PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning scraps in vacuum

Abstract

The utility model relates to a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning chippings under vacuum, which comprises a vacuum chamber, a target material bearing platform is arranged in the vacuum chamber, a switch door and a vacuum breaking valve are arranged on the side wall of the vacuum chamber, a cleaning mechanism and a visual inspection mechanism are further arranged in the vacuum chamber, and the cleaning mechanism comprises a three-dimensional transmission arm. The chip collecting box is arranged in the vacuum cavity, a driving mechanism is arranged at the outer end of the three-dimensional transmission arm, a cleaning head is arranged at the tail end of the three-dimensional transmission arm, and the three-dimensional transmission arm reciprocates between the target material bearing platform and the chip collecting box so as to place collected chips into the chip collecting box; the visual detection mechanism comprises a microscope, the microscope is arranged on one side of the target material bearing platform, the visual detection mechanism further comprises a movable baffle arranged at the front end of the microscope, and the movable baffle can be arranged in an image acquisition path of the microscope in a blocking mode; chippings generated in the cavity of the equipment are cleaned in a vacuum state, and the situation that the quality of a thin film is reduced due to generation of the chippings is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of PVD equipment, in particular to a PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum. Background Art

[0002] As an important material preparation method, thin film deposition technology is widely used in many fields, including electronic device manufacturing, optical coatings, new energy, and functional thin films. The development of thin film deposition technology has not only promoted the advancement of materials science and engineering technology, but also provided strong support for the sustainable development of human society. Common thin film deposition methods include physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), solution deposition, and atomic layer deposition (ALD).

[0003] PVD technology is one of the primary techniques for preparing thin-film materials. It involves using physical methods under vacuum conditions to vaporize the surface of a substance into gaseous atoms, molecules, or partially ionize them into ions. Through a low-pressure gas (or plasma) process, thin films with specialized functionalities are deposited onto the substrate. Compared to other deposition methods, PVD technology operates in a high vacuum, reducing impurities and contamination while ensuring film purity. It also boasts strong adaptability, being able to process a wide range of materials, including metals, alloys, oxides, nitrides, and carbides.

[0004] However, as the thickness of thin film deposition increases, especially for certain low-adhesion materials, a large amount of debris will be formed inside the vacuum chamber. These debris will have a great impact on the preparation of high-purity thin films, and may even cause the equipment to malfunction, such as a short circuit between the target material and the ground wire of the magnetron sputtering equipment, or a short circuit in the filament of the electron beam evaporation equipment. In the face of this situation, the commonly used method is to break the vacuum of the equipment and perform cavity cleaning. Although this solution is simple and effective in solving the problem, the equipment needs to be restored to a high vacuum environment after cleaning. This process takes more than a day to restore, especially for ultra-high vacuum equipment with higher vacuum requirements. The recovery time will be greatly extended. Therefore, if the debris inside the equipment can be cleaned under vacuum, the number of shutdowns will be greatly reduced, the utilization efficiency of the equipment will be improved, and the quality of the film will be guaranteed. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model aims to provide a PVD equipment cleaning device which can clean debris under vacuum, so as to timely clean the debris inside the vacuum chamber, reduce the number of shutdowns, improve the utilization efficiency of the equipment and ensure the quality of the film.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum involved in the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A PVD equipment cleaning device that can clean debris under vacuum includes a vacuum chamber, a target material carrying platform is provided in the vacuum chamber, a switch door and a vacuum breaking valve are provided on the side wall of the vacuum chamber, and a cleaning mechanism and a visual inspection mechanism are also provided inside the vacuum chamber. The cleaning mechanism includes a three-dimensional transmission arm arranged on the vacuum chamber, and also includes a chip collection box arranged in the vacuum chamber. The outer end of the three-dimensional transmission arm has a driving mechanism, and the tail end of the three-dimensional transmission arm is provided with a cleaning head. The three-dimensional transmission arm moves back and forth between the target material carrying platform and the chip collection box to place the collected debris into the chip collection box; the visual inspection mechanism includes a microscope, which is arranged on one side of the target material carrying platform. The visual inspection mechanism also includes a movable baffle arranged at the front end of the microscope. The movable baffle moves back and forth to block the image acquisition path of the microscope to prevent debris from hitting the microscope, and can also be detached from the image acquisition path of the microscope for detecting the distribution of debris on the target material carrying platform.

[0008] Furthermore, the cleaning head includes a sweeping brush and a base fixedly connected to one end of the three-dimensional transmission arm.

[0009] Furthermore, the cleaning head is a clamping structure, including a clamping claw and a clamping motor transmission-connected to the clamping claw.

[0010] Furthermore, the cleaning head is an electromagnetic adsorption structure, including an electromagnetic coil and a suction head connected to the end of the electromagnetic coil, and the electromagnetic coil is equipped with a controller.

[0011] Furthermore, the cleaning mechanism and the visual detection mechanism are both arranged on the rear side of the vacuum chamber, and the debris box is arranged on the left side of the vacuum chamber.

[0012] Furthermore, an LED light is provided on the side wall of the vacuum chamber.

[0013] Furthermore, the movable baffle is a rotary movable baffle, and the flip axis extends horizontally.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: Compared to existing technologies, the PVD equipment cleaning device capable of vacuum cleaning debris, by introducing a debris cleaning mechanism, a visual inspection mechanism, and a debris collection box into the PVD equipment, can clean debris generated within the equipment cavity under a vacuum state, thereby preventing the degradation of film quality caused by the generation of debris. Furthermore, vacuum cleaning of the equipment cavity can significantly reduce the number of times the vacuum chamber needs to be broken for cleaning, significantly improving the time utilization of the equipment and increasing industrial productivity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments:

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a specific embodiment of a PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the specific structure of the cleaning head.

[0018] Explanation of the accompanying reference numerals: 1 - vacuum chamber 1; 2 - switch door 2; 3 - vacuum breaking valve 3; 4 - vacuum system 4; 5 - observation window 5; 6 - LED light 6; 7 - chip collection box 7; 8 - three-dimensional transmission arm 8; 9 - cleaning head 9; 10 - microscope 10; 11 - movable baffle 11; 12 - base 12; 13 - sweeping brush 13; 14 - clamping claw 14; 15 - clamping motor 15; 16 - electromagnetic coil 16. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In order to make the technical objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention are further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. That is, the embodiments described herein are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations.

[0020] The specific embodiment of the PVD equipment cleaning device that can clean debris under vacuum involved in the present utility model is as follows: Figure 1 、 Figure 2 As shown, the PVD equipment cleaning device includes a vacuum chamber 1, which is equipped with a target material support platform. The side walls of the vacuum chamber 1 are equipped with a switch door 2 and a vacuum breaker valve 3. A vacuum system 4 is also provided on one side of the vacuum chamber 1. The vacuum system 4 is used to evacuate the equipment. The vacuum chamber 1 is also equipped with a vacuum gauge for real-time monitoring of the equipment vacuum value. The vacuum breaker valve 3 opens after the film deposition is completed to break the vacuum in the chamber. An observation window 5 is provided on the rear side of the vacuum chamber 1 for observing the debris inside the vacuum chamber 1. The switch door 2 opens the chamber at atmospheric pressure to recover the debris inside the chamber and replenish materials. An LED light 6 is also provided on the side wall of the vacuum chamber 1 to provide illumination for the vacuum chamber 1.

[0021] The interior of the vacuum chamber 1 is also provided with a cleaning mechanism, a visual inspection mechanism and a chip collection box 7. The cleaning mechanism can clean the debris inside the chamber under vacuum. The visual inspection mechanism is used to observe the distribution of debris inside the vacuum chamber 1 to locate the debris and can cooperate with the cleaning mechanism to clean the debris. The chip collection box 7 is used to collect the cleaned debris.

[0022] Among them, the cleaning mechanism includes a three-dimensional transmission arm 8 arranged in the vacuum chamber 1. The outer end of the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 has a driving mechanism, which is a driving motor. The tail end of the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 is provided with a cleaning head 9. The three-dimensional transmission arm 8 can realize three-dimensional movement in the vacuum chamber 1, and the cleaning head 9 realizes the processing of debris. In this embodiment, the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 adopts a manipulator structure. Of course, in other embodiments, it can also be designed as a gantry structure or a three-axis translation structure, etc., without specific limitation. The three-dimensional transmission arm 8 moves back and forth between the target material carrying platform and the chip box 7 to place the collected debris into the chip box 7.

[0023] Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the cleaning head 9 can adopt the following structures, and any one of them can be selected to connect to the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 according to actual collection needs. One type of cleaning head 9 includes a base 12 fixedly connected to one end of the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 and a sweeping brush 13 connected to the base 12, and the sweeping brush 13 can clean debris at the target location.

[0024] Another cleaning head 9 is a clamping structure, comprising a base 12 fixedly connected to one end of the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 and a clamping claw 14 movably assembled on the base 12, and the clamping claw 14 is equipped with a clamping motor 15. The motor is controlled to clamp the debris.

[0025] There is also a cleaning head 9 with an electromagnetic adsorption structure, which includes a base 12 fixedly connected to one end of the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 and an electromagnetic coil 16 arranged on the base 12. The end of the electromagnetic coil 16 has a suction head, and the electromagnetic coil 16 is equipped with an on-off controller. When the electromagnetic coil 16 is working, it can absorb magnetic metal debris, thereby realizing the collection of debris.

[0026] The visual inspection mechanism includes a microscope 10, which is arranged on one side of the target material carrying platform. The visual inspection mechanism also includes a movable baffle 11 arranged at the front end of the microscope 10. The movable baffle 11 can be reciprocated and blocked in the image acquisition path of the microscope 10 to prevent debris from hitting the microscope 10, and can also be detached from the image acquisition path of the microscope 10 to detect the distribution of debris on the target material carrying platform. Specifically, the movable baffle 11 blocks the front end of the microscope 10 during coating to prevent the lens of the microscope 10 from being covered by the film. When in use, the movable baffle 11 can be opened. Specifically, the movable baffle 11 is a rotating movable baffle 11, and the flip axis extends in the vertical direction of the water. The movable baffle 11 is an L-shaped plate as a whole, with its horizontal edge blocking the front end of the microscope 10 and the longitudinal edge set on one side of the microscope 10. The tail of the longitudinal edge is rotatably assembled with the side wall of the vacuum chamber 1, and its rotation and opening and closing are controlled by a motor.

[0027] In order to ensure the precise coordination of the various actuators, the cleaning mechanism and the visual inspection mechanism are both arranged at the rear side of the vacuum chamber 1 , and the dust collection box 7 is arranged at the left side of the vacuum chamber 1 .

[0028] In actual use, after the PVD equipment has been used for a period of time, first turn on the LED light 6 to provide lighting for the vacuum chamber 1, then check the distribution of debris inside the vacuum chamber 1 through the observation window 5, roughly determine the area to be cleaned, locate the debris through the observation window 5, operate the cleaning mechanism, and move the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 to the vicinity of the debris to be cleaned. Use the cleaning head 9 to sweep, clamp or absorb obvious large debris with the cleaning head 9 of the electromagnetic coil 16; move the cleaning head 9 to the chip box 7 by adjusting the three-dimensional transmission arm 8, and put the debris in the chip box 7, open the movable baffle 11, and adjust Use microscope 10 to observe the debris inside the vacuum chamber 1, especially the parts where debris is easily accumulated; after locating the debris through microscope 10, adjust the three-dimensional transmission arm 8 to move the cleaning head 9 again until the debris is reached, and then operate the cleaning head 9 to move the debris into the debris collection box 7; after the debris is collected, turn off the vacuum system 4, open the vacuum breaking valve 3, wait for the value of the vacuum gauge in the vacuum chamber 1 to reach atmospheric pressure, open the switch door 2, take out the debris collection box 7, pour out the debris and put it back into the vacuum chamber, close the switch door 2, turn on the vacuum system 4, wait for the vacuum count value to reach the working range, and continue the PVD equipment coating operation.

[0029] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate and not to limit the technical solutions of the present invention. Any equivalent replacement of the present invention and any modification or partial replacement that does not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum, comprising a vacuum chamber, a target material carrying platform provided in the vacuum chamber, and a switch door and a vacuum breaking valve provided on the side wall of the vacuum chamber, characterized in that: The interior of the vacuum chamber is also provided with a cleaning mechanism and a visual inspection mechanism. The cleaning mechanism includes a three-dimensional transmission arm arranged on the vacuum chamber, and also includes a chip collection box arranged in the vacuum chamber. The outer end of the three-dimensional transmission arm has a driving mechanism, and the tail end of the three-dimensional transmission arm is provided with a cleaning head. The three-dimensional transmission arm reciprocates between the target material carrying platform and the chip collection box to place the collected debris into the chip collection box. The visual detection mechanism includes a microscope, which is arranged on one side of the target material carrying platform. The visual detection mechanism also includes a movable baffle arranged at the front end of the microscope. The movable baffle can move back and forth to block the image acquisition path of the microscope to prevent debris from hitting the microscope, and can also be detached from the image acquisition path of the microscope to detect the distribution of debris on the target material carrying platform.

2. The PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning head comprises a sweeping brush and a base fixedly connected to one end of a three-dimensional transmission arm.

3. The PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning head is a clamping structure, comprising a clamping claw and a clamping motor transmission-connected to the clamping claw.

4. The PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning head is an electromagnetic adsorption structure, comprising an electromagnetic coil and a suction head connected to the end of the electromagnetic coil, and the electromagnetic coil is equipped with a controller.

5. The PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The cleaning mechanism and the visual detection mechanism are both arranged on the rear side of the vacuum chamber, and the debris collection box is arranged on the left side of the vacuum chamber.

6. The PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum according to claim 5, characterized in that: An LED lamp is also provided on the side wall of the vacuum chamber.

7. The PVD equipment cleaning device capable of cleaning debris under vacuum according to claim 1, characterized in that: The movable baffle is a rotary movable baffle, and the turning axis extends vertically.

Images