensors at both ends along the X-axis to ensure that the substrate holder is in the coating position.

[0020] In the coating apparatus above, the clamping assembly includes a mounting base, a rotating shaft, and a drive motor;

[0021] The mounting base is located on the bottom wall of the process chamber, and the mounting base is provided with two fixing plates arranged at intervals along the Y-axis.

[0022] The axis of the rotating shaft is parallel to the Y-axis, and the rotating shaft is rotatably inserted through two fixed plates, with the rotating shaft rotatably connected to the two fixed plates;

[0023] A swing block is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft, and a pulley is provided on the swing block; the pulley is located between the sputtering cathode and the conveying track.

[0024] The drive motor is connected to the housing, and the output end of the drive motor is connected to the rotating shaft. The drive motor is used to drive the rotation of the rotating shaft to drive the swing block to swing. Two pulleys cooperate to clamp two fixed blocks to fix the substrate holder on the coating position.

[0025] The coating apparatus also includes a vertical lifting mechanism and a magnetic suction assembly. There are two supports in the process chamber. A magnetic suction assembly is provided between the two supports in the process chamber.

[0026] The top of the process chamber is equipped with a vertical lifting mechanism, which is connected to the magnetic suction assembly. The vertical lifting mechanism is used to drive the magnetic suction assembly to rise and fall, and the magnetic suction assembly is located above the conveyor track.

[0027] In the above coating device, the magnetic attraction assembly includes a connecting plate and a magnetic block; the connecting plate is located between two supports and is connected to the telescopic end of the vertical lifting mechanism; the magnetic block is set at the bottom of the connecting plate; the length direction of the magnetic block is parallel to the X-axis direction, the magnetic block is located above the conveyor track, and the magnetic block is used to attract the substrate holder conveyed by the conveyor wheel so that the substrate holder is kept upright.

[0028] In the coating device above, each group of through-beam sensors consists of three sensors.

[0029] One of the above-described technical solutions of the present invention has at least one of the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0030] In this invention, the substrate holder is first transported to the coating position via a conveyor track, and then the substrate holder is fixed by a fixing mechanism. This effectively prevents the substrate holder from shifting during coating, thus ensuring the uniformity of the film thickness deposited on the substrate surface and improving the quality of the coated product. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments;

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the housing of the coating device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a top view of the housing of the coating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Enlarged diagram of A in the middle;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the clamping assembly of the coating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the conveyor wheel of the coating device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] The figure labels for each figure are as follows:

[0038] 1. Housing; 11. Process cavity; 12. Drive mechanism; 13. Drive motor; 2. Magnetic attraction mechanism; 21. Bracket; 22. Magnetic strip; 3. Substrate holder; 31. Fixing block; 4. Conveyor track; 41. Conveyor wheel; 411. Recess; 5. Fixing mechanism; 51. Positioning assembly; 511. Fixing seat; 512. Viewing window; 513. Through-beam sensor; 52. Clamping assembly; 521. Mounting seat; 522. Rotating shaft; 523. Swing block; 524. Fixing plate; 525. Pulley; 6. Magnetic attraction assembly; 61. Connecting plate; 62. Magnetic block; 7. Vertical lifting mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0039] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0040] The following disclosure provides many different implementations or examples for different ways of implementing the present invention.

[0041] Reference Figures 1 to 5 As shown, a coating apparatus includes a housing 1, a magnetic attraction mechanism 2, a substrate holder 3, a conveying track 4, and a fixing mechanism 5;

[0042] The housing 1 has a process cavity 11 inside, and the magnetic attraction mechanism 2 is located on the top wall of the process cavity 11. The top of the substrate holder 3 is made of magnetic material, and the magnetic attraction mechanism 2 is used to attract the substrate holder 3 so that the substrate holder 3 remains upright.

[0043] The conveying track 4 is located on the bottom wall of the process cavity 11. The conveying track 4 has a coating position. The conveying track 4 transports the substrate holder 3 to the coating position for coating.

[0044] The fixing mechanism 5 is located inside the process cavity 11, and the fixing mechanism 5 is used to fix the substrate holder 3 on the coating position.

[0045] It should be noted here that the two ends of the process chamber 11 will be connected to the feed chamber and the discharge chamber of the external device, respectively.

[0046] The substrate holder 3 has been disclosed in Chinese patent CN209669342U, so the structure of the substrate holder 3 will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0047] In this design, after the substrate holder 3 enters the process cavity 11 inside the housing 1, the magnetic suction mechanism 2 is used to keep the substrate holder 3 upright and reduce the pressure of the substrate holder 3 on the conveyor wheel 41. This allows one side of the substrate on the substrate holder 3 to be coated. Under the action of the conveyor track 4, the substrate holder 3 is transported to the coating position, and then the fixing mechanism 5 fixes the substrate holder 3. After coating, the substrate on the substrate holder 3 is coated. After the coating is completed, the fixing mechanism 5 releases the fixing of the substrate holder 3 and then the substrate holder 3 is sent out of the process cavity 11 through the conveyor track 4. In this way, the substrate holder 3 is effectively prevented from shifting during coating, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the film thickness deposited on the substrate surface and improving the quality of the coated product.

[0048] In this embodiment, the coating apparatus further includes a sputtering cathode assembly (not shown in the figure) and a vacuum system (not shown in the figure), and the housing 1 is connected to the sputtering cathode assembly and the vacuum system;

[0049] The coating device also includes an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, and a drive mechanism 12;

[0050] The magnetic attraction mechanism 2 includes multiple supports 21 and multiple magnetic strips 22; the multiple supports 21 are arranged at intervals along the X-axis on the top wall of the process cavity 11, and the multiple magnetic strips 22 are connected to the bottom of each support 21, with the length direction of the magnetic strips 22 extending along the X-axis.

[0051] The conveying track 4 includes a plurality of conveying wheels 41, which are spaced apart along the X-axis on the bottom wall of the process cavity 11. Each conveying wheel 41 has a recess 411 on its circumferential surface that mates with the grinding rod of the substrate holder 3. Each conveying wheel 41 is connected to the driving mechanism 12, which is used to drive the conveying wheel 41 to rotate.

[0052] The magnetic strip 22 is used to attract the substrate holder 3 conveyed by the transfer wheel 41 so that the substrate holder 3 is kept upright. The sputtering cathode assembly and the transfer wheel 41 are arranged at intervals along the Y-axis direction.

[0053] Specifically, when the substrate holder 3 is transported in the X-axis direction, the magnetic strip 22 keeps the substrate holder 3 upright when it is transported by the conveyor wheel 41, and the recess 411 of the conveyor wheel 41 is used to limit the transport of the substrate holder 3.

[0054] Since a substrate is mounted on the substrate holder 3, and the substrate is generally made of glass or silicon, it is very heavy. When transporting the substrate holder 3, the pressure on the conveyor wheel 41 and the output wheel is very high, which can easily cause the substrate holder 3 to deform and vibrate.

[0055] Therefore, by setting up a magnetic strip 22 and having a gap between the magnetic strip 22 and the top of the substrate holder 3 during transport, the magnetic strip 22 magnetically attracts the substrate holder 3 and keeps it upright when the conveyor wheel 41 transports the substrate holder 3, reducing the pressure on the conveyor wheel 41 and reducing the shaking of the substrate holder 3 during transport; the drive mechanism 12 can be a motor, which drives the rotation of the conveyor wheel 41.

[0056] Preferably, two fixing blocks 31 are provided on one side of the bottom of the substrate holder 3;

[0057] The fixing mechanism 5 includes a positioning component 51 and a clamping component 52. The positioning component 51 is used to detect whether the substrate holder 3 conveyed on the conveying track 4 has reached the coating position.

[0058] The clamping components 52 are symmetrically arranged in the process cavity 11. Each clamping component 52 corresponds to one of the fixing blocks 31. The two clamping components 52 cooperate to clamp and fix the two fixing blocks 31.

[0059] The positioning component 51 includes two fixed seats 511 spaced apart above the process cavity 11 along the X-axis direction, and the fixed seats 511 are provided with a viewing window 512.

[0060] Each of the fixed bases 511 is detachably connected to a set of through-beam sensors 513, the beam of which can pass through the viewing window 512 and enter the process cavity 11; the two ends of the substrate holder 3 along the X-axis direction are respectively positioned by two sets of through-beam sensors 513 to ensure that the substrate holder 3 is on the coating position.

[0061] The clamping assembly 52 includes a mounting base 521, a rotating shaft 522, and a drive motor 13;

[0062] The mounting base 521 is disposed on the bottom wall of the process cavity 11, and the mounting base 521 is provided with two fixing plates 524 arranged at intervals along the Y-axis direction;

[0063] The axis of the rotating shaft 522 is parallel to the Y-axis direction. The rotating shaft 522 is rotatably inserted through the two fixed plates 524, and the rotating shaft 522 is rotatably connected to the two fixed plates 524.

[0064] A swing block 523 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 522, and a pulley 525 is provided on the swing block 523; the pulley 525 is located between the sputtering cathode and the conveying track 4;

[0065] The drive motor 13 is connected to the housing 1, and the output end of the drive motor 13 is connected to the rotating shaft 522. The drive motor 13 is used to drive the rotation of the rotating shaft 522 to drive the swing block 523 to swing. The two pulleys 525 cooperate to clamp the two fixing blocks 31 to fix the substrate holder 3 on the coating position.

[0066] Each group of the through-beam sensors 513 consists of three sensors.

[0067] Furthermore, the through-beam sensors 513 can be fixed with bolts. Generally, the three through-beam sensors 513 in each group are arranged at intervals along the X-axis. The three first through-beam sensors 513 are respectively... Figure 2 In the process of conveying the substrate holder 3 by the conveyor wheel 41, the substrate holder 3 first passes through the beam of 513a, and then the top of the substrate holder 3 blocks the beams of 513b and 513c, thereby completing the positioning of one end of the substrate holder 3. The other end of the substrate holder 3 along the X-axis is where the top of the substrate holder 3 blocks the beams of 513a and 513b, while the beam of 513c cannot reach the top of the substrate holder 3. In this way, the substrate holder 3 is positioned on the coating position. After the positioning is completed, the conveyor wheel 41 stops moving and the substrate holder 3 is fixed by the fixing mechanism 5. After the coating is completed, the fixing mechanism 5 is released, and the conveyor wheel 41 moves again to transport the substrate holder 3 to the next process chamber 11.

[0068] Specifically, when the positioning component 51 can detect that the substrate holder 3 is in the coating position, the drive motor 13 drives the rotating shaft 522 to rotate, so as to drive the swing block 523 to swing towards the fixed block 31. In this way, the two pulleys 525 will contact the sides of the two fixed blocks 31 of the substrate holder 3 on the conveyor wheel 41 respectively, thereby clamping and fixing the substrate holder 3 in the coating position.

[0069] After the substrate in the substrate holder 3 at the coating position is coated, the drive motor 13 drives the rotating shaft 522 to rotate in the opposite direction, causing the swing block 523 to swing away from the fixed block 31, thereby loosening the fixation of the substrate holder 3. In this way, the wear on the substrate holder 3 can be reduced and the substrate holder 3 can be fixed.

[0070] In this embodiment, there are two brackets 21; a magnetic attraction component 6 is provided between the two brackets 21.

[0071] A vertical lifting mechanism 7 is provided on the top of the housing 1. The telescopic end of the lifting mechanism extends into the process cavity 11 and is connected to the magnetic suction assembly 6. The vertical lifting mechanism 7 is used to drive the magnetic suction assembly 6 to rise and fall. The magnetic suction assembly 6 is located above the conveying track 4.

[0072] The magnetic suction assembly 6 includes a connecting plate 61 and a magnetic block 62; the connecting plate 61 is connected to the telescopic end of the vertical lifting mechanism 7, and the magnetic block 62 is disposed at the bottom of the connecting plate 61; the length direction of the magnetic block 62 is parallel to the X-axis direction, the magnetic block 62 is located above the conveying track 4, and the magnetic block 62 is used to attract the substrate holder 3 conveyed by the conveying wheel 41 so that the substrate holder 3 remains upright.

[0073] The vertical lifting mechanism 7 is existing technology. For reference, a magnetron sputtering vacuum coating device with adjustable sputtering distance is disclosed in Chinese Patent CN209669342U. Therefore, the structure of the vertical lifting mechanism 7 will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0074] Specifically, when the substrate holder 3 is relatively long, two vertical lifting mechanisms 7 can be set up. Each vertical lifting mechanism 7 drives a magnetic attraction component 6. The two magnetic attraction components 6 are distributed at intervals along the X-axis direction and jointly apply magnetic attraction to the substrate holder 3 to improve the stability of the substrate holder 3 transport process.

[0075] The vertical lifting mechanism 7 is used to drive the lifting of the magnetic suction component 6. By changing the distance between the magnetic suction component 6 and the top of the substrate holder 3, the magnitude of the suction force can be controlled, so as to adjust the contact stress between the substrate holder 3 and the output wheel and the transmission wheel 41. It is also more conducive to adapting to substrates of different specifications.

[0076] This embodiment also includes a controller, which has a PLC system known to those skilled in the art. The drive mechanism 12, the vertical lifting mechanism 7, the through-beam sensor 513, the drive motor 13 and the controller are electrically connected. The PLC system controls the above-mentioned operations. Regarding the electrical connection, an electrical connection known to those skilled in the art is used, or of course, a wiring harness connection can also be used.

Claims

1. A coating apparatus, characterized in that, Includes housing, magnetic suction mechanism, substrate holder, transfer track, and fixing mechanism; The housing has a process cavity, and the magnetic attraction mechanism is located on the top wall of the process cavity. The top of the substrate holder is made of magnetic material, and the magnetic attraction mechanism is used to attract the substrate holder so that the substrate holder remains upright. The conveying track is located on the bottom wall of the process chamber, and the conveying track has a coating position. The conveying track transports the substrate holder to the coating position for coating. The fixing mechanism is located inside the process cavity and is used to fix the substrate holder on the coating position.

2. The coating apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating apparatus further includes a sputtering cathode assembly and a vacuum system, and the housing is connected to the sputtering cathode assembly and the vacuum system.

3. The coating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The coating apparatus also includes an X-axis direction, a Y-axis direction, and a drive mechanism; The magnetic attraction mechanism includes multiple supports and multiple magnetic strips; the multiple supports are arranged at intervals along the X-axis on the top wall of the process cavity, and the multiple magnetic strips are connected to the bottom of each support, with the length of the magnetic strips extending along the X-axis. The conveying track includes multiple conveying wheels, which are spaced apart along the X-axis on the bottom wall of the process chamber. Each conveying wheel has a recess on its circumferential surface that mates with the grinding rod of the substrate holder. Each conveying wheel is connected to the driving mechanism, which drives the conveying wheel to rotate. The magnetic strip is used to attract the substrate holder being transported by the transfer wheel, so as to keep the substrate holder in an upright state. The sputtering cathode assembly and the transfer wheel are arranged at intervals along the Y-axis direction.

4. The coating apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, Two fixing blocks are provided on one side of the bottom of the substrate holder; The fixing mechanism includes a positioning component and a clamping component. The positioning component is used to detect whether the substrate holder conveyed on the conveying track has reached the coating position. The clamping components are symmetrically arranged in the process cavity, and each clamping component corresponds to a fixed block. The two clamping components cooperate to clamp and fix the two fixed blocks.

5. The coating apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The positioning component includes two fixed seats spaced apart above the process cavity along the X-axis direction, and the fixed seats are provided with a viewing window; Each of the mounting bases is detachably connected to a set of through-beam sensors, the beams of which can pass through the viewing window and enter the process chamber; The substrate holder is positioned at both ends along the X-axis by two sets of through-beam sensors to ensure that the substrate holder is on the coating position.

6. The coating apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The clamping assembly includes a mounting base, a rotating shaft, and a drive motor; The mounting base is disposed on the bottom wall of the process cavity, and the mounting base is provided with two fixing plates arranged at intervals along the Y-axis direction; The axis of the rotating shaft is parallel to the Y-axis direction, and the rotating shaft is rotatably inserted through the two fixed plates, and the rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the two fixed plates. A swing block is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft, and a pulley is provided on the swing block; the pulley is located between the sputtering cathode and the conveying track; The drive motor is connected to the housing, and the output end of the drive motor is connected to the rotating shaft. The drive motor is used to drive the rotation of the rotating shaft to drive the swing block to swing. The two pulleys cooperate to clamp the two fixed blocks to fix the substrate holder on the coating position.

7. The coating apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The coating device further includes a vertical lifting mechanism and a magnetic suction assembly; the number of supports in the process cavity is two; and the magnetic suction assembly is provided between the two supports in the process cavity. The vertical lifting mechanism is located at the top of the process chamber and is connected to the magnetic suction assembly. The vertical lifting mechanism is used to drive the magnetic suction assembly to move up and down, and the magnetic suction assembly is located above the conveying track.

8. The coating apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The magnetic attraction assembly includes a connecting plate and a magnetic block; the connecting plate is located between the two brackets and is connected to the telescopic end of the vertical lifting mechanism; the magnetic block is disposed at the bottom of the connecting plate; the length direction of the magnetic block is parallel to the X-axis direction, the magnetic block is located above the conveying track, and the magnetic block is used to attract the substrate holder conveyed by the conveying wheel so that the substrate holder remains upright.

9. The coating apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each group of the aforementioned through-beam sensors consists of three.

Images