Gas discharge can roll and surface-treatment device mounting the same

Abstract

To provide a gas discharge can roll without mixing a solid, such as wear particles in gas discharged from the outer peripheral surface.SOLUTION: A gas discharge can roll 56 is constituted of a cylindrical rotor 10 and a gas rotary joint 20. In the peripheral thick part 10a of the cylindrical rotor 10, a plurality of gas introduction paths 14 having a plurality of gas discharge holes 15 opened on the outer peripheral surface, respectively are provided in the entire circumference. The gas rotary joint 20 consists of a rotary ring unit 21 including a plurality of gas supply paths 23 communicating with the plurality of gas introduction paths 14, respectively, and a fixing ring unit 22 for distributing gas to the plurality of gas supply paths 23 in a slide contact part with the rotary ring unit 21; and an in-line gas filter 30 is provided in a connection piping 24 for connecting the gas supply path 23 with the gas introduction path 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a can roll onto which a long resin film is wound and which is continuously transported from roll to roll under a reduced pressure atmosphere, and to a surface treatment device equipped with the can roll. [Background technology]

[0002] Flexible wiring boards in which wiring circuits are formed on a resin film are used in electronic devices such as liquid crystal panels, notebook computers, digital cameras, mobile phones, etc. This flexible wiring board can be produced by forming a metal film on one or both sides of a resin film to obtain a resin film with a metal film, and then performing a patterning process on the metal film by using a thin film microfabrication technique such as photolithography or etching.

[0003] Known methods for manufacturing a metal-film-coated resin film, which is a material for the above-mentioned flexible wiring board, include a three-layer board manufacturing method in which a metal foil is attached to the surface of a resin film using an adhesive, a casting method in which a resin solution is coated on the surface of a metal foil and then the resin solution is dried, and a metallizing method in which a metal film is formed on the surface of a resin film by vacuum film formation alone or a combination of vacuum film formation and wet plating.

[0004] Among the above manufacturing methods, the vacuum film formation method used in the metallizing method generally includes vacuum deposition, sputtering, ion plating, ion beam sputtering, etc., and although the sputtering method can obtain a metal film with high adhesion, it is said to impose a larger heat load on the resin film than the vacuum deposition method. It is also known that the resin film is prone to wrinkles when a large heat load is applied during film formation. In order to prevent wrinkles caused by this heat load, a technology has been proposed in which a rotating can roll equipped with a cooling function is installed in a chamber controlled to a reduced pressure atmosphere, and a long resin film transported by roll-to-roll is brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the can roll and sputtered onto the front side while cooling from the back side.

[0005] However, since the outer peripheral surface of the can roll is not flat from a microscopic point of view, there is a gap (gap) between the outer peripheral surface of the can roll and the long resin film that is cooled by being in close contact with it, as described above, which separates them through a vacuum space. For this reason, the gap can act as a heat transfer resistance and inhibit the transfer of heat from the long resin film to the can roll when forming a film by the above-mentioned sputtering method or vacuum deposition method, and wrinkles can occur in the long resin film.

[0006] Therefore, a technology has been proposed in which the structure of the can roll allows gas to be discharged from the outer peripheral surface, thereby filling the gap with gas and increasing the thermal conductivity. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a plurality of gas introduction paths are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in the outer peripheral thick part of the can roll, a plurality of gas discharge holes are provided in each gas introduction path that open on the outer peripheral surface of the can roll, and a gas rotary joint is attached concentrically to the end of the central axis direction of the can roll, thereby distributing and introducing gas supplied from an external gas supply source into a plurality of gas introduction paths. It is described that this allows gas to be introduced from the can roll side into the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the can roll and the long resin film wound thereon, thereby preventing the occurrence of wrinkles in the long resin film. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-005487 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] It is believed that the technology described in Patent Document 1 can be used to effectively prevent wrinkles from occurring in the resin film during vacuum deposition, but the gas rotary joint is composed of a rotating ring unit that rotates with the can roll and a fixed ring unit that is fixed so as not to rotate, and these members each have a sliding (sliding) surface at the opposing portion. As a result, as operation continues, at least one of the members wears at the sliding surface between the rotating ring unit and the fixed ring unit, and the wear powder mixes with the gas flowing in the gas flow path in the rotating ring unit and is released into the gap portion as it is through the multiple gas introduction paths and gas release holes of the can roll. When the wear powder is released into the gap portion together with the gas, it may become a foreign object and adhere to the resin film or scratch it, thereby degrading the quality of the metal-coated resin film.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a gas release can roll having a structure capable of releasing gas from its outer peripheral surface, in which solid matter such as wear powder does not become mixed into the gas released from the outer peripheral surface, and a processing device equipped with such a gas release can roll. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the gas release can roll provided by the present invention is a gas release can roll consisting of a rotatably supported cylindrical rotor and a gas rotary joint attached to at least one end in the central axis direction of the cylindrical rotor, wherein a plurality of gas inlet passages, each having a plurality of gas release holes opening on the outer peripheral surface, are provided around the entire circumference at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in the outer peripheral thick portion of the cylindrical rotor, and the gas rotary joint is characterized in that it comprises a rotating ring unit which has a plurality of gas supply passages respectively communicating with the plurality of gas inlet passages and rotates together with the cylindrical rotor, and a fixed ring unit which distributes gas to the plurality of gas supply passages at the sliding contact portion with the rotating ring unit, and each of a plurality of connecting pipes which respectively connect the plurality of gas supply passages and the plurality of gas inlet passages is provided with an in-line gas filter. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent solid matter from being mixed into the gas released from the outer peripheral surface of the can roll, thereby preventing deterioration in the quality of the metal-film-coated resin film due to the solid matter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a surface treatment device on which the gas release can roll according to the present invention is preferably mounted. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a gas release can roll of the present invention, cut along a plane including the central axis. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a gas rotary joint portion of the gas release can roll of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an in-line filter provided with the gas releasing can roll of FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the in-line filter of FIG. 4 and joints at both ends thereof. [Figure 6] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a joint portion of the in-line filter of FIG. 4. [Figure 7]3 is a side view of the gas release can roll of FIG. 2 as viewed from the gas rotary joint side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] 1. Surface treatment equipment for long plastic films First, a specific example of a surface treatment device for a long resin film on which the gas release can roll of the present invention is preferably mounted will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The surface treatment device 50 for a long resin film F shown in Fig. 1 is a vacuum film formation device also called a sputtering web coater or magnetron sputtering device, which performs sputtering film formation on the surface of the long resin film F while transporting the long resin film F in a roll-to-roll manner in a vacuum chamber 51 in which a predetermined reduced pressure atmosphere is maintained.

[0014] Specifically, the vacuum chamber 51 is provided with various pressure reducing devices (not shown) such as a dry pump, a turbo molecular pump, and a cryocoil, so that the inside of the vacuum chamber 51 can be adjusted to a desired reduced pressure atmosphere such as an appropriate degree of reduced pressure and an appropriate inert gas concentration according to the surface treatment to be performed on the long resin film F. For example, when the surface treatment is sputtering deposition, the inside of the vacuum chamber 51 is adjusted to an ultimate pressure of 10 -4 After the pressure is reduced to about 1 Pa, the pressure is adjusted to about 0.1 to 10 Pa by introducing a sputtering gas. A known gas such as argon is used as the sputtering gas, and a gas such as oxygen is further added depending on the purpose. There are no particular limitations on the shape and material of the vacuum chamber 51 as long as it can withstand the specified reduced pressure atmosphere.

[0015] In the vacuum chamber 51, a can roll (hereinafter referred to as a gas releasing can roll or simply a can roll) 56 having a structure capable of releasing gas from its outer peripheral surface, various roll groups for continuously winding the long resin film F around the outer peripheral surface while transporting it in a roll-to-roll manner, and a surface treatment means are provided. Specifically, on the upstream side of the can roll 56, an unwinding roll 52 for continuously unwinding the long resin film F, a free roll 53 for guiding the unwound long resin film F, a tension sensor roll 54 for measuring the tension of the long resin film F, and a motor-driven feed roll 55 are arranged in this order. On the other hand, on the downstream side of the can roll 56, a motor-driven feed roll 61, a tension sensor roll 62 for measuring the tension of the long resin film F, a free roll 63 for guiding the long resin film F, and a winding roll 64 for winding the surface-treated long resin film F are arranged in the reverse order to the above.

[0016] The unwinding roll 52 and the winding roll 64 maintain the tension balance of the long resin film F by torque control using a powder clutch or the like. The feed rolls 55, 61 are adapted to adjust the rotation speed according to the peripheral speed of the motor-driven can roll 56 in order to better adhere the long resin film F to the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56 when it is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56 and transported. As shown in FIG. 1, an angle range A around which the long resin film F is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56 is sometimes referred to as the "wrap angle". A plurality of surface treatment means 57 to 60, which will be described later, are provided at opposing positions within the range of the wrap angle A on the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56.

[0017] 2. Gas releasing can roll Next, a specific example of the gas release can roll 56 of the present invention, which is preferably mounted in the surface treatment device 50, will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The gas release can roll 56 of this specific example of the present invention is made of a metallic cylindrical rotor 10, and a rotating shaft 11 located at its central axis O is rotatably supported by a support part not shown. A part of this rotating shaft 11 is a double pipe 12, and a refrigerant is circulated between a flow path 13 inside the cylindrical rotor 10 and a refrigerant supply device such as a chiller not shown through this double pipe 12 as shown by a white arrow. A plurality of gas introduction paths 14 extending from one end face to the other end face are provided around the entire circumference of the cylindrical rotor 10 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical rotor 10 in the outer circumferential thick part 10a of the cylindrical rotor 10.

[0018] Each of the plurality of gas introduction paths 14 has a plurality of gas discharge holes 15 arranged at approximately equal intervals along the extension direction, and these plurality of gas discharge holes 15 open on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical rotor 10. As a result, gas supplied from a gas supply source (not shown) is distributed to each gas introduction path 14 by a gas rotary joint (described later), and then discharged from the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical rotor 10 through the plurality of gas discharge holes 15 communicating with each gas introduction path 14. As a result, the heat transfer property of the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the can roll 56 and the long resin film F wound thereon is improved, so that the heat of the long resin film F generated by the surface treatment, which is subject to a thermal load, can be efficiently transferred to the can roll 56.

[0019] That is, since the outer peripheral surface of the metallic cylindrical rotating body is not flat when viewed microscopically but has numerous projections and recesses, if gas could not be released from the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56 through the multiple gas release holes 15 as described above, the numerous gaps (also called gaps) consisting of nearly vacuum spaces that exist between the outer peripheral surface of the can roll when the long resin film F is wrapped around the outer peripheral surface of the can roll in a reduced pressure atmosphere would create heat transfer resistance and inhibit heat transfer from the long resin film F to the outer peripheral surface of the can roll. As a result, local temperature differences would occur in the long resin film F due to the surface treatment that places a thermal load on it, and wrinkles could occur in the long resin film F.

[0020] In contrast to this, as described above, a plurality of gas inlet passages 14, each having a plurality of gas release holes 15 opening on its outer peripheral surface, are provided around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral thick portion 10a of the metal cylindrical rotating body 10 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and gas is released from the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56 through these multiple gas inlet passages 14 and the multiple gas release holes 15 to introduce gas into the gap between the outer peripheral surface and the long resin film F. This makes it possible to maintain the spacing of this gap approximately constant, and also to fill the gap with the released gas, thereby uniformly improving thermal conductance.

[0021] This allows the heat generated when the long resin film F is subjected to surface treatments that impose a thermal load, such as surface modification and film formation, to be efficiently transferred to the can roll 56, making it possible to effectively prevent the generation of wrinkles due to heat in the long resin film F. In this way, by using the can roll 56 that is capable of releasing gas from the outer circumferential surface, it becomes possible to manufacture, with a high yield rate, a high-quality resin film with a metal film that can be used as a material for flexible wiring boards used inside electronic devices such as liquid crystal televisions and mobile phones.

[0022] The distance of the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56 and the long resin film F wound thereon varies depending on the type and thickness of the long resin film F, the tension during roll-to-roll transport of the long resin film F, the amount of gas introduced into the gap, etc., but if the distance of the gap is about 40 μm or less, which is the molecular flow range, the gas released from the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56 to the gap can be well exhausted by the vacuum pump that is usually equipped in the surface treatment device 50. Therefore, the gas introduced into the gap from the outer peripheral surface of the can roll 56 does not adversely affect the reduced pressure atmosphere in the chamber 51. Note that the type of gas introduced into the gap is the same as the atmospheric gas introduced into the chamber 51 during the surface treatment of the long resin film F, so that the atmospheric gas is not contaminated. For example, if the atmospheric gas is argon gas, it is preferable to use argon gas as the gas introduced into the gap, which prevents the atmospheric gas from being contaminated and more reliably suppresses the occurrence of wrinkles because argon gas has a relatively high thermal conductivity.

[0023] The cylindrical rotor 10 constituting the can roll 56 may be formed of a single member, or may be formed of multiple members such as a double cylinder structure (jacket roll structure). In either case, the member used for the cylindrical rotor 10 is preferably a metal material made of a known metal such as stainless steel, aluminum, iron, copper, or an alloy of a metal containing these as the main component. When the cylindrical rotor 10 is formed of multiple metal members, these members may be the same type of metal or different types of metal. When different types of metals are used, they may be appropriately selected in consideration of the thermal expansion coefficient, thermal conductivity, etc.

[0024] 3.Gas rotary joint A gas rotary joint 20 that distributes the gas supplied from the gas supply source and supplies it to the multiple gas introduction paths 14 is attached to at least one end of the cylindrical rotor 10 in the central axis O direction. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the gas rotary joint 20 is provided only on one end of the cylindrical rotor 10. Explaining specifically with reference to FIG. 3, the gas rotary joint 20 is composed of a rotating ring unit 21 that is attached to the cylindrical rotor 10 and rotates together with the cylindrical rotor 10, and a fixed ring unit 22 that is fixed by a support member (not shown), and these are in sliding contact with each other at sliding surfaces 21a and 22a that face each other. That is, as the cylindrical rotor 10 rotates, the rotating ring unit 21 rotates while its sliding surface 21a is in sliding contact (sliding) with the sliding surface 22a of the fixed ring unit 22.

[0025] The rotating ring unit 21 has gas supply passages 23 in the same number as the number of gas introduction passages 14 of the cylindrical rotor 10, which are provided around the entire circumference at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The gas supply passages 23 are formed radially inside the rotating ring unit 21 and / or parallel to the rotation axis direction of the rotating ring unit 21, and one end of each of them is connected to the gas introduction passage 14 at the same angular position via a connecting pipe 24. On the other hand, the other end of each of the gas supply passages 23 opens as a rotation opening 23a on the sliding surface 21a of the rotating ring unit 21. That is, the angular position of the rotation opening 23a of each gas supply passage 23 coincides with the angular position of the gas introduction passage 14 to which the gas supply passage 23 is connected. The connecting pipe 24 is provided with an in-line gas filter, which will be described later.

[0026] A single gas distribution path 25 is formed in the fixed ring unit 22, and the gas is distributed to the above-mentioned multiple gas supply paths 23 at the sliding contact portion with the rotating ring unit 21. Specifically, one end of the gas distribution path 25 is connected to a gas supply pipe 26 for gas supplied from a gas supply source (not shown). Meanwhile, the other end of the gas distribution path 25 opens as a fixed opening 25a in the sliding contact surface 22a facing the rotating ring unit 21. The fixed opening 25a is not annular in shape as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the sliding contact surface 22a, but is substantially C-shaped rotated 90 degrees left in correspondence with the above-mentioned embrace angle A. That is, the fixed opening 25a faces only the rotation opening 23a of the gas supply path 23 that communicates with the gas introduction path 14 present within the embrace angle A. In other words, the fixed opening 25a does not face the rotation opening 23a of the gas supply path 23 that communicates with the gas introduction path 14 present outside the embrace angle A.

[0027] This allows almost all of the gas supplied from the gas supply source to be introduced into the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the can roll 56 and the long resin film F wound thereon. In other words, the gas release hole 15 whose opening is not blocked by the long resin film F on the outer circumferential surface of the gas release can roll 56 has an extremely low gas pressure resistance compared to the gas release hole 15 whose opening is blocked by the long resin film F. Therefore, if the fixed opening 25a described above is annular rather than substantially C-shaped, most of the gas supplied to the gas rotary joint will be released directly into the vacuum chamber 51 via the gas release hole 15 whose opening is not blocked by the long resin film F. As a result, the gap between the outer circumferential surface of the gas release can roll 56 and the long resin film F wound thereon cannot be sufficiently filled with gas.

[0028] The gas rotary joint 20 may be provided at least at one end in the direction of the central axis O of the cylindrical rotor 10, but if the pressure loss in the gas inlet passage 14 of the cylindrical rotor 10 is large and the amount of gas released from the openings of the multiple gas release holes 15 communicating with each gas inlet passage 14 varies greatly, gas rotary joints may be provided at both ends in the direction of the central axis O of the cylindrical rotor 10. On the other hand, if a gas rotary joint is provided only at one end of the cylindrical rotor 10 in the direction of the central axis O as shown in Fig. 2, a side plate or the like may be attached to the other end side of the cylindrical rotor 10 to seal the terminal openings of the multiple gas inlet passages 14.

[0029] 4. In-line gas filters Since the gas rotary joint of the gas release can roll 56 mounted on a surface treatment device of one embodiment of the present invention has the above-mentioned structure, the gas supplied from the gas supply source is released from the outer surface of the gas release can roll 56 through the above-mentioned gas supply piping 26, gas distribution path 25, gas supply path 23, connecting piping 24, gas introduction path 14, and gas release hole 15, and is introduced into the gap between the long resin film wrapped around it.

[0030] However, during long-term operation, fine solid matter of a few mm or less, such as friction powder caused by the sliding contact between the sliding surface 21a of the rotating ring unit 21 and the sliding surface 22a of the fixed ring unit 22, may be mixed into the gas supplied from the gas supply source as foreign matter and released together with the gas from the outer circumferential surface of the gas release can roll 56. If the solid matter released together with the gas is introduced into the gap, it may become foreign matter and adhere to or scratch the resin film, thereby degrading the quality of the metal-film-coated resin film. Therefore, the gas release can roll 56 of the embodiment of the present invention is provided with an in-line gas filter 30 in the connecting pipe 24 connecting the gas supply pipe 26 of the fixed ring unit 22 and the gas introduction passage 14 of the cylindrical rotor 10. As a result, even if solid matter such as wear powder generated by the sliding contact between the above-mentioned members is mixed into the gas as foreign matter, the in-line gas filter 30 can remove the solid matter.

[0031] The structure of the in-line gas filter 30 is not particularly limited as long as it can separate the fine solid matter from the gas, but since the in-line gas filter 30 rotates together with the cylindrical rotor 10 and the rotating ring unit 21, it is preferable to use a small cylindrical filter so as not to place an excessive load on the motor that rotates the cylindrical rotor 10. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, it is preferable to use an in-line gas filter 30 that is composed of a cylindrical housing 31 having an inlet opening and an outlet opening on both end faces that serve as gas inlets and outlets, a bottomed cylindrical filter element 32 with one end open that is housed concentrically inside the housing 31, and a spring 33 that presses the open end of the filter element 32 against the outlet end of the housing 31.

[0032] By using the in-line gas filter 30 having the above structure, gas entering from the inlet opening of the housing 31 passes through the filter element 32, which is biased toward the outlet opening by the spring 33, from its primary outer surface to its secondary inner surface. At that time, solid matter contained in the gas is removed on the above outer surface side of the filter element 32, and clean gas from which the solid matter has been removed (filtered) is discharged from the outlet opening of the in-line gas filter 30.

[0033] The material of the filter element 32 is not particularly limited as long as it can effectively remove solid matter such as metal wear powder, which is the object of removal, but is preferably selected from stainless steel such as SUS304L or SUS316L, ceramic, resin such as PTFE, glass microfiber, etc., and among these, stainless steel is particularly preferable. The solid matter removed by the filter element 32 is collected on the outer peripheral surface of the primary side described above, so that the solid matter gradually accumulates over time, increasing the pressure loss of the filter element 32 and decreasing the gas flow rate passing through the filter element 32. Therefore, when the pressure gauge or gas flow meter exceeds a predetermined threshold value or periodically, it is preferable to replace the in-line gas filter 30 with a new one, or to replace or clean only the filter element 32 with a new one. The pressure gauge or gas flow meter can be provided, for example, in the gas supply pipe 26.

[0034] In either case, since it is necessary to remove the in-line gas filter 30 from the connecting pipe 24, it is preferable that the in-line gas filter 30 is detachably attached to the connecting pipe 24, which can be achieved by using joints having the structures shown in Figs. 5 and 6. That is, both the inlet and outlet openings of the in-line gas filter 30 are formed with male threads 34, and a nut 35 into which the end of the connecting pipe 24 is fitted is screwed to these male threads 34 while sandwiching a front ferrule 36 and a back ferrule 37. It is preferable that at least a part of the connecting pipe 24 is made of flexible piping, which can improve the workability when removing and attaching the in-line gas filter 30. It is also preferable that both ends of the housing 31 have a hexagonal nut structure, and the inlet opening side has a structure that can be attached and detached by screwing, which makes it possible to easily replace the internal filter element 32 simply by removing the inlet opening side of the housing 31.

[0035] The in-line gas filter 30 is preferably provided in a portion of the connecting pipe 24 that extends in the radial direction of the cylindrical rotor 10, as shown in FIG. 7. The gas flow direction in the in-line gas filter 30 is preferably aligned with the direction emanating from the central axis O of the cylindrical rotor 10. This ensures that the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the cylindrical rotor 10 always acts in the in-line gas filter 30 in the flow direction, so that solid matter to be removed can be introduced into the in-line gas filter 30 in a state where it is uniformly dispersed in the gas. In addition, the solid matter can be collected almost evenly over the entire primary side surface of the filter element 32, so that the frequency of replacement of the in-line gas filter 30 can be reduced.

[0036] 5. Surface treatment method 1 again, the surface treatment means 57-60 are provided along the rotation direction at positions on the outer peripheral surface of the gas release can roll 56 that face the angular range of the embrace angle A. The surface treatment means 57-60 perform surface treatment that applies a thermal load to the long resin film F. When the surface treatment is a film formation process, examples of the surface treatment means include sputtering film formation means such as bipolar sputtering, magnetron sputtering, ion beam sputtering, high frequency magnetron sputtering, and reactive sputtering, vacuum film formation means such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and vacuum deposition, and atomic layer deposition means (ALD), and the model and number of units suitable for the treatment method employed are appropriately selected.

[0037] For example, when magnetron sputtering is used as the surface treatment, as illustrated in Fig. 1, surface treatment means 57-60 consisting of magnetron sputtering cathodes are installed along the rotation direction of the gas release can roll 56 at a position facing the embrace angle A on the outer peripheral surface of the gas release can roll 56. Note that, although Fig. 1 shows an example in which a plate-shaped target is used, when a metal film is formed by sputtering, nodules (growth of foreign matter) may occur on the target with a plate-shaped target. In such a case, it is preferable to use a cylindrical rotary target, which does not generate nodules and has a high target usage efficiency.

[0038] When producing a long resin film with a metal film using the surface treatment device 50 for long resin films in Figure 1, for example, a Ni-based alloy target is used for one magnetron sputtering cathode 57 and Cu targets are used for three magnetron sputtering cathodes 58 to 60, and while the long resin film F is transported roll-to-roll, a sputtering film is formed on its surface by these four sputtering cathodes 57 to 60, so that a Ni-based alloy film and a Cu film can be laminated in that order on the surface of the long resin film F from the front side.

[0039] The film made of the Ni-based alloy is called a seed layer, and its composition is appropriately selected from various known alloys such as Ni-Cr alloy, Inconel, Constantan, Monel, etc., depending on the desired characteristics such as electrical insulation and migration resistance of the resin film with the metal film. If it is desired to further thicken the metal film of the long resin film with the metal film, the metal film may be formed by a wet plating method after the sputtering film formation as dry plating. In this case, the wet plating method may form the metal film only by electroplating, or may form the metal film by combining electroless plating as primary plating and electrolytic plating as secondary plating. In either case, a general wet plating method may be adopted for the wet plating process.

[0040] The surface treatment means 57-60 are not limited to those that perform the film formation treatment represented by the above-mentioned sputtering film formation, but also include those that perform plasma treatment, ion beam treatment, electron beam treatment, etc. These surface treatments are aimed at surface modification of the long resin film, and can be continuously performed while conveying the long resin film F in a roll-to-roll manner in the vacuum chamber 51 under a reduced pressure atmosphere, as in the case of the above-mentioned film formation treatment. All of these treatments are subject to a thermal load on the long resin film F, and therefore have the problem of wrinkle generation. Therefore, by adopting the above-mentioned gas release can roll 56 as the can roll of the surface treatment device for the long resin film, the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the gas release can roll 56 and the long resin film F wound thereon can be filled with gas to increase heat transfer, so that wrinkle generation can be suppressed without causing the problem of foreign matter adhesion to the long resin film F or scratches caused by foreign matter.

[0041] The plasma treatment is a method for treating a long resin film by generating oxygen plasma or nitrogen plasma by discharging in a reduced pressure atmosphere of a mixed gas of argon and oxygen or a mixed gas of argon and nitrogen using a known plasma treatment method, while the ion beam treatment is a method for treating a long resin film by using a known ion beam source to generate plasma discharge in a magnetic gap to which a strong magnetic field is applied, and irradiating the positive ions in the plasma as an ion beam by electrolysis using an anode.

[0042] 6.Long resin film Examples of long resin films to be treated by the surface treatment device equipped with the gas release can roll of the present invention include polyimide films, polyamide films, polyester films, polytetrafluoroethylene films, polyphenylene sulfide films, polyethylene naphthalate films, and liquid crystal polymer films. These resin films are excellent in flexibility, and have practical strength and electrical insulation properties suitable for wiring materials, so they are preferable as substrates for metal-film-attached resin films. Flexible wiring boards can be manufactured by patterning the laminated metal-film-attached resin films manufactured using these long resin films as substrates, for example, by a subtractive method. The subtractive method is a method for manufacturing flexible wiring boards by removing the metal film (for example, the above-mentioned Cu film) that is not covered with resist by etching. In addition to the metal film, oxide films, nitride films, carbide films, etc. may be formed on the long resin films according to the purpose. EXAMPLES

[0043] As shown in FIG. 2, a gas discharge can roll of the embodiment, which is composed of a metallic cylindrical rotor 10 having a structure in which a plurality of gas inlet passages 14, each having a plurality of gas discharge holes 15 opening on the outer peripheral surface, are provided around the entire circumference of the outer peripheral thick-walled portion 10a, and a gas rotary joint 20 attached to one end of the central axis O of the cylindrical rotor 10, was used as the can roll 56 of the magnetron sputtering device having the structure shown in FIG. 1, and a film formation process was performed while transporting a long resin film F from roll to roll.

[0044] In the gas release can roll of this embodiment, a Swagelok in-line gas filter (model number: SS-4F-05) was provided in each of a plurality of connecting pipes 24 that respectively connect a plurality of gas supply passages 23 formed in the rotary ring unit 21 of the gas rotary joint 20 to a plurality of gas introduction passages 14 formed in the outer circumferential thick portion 10a of the cylindrical rotor 10. Note that, as shown in FIG. 7, each in-line gas filter 30 was provided in a portion of the connecting pipe 24 extending in the radial direction of the cylindrical rotor 10 so that the gas flow direction in the in-line gas filter 30 coincides with the direction radiating from the central axis O of the cylindrical rotor 10.

[0045] Next, a nickel-chromium alloy target having a composition of 20 mass % Cr and 80 mass % Ni was set in the surface treatment means (cathode) 57, and copper targets were set in the surface treatment means (cathode) 58 to 60. In addition, a polyimide film (Upilex-35SGAV1) having a thickness of 35 μm manufactured by Ube Industries was set on the unwinding roll 52 as a long resin film F.

[0046] Next, after the inside of the vacuum chamber 51 was made into a reduced pressure atmosphere, chiller water whose temperature was controlled to 20° C. was circulated as a coolant through the coolant passage 12 of the gas release can roll 56. Then, argon gas was fed into the magnetron sputtering device at 300 sccm (300 cm per minute at 0° C. and 1 atm). 3 ) and a power of 10 kW was applied to each cathode. Argon gas set at a gas pressure of 800 Pa was supplied to the gas rotary joint 20.

[0047] In the above state, the tension of the unwinding roll 52 and the winding roll 64 was set to 200 N, and the long resin film F was transported roll-to-roll at a transport speed of 4 m / min, whereby a nickel chromium film and a copper film were continuously sputter-formed in this order on the surface of the long resin film F. In this way, a metal film-coated resin film was produced in which a 25 nm-thick base metal layer made of a nickel chromium alloy and a 150 nm-thick thin copper layer were formed on one side of the long resin film F.

[0048] For comparison, a metal-film-attached resin film was manufactured in the same manner as in the above-mentioned embodiment, except that the in-line gas filter 30 was not provided in the connecting pipe 24. The rate of foreign matter defects during the manufacture of the metal-film-attached resin film was compared. As a result, in the comparative example in which the in-line gas filter was not provided, the proportion of defective products caused by foreign matter among all defective products was about 60%, while in the embodiment in which the in-line gas filter was provided, the proportion of defective products caused by foreign matter among all defective products was zero. This in-line gas filter 30 is excellent in workability because it only requires replacement of the filter element during maintenance work, and the replacement timing of the filter element could be managed by adjusting the gas flow rate using a gas flow meter and a valve provided in the gas supply pipe 26. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10 Cylindrical Rotating Body 10a Thick outer periphery 11 Rotation axis 12 Double piping structure 13 Coolant flow path 14 Gas inlet 15 Gas release hole 20 Gas rotary joint 21 Rotating ring unit 22 Fixed ring unit 21a, 22a Sliding surface 23 Gas supply line 23a Rotating opening 24 Connecting piping 25 Gas distribution line 25a Fixed opening 26 Gas supply piping 30 In-line Gas Filter 31 Housing 32 Filter element 33 Spring 34 Male thread 35 Nut 36 Front ferrule 37 Back ferrule 50 Surface treatment equipment 51 Vacuum Chamber 52 Unwinding roll 53, 63 Freerolls 54, 62 Tension sensor roll 55, 61 Feed roll 56 Gas Release Can Roll 57~60 Surface treatment methods 64 Winding roll O center axis

Claims

1. A gas discharge can roll comprising a rotatably supported cylindrical rotor and a gas rotary joint attached to at least one end in the central axis direction of the cylindrical rotor, A gas discharge can roll characterized in that a plurality of gas inlet passages, each having a plurality of gas release holes opening on the outer peripheral surface, are provided around the entire circumference at equal intervals in the circumferential direction in the outer peripheral thick portion of the cylindrical rotor, and the gas rotary joint comprises a rotating ring unit which has a plurality of gas supply passages respectively communicating with the plurality of gas inlet passages and rotates together with the cylindrical rotor, and a fixed ring unit which distributes gas to the plurality of gas supply passages at its sliding contact with the rotating ring unit, and each of a plurality of connecting pipes which respectively connect the plurality of gas supply passages and the plurality of gas inlet passages is provided with an in-line gas filter.

2. The gas release can roll of claim 1 , wherein the in-line gas filter is provided in a portion of the plurality of connecting pipes that extends radially of the cylindrical rotor.

3. A surface treatment device for a long resin film comprising a group of rolls for transporting a long resin film roll-to-roll in a reduced pressure atmosphere, a can roll consisting of a metallic cylindrical rotating body for wrapping the long resin film around its outer peripheral surface and cooling it, and a surface treatment means arranged opposite the outer peripheral surface of the can roll for performing a surface treatment on the long resin film, wherein the can roll is a gas-releasing can roll as described in claim 1 or 2.

4. The surface treatment device for a long resin film according to claim 3 , wherein the surface treatment means is a film forming means.

5. The surface treatment device for a long resin film according to claim 4, wherein the film forming means is a sputtering cathode.

6. The surface treatment device for a long resin film according to claim 3 , wherein the surface treatment is a plasma treatment and / or an ion beam treatment.

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