Material supply device and vacuum evaporation device provided with the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a material supply device (FM) having a winding core (3) on which a linear evaporation material (Em) is wound and a delivery mechanism (4) that delivers the evaporation material wound on the winding core, when the evaporation material is supplied to a cavity (11) of an evaporation boat (1) heated in a vacuum chamber (Vc1) from above, a landing position (Lp) of the evaporation material in the evaporation boat is as stable as possible. A guide pipe (5) through which a part of the evaporation material is passed is located above the evaporation boat and between the landing position and the delivery mechanism, and is arranged in a state of being curved in a circular arc shape that protrudes downward. At this time, a position at which the evaporation material is unwound from the winding core is taken as an unwinding position (Up), and the guide pipe is arranged on a circular arc track with the same curvature as a circular arc (Ac) passing through the landing position and the winding position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a material supply device and a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus having the material supply device, the material supply device having a core wound with a linear vapor deposition material and a delivery mechanism for delivering the vapor deposition material wound on the core, and supplying vapor deposition material from above to a vapor deposition vessel heated in a vacuum chamber. Background Technology

[0002] This material supply device is used in vacuum evaporation apparatuses that form a specified thin film on a material to be evaporated in a vacuum chamber using a vacuum evaporation method (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The evaporation material is a metal such as copper or aluminum, having a purity corresponding to the quality of the film to be formed, shaped into an outer diameter of Φ1mm to Φ5mm, and pre-wound multiple times on a core at a specified weight (e.g., 10kg). When the evaporation material is wound on the core, so-called winding creases (bending creases) are generated depending on the type of evaporation material. Therefore, a straightening roller is generally provided between the core and the evaporation vessel to correct the winding creases remaining on the cable.

[0003] When vapor deposition material is continuously supplied to the vapor deposition boat from above, a straightening roller applies a straightening force to the vapor deposition material fed from the core, straightening it to approximately straight. This straightened vapor deposition material passes through a guide tube and is led out from its outlet, being supplied linearly to the cavity of the vapor deposition boat from above. Hereinafter, when supplying vapor deposition material to the vapor deposition boat, the position where the front end of the vapor deposition material abuts against the cavity is defined as the landing position.

[0004] However, the size of the winding creases remaining in the vapor-deposited material varies depending on the material and the winding location. Therefore, as in the existing example described above, when the vapor-deposited material is straightened to approximately a straight line with a certain corrective force and then supplied linearly to the cavity, the landing position can easily become unstable. Here, when the vapor-deposited material comes into contact with the bottom surface of the cavity, it receives heat from the vapor-depositing vessel, melts, and spreads within the cavity, evaporating from the hot surface of the molten liquid. At this time, if the landing position deviates as described above, it will lead to changes in the hot surface area of ​​the molten liquid and instability in the vapor deposition rate.

[0005] Existing technical documents Patent documents [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 7530533 Summary of the Invention The technical problem that the invention aims to solve In view of the above, the technical problem of the present invention is to provide a material supply device that makes the landing position of the vapor deposition material in the vapor deposition vessel as stable as possible, and a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus having the material supply device.

[0006] means of solving technical problems To solve the aforementioned technical problems, the first invention of this application is characterized in that: in a material supply device having a core on which a linear vapor deposition material is wound and a feeding mechanism for discharging the vapor deposition material wound on the core, and a material supply device for supplying vapor deposition material from above to the cavity of a vapor deposition vessel heated in a vacuum chamber, the position in which the front end of the vapor deposition material abuts during supply is taken as the landing position; a guide tube through which a portion of the linear vapor deposition material passes is located above the vapor deposition vessel and between the landing position and the feeding mechanism, and is arranged in a curved, upward-convex arc shape. Furthermore, the second invention of this application is characterized in that: in a vacuum vapor deposition apparatus, the aforementioned material supply device is provided in the vacuum chamber; by continuously or intermittently supplying the vapor deposition material to the heated vapor deposition vessel, the vapor deposition material melts and evaporates within the cavity of the vapor deposition vessel, thereby depositing a predetermined thin film onto the object to be vapor deposited in the vacuum chamber.

[0007] Using this invention, pre-wound vapor deposition material is fed from the core and supplied to the cavity of the vapor deposition vessel. At this point, it is unnecessary to forcibly correct the winding creases remaining on the vapor deposition material. Instead, the vapor deposition material, bent into an arc shape in one direction with winding creases, is passed through a bent arc-shaped guide tube, and the front end leading out of the guide tube is directly supplied to the cavity (in other words, the front end of the vapor deposition material falls into the cavity while bent). Thus, from the start of the vapor deposition material feeding until all the vapor deposition material wound on the core is used up (in other words, the feeding ends when all the vapor deposition material has been fed out), the vapor deposition material is stably supplied to the landing position, thereby enabling film formation on the substrate at a stable vapor deposition rate. This is particularly effective when using materials with low elastic modulus, such as aluminum, as the vapor deposition material.

[0008] In this invention, the unwinding position is preferably the position where the vapor-deposited material is unwound from the core during the material feeding operation. The guide tube is bent with the same curvature as the arc passing through the landing position and the winding position and is positioned on the arc trajectory. This ensures that even when the vapor-deposited material is pre-wound multiple times onto the core at a predetermined weight (e.g., 10 kg), the occurrence of undesirable situations such as unstable landing positions during the period before the material feeding is completed can be suppressed as much as possible.

[0009] However, during the film formation process, when the vaporized material evaporated within the cavity of the vapor deposition vessel invades the outlet of the guide tube located on the vapor deposition vessel side, it can cause blockage of the vaporized material within the guide tube, thus preventing stable film formation before the vaporized material feeding is completed. In this case, adjusting the position and height of the guide tube relative to the vapor deposition vessel can be considered, but this can sometimes lead to problems such as an enlarged vacuum chamber. In this invention, it is preferable to use the angle of inclination of the outlet of the guide tube on the landing position side relative to the horizontal direction when the guide tube is bent with the aforementioned curvature as a reference angle, and to cut off one end of the guide tube at an angle smaller than this reference angle. In this case, it is preferable that the angle of inclination of the outlet relative to the horizontal direction be as small as possible, but it should be appropriately set considering the curvature of the guide tube, the position and height of the guide tube relative to the vapor deposition vessel. This can suppress the occurrence of problems such as blockage of the vaporized material within the guide tube as much as possible. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a vacuum evaporation apparatus equipped with a material supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 2 It is along Figure 1 A sectional view along line II-II.

[0012] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the material supply device shown.

[0013] Figure 4 It is along Figure 2 A cross-sectional view along line IV-IV. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Hereinafter, referring to the accompanying drawings, an example will be given of a sheet-like substrate Sw being used as the object to be vaporized. A linear vapor deposition material Em is continuously supplied and evaporated in a vacuum chamber under a vacuum atmosphere, and a predetermined thin film is continuously vapor-deposited (film formed) on one side of the substrate Sw. Embodiments of the material supply device MF and the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus DM equipped with the material supply device MF in the vacuum chamber will be described. Hereinafter, the two horizontally orthogonal directions will be defined as the X-axis and Y-axis directions. Furthermore, the roller mentioned later will be housed in the vacuum chamber with its axial direction aligned with the Y-axis direction. The upper and lower directions are shown in the arrangement of the vacuum vapor deposition apparatus DM. Figure 1 Based on.

[0015] Reference Figure 1The vacuum evaporation apparatus DM of this embodiment includes: a film-forming chamber Vc1 serving as the center of the vacuum chamber; and first and second receiving chambers Vc2 and Vc3 respectively connected front and rear along the X-axis direction of the film-forming chamber Vc1. Although not specifically illustrated, exhaust pipes from a vacuum pump unit consisting of a cryogenic pump, a rotary pump, etc., are connected to the film-forming chamber Vc1 and each receiving chamber Vc2 and Vc3, enabling the creation of a vacuum atmosphere (when forming a film using the vacuum evaporation method, the atmosphere inside the film-forming chamber Vc1 can be maintained at 1×10⁻⁶). -2 Pa ~ 5 × 10 -4 (Within the pressure range of Pa). Through-holes h1 to h4, allowing the sheet substrate Sw to pass through, are respectively provided on the opposite sidewalls of the film-forming chamber Vc1 and each of the receiving chambers Vc2 and Vc3 in the X-axis direction. A load-locking valve Lv is provided in the gap between the sidewalls of the film-forming chamber Vc1 and each of the receiving chambers Vc2 and Vc3, in a manner that covers the portion of the sheet substrate Sw passing through the gap. Thus, the sheet substrate Sw can be continuously transported in a vacuum atmosphere, and the film-forming chamber Vc1 and each of the receiving chambers Vc2 and Vc3 can be isolated from each other. A known product can be used as the load-locking valve Lv for use in this vacuum evaporation apparatus DM, therefore detailed description is omitted here.

[0016] Located on the front side in the X-axis direction ( Figure 1 In the first receiving chamber Vc2 (located on the left side), a feed roller Wr for the sheet substrate Sw before it is wound into a film is installed, and is driven to rotate by a motor M1 located outside the first receiving chamber Vc2. Located on the rear side in the X-axis direction ( Figure 1 In the second receiving chamber Vc3 (on the right side of the image), a roll-out roller Ur is provided for winding out the film-forming sheet substrate Sw, and is driven to rotate by a motor M2 located outside the second receiving chamber Vc3. In each of the first and second receiving chambers Vc2 and Vc3, a guide roller Gr is appropriately provided. This guide roller Gr guides the substrate Sw fed from the feed roller Wr into the film-forming chamber Vc1, and guides the film-forming substrate Sw from the film-forming chamber Vc1 to the roll-out roller Ur. A roller Cr is provided in the film-forming chamber Vc1, and is driven to rotate by a motor M3 located outside the film-forming chamber Vc1. The roller Cr is a known product on which the sheet substrate Sw is wound and cooled during rotation. A guide roller Gr for guiding the sheet substrate Sw is also appropriately provided in the film-forming chamber Vc1. Furthermore, in order to form a film on the portion of the substrate Sw that is wound on the roller Cr, a vapor deposition source Ds is provided in the film formation chamber Vc1, located directly below the roller Cr.

[0017] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3The vapor deposition source Ds has a ceramic vapor deposition vessel 1 with its long side along the X-axis. Multiple vapor deposition vessels 1 are arranged side-by-side at equal intervals along the Y-axis. Each vapor deposition vessel 1 has a vessel body, which is a plate-shaped component of a specified thickness. A cavity 11 with a flat inner bottom surface is recessed in the center of the upper surface of the vessel body. The portions of the vessel body extending to both sides of the cavity 11 along the X-axis constitute electrode mounting plates 12, 12. Each vapor deposition vessel 1 uses a product made primarily of boron nitride (BN) and titanium boride (TiB2) with added conductivity, sintered with raw materials containing them in a specified weight ratio. A tray 13 is arranged in the space below each vapor deposition vessel 1 arranged along the Y-axis to receive the vapor deposition material Em overflowing from the vapor deposition vessel 1. Each vapor deposition vessel 1 is held by an electrode unit 2 at intervals of two electrode mounting portions 12.

[0018] Electrode unit 2 has a first electrode and a second electrode spaced apart in the X-axis direction, and is mounted on a support platform 21 disposed on the inner bottom surface of the film-forming chamber Vc1. In this embodiment, a movable electrode 22 that can move freely back and forth in the X-axis direction serves as the first electrode holding the electrode mounting portion 12 on the rear side of the vapor deposition boat 1 in the X-axis direction, and a fixed electrode 23 fixed to the film-forming chamber Vc1 serves as the second electrode holding the other electrode mounting portion 12. Furthermore, each vapor deposition boat 1 is held between the fixed electrode 23 and the movable electrode 22 by applying a pressing force toward the fixed electrode 23 in the X-axis direction. The fixed electrode 23 is integrally formed and is composed of a prism-shaped member with its long side in the Y-axis direction made of a conductive material such as copper. The grounded fixed electrode 23 is supported at a predetermined height from the inner bottom surface of the film-forming chamber Vc1 by a support column 21a erected on the support platform 21. A boat support portion 23a protruding rearward in the X-axis direction is formed on the inner side of the fixed electrode 23. When the vapor deposition boat 1 is set from above, the vapor deposition boat 1 is supported by the lower surface of the electrode mounting portion 12.

[0019] Multiple movable electrodes 22 are arranged side-by-side in the Y-axis direction, each independently holding one side of the electrode mounting portion 12 of each vapor deposition boat 1. Each movable electrode 22, like the fixed electrode 23, is made of a conductive material such as copper, and has a boat support portion 22a protruding forward in the X-axis direction formed on its inner surface. Each movable electrode 22 is provided with a retraction mechanism (not shown) for moving it forward and backward in the X-axis direction. A known mechanism can be used as such a retraction mechanism, so further explanation is omitted. Each movable electrode 22 also has a terminal portion 22b extending in the vertical direction, to which an electrode cable Pk from a known DC power supply (not shown) is connected. The movable electrodes 22 serve as the input side for energizing current, and by energizing the vapor deposition boat 1 with the grounded fixed electrode 23, each vapor deposition boat 1 can be heated individually by Joule heating. Furthermore, in order to continuously supply linear vapor deposition material Em to the cavities 11 of these heated vapor deposition boats 1 respectively, multiple material supply mechanisms MF are provided in the film formation chamber Vc1 corresponding to the number of vapor deposition boats 1.

[0020] Each material supply mechanism MF has the same form, including a core 3 pre-wound with a linear vapor deposition material Em, a delivery mechanism 4 for discharging the vapor deposition material Em wound on the core 3, and guide tubes 5 for guiding the vapor deposition material Em into the cavities 11 of each vapor deposition vessel 1. Hereinafter, the position within the cavity 11 where the front end Em1 of the vapor deposition material Em abuts when it is supplied to the cavity 11 will be referred to as the landing position Lp. The vapor deposition material Em is a material made of aluminum or other metals with a purity corresponding to the quality of the thin film to be formed on one side of the substrate Sw, shaped into an outer diameter of Φ1mm to Φ5mm. The core 3 pre-wound with this linear vapor deposition material Em consists of a shaft 31 and flanges 32, 32 spaced apart in the Y-axis direction and respectively fitted onto the shaft 31. The linear vapor deposition material Em is wound on the portion of the shaft 31 located between the two flanges 32, 32. At this point, the amount of vapor deposition material Em is preferably sufficient to form a film across the entire length of the sheet substrate Sw pre-wound on the feed roller Wr, and a large amount (e.g., 10 kg) of vapor deposition material Em is pre-wound multiple times on the shaft 31. Hereinafter, the material pre-wound multiple times on the core 3 is referred to as "multi-wound body Ew".

[0021] Here, if a film is to be formed on the sheet substrate Sw with a high film formation rate and good film thickness uniformity, it is advantageous to minimize the gap between adjacent vapor deposition vessels 1 in the Y-axis direction. In this case, the material supply unit MF is only the number of each vapor deposition vessel 1. On the other hand, in order to form a film on the sheet substrate Sw for a long time, it is required that a large amount of vapor deposition material Em (e.g., 10 kg) be pre-wound on each core 3, and when supplying vapor deposition material Em to each vapor deposition vessel 1, it is required that the vapor deposition material Em delivered simultaneously from each core 3 does not interfere with each other. In this embodiment, the columns of cores 3 arranged at intervals in the Y-axis direction (i.e., when the rotation axes 3a and 3b of the shaft 31 are arranged on the same line in the Y-axis direction) are designated as core columns, and the cores 3 are arranged side by side as two columns: a first core column 31 and a second core column 32, which is longer than the first core column 31 in the X-axis direction rear end distance to the vapor deposition vessel 1. The cores 3 of the first core column 31 and the cores 3 of the second core column 32 are alternately arranged in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the cores 3 of the second core column 32 are positioned above the cores 31 (i.e., the rotation axis 3b is positioned above the rotation axis 3a of the shaft 31). It is preferable that the cores 3 (outer ends of the flanges 32) of the second core column 32 are moved rearward in the X-axis direction from the cores 3 (outer ends of the flanges 32) of the first core column 31, but this is not a limitation if the weight of the vapor-deposited material Em that can be pre-wound onto the shaft 31 is small. Moreover, another support platform 33 is disposed on the inner bottom surface of the film-forming chamber Vc1 to detachably support the cores 3 of the first core column 31 and the second core column 32, and a plurality of supports 34 for each core 3 are erected on the upper surface of the support platform 33.

[0022] The support 34 is a tongue-shaped piece with its long side facing upwards, and a receiving recess 34a is formed on its upper end face, which is recessed downwards to receive a portion of the shaft 31. On the other hand, a pair of supporting flanges 31a, 31a are fitted over the portion of the shaft 31 that protrudes outwards from the flange 32 in the Y-axis direction at one end of the shaft 31, with a gap in the Y-axis direction. Moreover, by inserting a portion of the shaft 31 into the receiving recess 34a from above, the support 34 is clamped between the two supporting flanges 31a, 31a, allowing the core 3 to be cantilevered and rotated freely around the axis of the shaft 31. At this time, considering the operability of the core 3 when loading and unloading (inserting and removing) into the support 34 in the vertical direction, such as Figure 4 As shown, one of the support arm portions 34c on each side of the support arm portion formed on both sides of the recess 34a in the X-axis direction extends upward more than the other support arm portion 34b.

[0023] In this embodiment, by employing a so-called staggered arrangement of the cores 3 of the first core column 31 and the cores 3 of the second core column 32 alternately arranged in the Y-axis direction, compared to the case where multiple cores 3 are arranged side by side in a single column, the portion of the shaft 31 on which the vapor-deposited material Sw can be pre-wound can be extended, thereby increasing the amount of vapor-deposited material Sw that can be pre-wound. Furthermore, since the cores 3 of the second core column 32, which are farther from the vapor deposition vessel 1, are located higher, undesirable situations such as the vapor-deposited material Sw extending from the cores 3 of the second core column 32 interfering with the multiple wound bodies Ew of the first core column 31 located in front of it are avoided. Furthermore, it is preferable to pre-position each core 3 of the second core column 32 further away from each core 3 of the first core column 31 in the X-axis direction, but this is not a limitation if the weight of the vapor deposition material Sw wound on the core 3 is small. As a result, the material can be smoothly supplied to the cavities 11 of each vapor deposition vessel 1 arranged side by side with small gaps through the material supply unit MF.

[0024] The feeding mechanism 4 has a pair of feeding rollers 41 and 42, which are arranged between the vapor deposition boat 1 and each row of cores 3 and are located above the vapor deposition boat 1 and each row of cores 3, on the opposite side of the vapor deposition source Ds of the anti-adhesion plate Sp arranged in the film formation chamber Vc1. By rotating the feeding roller 41 on one side using the motor M3, the vapor deposition material Em held between the feeding rollers 41 and 42 can be fed out from each core 3 at a specified speed and sent to the guide tube 5 (at this time, in Figure 1 In the shown state, the core 3 rotates counterclockwise, and the vapor deposition material Em is unwound from each core 3 and directly pulled towards the delivery rollers 41 and 42. The guide tube 5 is positioned higher than each vapor deposition vessel 1 and located between the landing position Lp and the delivery mechanism 4. In this embodiment, the rear end of the guide tube 5 is installed on the inner surface of the anti-adhesion plate Sp located on the vapor deposition source Ds side, and the vapor deposition material Em delivered from the delivery rollers 41 and 42 is supplied through the through hole (not shown) of the anti-adhesion plate Sp. The guide tube 5 is, for example, made of stainless steel and is arranged in a curved shape that bulges upwards.

[0025] When the guide tube 5 delivers the vapor-deposited material Em, the position where the vapor-deposited material Em is unwound from the shaft 31 of the core 3 is designated as the unwinding position Up, and it is bent with the same radius of curvature as the arc Ac passing through the landing position Lp and the winding position Up. In this embodiment, the unwinding position Up is set at the midpoint between the rotation center of the shaft 31 and the outer surface of the flange 32 (see reference). Figure 3However, this is not a limitation; the setting can be appropriately adjusted based on the type of vapor deposition material Em or the amount of vapor deposition material Em that can be pre-wound onto the shaft 31. Furthermore, the front end of the guide tube 5 is positioned further rearward than the X-axis direction of the vapor deposition vessel 1 (away from the landing position Lp). Moreover, as... Figure 3 As shown in the enlarged view, the guide tube 5's outlet 51, located on the landing position Lp side when the guide tube 5 is bent with the aforementioned curvature, is tilted relative to the horizontal direction at an angle αb, and the front end (one end) of the guide tube 5 is cut off at an angle α1 smaller than this reference angle αb.

[0026] In the vacuum atmosphere of the film-forming chamber Vc1, when a predetermined thin film is deposited on one side of a sheet substrate Sw, a DC power supply (not shown) located outside the film-forming chamber Vc1 is used to energize the movable electrode 22 and the fixed electrode 23 via the two electrode mounting parts 12, 12. As a result, each vapor deposition vessel 1 arranged in the Y-axis direction is heated by Joule heating. The applied power is set according to the film-forming rate. When the vapor deposition vessel 1 reaches the predetermined temperature, a linear vapor deposition material Em is delivered by each delivery mechanism 4. Simultaneously, the sheet substrate Sw before film formation is delivered from the delivery roller Wr, and the sheet substrate Sw is wound up by the take-up roller Ur. As a result, the vapor deposition material Em dissolves in the cavity 11 of each vapor deposition vessel 1, and by simultaneously evaporating the dissolved vapor deposition material Em, a predetermined thin film is formed (deposited) on a portion of the sheet substrate Sw wound on the roller Cr. The supply speed of the linear vapor deposition material Em is set according to the film-forming rate.

[0027] When the vapor-deposited material Em pre-wound onto each core 3 is used up, the atmosphere in the film-forming chamber Vc1 is released, and each core 3 is replaced. First, the empty core 3 is removed from each support 34. At this time, the shaft 31 of the core 3 is lifted along one support arm 34c, and when the shaft 31 passes the upper end of another support arm 34b, the core 3 is moved forward. Thus, the core 3 is detached from the support 34. Next, when the multi-wound body Ew is installed on each support 34, a portion of the shaft 31 is held between two support flanges 31a, 31a by one support arm 34b, so that it abuts at a position higher than the upper end of the other support arm 34b, and then slides downward in this state. Thus, by inserting a portion of the shaft 31 into the receiving recess 34a from above, the core 3 is in a normal position, and the core 3 is cantilevered and rotated freely while the support 34 is clamped between the two support flanges 31a, 31a.

[0028] In this embodiment, the multiple winding bodies Ew can be easily installed and the empty winding cores 3 removed from the support body 34 simply by inserting and removing them from the support body 34 in the vertical direction. This is particularly advantageous when multiple winding cores need to be replaced simultaneously due to the large number of vapor deposition vessels 1 arranged in the arrangement. Moreover, when the vapor deposition material Em wound on each winding core 3 is fed out by the delivery mechanism 4, no adverse conditions such as obstruction of its operation occur. Furthermore, by adopting a structure that changes the length of the support arms 34b and 34c, the installation and removal of the multiple winding bodies Ew, which serve as weights, becomes easier, improving its replacement operability. In addition, although not specifically illustrated, the support platform 33 on which each support body 34 is provided can be configured to move freely in and out of the vacuum chamber, allowing the winding cores 3 to be replaced in a state where they can be taken out from the relatively narrow film deposition chamber Vc1.

[0029] By employing the above implementation method, it is unnecessary to forcibly correct the winding creases remaining in the vapor deposition material Em fed from each core 3. Instead, the vapor deposition material Em, bent into an arc shape with winding creases in one direction, passes through the guide tube 5, and the front end Em1 leading out from the outlet 51 of the guide tube 5 is directly supplied to the cavity 11 (i.e., the front end Em1 of the vapor deposition material Em falls directly to the landing point Lp of the cavity 11 while in a bent state). Thus, from the start of feeding the vapor deposition material Em until the vapor deposition material wound on the core 3 is used up, the vapor deposition material Em can be stably supplied to the landing position Lp, thereby forming a film at a stable vapor deposition rate. Moreover, by cutting off one end of the guide tube 5 at an angle α1 smaller than the reference angle αb by tilting the outlet 51 of the guide tube 5, the occurrence of the undesirable situation of the vapor deposition material Em clogging in the guide tube 5 during the film formation process on the sheet substrate Sw using vacuum vapor deposition can be suppressed as much as possible. To reliably suppress clogging of the vapor-deposited material Em, the angle α1 is preferably below 45° and as small as possible.

[0030] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but various modifications can be made as long as they do not depart from the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. In the above embodiments, aluminum with a low elastic modulus was used as an example as the vapor deposition material Em, but it is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be widely applied to vapor deposition materials Em such as copper. Furthermore, in the above embodiments, a mechanism having a pair of upper and lower delivery rollers 41 and 42 was described as the delivery mechanism 4, but any mechanism that can deliver the vapor deposition material Em from the core 3 to the guide tube 5 at a certain speed is acceptable, and its form is not limited. Furthermore, an example was described where the guide tube 5 is mounted on the inner surface of the anti-adhesion plate Sp and bent with the same radius of curvature as the arc Ac, but it is not limited to this as long as the front end of the vapor deposition material Em can be stably supplied to the landing position Lp. Moreover, in the above embodiments, a sheet-like substrate Sw was described as the vapor deposition object, but the present invention can also be applied to the vapor deposition of glass substrates or silicon wafers of a specified area. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the method of setting 2 rows of cores 3 was described as an example, but it is not limited to this, and more than 3 rows can also be set.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures MF. Material supply device; DM. Vacuum evaporation device; Vc1~Vc3. Vacuum chamber; Sw. Sheet substrate (substrate to be evaporated); Em. Wire-shaped evaporation material; Em1. Front end of evaporation material; 1. Evaporation boat; 11. Cavity; 3. Core; 4. Delivery mechanism; 5. Guide tube; 51. Outlet; Lp. Landing position; Up. Unwinding position; Ac. Arc; αb. Reference angle; α1. Inclination angle of the outlet relative to the horizontal line.

Claims

1. A material supply device comprising a core wound with a linear vapor deposition material and a delivery mechanism for conveying the vapor deposition material wound on the core, and supplying vapor deposition material from above to the cavity of a heated vapor deposition vessel within a vacuum chamber, the material supply device being characterized in that: The landing position is taken as the position where the front end of the vapor deposition material abuts against the cavity when it is supplied. The guide tube, through which a part of the linear vapor deposition material passes, is located above the vapor deposition boat and between the landing position and the delivery mechanism, and is set in a curved arc shape that bulges upward.

2. The material supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unwinding position is defined as the position where the vapor-deposited material is unwound from the core during the feeding operation of the vapor-deposited material. The guide tube is positioned on the arc trajectory with the same curvature as the arc passing through the landing position and the winding position.

3. The material supply device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The guide tube is cut off at one end by tilting its outlet relative to the horizontal direction at an angle smaller than the reference angle when the guide tube is bent with the curvature.

4. A vacuum evaporation deposition apparatus, characterized in that: The vacuum chamber is equipped with a material supply device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, which continuously or intermittently supplies the vapor deposition material to the heated vapor deposition boat, and deposits a specified thin film on the object to be vaporized in the vacuum chamber by melting and evaporating the vapor deposition material in the cavity of the vapor deposition boat.

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