Vacuum magnetic levitation coating apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a vacuum magnetic suspension film coating device. The vacuum magnetic suspension film coating device comprises a vacuum chamber, a workpiece frame, a guide rail and a driving mechanism. The vacuum chamber comprises oppositely arranged top and bottom walls in the height direction. The guide rail is arranged on the bottom wall and extends along the length direction. A first magnetic guide mechanism is arranged between the top wall and the workpiece frame. The driving mechanism comprises oppositely arranged electromagnetic coils and a magnet. The electromagnetic coils are arranged in multiple groups along the length direction. The magnet is fixed to the workpiece frame and has an air gap with the electromagnetic coils in the width direction. The output position of the driving force is arranged in the width direction of the workpiece frame, which can effectively avoid the influence of the motion fluctuation in the height direction and is beneficial to improving the stability of the linear motion of the workpiece frame.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment relies on magnetic levitation technology. The magnetic field force generated by the magnetic guide mechanism makes the workpiece holder that carries the workpiece levitate. With the help of the drive mechanism, the workpiece holder moves along a preset trajectory. At the same time, combined with the vacuum coating process, the coating material is uniformly deposited on the surface of the workpiece. It is widely used in the processing of products such as semiconductor devices and optical components, which have strict requirements for film uniformity and surface cleanliness.

[0003] In existing vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment, the magnetic guiding mechanism is usually located between the workpiece holder and the top wall of the equipment, while the bottom of the workpiece holder is equipped with a drive mechanism to achieve linear motion. However, the workpiece holder is susceptible to transmission fluctuations in the height direction during movement, which reduces the output stability of the driving force of the drive mechanism and affects the smooth linear movement of the workpiece holder. This problem directly leads to a deviation in the relative position between the workpiece holder and the coating source, resulting in uneven coating thickness and an increased surface defect rate on the workpiece. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the problems of the prior art, this application provides a vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment to improve the stability of the workpiece frame's levitation movement.

[0005] A vacuum magnetic levitation coating device includes a vacuum chamber, a workpiece holder, a guide rail, and a drive mechanism. The vacuum chamber has a length direction, a width direction, and a height direction in space, and includes a top wall and a bottom wall that are disposed opposite each other in the height direction. The guide rail is disposed on the bottom wall and extends along the length direction. A first magnetic permeation mechanism is disposed between the top wall and the workpiece holder to keep the workpiece holder levitated during movement. The drive mechanism is used to drive the workpiece holder to move along the guide rail. The driving mechanism includes an electromagnetic coil and a magnet arranged opposite to each other. Multiple sets of electromagnetic coils are arranged at intervals along the length direction. The magnet is fixed on the workpiece holder. The electromagnetic coil and the magnet are arranged along the width direction, and there is an air gap between them.

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

[0007] Optionally, the bottom of the workpiece holder is provided with a guide groove that mates with the guide rail. The guide groove has a top wall and two oppositely arranged side walls. The top wall is located above the guide rail, and the side walls are located on both sides in the width direction of the guide rail.

[0008] Optionally, there is a first gap between the guide rail and the sidewall of the guide groove, and a first position holding structure is provided between them to limit the workpiece holder from shifting in the width direction.

[0009] Optionally, the first position holding structure includes a plurality of guide wheels spaced apart on the guide rail, the wheel surfaces of the guide wheels contacting and engaging with the sidewall.

[0010] Optionally, the axle of the guide wheel is arranged vertically, and the sidewall is a vertical plane.

[0011] Optionally, each of the guide wheels is in contact with both side walls.

[0012] Optionally, a second position holding structure is provided between the guide rail and the side wall of the guide groove to limit the workpiece holder from shifting in the height direction.

[0013] Optionally, the second position holding structure is provided in two sets symmetrically along the width direction.

[0014] Optionally, the second position holding structure includes a first magnetic element and a second magnetic element that attract each other; the first magnetic element is disposed on the side wall, and the second magnetic element is disposed on the guide rail.

[0015] Optionally, the first magnetic permeation mechanism includes a third magnetic element and a fourth magnetic element that attract each other in the height direction; a second magnetic permeation mechanism is provided between the top wall of the guide groove and the guide rail, the second magnetic permeation mechanism including a fifth magnetic element and a sixth magnetic element that repel each other in the height direction.

[0016] Compared to existing technologies, this application arranges the electromagnetic coil and the magnet at intervals along the width of the equipment. This arrangement can isolate the direction of the driving force from the height direction, which is prone to fluctuations. This effectively avoids the interference of transmission fluctuations in the height direction of the workpiece holder on the linear drive, which is beneficial to maintaining the stability of the driving force output and thus improving the linear motion stability of the workpiece holder. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an existing vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment of this application; Figure 3 A partial schematic diagram of a vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the drive mechanism of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the electromagnetic coil in this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the magnet in this application.

[0018] The annotations in the figure are explained as follows: 100. Vacuum chamber; 110. Top wall; 120. Bottom wall; 200. Workpiece holder; 210. Guide groove; 211. Upper wall; 212. Side wall; 300. Guide rail; 310. Base; 320. Guide section; 400. Drive mechanism; 410. Electromagnetic coil; 420. Magnet; 430. Iron core; 440. Fixing plate.

[0019] 500. First position holding structure; 510. Guide wheel; 511. Wheel surface; 600. Second position holding structure; 610. First magnetic component; 620. Second magnetic component; 700. First magnetic permeation mechanism; 710. Third magnetic component; 720. Fourth magnetic component; 800. Second magnetic permeation mechanism; 810. Fifth magnetic component; 820. Sixth magnetic component. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or it can be connected to a component in between. When a component is said to be "set on" another component, it can be directly set on the other component or it may be set to a component in between.

[0022] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein in the specification of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0023] See Figure 1This invention provides an existing vacuum magnetic levitation coating device, comprising a vacuum chamber 100, a workpiece holder 200, and a drive mechanism 400. The vacuum chamber 100 serves as the work area for workpiece coating and has a length direction L, a width direction X, and a height direction Y in space. It includes a top wall 110 and a bottom wall 120 disposed opposite each other in the height direction. A first magnetic permeation mechanism 700 is disposed between the top wall 110 and the workpiece holder 200. The first magnetic permeation mechanism 700 includes mutually attracting magnetic elements in the height direction, used to keep the workpiece holder 200 levitated during movement. The drive mechanism 400 is disposed vertically below the workpiece holder 200 and is used to drive the workpiece holder 200 to move along the length direction.

[0024] Specifically, the drive mechanism 400 includes a fixedly mounted electromagnetic coil 410 and a magnet 420 fixed to the bottom of the workpiece holder 200. The electromagnetic coil 410 and the magnet 420 are aligned in the height direction and have an air gap. By controlling the electromagnetic field in this air gap, the required Lorentz force can be generated between the two, thereby generating a driving force that causes the workpiece holder 200 to move linearly.

[0025] Existing vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment employs a top-mounted magnetic levitation combined with bottom-driven layout. While this can largely achieve non-contact movement of the workpiece holder 200, during actual movement, the workpiece holder 200 is susceptible to transmission fluctuations in the height direction, particularly affecting the air gap between the electromagnetic coil 410 and the magnet 420. This causes fluctuations in the driving force output by the drive mechanism 400, reducing stability and consequently affecting the linear movement accuracy and smoothness of the workpiece holder 200 in the length direction. Furthermore, the overall dimensions of the workpiece holder 200 are affected by the width of the magnet 420, which in turn affects the opening size of the valve in the vacuum chamber 100.

[0026] See Figure 2 To address the problems of the prior art, this application provides a vacuum magnetic levitation coating device, including a vacuum chamber 100, a workpiece holder 200, a guide rail 300, and a drive mechanism 400; wherein, a first magnetic permeation mechanism 700 is provided between the top wall 110 and the workpiece holder 200 to keep the workpiece holder 200 suspended during movement; the guide rail 300 is provided on the bottom wall 120 and extends along the length direction; the drive mechanism 400 is used to drive the workpiece holder 200 to move along the guide rail 300.

[0027] The drive mechanism 400 of this application includes an electromagnetic coil 410 and a magnet 420 disposed opposite to each other. The electromagnetic coil 410 is a fixed part and is fixed to the side wall of the vacuum chamber 100; the magnet 420 is a movable part and is fixed to the workpiece holder 200. The electromagnetic coil 410 and the magnet 420 are arranged along the width direction and there is an air gap between them. The interaction between them can generate a driving force along the length direction to drive the reciprocating linear movement of the workpiece holder 200.

[0028] See Figures 4-6 In this application, multiple sets of electromagnetic coils 410 are arranged at intervals along the length direction, each electromagnetic coil 410 being wound around a corresponding iron core 430 to form multiple independent units. The magnet 420 in this application is a permanent magnet, typically mounted on a fixed plate 440; multiple magnets 420 are arranged at intervals along the length direction and in an alternating polarity manner, forming a periodically changing magnetic field. During operation, the direction and magnitude of the driving force can be precisely controlled by controlling the current phase and magnitude of each electromagnetic coil.

[0029] See Figure 3 The bottom of the workpiece holder 200 of this application is recessed with a guide groove 210, and the guide rail 300 extends into the guide rail 300 to cooperate with it. The guide groove 210 has an upper wall 211 and two oppositely arranged side walls 212, wherein the upper wall 211 is located directly above the guide rail 300 and has a gap with the guide rail 300 in the height direction, and the two side walls 212 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the guide rail 300 in the width direction.

[0030] A first gap is reserved between the guide rail 300 and the side wall 212 of the guide groove 210, and a first position holding structure 500 is provided between them. The function of the first position holding structure 500 is to limit the workpiece holder 200 from shifting in the width direction. Specifically, the first position holding structure 500 includes a plurality of guide wheels 510, and each guide wheel 510 is arranged at intervals along the length direction of the guide rail 300.

[0031] The guide wheel 510 of this application includes an axle and a wheel surface 511. The axle is a supporting component of the guide wheel 510, typically mounted on the guide rail 300 for axial positioning. The wheel surface 511 serves as the contact area between the guide wheel 510 and the guide groove 210, and can engage with the side wall 212. Furthermore, each guide wheel 510 engages with both side walls 212, ensuring uniform force distribution on the workpiece holder 200 in the width direction, effectively buffering lateral impacts during movement, reducing equipment vibration, and thus improving the stability of the workpiece holder 200 during operation.

[0032] Furthermore, each guide wheel 510 is mounted on the guide rail 300 in a rolling manner, and the wheel surface 511 and the side wall 212 of the guide groove 210 are in rolling contact fit, which can effectively reduce dust generated by friction and extend the overall service life of the equipment.

[0033] Furthermore, the guide rollers 510 have vertically arranged axles, and each sidewall 212 is a vertical plane. This ensures that the guide rollers 510 only contact and limit the workpiece holder 200 in the width direction, thereby constraining the workpiece holder 200's displacement and sway in the width direction and ensuring its straight trajectory along the length direction. Simultaneously, it avoids contact friction in the height direction, reducing dust generated by contact friction and improving the cleanliness of equipment operation. A second position holding structure 600 is provided between the guide rail 300 and the sidewall 212 of the guide groove 210 to limit the workpiece holder 200's displacement in the height direction.

[0034] Furthermore, the second position holding structure 600 is symmetrically arranged in two sets along the width direction, which can make the workpiece holder 200 subjected to balanced force in the width direction and improve the stability of positioning.

[0035] The second position holding structure 600 of this application includes a first magnetic element 610 and a second magnetic element 620. The first magnetic element 610 and the second magnetic element 620 have opposite polarities and attract each other in the width direction. Specifically, the first magnetic element 610 is disposed on the side wall 212, and the second magnetic element 620 is disposed on the guide rail 300. When the workpiece holder 200 experiences a positional shift in the height direction during movement, the bidirectional attraction between the first magnetic element 610 and the second magnetic element 620 can correct the height position of the workpiece holder 200 in real time, preventing it from shifting vertically and ensuring positioning accuracy in the height direction.

[0036] The second position holding structure 600 is set below the guide wheel 510 to ensure stable contact between the guide wheel 510 and the guide groove 210, avoid separation in the height direction, and improve the running stability of the workpiece holder 200.

[0037] The first magnetic guiding mechanism 700 of this application includes a third magnetic element 710 and a fourth magnetic element 720, the third magnetic element 710 and the fourth magnetic element 720 having opposite polarities and attracting each other in the height direction.

[0038] Furthermore, a second magnetic guiding mechanism 800 is provided between the upper wall 211 of the guide groove 210 and the guide rail 300. The second magnetic guiding mechanism 800 includes a fifth magnetic element 810 and a sixth magnetic element 820. The fifth magnetic element 810 and the sixth magnetic element 820 have opposite polarities and repel each other in the height direction. The fifth magnetic element 810 is disposed on the upper wall 211, and the sixth magnetic element 820 is disposed on the top of the guide rail 300.

[0039] The second magnetic guiding mechanism 800 of this application can ensure that the upper wall 211 of the guide groove 210 and the top end face of the guide rail 300 always maintain a preset gap to avoid collision contact; at the same time, in conjunction with the vertical adsorption force of the first magnetic guiding mechanism 700, the workpiece holder 200 can achieve a stable suspension state, thereby achieving completely non-contact movement.

[0040] The guide rail 300 of this application includes a base 310 and a guide portion 320. The base 310 is fixed to the bottom wall 120, and the guide portion 320 is vertically disposed on the base 310 and extends along the height direction. A guide wheel 510 is disposed on the guide portion 320, and a second position holding structure 600 is disposed between the guide portion 320 and the side wall 212 of the guide groove 210.

[0041] Compared to existing technologies, this application sets the output position of the driving force in the width direction of the workpiece holder 200, which can effectively avoid the influence of transmission fluctuations in the height direction. In addition, this structural layout does not limit the thickness of the base plate holder due to the width of the magnetic plate, which can reduce the opening width of the valve in the vacuum chamber 100, thereby reducing dust pollution caused by valve opening and closing.

[0042] The technical features of the embodiments described above can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other, it should be considered to be within the scope of this specification. When technical features of different embodiments are embodied in the same drawing, it can be regarded as the drawing also disclosing examples of combinations of the various embodiments involved.

[0043] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment, comprising a vacuum chamber, a workpiece holder, a guide rail, and a drive mechanism, wherein the vacuum chamber has a length direction, a width direction, and a height direction in space, and includes a top wall and a bottom wall disposed opposite each other in the height direction; the guide rail is disposed on the bottom wall and extends along the length direction; a first magnetic permeation mechanism is disposed between the top wall and the workpiece holder to keep the workpiece holder levitated during movement; and the drive mechanism is used to drive the workpiece holder to move along the guide rail, characterized in that: The driving mechanism includes an electromagnetic coil and a magnet arranged opposite to each other. Multiple sets of electromagnetic coils are arranged at intervals along the length direction. The magnet is fixed on the workpiece holder. The electromagnetic coil and the magnet are arranged along the width direction, and there is an air gap between them.

2. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the workpiece holder is provided with a guide groove that mates with the guide rail. The guide groove has an upper wall and two oppositely arranged side walls. The upper wall is located above the guide rail, and the side walls are located on both sides of the guide rail in the width direction.

3. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, There is a first gap between the guide rail and the sidewall of the guide groove, and a first position holding structure is provided between them to limit the workpiece holder from shifting in the width direction.

4. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first position holding structure includes a plurality of guide wheels spaced apart on the guide rail, the wheel surfaces of the guide wheels contacting and engaging with the sidewall.

5. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The guide wheel's axle is arranged vertically, and the sidewall is a vertical plane.

6. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each of the guide wheels is in contact with and engaged with both side walls.

7. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The guide rail is provided with a second position holding structure between the side walls of the guide groove to limit the workpiece holder from shifting in the height direction.

8. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second position retaining structure is symmetrically arranged in two sets along the width direction.

9. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second position holding structure includes a first magnetic element and a second magnetic element that attract each other; the first magnetic element is disposed on the side wall, and the second magnetic element is disposed on the guide rail.

10. The vacuum magnetic levitation coating equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first magnetic permeation mechanism includes a third magnetic element and a fourth magnetic element that attract each other in the height direction; A second magnetic permeation mechanism is provided between the upper wall of the guide groove and the guide rail. The second magnetic permeation mechanism includes a fifth magnetic element and a sixth magnetic element that repel each other in the height direction.

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