Leaf-type coating equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses enumerated leaf type coating equipment which comprises a transfer chamber located in the center and a plurality of process chambers arranged around the transfer chamber, each process chamber is provided with an inner side coupled with the transfer chamber and an outer side opposite to the inner side, and at least one process chamber serves as a coating chamber. A cathode assembly with a target material is arranged on the radial outer side of the coating chamber, the target material extends in the longitudinal direction, a mounting base is arranged at the bottom of the cathode assembly, a base is arranged below the mounting base, and the mounting base is in sliding fit with the base, so that the cathode assembly can horizontally slide in the radial direction. The working position is hermetically combined with the coating chamber, and the overhauling position is separated from the coating chamber. The cathode assembly is arranged on the radial outer side of the coating chamber, and the cathode assembly can be separated from the coating chamber through radial sliding, so that the cathode assembly is convenient to disassemble for maintenance and target material replacement.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of coating equipment technology, and in particular to a leaf-type coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] A sputtering coating equipment is a device used for thin film deposition on the surface of a substrate. It typically includes a central transfer chamber and multiple process chambers surrounding the transfer chamber. These process chambers can be used as coating chambers or heating chambers, depending on production needs. A local space inside the coating chamber forms the sputtering coating area. The cathode assembly used for sputtering coating is located above the sputtering area. It has advantages such as small installation space, good film quality, and no impact on overall production if some process chambers fail. However, this structure has problems such as difficulty in replacing the target material and inconvenience in maintenance. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the problems of the prior art, this application provides a leaf-type coating equipment to facilitate target replacement and maintenance.

[0004] The leaf-type coating equipment provided in this application includes a central transfer chamber and a plurality of process chambers arranged around the transfer chamber. Each process chamber has an inner side coupled to the transfer chamber and an outer side opposite to it. At least one of the process chambers serves as a coating chamber. A cathode assembly with a target material is arranged on the outer side of the coating chamber. The target material is arranged to extend longitudinally. A mounting base is provided at the bottom of the cathode assembly. A base is provided below the mounting base. The mounting base and the base are slidably engaged, allowing the cathode assembly to slide horizontally in the radial direction. The device has a working position that is sealed and connected to the coating chamber and a maintenance position that is disconnected from the coating chamber.

[0005] Several alternative methods are provided below, but they are not intended as additional limitations on the overall solution above. They are merely further additions or optimizations. Provided there are no technical or logical contradictions, each alternative method can be combined individually with respect to the overall solution above, or multiple alternative methods can be combined with each other.

[0006] Optionally, the bottom of the mounting base is provided with rollers, and the base is provided with a slide rail that extends radially and cooperates with the rollers.

[0007] Optionally, the bottom of the mounting base is provided with a motor for driving the rollers.

[0008] Optionally, the inner side of the coating chamber is provided with an inlet and outlet for the substrate to be coated to enter and exit the coating chamber, and the outer side is provided with an open opening adapted to the cathode assembly. The cathode assembly includes a cover-shaped housing. In the working position, the housing is sealed with the side wall of the coating chamber to close the open opening.

[0009] Optionally, a connecting flange is provided between the housing and the side wall of the coating chamber.

[0010] Optionally, the extension line of the moving trajectory of the cathode assembly passes through the center point of the transfer chamber.

[0011] Optionally, the target material is cylindrical and there are multiple targets arranged side by side, and the plane in which they are located is perpendicular to the longitudinal plane passing through the center point.

[0012] Optionally, the coating chamber is provided with a flipping mechanism that flips the substrate to be coated from a horizontal state to an upright state.

[0013] Optionally, the flipping mechanism has a bearing surface for receiving the coated substrate, the bearing surface being able to flip around a horizontal axis, the horizontal axis being parallel to the bearing surface and located in different planes.

[0014] Optionally, the transfer chamber is provided with a support member that supports the substrate to be plated and can rotate about a vertical axis.

[0015] Optionally, the leaf-type coating equipment includes a transfer assembly rotatable about the support member, the transfer assembly being used to transfer the substrate to be coated from the transfer chamber to the corresponding process chamber.

[0016] Compared to existing technologies, the leaf-type coating equipment provided in this application places the cathode assembly outside the coating chamber, and the cathode assembly can be radially slid out of the coating chamber, which facilitates the disassembly of the cathode assembly for maintenance and target replacement. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a leaf-type coating device in one embodiment;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cathode assembly, mounting base, and base in one embodiment;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a partial schematic diagram of the cathode assembly in one embodiment;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the flipping mechanism in one embodiment;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the coating chamber and the flipping mechanism in one embodiment;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure inside the opening in one embodiment;

[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the fit between the support member, pin array, and substrate in one embodiment.

[0024] The annotations in the figure are explained as follows:

[0025] 100. Transfer room;

[0026] 200. Coating chamber; 210. Inlet / outlet; 220. Opening; 230. Protective cover; 240. Protrusion; 250. Support component; 260. Transfer assembly; 261. Robotic arm; 270. Pin array; 271. Support pin;

[0027] 300. Cathode assembly; 310. Housing; 311. Mounting slot; 320. Target material;

[0028] 400. Mounting base; 410. Roller; 420. Motor;

[0029] 500. Base; 510. Slide rail;

[0030] 600. Tilting mechanism; 610. Support frame; 611. Bearing surface; 620. Rotating shaft; 621. Horizontal axis; 630. Drive motor;

[0031] 700. Loading and unloading room;

[0032] 800. Substrate to be coated. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0034] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or it can be connected to a component in between. When a component is said to be "set on" another component, it can be directly set on the other component or it may be set to a component in between.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0036] See Figure 1 , 2An embodiment of this application provides a leaf-type coating apparatus, including a transfer chamber 100 and multiple process chambers. The transfer chamber 100 is located in the center of the apparatus, and each process chamber is arranged around the transfer chamber 100. Each process chamber has an inner side coupled to the transfer chamber 100 and an outer side facing away from it. At least one process chamber serves as a coating chamber 200. Regarding the coating chamber 200, a cathode assembly 300 is arranged on the outer side of the coating chamber 200. The cathode assembly 300 has a target material 320 arranged longitudinally. A mounting base 400 is arranged at the bottom of the cathode assembly 300, and a base 500 is arranged below the mounting base 400. The mounting base 400 and the base 500 are slidably engaged, allowing the cathode assembly 300 to slide horizontally in the radial direction. This provides a working position sealed to the coating chamber 200 and a maintenance position detached from the coating chamber 200, facilitating internal maintenance and replacement of the target material 320.

[0037] Among them, the longitudinal arrangement of the target material refers to the target material being arranged in a vertical direction, or being arranged at an angle relative to the vertical direction towards the substrate to be coated, with an angle of, for example, 3 to 5 degrees. This arrangement method is beneficial to improving the stability of the substrate to be coated during sputtering coating.

[0038] In one embodiment, the mounting base 400 and the base 500 are slidably coupled as follows: the bottom of the mounting base 400 is provided with a plurality of rollers 410, and the base 500 is provided with a radially extending slide rail 510 that engages with the rollers 410. To drive the cathode assembly 300 to slide radially, the bottom of the mounting base 400 is provided with a motor 420 for driving the rollers 410.

[0039] See Figure 2 , 5 In the embodiment shown, the inner side of the coating chamber 200 has an inlet and outlet 210 for the substrate 800 to be coated to enter and exit the coating chamber 200, and the outer side has an opening 220. The opening 220 is adapted to the cathode assembly 300. The cathode assembly 300 includes a cover-shaped housing 310. In the working position, the housing 310 is sealed to the side wall of the coating chamber 200 to close the opening 220.

[0040] See Figure 3 , 6 The housing 310 and the side wall of the coating chamber 200 can be directly connected through a sealing structure. The sealing structure includes an installation groove 311 provided on the side wall of the housing 310 and a protrusion 240 on the side wall of the coating chamber 200. A sealing ring is fixed in the installation groove 311, and the protrusion 240 engages with the installation groove 311 to achieve a seal.

[0041] Alternatively, a connecting flange for sealing connection can be provided between the housing 310 and the side wall of the coating chamber 200. The connecting flange can also be used to adjust the distance between the substrate 800 to be coated in the coating chamber 200 and the target 320 to meet different coating production requirements.

[0042] See Figure 1 The transit chamber 100 has a polygonal outline, such as a hexagon. Each process chamber is coupled to one of the sides of the transit chamber 100. The coating chamber 200 and the cathode assembly 300 are arranged sequentially along the extended center line of the transit chamber 100. Correspondingly, the target material 320 is arranged within the housing 310. Specifically, multiple targets 320 are cylindrical and arranged side-by-side, with their plane perpendicular to the longitudinal plane passing through the center point, such that the extended trajectory of the cathode assembly 300's center passes through the center point of the transit chamber 100. See also... Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, a support member 250 is provided within the transfer chamber 100 to support a substrate 800 to be coated. The support member 250 is rotatable about a vertical axis to align the orientation of the substrate 800 with the corresponding process chamber. Furthermore, the support member 250 is provided with a pin array consisting of multiple support pins 271 for supporting the substrate 800. The pin array 270, together with the substrate 800, is movable horizontally relative to the support member 250.

[0043] The leaf-type coating apparatus also includes a transfer assembly 260 rotatable around the support 250, used to transfer the substrate 800 to be coated from the transfer chamber 100 to the corresponding process chamber. Specifically, at least a portion of the transfer assembly 260 can extend into the interior of the transfer chamber 100 and each process chamber to transfer the substrate 800 to be coated horizontally to the corresponding process chamber. The transfer assembly 260 is, for example, a robotic arm with a robotic arm 261. At least a portion of the robotic arm 261 can extend into the interior of the transfer chamber 100 and each process chamber and act on the pin array 270, thereby driving the pin array 270 and the substrate 800 to be coated together to move horizontally.

[0044] In one embodiment, the coating chamber 200 is provided with a flipping mechanism 600 for flipping the substrate 800 to be coated from a horizontal state to an upright state; see also Figure 4 The flipping mechanism 600 has a bearing surface 611 for receiving the coated substrate 800. The bearing surface 611 can be flipped around a horizontal axis 621. The horizontal axis 621 is parallel to the bearing surface 611 and lies in different planes.

[0045] See Figure 5The flipping mechanism 600 specifically includes a support frame 610, a rotating shaft 620, and a drive motor 630. The coating chamber 200 has a sputtering coating area corresponding to the target material 320. The rotating shaft 620 is fixed below the sputtering coating area and arranged horizontally. The support frame 610 has a square structure with a central bearing surface 611. It has a first end that connects to the inlet / outlet 210 of the coating chamber 200 and a second end opposite to the first end. Both sides of the second end are fixed to the rotating shaft 620 via connecting arms. The drive motor 630 is connected to the rotating shaft 620, allowing the shaft to rotate. This enables the support frame 610 to have a horizontal state for loading or unloading the substrate 800 to be coated, and an upright state where the coating surface of the substrate 800 faces the target material 320 during sputtering coating. Furthermore, an anti-sputtering cover 230 is provided inside the opening 220 of the coating chamber 200. The anti-sputtering cover 230 can shield the edge of the support frame 610 to prevent sputtering.

[0046] See Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the leaf-type coating equipment includes loading and unloading chambers 700 coupled to one side of the transfer chamber 100 for transporting substrates in and out of the transfer chamber 100. Multiple loading and unloading chambers can be provided, which is beneficial to improving coating production efficiency.

[0047] In the leaf-type coating equipment provided in this application, the cathode assembly 300 is arranged on the radial outer side of the coating chamber 200, and the cathode assembly 300 can be radially slid out of the coating chamber 200, which facilitates the disassembly of the cathode assembly 300 for maintenance and replacement of the target material 320.

[0048] The technical features of the embodiments described above can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as the combination of these technical features does not contradict each other, it should be considered to be within the scope of this specification. When technical features of different embodiments are embodied in the same drawing, it can be regarded as the drawing also disclosing examples of combinations of the various embodiments involved.

[0049] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A leaf-type coating apparatus, comprising a central transfer chamber and a plurality of process chambers arranged around the transfer chamber, each process chamber having an inner side coupled to the transfer chamber and an outer side facing away from it, characterized in that, At least one of the process chambers serves as a coating chamber. A cathode assembly with a target material is arranged on the outside of the coating chamber. The target material is arranged to extend longitudinally. A mounting base is provided at the bottom of the cathode assembly. A base is provided below the mounting base. The mounting base and the base are slidably engaged, allowing the cathode assembly to slide horizontally in the radial direction. It has a working position that is sealed and connected to the coating chamber and a maintenance position that is removed from the coating chamber.

2. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the mounting base is provided with rollers, and the base is provided with a slide rail that extends radially and cooperates with the rollers.

3. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the mounting base is equipped with a motor that drives the rollers.

4. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner side of the coating chamber is provided with an inlet and outlet for the substrate to be coated to enter and exit the coating chamber, and the outer side is provided with an opening adapted to the cathode assembly. The cathode assembly includes a cover-shaped housing. In the working position, the housing is sealed with the side wall of the coating chamber to close the opening.

5. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, A connecting flange is provided between the housing and the side wall of the coating chamber.

6. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The extended line of the moving trajectory of the cathode assembly passes through the center point of the transfer chamber.

7. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The target material is cylindrical and there are multiple targets arranged side by side, and the plane in which they are located is perpendicular to the longitudinal plane passing through the center point.

8. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating chamber is equipped with a flipping mechanism that flips the substrate to be coated from a horizontal state to an upright state.

9. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The flipping mechanism has a bearing surface for receiving the coated substrate. The bearing surface can be flipped around a horizontal axis, which is parallel to the bearing surface and lies in a different plane.

10. The leaf-type coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transfer chamber is equipped with a support component that supports the substrate to be coated and can rotate around a vertical axis. The leaf-type coating equipment includes a transfer assembly that can rotate around the support member, the transfer assembly being used to transfer the substrate to be coated from the transfer chamber to the corresponding process chamber.

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