Shielding unit and vacuum evaporation device provided with the same

Abstract

This invention provides a shielding unit for a vacuum evaporation apparatus, which is installed in a vacuum chamber. During vacuum processing in a vacuum chamber (1) under a vacuum atmosphere, light of a specified wavelength range from components inside the vacuum chamber is transmitted through an observation window (7) provided on the wall of the vacuum chamber at a specified amount of light to suppress contaminants generated during vacuum processing from adhering to the observation window and reduce the frequency of observation window replacement. It includes: a first shielding part (8a) disposed in front of the observation window, which transmits light of a specified wavelength range; and a second shielding part (8b) disposed in front of the first shielding part. The second shielding part is composed of a plate-like component having a plurality of through holes (88a, 88b) extending in the front-rear direction in the circumferential direction, and is equipped with a drive motor (83a, 83b) for driving the second shielding part to rotate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a shielding unit and a vacuum evaporation apparatus having the shielding unit. Background Technology

[0002] For example, vacuum evaporation apparatuses have been used to form metal films on the surface of sheet-like substrates such as glass or silicon wafers or resin materials (hereinafter referred to as "substrate to be deposited") in a vacuum atmosphere. For instance, Patent Document 1 discloses the use of an evaporation source in an evaporation boat as the evaporation source for such a vacuum evaporation apparatus. The evaporation boat comprises: a boat body having a material storage portion; and electrode mounting plates extending outward from the upper end of the boat body; the two electrode mounting plates are respectively held (clamped) by a pair of upper and lower electrode plates and disposed in a vacuum chamber. When evaporation is performed on the substrate in a vacuum atmosphere, the boat body is heated by Joule heating by energizing the electrode plates between the two electrode mounting plates via a power source. Then, a linear evaporation material of a metal such as copper or aluminum is supplied from above, in contact with the bottom plate of the boat body defining the storage portion. Therefore, the vapor deposition material melts and wets and spreads within the receiving section. The vapor deposition material evaporates from the surface of the molten liquid after wetting and spreading. Through the adhesion of the evaporated vapor deposition material, a copper film or aluminum film is deposited on the object to be vapor deposited.

[0003] During the vapor deposition process, the volume of molten liquid in the receiving chamber may increase or decrease, and sudden boiling may occur. Sometimes, the vapor deposition material may not evaporate but instead directly disperse from the liquid surface and adhere to the vapor deposition material, thus preventing a high product yield. Therefore, it is known to install a camera (image capture device) to capture images of the vapor deposition boat, which is a component of the vacuum chamber, and to analyze the captured images to control the current value and supply speed when energizing the vapor deposition boat (for example, see Patent Document 2). In this case, an observation window is provided on the wall of the vacuum chamber, through which the image capture device receives light of a specified wavelength range from the vapor deposition boat. However, during the vapor deposition process, vapor deposition material, acting as a contaminant, also adheres to the inner surface of the observation window, gradually reducing the amount of light passing through the observation window.

[0004] If the light intensity through the observation window exceeds the specified range and decreases, it becomes impossible to photograph the vapor deposition vessel using imaging equipment. Therefore, vapor deposition of the object must be stopped and the observation window replaced. If the frequency of observation window replacement increases, the vapor deposition time for the object will shorten, leading to a decrease in productivity. Furthermore, for example, when using expensive glass such as sapphire glass as the observation window to stabilize optical properties, frequent replacement of the observation window will increase operating costs.

[0005] Existing technical documents Patent documents [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-46106 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-507610 Summary of the Invention The technical problem that the invention aims to solve In view of the above problems, the technical problem of the present invention is to provide a shielding unit that can reduce the frequency of changing the viewing window and a vacuum evaporation apparatus having the shielding unit.

[0006] means of solving technical problems To solve the aforementioned technical problems, the shielding unit of the present invention is disposed in a vacuum chamber. During vacuum processing in the vacuum chamber under a vacuum atmosphere, light of a predetermined wavelength range from components within the vacuum chamber is transmitted at a predetermined amount through an observation window disposed on the wall of the vacuum chamber, thereby suppressing contaminants generated during vacuum processing from adhering to the observation window. The shielding unit is characterized by comprising: a first shielding portion disposed in front of the observation window and capable of transmitting light of the predetermined wavelength range; and a second shielding portion disposed in front of the first shielding portion. The second shielding portion is composed of a plate-like component having a plurality of through holes extending in the front-rear direction in the circumferential direction, and is equipped with a drive motor for rotating the second shielding portion. In this case, a structure also comprising a freely opening and closing gate disposed in front of the second shielding portion may also be adopted.

[0007] According to the present invention, taking vacuum evaporation as an example of vacuum treatment, during the evaporation process on the object to be evaporated, even though evaporation material (contaminants) from the evaporation source will disperse towards the observation window, most of the evaporation material adheres to the first shielding portion located in front of the observation window, greatly suppressing the adhesion of evaporation material to the observation window, thus reducing the frequency of observation window replacement. Furthermore, since the first shielding portion itself is made of a material that transmits light within a specified wavelength range, and multiple through-holes that allow light to pass through are opened in the second shielding portion, light within the specified wavelength range intermittently passes through the observation window. Therefore, even when the evaporation vessel is photographed by an imaging device using light transmitted through the observation window, its function is not impaired.

[0008] However, during the vapor deposition process on the object being vapor-deposited, the vapor-deposited material passing through the through-holes of the second shielding part also adheres to the front surface of the first shielding part. Soon, the light intensity decreases, but due to the rotation of the second shielding part, the amount of vapor-deposited material adhering to the front surface of the first shielding part can be dispersed circumferentially. Therefore, compared to the case where the vapor-deposited material directly adheres to the inner surface of the observation window, the time before the light intensity drops below a predetermined range can be significantly extended. Thus, combined with setting a gate to allow light to pass through the observation window only when the imaging equipment is needed for imaging, even when using components made of relatively expensive materials as the second shielding part, the increase in operating costs can be minimized.

[0009] In this invention, the following structure can be adopted: the first shielding part is composed of plate-shaped members arranged at intervals from the second shielding part in the front-rear direction, and the second shielding part is driven to rotate asynchronously with the first shielding part. This allows for further dispersion of the amount of vapor-deposited material adhering to the front surface of the first shielding part in its circumferential direction, which is advantageous. Alternatively, the following structure can be adopted: the first shielding part is composed of a sheet-shaped member that traverses the rear side of the second shielding part in one direction, and includes a feed roller for feeding the sheet-shaped member and a take-up roller for taking it up. This allows for a return to the initial state simply by feeding the sheet-shaped member further by a predetermined length when the vapor-deposited material adheres to the front surface of the sheet-shaped member, thus reducing the frequency of replacement of the second shielding part associated with opening the vacuum chamber atmosphere, which is advantageous.

[0010] Furthermore, to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the vacuum evaporation apparatus of the present invention includes the shielding unit as described in claim 1 or 2, and further includes in the vacuum chamber: an evaporation boat disposed in the vacuum chamber, having a material storage portion for evaporation; and a material supply unit that supplies linear evaporation material from above the evaporation boat in a manner that abuts against the bottom plate of the evaporation boat defining the storage portion; the vacuum evaporation apparatus performs the evaporation of the object to be evaporated in the vacuum chamber as the vacuum treatment, characterized in that: multiple imaging devices are provided, which receive light of a predetermined wavelength range from the evaporation boat, which is a component of the vacuum chamber, through the observation window, and respectively photograph various parts of the evaporation boat; the first shielding portion has: a first rotating shaft and a second rotating shaft arranged parallel to each other; and a first rotating plate and a second rotating plate respectively fitted on the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft via a reducer; the second shielding portion has a third rotating plate fitted on the first rotating shaft via a reducer and a fourth rotating plate fitted on the second rotating shaft; the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate are made of different materials corresponding to the wavelength range of the light received by each imaging device. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a vacuum evaporation apparatus having the shielding unit of this embodiment.

[0012] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the shielding unit viewed from the vapor deposition chamber side.

[0013] Figure 3 It is along Figure 2 A cross-sectional view along line III-III.

[0014] Figure 4 Is with Figure 3 The corresponding cross-sectional view of the shielding unit based on the modified example.

[0015] Figure 5 Is with Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the shielding unit according to another variation. Detailed Implementation

[0016] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the shielding unit SU and vacuum evaporation apparatus ES of the present invention will be described using the following example: vacuum treatment is vacuum evaporation, the object to be evaporated is a sheet substrate Sw, the component inside the vacuum chamber is an evaporation boat, and an aluminum evaporation material Em, shaped into a linear form, is supplied to the evaporation boat 3 and evaporated. An aluminum film is then deposited on one surface of the sheet substrate Sw within a vacuum chamber under a vacuum atmosphere. Hereinafter, the terms indicating the up and down directions are used in principle to refer to the arrangement of the apparatus. Figure 1 Based on.

[0017] Reference Figure 1 The vacuum evaporation apparatus ES is a so-called roll-up type device, equipped with a vacuum chamber 1. The vacuum chamber 1 is connected to a vacuum pump unit Pu, consisting of a turbomolecular pump, a rotary pump, etc., via an exhaust pipe Ep, enabling the creation of a vacuum atmosphere (e.g., 10). - 5 Pa). Vacuum chamber 1 is divided into upper and lower chambers by partition 11. Figure 1 In the conveying chamber Ts located on the upper side, a conveying unit 2 is arranged to move the sheet substrate Sw at a fixed speed. The conveying unit 2 includes: a feed roller 21, which is pre-wound with the sheet substrate Sw and is driven to rotate by a motor 21a to feed the sheet substrate Sw at a fixed speed; and a take-up roller 22, which is driven to rotate by a motor 22a to take up the film-formed sheet substrate Sw. Inside the opening 12 formed on the partition plate 11, a roller Cr is arranged opposite to the vapor deposition boat 3 described later, on which a portion of the sheet substrate Sw is wound. Furthermore, in the conveying chamber Ts, multiple guide rollers Gr are appropriately provided to guide the sheet substrate Sw fed from the feed roller 21 to the roller Cr, and to guide the film-formed sheet substrate Sw from the roller Cr to the take-up roller 22. On the other hand, in Figure 1In the lower vapor deposition chamber Vs, a vapor deposition boat 3 is provided as a vapor deposition source for vapor deposition of a portion of the substrate Sw wound by the roller Cr.

[0018] The vapor deposition boat 3 includes: a boat body 31 having a recess 31a for receiving the vapor deposition material Em, which has a flat bottom surface; and an electrode mounting plate 32 extending along the length of the boat body 31. Figure 1 The two ends (in the left and right directions) extend horizontally outwards respectively. The vapor deposition vessel 3 is integrally formed by stamping a metal plate with a melting point higher than the vapor deposition material Em. Examples of high melting point metals include molybdenum, tungsten, or tantalum. Alternatively, the vapor deposition vessel 3 can also be a ceramic material such as boron nitride, carbon, aluminum, or titanium oxides and nitrides. On the inner surface 1a of the lower wall of the vacuum chamber 1, two support platforms 4, 4 are provided, spaced apart in the longitudinal direction and made of insulating material. Moreover, a pair of upper and lower electrode plates 5a, 5b made of a metal with good conductivity such as copper are respectively mounted on the upper surface of the support platforms 4, 4 by bolts or other fastening mechanisms, in a state where they clamp the electrode mounting plates 32, 32 of the vapor deposition vessel 3 from the upper and lower directions.

[0019] With the electrode plates 5a and 5b clamping the electrode mounting plates 32 and 32, the vapor deposition boat 3 is positioned at a predetermined height above the inner surface 1a of the lower wall of the vacuum chamber, with the bottom plate of the boat body 31 defining the recess 31a in a horizontal position. The two electrode plates 5a and 5b are each connected to a known constant voltage control power supply Ps. By energizing the two electrode mounting plates 32 and 32 through the constant voltage control power supply Ps via the electrode plates 5a and 5b, the boat body 31 can be heated by Joule heating. Furthermore, an ammeter Am is installed in the circuit of the constant voltage control power supply Ps and the two electrode mounting plates 32 and 32 to measure the current value when energized at a constant voltage. In the vapor deposition chamber Vs, a material supply unit 6 is provided for continuously or intermittently supplying linear vapor deposition material Em to the recess 31a of the boat body 31.

[0020] The material supply unit 6 includes: a feed roller 61 disposed on the side of the anti-adhesion plate 13 arranged in the vapor deposition chamber Vs, opposite to the vapor deposition vessel 3; a motor 62 that drives the feed roller 61 to rotate; and a pair of upper and lower guide rollers 63, 63. A through hole 13a for the linear vapor deposition material Em to pass through is provided at a predetermined position on the anti-adhesion plate 13. Furthermore, a guide tube 64 of a predetermined length, bent downwards at its front end, is installed on the surface of the anti-adhesion plate 13 surrounding the through hole 13a on the side of the vapor deposition vessel 3, guiding the vapor deposition material Em to the recess 31a of the vessel body 31. The vapor deposition material Em is pre-wound onto the feed roller 61 using a material with an outer diameter of Φ1mm to 5mm. Additionally, an observation window 7 is provided on the side wall 1b of the vacuum chamber 1, and multiple imaging devices are installed to receive light within a predetermined wavelength range from the vapor deposition vessel 3 through the observation window 7 and to take images.

[0021] In this embodiment, first to third imaging devices Is1 to Is3 are provided so that during the vapor deposition process on the sheet substrate Sw, it is possible to monitor (1) the position of the front end Em1 of the vapor deposition material Em supplied to the receiving part 31a, (2) the melt surface temperature of the molten vapor deposition material Em that wets and spreads within the receiving part 31a, and (3) the expansion status of the molten material within the receiving part 31a. For example, a CCD camera that receives light (visible light) in the wavelength range of 350nm to 800nm ​​is used as the first imaging device Is1, a radiation thermometer (dichromatic thermometer) that receives light in the wavelength range of 0.5μm to 1.6μm and performs temperature conversion based on the ratio of radiant brightness is used as the second imaging device Is2, and a thermal camera that receives light (far-infrared light) in the wavelength range of 7μm to 14μm is used as the third imaging device Is3. Since known imaging devices are used as these imaging devices Is1 to Is3, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0022] Although not shown in detail, the observation window 7 has a circular support plate made of metal, on which three through holes (not shown) are respectively opened corresponding to the light receiving parts of the first to third imaging devices Is1 to Is3. For example, a sapphire window can be airtightly and easily installed and removed in each through hole corresponding to the first and second imaging devices Is1 and Is2. Furthermore, for example, a germanium window can be airtightly and easily installed and removed in the through hole corresponding to the third imaging device Is3. Moreover, a shielding unit SU of this embodiment is provided in the vacuum chamber 1, so that during the vapor deposition of the sheet substrate Sw in the vacuum atmosphere of the vacuum chamber 1, light in the aforementioned wavelength range passes through the observation window 7 with a predetermined amount of light. Specifically, a storage chamber Hs is provided in the vacuum chamber 1 corresponding to the observation window 7, and the shielding unit SU is arranged in the storage chamber Hs. Hereinafter, the side facing inward from the side wall 1b of the vacuum chamber 1 where the observation window 7 is located is referred to as the front, and the side facing the side wall 1b from inside the vacuum chamber 1 is referred to as the rear.

[0023] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The shielding unit SU includes: a first shielding portion 8a, which is disposed in front of the observation window 7 and is able to transmit light within the aforementioned wavelength range; and a second shielding portion 8b, which is disposed in front of the first shielding portion 8a. The first shielding portion 8a includes: a first rotating shaft 81a and a second rotating shaft 81b arranged parallel to each other; and a first rotating plate 82a and a second rotating plate 82b respectively fitted onto the first rotating shaft 81a and the second rotating shaft 81b. The first rotating plate 82a is made of, for example, acrylic resin or polycarbonate material, and is composed of a plate-shaped member capable of covering the area of ​​the front surface of the light-receiving portions of the first and second imaging devices Is1 and Is2. The second rotating plate 82b, offset rearward from the first rotating plate 82a, is made of, for example, germanium, silicon, or glass with an AR coating, and is composed of a plate-shaped member capable of covering the area of ​​the front surface of the light-receiving portion of the third imaging device Is3. In this embodiment, the first rotating plate 82a and the second rotating plate 82b each have a circular outline, covering the entire front surface of the observation window 7. This prevents the vaporized material Em that has scattered from the vaporization vessel 3 from directly adhering to the observation window 7.

[0024] Drive motors 83a and 83b are respectively installed on the upper wall Hs1 and lower wall Hs2 of the storage chamber Hs. Bevel gears 84a and 84b are respectively installed at the front end of the output shaft of each drive motor 83a and 83b. Furthermore, bevel gears 85a and 85b, respectively located at the rear ends of the first rotating shaft 81a and the second rotating shaft 81b, mesh with bevel gears 84a and 84b, enabling the first rotating plate 82a and the second rotating plate 82b to rotate at a predetermined speed. Additionally, reduction gears 86a and 86b are respectively clamped on the first rotating shaft 81a and the second rotating shaft 81b, such that the third rotating plate 87a and the fourth rotating plate 87b, which serve as the second shielding part 8b, are offset in the front-rear direction and respectively fitted onto the portions of the first rotating shaft 81a and the second rotating shaft 81b that are further forward than the reduction gears 86a and 86b. Therefore, the third rotating plate 87a and the fourth rotating plate 87b are driven to rotate asynchronously with the first rotating plate 82a and the second rotating plate 82b. The rotation speed at this time is appropriately set taking into account the area of ​​the through hole 88a, the exposure time on each imaging device Is1 and Is2, etc.

[0025] The third rotating plate 87a, arranged on the first rotating plate 82a, is made of stainless steel and has the same area as the first rotating plate 82a. Furthermore, the third rotating plate 87a has a plurality of slit-shaped through holes 88a extending circumferentially and penetrating the thickness direction of the plate at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. In this case, the length and width of the through holes 88a are set such that the product of the exposure time of the first and second imaging devices Is1 and Is2 and the rotational speed of the third rotating plate 87a is greater than the circumferential distance of the slit-shaped through holes 88a. Furthermore, the number of through holes 88a is set, for example, taking into account the imaging frequency and the time until the amount of light transmitted through the vapor-deposited material Em adhering to the first rotating plate 82a reaches a predetermined value or less. On the other hand, the fourth rotating plate 87b is also made of stainless steel and has the same area as the second rotating plate 82b, with a plurality of slit-shaped through holes 88b extending circumferentially and penetrating the thickness direction of the plate at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction. In this case, the length, width, and number of through holes 88a are set in the same way as described above.

[0026] A through-hole 89 is formed on the front wall Hs3 of the storage chamber Hs, and a gate 9 is provided to cover the through-hole 89, which can be opened and closed freely. The gate 9 is, for example, made of a plate-like component made of stainless steel, and is moved in and out by a cylinder (not shown). The vacuum evaporation apparatus ES is equipped with a control unit Uc. The control unit Uc is a known unit with a microcomputer, sequencer, or memory, etc., and uniformly controls the operation of the vacuum pump Pu, motors 21a and 22a, motor 62 of the material supply unit 6, constant voltage control power supply Ps, shielding unit SU, and first to third imaging devices Is1 to Is3. Furthermore, the control unit Uc can input image data captured by the first to third imaging devices Is1 to Is3, analyze the input image data, and control the constant voltage control power supply Ps or the material supply unit 6 based on this analysis. Hereinafter, a vacuum evaporation method for forming an aluminum film on a sheet substrate Sw using the above-described vacuum evaporation apparatus ES will be described.

[0027] When depositing an aluminum film on a sheet substrate Sw in a vacuum chamber 1 under a vacuum atmosphere using a vacuum evaporation apparatus ES, a constant voltage control power supply Ps is applied between the two electrode mounting plates 32, 32 via electrode plates 5a and 5b, thereby heating the boat body 31 with Joule heating. After a predetermined time, the feed roller 61 is driven to rotate by a motor 62, and the linear evaporation material Em is fed out at a predetermined speed. As a result, the leading end Em1 of the evaporation material Em, which abuts against the bottom plate of the boat body 31 of the storage section 31a, melts and wets and expands in sequence, and the evaporation material Em on the surface of the wetted and expanded molten liquid evaporates. In conjunction with this, the motors 21a and 22a of the conveying unit 2 are driven to rotate, and the sheet substrate Sw is fed out at a fixed travel speed. As a result, the evaporated evaporation material Em adheres to a portion of the sheet substrate Sw that is wound around the roller Cr, and an aluminum film is deposited. The evaporation rate at this time is set, for example, in the range of 200 mm / min to 2000 mm / min.

[0028] While monitoring (1) to (3) above during the vapor deposition process on the sheet substrate Sw, the gate 9 is moved to the open position. Figure 2 (As shown in the diagram), and the first rotating shaft 81a, the second rotating shaft 81b, the third rotating plate 87a, and the fourth rotating plate 87b are driven asynchronously by drive motors 83a and 83b respectively. Then, the vapor deposition boat 3 is photographed using the first to third imaging devices Is1 to Is3, and the captured image data is input to the control unit Uc. Based on this, the control unit Uc controls, for example, the constant voltage control power supply Ps or the material supply unit 6 to keep the amount of molten vapor deposition material Em in the vapor deposition boat 3 approximately constant.

[0029] Using the above method, during the imaging of the vapor deposition vessel 3, the vapor deposition material Em from the vapor deposition vessel 3 will also scatter towards the observation window 7 through the through-hole 89. However, most of the vapor deposition material Em adheres to the front surfaces of the first rotating shaft 81a, the second rotating shaft 81b, the third rotating plate 87a, and the fourth rotating plate 87b of the shielding unit SU, greatly suppressing the adhesion of the vapor deposition material Em to the observation window 7. Therefore, the replacement frequency of the observation window 7 will be very low. Moreover, since the first rotating plate 82a and the second rotating plate 82b, which serve as the first shielding part 8a, are made of materials that allow light in the aforementioned wavelength range to pass through, and multiple through-holes 88a and 88b, which serve as the second shielding part 8b, are provided on the third rotating plate 87a and the fourth rotating plate 87b, which allow light to pass through, light in the aforementioned wavelength range intermittently passes through the observation window 7, thereby not impairing the imaging function of the vapor deposition vessel 3 of the first to third imaging devices Is1 to Is3.

[0030] Furthermore, during the vapor deposition process on the sheet-like substrate Sw, the vapor deposition material Em passing through the through holes 88a and 88b also adheres to the front surfaces of the first rotating plate 82a and the second rotating plate 82b. Soon, the light intensity decreases, but because the first rotating plate 82a and the second rotating plate 82b are driven to rotate at a predetermined speed, the amount of vapor deposition material Em adhering to them can be dispersed in the circumferential direction. Moreover, because the first rotating plate 82a, the second rotating plate 82b, the third rotating plate 87a, and the fourth rotating plate 87b are driven to rotate asynchronously, the amount of vapor deposition material Em adhering to them can be further dispersed. Therefore, compared to the case where the vapor deposition material Em is directly adhered to the inner surface of the observation window 7, the time before the light intensity decreases beyond a predetermined range can be significantly extended. Thus, when the gate 9 is set up and the first to third imaging devices Is1 to Is3 are used to photograph the vapor deposition vessel 3, light can pass through the observation window 7. Combined with this, even when the third rotating plate 87a and the fourth rotating plate 87b, which are made of relatively expensive materials as the second shielding part 8b, can suppress the increase in operating costs as much as possible.

[0031] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications can be made without departing from the technical concept of the present invention. In the above embodiments, the case of vacuum evaporation using an evaporation boat with aluminum as the evaporation material Em was described as an example, but it is not limited to this. If it is necessary to monitor the components inside the vacuum chamber during vacuum processing in a vacuum atmosphere, and the observation window is contaminated with substances, then the present invention is also widely applicable to vacuum processing using vacuum processing apparatuses such as sputtering apparatuses, ion plating apparatuses, or etching apparatuses. Furthermore, it is not limited to cases where the evaporation material Em is made of aluminum; it can also be applied to cases where the evaporation material Em is made of copper. Furthermore, the case of using a sheet-like substrate Sw as the object to be evaporated was described as an example, but the present invention is also widely applicable to cases of film deposition on substrates such as glass or silicon wafers with a defined profile.

[0032] In the above embodiments, the example described is that the first to third imaging devices Is1 to Is3 are set up so that light with different wavelength ranges can be received and photographed by the different shooting positions of the vapor deposition vessel 3. However, the type and number of imaging devices are not limited to this. For example, if only the first imaging device Is1, which is a CCD camera that receives visible light and takes pictures, is set up, the second rotating plate 82b of the first shielding part 8a and the fourth rotating plate 87b of the second shielding part 8b will obviously be omitted. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, the example described is that the through holes 88a and 88b are slit-shaped. However, their outline and number are not limited to this. Moreover, in the above embodiments, the example described is that the third and fourth rotating plates 87a and 87b are used as the first shielding part 8a. However, this is not a limitation.

[0033] Figure 4 Components and parts that are the same as those in the above embodiments are marked with the same symbols as described above, such as... Figure 4As shown, in the shielding unit SU according to the modified example, the first and second rotating plates 82a and 82b are replaced, and the first shielding part 80 is formed by a sheet-like member 80a that traverses the rear side of the second shielding part 8b in one direction. Furthermore, a feed roller 102, driven by a motor 101, is located above the upper wall surface Hs1, and a take-up roller 104, driven by a motor 103, is located below the lower wall surface Hs2, and the sheet-like member 80a is wound around the feed roller 102 to a predetermined length. The first shielding part 80 is made of, for example, acrylic resin or polycarbonate material, and its width is set to be the same as the width (diameter) of the observation window 7. Therefore, when the vapor-deposited material Em adheres to the front surface of the sheet-like member 80a and the light intensity decreases, it is possible to return to the initial state simply by further pulling the sheet-like member 80a out by a predetermined length. This reduces the frequency of replacing the second shielding part when the vacuum chamber is opened to the atmosphere, which is advantageous. In addition, in this modified example, the case of covering the rear side of the second shielding part 8b, in other words, covering the entire rear surface of the third and fourth rotating plates 87a and 87b, was described as an example. However, in the case where the first rotating plate 82a and the second rotating plate 82b are made of different materials in order to transmit light of different wavelength ranges, for example, the fourth rotating plate 87b can be directly provided, and the sheet member 80a only passes through the rear side of the third rotating plate 87a.

[0034] Furthermore, Figure 5 For components and parts that are the same as those in the above embodiments, mark them with the same symbols as described above, such as... Figure 5 As shown, in the shielding unit SU according to another modification, inert gas inlets 111 and outlets 112, respectively, are provided on a portion of the upper wall surface Hs1 and lower wall surface Hs2, which are close to the front wall Hs3 of the storage chamber Hs, with their orifice axes aligned. Furthermore, a gas pipe 114 equipped with a mass flow controller 113 can be connected to the inlet 111. During the imaging of the vapor deposition vessel 3 using the imaging devices Is1 to Is3, a vertical gas flow (air curtain) is formed on the front surface of the observation window 7, thus functioning as a first shielding part 8a. In this modification, a first rotating plate 82a and a second rotating plate 82b are directly provided as the first shielding part, but they may be omitted depending on the vacuum treatment.

[0035] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures ES. Vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, SU. Shielding unit, Em. Linear vapor deposition material, Em1. Front end of vapor deposition material, Sw. Sheet substrate (substrate to be vaporized), 1. Vacuum chamber, 3. Vacuum deposition boat, 31. Boat body, 31a. Recess (receiving part of vapor deposition material), 7. Observation window, 8a. First shielding part, 8b. Second shielding part, 82a. First rotating plate, 82b. Second rotating plate, 83a, 83b. Drive motor (drive device), 87a. Third rotating plate, 87b. Fourth rotating plate, 88a, 88b. Slit-shaped through hole, 9. Gate, 80a. Sheet component.

Claims

1. A shielding unit disposed within a vacuum chamber, wherein during vacuum processing within the vacuum chamber in a vacuum atmosphere, light of a predetermined wavelength range from components within the vacuum chamber passes through an observation window disposed on the wall of the vacuum chamber at a predetermined intensity, in order to suppress contaminants generated during the vacuum processing from adhering to the observation window, characterized in that: It has: a first shielding part disposed in front of the observation window, which can transmit light within a specified wavelength range; and a second shielding part disposed in front of the first shielding part; The second shielding part is composed of a plate-shaped component, which has multiple through holes in the circumferential direction and is equipped with a drive motor for driving the second shielding part to rotate.

2. The shielding unit according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also has a gate that can be opened and closed freely, which is located in front of the second shielding part.

3. The shielding unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first shielding part is composed of plate-shaped members arranged at intervals from the second shielding part in the front-back direction, and the second shielding part is rotated and driven asynchronously with the first shielding part.

4. The shielding unit according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first shielding part is composed of a sheet-like component that runs through the rear side of the second shielding part in one direction, and is provided with a feed roller for feeding out the sheet-like component and a take-up roller for taking up the sheet-like component.

5. A vacuum vapor deposition apparatus for performing vapor deposition on a workpiece in a vacuum chamber as a vacuum treatment, comprising a shielding unit as described in claim 1 or 2, and further comprising: a vapor deposition boat disposed in the vacuum chamber and having a receiving portion for vapor deposition material; and a material supply unit that supplies linear vapor deposition material from above the vapor deposition boat in a manner abutting against the bottom plate defining the receiving portion; characterized in that: Multiple imaging devices are set up to receive light within a specified wavelength range from the vapor deposition boat, which is a component of the vacuum chamber, through the observation window, and to photograph different parts of the vapor deposition boat. The first shielding part has: a first rotation axis and a second rotation axis arranged parallel to each other, and a first rotation plate and a second rotation plate respectively fitted onto the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis. The second shielding part has a third rotating plate mounted on the first rotating shaft via a speed reducer and a fourth rotating plate mounted on the second rotating shaft; The first and second rotating plates are made of different materials corresponding to the wavelength range of light received by each imaging device.

Images