A coating apparatus

Abstract

This utility model provides a coating equipment, including a dust-blocking device comprising a coating chamber, a coating module, and a dust-blocking assembly. The coating module faces the protective plate of the coating chamber along a first direction. The dust-blocking assembly includes a drive unit, a magnetic fluid seal, a rack, and a dust-blocking component. The drive unit is disposed outside the coating chamber. The magnetic fluid seal is installed on the wall of the coating chamber, with one end extending into the interior of the coating chamber and equipped with a gear, and the other end extending outside the coating chamber and connected to the output end of the drive unit. The dust-blocking assembly can switch between an unshielded state with the protective plate exposed and a shielded state with the protective plate blocked. When the carrier plate carries away the substrate, the dust-blocking assembly switches from the unshielded state to the shielded state, shielding the protective plate and preventing plasma clusters from directly adhering to the protective plate along the first direction, thereby extending the cleaning cycle of the protective plate and reducing maintenance costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of coating technology, and in particular to coating equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In coating equipment, the coating chamber is one of the core chambers. After the carrier plate carrying the substrate enters the coating chamber, it passes through one side of the coating module. The coating module generates plasma clusters, which adhere to the substrate on the carrier plate and form a thin film. After the carrier plate takes the substrate away, the plasma clusters adhere to the inner wall of the coating chamber and form dirt, which needs to be cleaned regularly, resulting in high maintenance costs.

[0003] In view of this, a new technical solution is needed to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a coating equipment that uses a dust-blocking component to shield the protective plate, thereby reducing maintenance costs.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention employs the following technical means:

[0006] This utility model provides a coating equipment, including a coating chamber, a coating module, and a dustproof device, wherein the coating module faces the protective plate of the coating chamber along a first direction, characterized in that the dustproof device includes:

[0007] The driving component is located outside the coating chamber;

[0008] A magnetic fluid seal is installed on the wall of the coating chamber. One end of the magnetic fluid seal extends into the interior of the coating chamber and is equipped with a gear. The other end of the magnetic fluid seal extends out of the exterior of the coating chamber and is connected to the output end of the drive unit.

[0009] A rack and a dust-blocking assembly are provided. The dust-blocking assembly is slidably installed inside the coating chamber along a second direction, which is perpendicular to the second direction. The rack is installed on the dust-blocking assembly along the second direction and is meshed with the gear for transmission. The dust-blocking assembly can switch between an unobstructed state where the protective plate is exposed and an obstructed state where the protective plate is blocked.

[0010] Optionally, an auxiliary wheel is provided on the side of the rack away from the gear, the auxiliary wheel is rotatably mounted in the coating chamber, and the auxiliary wheel abuts against the rack.

[0011] Optionally, the interior of the coating chamber is provided with a first slide rail and a second slide rail that are parallel to each other and extend along the second direction. The dustproof assembly is equipped with a first wheel assembly and a second wheel assembly. The first wheel assembly is supported by the first slide rail. One of the first wheel assembly and the first slide rail is provided with a limiting boss, and the other is provided with a limiting groove. The limiting boss extends into the limiting groove. The second wheel assembly is supported by the support surface of the second slide rail.

[0012] Optionally, the coating chamber is provided with a transfer wheel assembly for transferring the carrier plate along the second direction, and the dust-proof assembly is located on the side of the carrier plate away from the coating module.

[0013] Optionally, the coating chamber is provided with a transfer wheel assembly for transferring the carrier plate along the second direction, and the dust-proof assembly is located on the side of the carrier plate close to the coating module.

[0014] Optionally, the dust-blocking assembly includes a bracket and a shield, the first wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly are rotatably mounted on both sides of the bracket, the shield is mounted on the front of the bracket, and the rack is mounted on the rear of the bracket.

[0015] Optionally, the support includes several longitudinal beams and several transverse beams, with reinforcing rods provided between adjacent longitudinal beams and transverse beams. One end of the reinforcing rod is fixedly connected to the longitudinal beam, and the other end of the reinforcing rod is fixedly connected to the transverse beam.

[0016] Optionally, the dustproof assembly is provided with a first baffle, which is located at the end of the rack away from the protective plate. When the first baffle abuts against the limiting part of the coating chamber, the dustproof assembly is in a blocking state.

[0017] And / or, the dustproof assembly is provided with a second baffle, which is located at one end of the rack near the guard plate. When the second baffle abuts against the limiting part of the coating chamber, the dustproof assembly is in a non-shielding state.

[0018] Optionally, the coating module is an anode module.

[0019] Optionally, the coating module is a cathode module.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, this utility model brings the following technical effects:

[0021] In the coating equipment of this invention, when the carrier plate carrying the substrate moves to one side of the coating module, the plasma clusters generated by the coating module drift towards the substrate along the first direction and adhere to the surface of the substrate, forming a thin film on the surface of the substrate. At this time, the dust blocking component is in an unshielded state. When the carrier plate takes away the substrate, the dust blocking component switches from the unshielded state to the shielded state. The dust blocking component shields the protective plate, preventing the plasma clusters from directly adhering to the protective plate along the first direction, extending the cleaning cycle of the protective plate, and reducing maintenance costs. The magnetic fluid seal transmits the power output from the drive component to the gear, and the gear pushes the rack to move linearly back and forth along the second direction, so that the dust blocking component switches between the unshielded state and the shielded state. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this utility model and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This invention provides a schematic diagram illustrating a partial structure of a coating apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention, showcasing a usage scenario.

[0024] Figure 2 This invention illustrates a usage scenario of a partial structure of a coating apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A sectional view cut by AA;

[0026] Figure 4 The diagram shows a partial structural schematic of a coating apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 It shows Figure 4 A magnified view of part A;

[0028] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of a coating apparatus according to some embodiments of the present invention is shown.

[0029] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0030] 100-Dustproof device; 10-Drive component; 21-Transmission bar; 22-Magnetic fluid seal; 23-Transmission wheel; 24-Gear; 25-Rack; 30-Dustproof assembly; 31-Bracket; 311-Longitudinal beam; 312-Crossbeam; 313-Reinforcing rod; 32-Baffle; 33-First wheel assembly; 34-Second wheel assembly; 41-Auxiliary wheel; 42-First baffle; 43-Second baffle; 51-First slide rail; 511-Limiting boss; 52-Second slide rail; 200-Coating chamber; 210-Guard plate; 300-Carrier plate; 310-Transmission wheel assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solution of this utility model will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0032] Furthermore, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other. The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout.

[0033] Please see Figures 1-6 This utility model provides a coating equipment, including a coating chamber 200, a coating module (not shown), and a dustproof device 100. The coating module faces the protective plate 210 of the coating chamber 200 along a first direction. The dustproof device 100 includes a driving component 10, a magnetic fluid seal 22, a rack 25, and a dustproof assembly 30. The driving component 10 is disposed outside the coating chamber 200. The magnetic fluid seal 22 is installed on the wall of the coating chamber 200, and one end of the magnetic fluid seal 22 extends into the coating chamber 200. The interior is equipped with a gear 24, and the other end of the magnetohydrodynamic seal 22 extends out of the coating chamber 200 and is connected to the output end of the drive unit 10. The dustproof assembly 30 is slidably installed inside the coating chamber 200 along the second direction, with the first direction perpendicular to the second direction. The rack 25 is installed on the dustproof assembly 30 along the second direction, and the rack 25 is meshed with the gear 24 for transmission. The dustproof assembly 30 can switch between an unshielded state where the protective plate 210 is exposed and a shielded state where the protective plate 210 is blocked.

[0034] In this embodiment, the first direction is vertical and the second direction is horizontal. The carrier plate 300 enters the coating chamber 200 in a horizontal position. In other embodiments, the first direction and the second direction intersect perpendicularly in the horizontal plane, and the carrier plate 300 enters the coating chamber 200 in a vertical position.

[0035] In this embodiment, the magnetic fluid seal 22 is an existing component, and its specific working principle will not be described in detail in this embodiment. In this embodiment, the magnetic fluid seal 22 is used to transmit the torque output by the drive component 10, which can ensure the sealing of the coating chamber 200 and maintain the vacuum inside the coating chamber 200.

[0036] In this embodiment, the drive element 10 is a motor; in other embodiments, the drive element 10 is a component that outputs torque.

[0037] In this embodiment, a drive wheel 23 is provided at one end of the magnetic fluid seal 22 that extends outside the coating chamber 200. A drive bar 21 is wound between the drive wheel 23 and the output end of the drive member 10. Specifically, the drive wheel 23 is a synchronous wheel and the drive bar 21 is a synchronous belt, or the drive wheel 23 is a gear and the drive bar 21 is a chain.

[0038] When the carrier plate 300 carrying the substrate moves to one side of the coating module, the plasma clusters generated by the coating module drift towards the substrate along the first direction and adhere to the surface of the substrate. The plasma clusters form a thin film on the surface of the substrate. At this time, the dust blocking component 30 is in an unshielded state. When the carrier plate 300 takes away the substrate, the dust blocking component 30 switches from the unshielded state to the shielded state. The dust blocking component 30 shields the protective plate 210 to prevent the plasma clusters from directly adhering to the protective plate 210 along the first direction, thereby extending the cleaning cycle of the protective plate 210 and reducing maintenance costs. The magnetic fluid seal 22 transmits the power output from the drive component 10 to the gear 24. The gear 24 pushes the rack 25 to move back and forth in a straight line along the second direction, so that the dust blocking component 30 switches between the unshielded state and the shielded state.

[0039] Taking a vertical RPD coating equipment as an example, in a vertical RPD coating equipment, the coating module is an anode module. The first direction is vertical, and the second direction is horizontal. The carrier plate 300 enters the coating chamber 200 in a horizontal position, and the guard plate 210 is located directly above the coating module. The coating methods of the vertical RPD coating equipment include static coating and dynamic coating. The static coating method is as follows: after the carrier plate 300 carrying the substrate is fully aligned with the coating module, the coating module is started. The coating module coats the stationary substrate. When the thin film formed on the surface of the substrate reaches the preset thickness... When the coating module is in operation, the dust-blocking component 30 extends in time to block the coating module. The plasma clusters generated by the coating module cannot continue to adhere to the surface of the substrate, thus preventing them from affecting the film thickness, and they also cannot adhere to the protective plate 210. The motion coating method is as follows: the carrier plate 300 carries the substrate and moves continuously through the top of the coating module. The coating module coats the moving substrate. The dust-blocking component 30 follows the end of the carrier plate 300. When the carrier plate 300 drives the substrate to completely pass over the top of the coating module, the dust-blocking component 30 moves to the top of the coating module and blocks the protective plate 210.

[0040] The drive unit 10 is located outside the coating chamber 200 and is not affected by the high temperature of the coating chamber 200. The drive unit 10 is easy to maintain and replace without disassembling the coating chamber 200 and does not affect the vacuum level inside the coating chamber 200.

[0041] In one specific embodiment, an auxiliary wheel 41 is provided on the side of the rack 25 away from the gear 24. The auxiliary wheel 41 is rotatably mounted in the coating chamber 200 and abuts against the rack 25.

[0042] The gear 24 and rack 25 are meshed. During the reciprocating motion of the rack 25 in a straight line, the rack 25 may deviate during the movement, causing the dust-blocking device 100 to deviate from its position. To solve this problem, an auxiliary wheel 41 is provided on the coating chamber 200. The auxiliary wheel 41 and the gear 24 respectively abut against the rack 25 from both sides, ensuring that the rack 25 and the dust-blocking assembly 30 can reciprocate in the second direction.

[0043] In one specific embodiment, the interior of the coating chamber 200 is provided with a first slide rail 51 and a second slide rail 52 that are parallel to each other and extend along a second direction. The dustproof assembly 30 is equipped with a first wheel assembly 33 and a second wheel assembly 34. The first wheel assembly 33 is supported on the first slide rail 51. One of the first wheel assembly 33 and the first slide rail 51 is provided with a limiting boss 511, and the other is provided with a limiting groove (not shown). The limiting boss 511 extends into the limiting groove. The second wheel assembly 34 is supported on the support surface of the second slide rail 52.

[0044] Specifically, the first slide rail 51 is provided with a limiting boss 511, and the second slide rail 52 is provided with a limiting groove.

[0045] The first wheel assembly 33 moves along the extension direction of the first slide rail 51 under the restriction of the limiting boss 511, and the second wheel assembly 34 moves on the support surface of the second slide rail 52.

[0046] The first slide rail 51 and the second slide rail 52 are inside the coating chamber 200. Under the high temperature during the coating process, they may expand and deform slightly and cannot maintain a parallel state. Since only one of the two slide rails is provided with a boss for limiting, the two sets of wheel assemblies can still move on the slide rails and avoid jamming.

[0047] In one specific embodiment, the coating chamber 200 is equipped with a transfer wheel assembly 310 for transferring the carrier plate 300 along a second direction, and a dust-blocking assembly 30 is located on the side of the carrier plate 300 away from the coating module. For example, in vertical RPD coating equipment and vertical PVD coating equipment, the dust-blocking assembly 30 is located above the transfer wheel assembly 310 and the carrier plate 300.

[0048] The dust-blocking assembly 30 is located above the transmission wheel assembly 310 and the carrier plate 300, meaning that the dust-blocking assembly 30 is higher than the carrier plate 300. The dust-blocking assembly 30 and the carrier plate 300 do not interfere with each other during movement, and their operation is stable and reliable.

[0049] In one specific embodiment, the coating chamber 200 is equipped with a transfer wheel assembly 310 for transferring the carrier plate 300 along a second direction, and a dust-proof assembly 30 is located on the side of the carrier plate 300 near the coating module. For example, in vertical RPD coating equipment and vertical PVD coating equipment, the dust-proof assembly 30 is located below the transfer wheel assembly 310 and the carrier plate 300.

[0050] The dustproof assembly 30 is located below the transmission wheel assembly 310 and the carrier plate 300, which means that the dust on the dustproof assembly 30 will not fall onto the substrate of the carrier plate 300, preventing the substrate from being affected by the dust on the dustproof assembly 30. The dustproof assembly 30 and the carrier plate 300 do not interfere with each other during movement, and the operation is stable and reliable. The dustproof assembly 30 is also easier to lay out and install.

[0051] Compared to the dustproof assembly 30 being located above the transfer wheel assembly 310, the dustproof assembly 30 being located below the transfer wheel assembly 310 can better prevent plasma clouds from passing through the gap between the dustproof assembly 30 and the bottom plate of the coating chamber 200 to reach the top protective plate 210 of the coating chamber 200, thus providing a stronger dustproof effect.

[0052] In one specific embodiment, the dust-blocking assembly 30 includes a bracket 31 and a shield 32. The first wheel assembly 33 and the second wheel assembly 34 are rotatably mounted on both sides of the bracket 31, the shield 32 is mounted on the front of the bracket 31, and the rack 25 is mounted on the rear of the bracket 31.

[0053] Driven by the first wheel assembly 33 and the second wheel assembly 34, the bracket 31 can move back and forth between the outside and the inside of the coating chamber 200, thereby driving the cover plate 32 to move synchronously with the bracket 31.

[0054] Specifically, during non-process periods, the bracket 31 moves the shield 32 to a position directly below the protective plate 210 of the coating chamber 200. During the process, the bracket 31 moves the shield 32 to a position beyond directly below the protective plate 210 of the coating chamber 200.

[0055] The mask 32 is mounted at the front of the bracket 31, and the rack 25 is mounted at the rear of the bracket 31. In this way, the mask 32 is positioned closer to the coating chamber 200 than the rack 25, so that the mask 32 can move in and out of the coating chamber 200 with a smaller distance. The high temperature of the coating chamber 200 reduces the impact on the rack 25, and the rack 25 has a longer service life.

[0056] The cover 32 is detachably mounted on the bracket 31 so that it can be removed from the bracket 31 when maintenance is required. The bracket 31 provides a mounting position for the cover 32.

[0057] In one specific embodiment, the support 31 includes a plurality of longitudinal beams 311 and a plurality of transverse beams 312. A reinforcing rod 313 is provided between adjacent longitudinal beams 311 and transverse beams 312. One end of the reinforcing rod 313 is fixedly connected to the longitudinal beam 311, and the other end of the reinforcing rod 313 is fixedly connected to the transverse beam 312.

[0058] The bracket 31 needs to extend into the coating chamber 200. The high temperature of the coating chamber 200 may cause the bracket 31 to deform and reduce its mechanical strength. In this embodiment, a reinforcing rod 313 is provided between the longitudinal beam 311 and the cross beam 312. The reinforcing rod 313 can improve the mechanical strength of the longitudinal beam 311 and the cross beam 312, thereby improving the service life of the entire bracket 31.

[0059] Specifically, the bracket 31 has three longitudinal beams 311 and three transverse beams 312. Two of the longitudinal beams 311 and two of the transverse beams 312 together form a frame. The other longitudinal beam 311 and the other transverse beam 312 are perpendicular to each other and are located inside the frame. On the one hand, this can further improve the mechanical strength of the bracket 31, and on the other hand, it can provide more installation positions.

[0060] In one specific embodiment, the dust blocking assembly 30 is provided with a first baffle 42, which is located at the end of the rack 25 away from the guard plate 210. When the first baffle 42 abuts against the limiting part of the coating chamber 200, the dust blocking assembly 30 is in a shielding state.

[0061] The dustproof assembly 30 is provided with a second baffle 43, which is located at one end of the rack 25 near the guard plate 210. When the second baffle 43 abuts against the limiting part of the coating chamber 200, the dustproof assembly is in an unshielded state.

[0062] The dust-blocking assembly 30 is equipped with a first baffle 42, which abuts against the limiting part of the coating chamber 200 to restrict the dust-blocking assembly 30 from crossing the position directly opposite the protective plate 210. This ensures that the dust-blocking assembly 30 can accurately stop between the coating module and the protective plate 210, while preventing the rack 25 from moving to the position directly opposite the coating module, thus avoiding plasma clusters generated by the coating module adhering to the surface of the rack 25 and affecting the meshing of the gear 24 and the rack 25. The dust-blocking assembly 30 is also equipped with a second baffle 43, which abuts against the limiting part of the coating chamber 200 to limit the distance of the dust-blocking assembly 30 from the protective plate 210.

[0063] In other words, the limiting part of the coating chamber 200 limits the dust-blocking assembly 30 through the first baffle 42 and the second baffle 43, restricting the movement distance and position of the dust-blocking assembly 30. In this embodiment, the limiting part of the coating chamber 200 used to limit the first baffle 42 and the second baffle 43 is the auxiliary wheel 41. The auxiliary wheel 41 can limit the offset of the rack 25 and also block the first baffle 42 and the second baffle 43.

[0064] In other embodiments, the dust-blocking assembly 30 has only a first baffle 42. Alternatively, the dust-blocking assembly 30 has only a second baffle 43.

[0065] In one specific embodiment, the coating module is an anode module, and the coating equipment is an RPD coating equipment. The anode module ensures the presence of plasma by precisely controlling the voltage and current, and guides the ions in the plasma to move in a directional manner, focusing them on the product surface, thereby improving deposition efficiency and uniformity.

[0066] In one specific embodiment, the coating module is a cathode module, and the coating equipment is a PVD coating equipment. Under the attraction of the negative high voltage of the cathode module, positively charged argon ions bombard the surface of the cathode module at high speed, and the target atoms are detached from the cathode module and adsorbed onto the product under the high-speed bombardment.

[0067] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom still fall within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A coating apparatus, comprising a coating chamber, a coating module, and a dustproof device, wherein the coating module faces a protective plate of the coating chamber along a first direction, characterized in that, The dust-blocking device includes: The driving component is located outside the coating chamber; A magnetic fluid seal is installed on the wall of the coating chamber. One end of the magnetic fluid seal extends into the interior of the coating chamber and is equipped with a gear. The other end of the magnetic fluid seal extends out of the exterior of the coating chamber and is connected to the output end of the drive unit. A rack and a dust-blocking assembly are provided. The dust-blocking assembly is slidably installed inside the coating chamber along a second direction, which is perpendicular to the second direction. The rack is installed on the dust-blocking assembly along the second direction and is meshed with the gear for transmission. The dust-blocking assembly can switch between an unobstructed state where the protective plate is exposed and an obstructed state where the protective plate is blocked.

2. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, An auxiliary wheel is provided on the side of the rack away from the gear. The auxiliary wheel is rotatably mounted in the coating chamber and abuts against the rack.

3. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating chamber is provided with a first slide rail and a second slide rail that are parallel to each other and extend along the second direction. The dustproof assembly is equipped with a first wheel assembly and a second wheel assembly. The first wheel assembly is supported by the first slide rail. One of the first wheel assembly and the first slide rail is provided with a limiting boss, and the other is provided with a limiting groove. The limiting boss extends into the limiting groove. The second wheel assembly is supported by the support surface of the second slide rail.

4. The coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The coating chamber is equipped with a transfer wheel assembly for transferring the carrier plate along the second direction. The dust-proof assembly is located on the side of the carrier plate away from the coating module.

5. The coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The coating chamber is equipped with a transfer wheel assembly for transferring the carrier plate along the second direction. The dust-proof assembly is located on the side of the carrier plate closer to the coating module.

6. The coating equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The dust-blocking assembly includes a bracket and a shield. The first wheel assembly and the second wheel assembly are rotatably mounted on both sides of the bracket, the shield is mounted on the front of the bracket, and the rack is mounted on the rear of the bracket.

7. The coating equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The support includes several longitudinal beams and several transverse beams. A reinforcing rod is provided between adjacent longitudinal beams and transverse beams. One end of the reinforcing rod is fixedly connected to the longitudinal beam, and the other end of the reinforcing rod is fixedly connected to the transverse beam.

8. The coating equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dustproof assembly is provided with a first baffle, which is located at the end of the rack away from the protective plate. When the first baffle abuts against the limiting part of the coating chamber, the dustproof assembly is in a blocking state. And / or, the dustproof assembly is provided with a second baffle, which is located at one end of the rack near the guard plate. When the second baffle abuts against the limiting part of the coating chamber, the dustproof assembly is in a non-shielding state.

9. The coating equipment according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The coating module is an anode module.

10. The coating apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The coating module is a cathode module.

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