Film forming apparatus and carrying roller

Abstract

To provide a film forming apparatus capable of adjusting electrostatic attracting force of a carrying roller onto a substrate for each region on an outer peripheral surface of the carrying roller.SOLUTION: A film forming apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber, a carrying roller, a film forming unit, and a power supply unit. The carrying roller includes a roller body rotatably disposed in the vacuum chamber to support a film-shaped substrate, and an electrode layer for electrostatic attraction provided on a peripheral surface of the roller body. The film forming unit generates vapor-deposited particles that are accumulated on the surface of the substrate supported by the carrying roller. The power supply unit supplies electric power to the electrode layer. The electrode layer is divided into a plurality of electrode parts arranged along at least either one of a circumferential direction and a width direction of the carrying roller. The power supply unit includes a control unit that periodically and individually controls the magnitude of the electric power supplied to the plurality of electrode parts in accordance with the rotational phase of the carrying roller.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a winding-type film-forming device equipped with a transport roller capable of electrostatically attracting a film-like substrate to its outer peripheral surface. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a vacuum deposition apparatus has been known in which a long film-like substrate continuously unwound from a winding roller is wound around a cooling conveying roller (main roller), a deposition material is deposited on the substrate from an evaporation source disposed opposite the conveying roller, and the substrate after deposition is wound up by a take-up roller. In this type of vacuum deposition apparatus, in order to prevent deformation of the substrate and changes in film formation characteristics such as film quality and film distribution during deposition, the substrate is cooled while being in close contact with the circumferential surface of the conveying roller during film formation. Therefore, how to ensure close contact of the substrate with the conveying roller is an important issue.

[0003] As a configuration for increasing the adhesion between the substrate and the conveying roller, a technology has been proposed in which an auxiliary roller that comes into contact with the metal film evaporated on the film-forming surface of the substrate is placed between the conveying roller and the winding section that winds up the substrate, and a voltage is applied between the conveying roller and the auxiliary roller to generate an electrostatic adsorption force between the metal film on the substrate and the conveying roller, thereby increasing the adhesion of the substrate to the conveying roller (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3795518 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a film formation method that utilizes electrostatic adsorption between a conveying roller and a substrate, if the tension of the substrate is too high when the substrate is released from the conveying roller, wrinkles may occur in the substrate. On the other hand, if the tension is too weak, the substrate cannot be released from the conveying roller. Furthermore, if the electrostatic adsorption force is too high when the substrate begins to wrap around the conveying roller, the substrate will stick to the conveying roller in a wrinkled state.

[0006] If the electrostatic adsorption force between the transport roller and the substrate is weakened in order to solve such problems, there is a risk that the substrate will be deformed due to heat during film formation, or that the deposited film will re-melt if it is made of a metal material with a low melting point, and the original function of increasing the adhesion between the transport roller and the substrate will not be ensured.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a film forming apparatus capable of adjusting the electrostatic adsorption force of a transport roller with respect to a substrate for each region of the outer circumferential surface of the transport roller. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A film forming apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a vacuum chamber, a transport roller, a film forming unit, and a power supply unit. The transport roller has a roller body that is rotatably disposed inside the vacuum chamber and supports a film-like substrate, and an electrode layer for electrostatic attraction that is provided on the circumferential surface of the roller body. The film-forming unit generates vapor deposition particles that are deposited on the surface of the substrate supported by the transport roller. The power supply unit supplies power to the electrode layer. The electrode layer is divided into a plurality of electrode portions arranged along at least one of the circumferential direction and the width direction of the transport roller. The power supply unit has a control unit that periodically and individually controls the magnitude of the power supplied to the plurality of electrode units in accordance with the rotation phase of the transport roller.

[0009] In the above-mentioned film forming apparatus, the electrode layer is divided into a plurality of electrode sections arranged along at least one of the circumferential direction and width direction of the conveying roller, and the magnitude of the power supplied to these plurality of electrode sections is periodically and individually controlled according to the rotational phase of the conveying roller, so that the electrostatic adsorption force of the conveying roller against the substrate can be adjusted for each region of the outer peripheral surface of the conveying roller.

[0010] The plurality of electrode portions may include a first electrode group that is an electrode portion arranged along a circumferential direction of the conveying roller, and the control unit may be configured to increase the power supplied to the electrode portions of the first electrode group that belong to a film-forming angular region, which is an angular region of the outer circumferential surface of the conveying roller facing the film-forming unit, compared to the power supplied to the electrode portions that belong to a non-film-forming angular region, which is an angular region of the outer circumferential surface other than the film-forming angular region. This makes it possible to ensure adhesion between the transport roller and the substrate during film formation, while suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles in the substrate when the substrate is attached to or detached from the transport roller.

[0011] The plurality of electrode portions may include a second electrode group having a central electrode portion located at a center in a width direction of the conveying roller and outer electrode portions located on both sides of the central electrode portion in the width direction. The control unit may be configured to supply more power to the central electrode portion than to supply more power to the outer electrode portions. This makes it possible to increase the adhesive force of the substrate at the central position on the outer circumferential surface of the transport roller where the distance to the film-forming unit is the shortest.

[0012] The central electrode portion may have a peak that protrudes in the direction of rotation of the transport roller.

[0013] The control unit may be configured to reduce the power supplied to electrode units belonging to a non-substrate support region, which is an angular region of the outer peripheral surface of the conveying roller other than the substrate support region, among the electrode units belonging to the non-film-forming angular region, compared to the power supplied to electrode units belonging to a substrate support region, which is an angular region of the outer peripheral surface of the conveying roller that comes into contact with the substrate.

[0014] The substrate support region may have an entrance-side substrate support region, which is a region on the side where the substrate starts to be wound around the outer circumferential surface of the conveying roller, and an exit-side substrate support region, which is a region on the side where the substrate is released from the outer circumferential surface. The control unit supplies, to the electrode portion belonging to the entrance-side substrate support region, electric power of a polarity that generates an attraction force on the substrate, and The electrode portion belonging to the region may be configured to be supplied with power of a second polarity opposite to the first polarity.

[0015] The control unit may set the power supplied to the electrode portion belonging to the non-substrate supporting region to zero.

[0016] The number of electrode parts constituting the first electrode group is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, four or more.

[0017] A conveying roller according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a roller body that is rotatably arranged inside a vacuum chamber and supports a film-like substrate, an electrode layer for electrostatic adsorption provided on the peripheral surface of the roller body, and a power supply unit that supplies power to the electrode layer. The electrode layer is divided into a plurality of electrode portions arranged along at least one of the circumferential direction and the width direction of the roller body. The power supply unit periodically and individually controls the magnitude of the power supplied to the plurality of electrode units in accordance with the rotation phase of the roller body, based on a control command from a control unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] According to the present invention, the electrostatic attraction force of the transport roller to the substrate can be adjusted for each region of the outer circumferential surface of the transport roller, which makes it possible to, for example, ensure adhesion between the transport roller and the substrate during film formation and prevent the substrate from wrinkling when the substrate is attached to or detached from the transport roller. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a film forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a transport roller in the film forming apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of part A in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic side view showing an example of an electrode structure of an electrode layer in the transport roller. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a front view of the conveying roller shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power supply unit in the film forming apparatus. [Figure 7] 7 is a timing chart showing changes in voltage supplied to each electrode portion of the transport roller shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 10 is a schematic side view showing another example of the electrode structure of the electrode layer in the transport roller. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a timing chart showing changes in voltage supplied to each electrode portion of the transport roller shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a timing chart showing another example of changes in voltage supplied to each electrode portion of the transport roller shown in FIG. 8. [Figure 11] 9 is a timing chart showing yet another example of changes in voltage supplied to each electrode portion of the transport roller shown in FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] 1 is a schematic diagram of a film formation apparatus 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The film formation apparatus 100 of this embodiment is configured as a roll-to-roll vacuum deposition apparatus.

[0022] [Basic configuration of film deposition equipment] The film forming apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes a vacuum chamber 10, a film forming unit 20, a film transport section 30, and a power supply section 40.

[0023] The vacuum chamber 10 is a sealed metal container connected to ground potential. The vacuum chamber 10 is connected to an exhaust line 13 having a vacuum pump 11 and a vacuum valve 12. The interior of the vacuum chamber 10 can be evacuated to or maintained at a predetermined reduced pressure by the exhaust line 13.

[0024] The vacuum chamber 10 houses the film forming unit 20 and the film transport section 30. A partition plate 14 is provided inside the vacuum chamber 10, and this partition plate 14 divides the inside of the vacuum chamber 10 into a film forming chamber 15 and a transport chamber 16.

[0025] The film forming unit 20 is disposed in the film forming chamber 15. In this embodiment, the film forming unit 20 is an evaporation source that evaporates any evaporation material. The film forming unit 20 generates vapor deposition particles that are deposited on the surface of the film F supported on the main roller 33 of the film transport section 30.

[0026] The film forming unit 20 has a heating mechanism for heating the evaporation material. Any heating mechanism such as resistance heating, induction heating, or electron beam heating can be used as the heating mechanism. In this embodiment, the evaporation material is lithium. However, other metal materials such as aluminum, copper, tin, and zinc, alloys of these, and oxides, nitrides, and fluorides of these metals can also be used.

[0027] The film transport section 30 is disposed in the transport chamber 16. The film transport section 30 has an unwinding roller 31 that continuously unwinds the film F, which is the base material, a take-up roller 32 that continuously winds up the film F unwound from the unwinding roller 31, and a main roller 33 (transport roller) that is disposed on the film transport path between the unwinding roller 31 and the take-up roller 32. The film transport section 30 further has a first auxiliary roller 34 that is disposed upstream of the main roller 33, and a second auxiliary roller 35 that is disposed downstream of the main roller 33.

[0028] Unwinding roller 31, winding roller 32, and main roller 33 each have a rotational drive unit and are configured to rotate at a predetermined speed in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure. This causes film F to be transported at a predetermined transport speed from unwinding roller 31 to winding roller 32 within vacuum chamber 10. Note that first auxiliary roller 34 and second auxiliary roller 35 are each configured as free rollers without rotational drive units, but the present invention is not limited to this and each may also have a rotational drive unit.

[0029] At least a portion of the main roller 33 faces the film-forming unit 20 through an opening 14a provided in the partition plate 14. The film F is transported toward the take-up roller 32 while being wrapped around the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33 at a predetermined wrap angle, and the surface area exposed to the film-forming chamber 15 through the opening 14a is subjected to film-forming by the film-forming unit 20. The partition plate 14 also functions as a mask member, and the opening 14a defines a film-forming area for the film F on the main roller 33. The film F is wound around the take-up roller 32 while a film is continuously formed in the longitudinal direction on the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33. A separate mask may be installed between the partition plate 14 and the film-forming unit 20.

[0030] The film F is a flexible metal foil such as copper foil or aluminum foil. Alternatively, the film F may be an insulating resin film made of, for example, OPP (oriented polypropylene), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PPS (polyphenylene sulfite), or PI (polyimide).

[0031] Furthermore, although not shown, a shutter capable of blocking the vapor flow of the evaporation material from reaching the film F supported on the main roller 33 from the film forming unit 20 may be disposed between the film forming unit 20 and the main roller 33. For example, by closing the shutter until the evaporation of the evaporation material in the film forming unit 20 stabilizes, such as at the beginning of film formation, the evaporation material can be deposited on the film F at a stable film formation rate.

[0032] Next, a detailed description will be given of the main roller 33. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the main roller 33, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of part A in Fig. 2.

[0033] The main roller 33 has a roller body 331 and an electrode layer 332 for electrostatic attraction.

[0034] The roller body 331 is rotatably disposed inside the vacuum chamber 10. The roller body 331 is made of a metal material such as stainless steel, iron, or aluminum, and is a cylindrical or columnar member configured as a support for supporting the film F. A temperature control unit such as a temperature control medium circulation system may be provided inside the roller body 331. As the heat medium circulated in the temperature control unit, for example, an organic medium with a high boiling point such as silicon oil can be used. As the refrigerant, water can be used. The size of the roller body 331 is not particularly limited, and typically, the width in the axial direction is set to be larger than the width of the film F.

[0035] In this embodiment, to prevent deformation of the film F due to heat radiation (heat flux) from the film-forming unit 20 or the sensible or latent heat of the vapor-deposited film (metal film), a refrigerant is circulated within the roller body 331 to cool the film F to a predetermined temperature or below, thereby suppressing the occurrence of wrinkles due to thermal deformation. In this way, the main roller 33 functions as a cooling roller.

[0036] A surface layer 330 that forms the outer peripheral surface of the conveying roller 33 is provided on the surface of the roller body 331. The surface layer 330 forms the outer peripheral surface 331a of the main roller 33 (roller body 331). The surface layer 330 is made of a dielectric material, and in this embodiment is a sprayed film formed on the surface of the roller body 331. Examples of dielectric materials that form the surface layer 330 include PBN, SiN, Al2O3, ZrO, MgO, SiO, CrO, CaO, and AlN. Furthermore, conductive or semiconductive materials such as titanium oxide, carbon, and SiC may be added to these dielectric materials.

[0037] The electrode layer 332 is an electrostatic attraction electrode embedded in the outer circumferential surface (surface layer 320) of the roller body 331. The electrode layer 332 is made of a metal layer such as aluminum, copper, iron, or an alloy thereof. The width of the electrode layer 332 along the width direction of the main roller 33 is formed to be larger than the width of the film F. When power is supplied to the electrode layer 332 from the power supply unit 40 (described later), the electrode layer 332 forms an electrostatic chuck mechanism that attracts the film F to the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33. This ensures the adhesion of the film F to the main roller 33 and suppresses deformation of the substrate (film F) and changes in the film formation characteristics.

[0038] Electrostatic chucks utilize several types of electrostatic attraction, including Coulomb force, Johnson-Rahbek force, and gradient force. Electrostatic chucks dominated by Coulomb force are capable of attracting objects by applying a high voltage. Electrostatic chucks dominated by Johnson-Rahbek force attract objects by adjusting the insulating properties of the dielectric layer (surface layer 330) to create a small current flow. Electrostatic chucks dominated by gradient force attract objects by utilizing the electric field generated between the positive and negative electrodes, which are arranged alternately and precisely. These electrostatic chucks are selected based on the characteristics and type of object, the operating environment, and other factors. For example, if the object is a conductor or semiconductor, a Coulomb type is used, while if the object is an insulator or semiconductor, a Johnson-Rahbek type or gradient type is used.

[0039] In a film formation method using electrostatic attraction between the main roller 33 and the film F as in this embodiment, if the tension of the film F is high when the film F is released from the main roller 33, wrinkles may occur in the film F. On the other hand, if the tension is too weak, the electrostatic attraction force between the main roller 33 and the film F cannot be overcome, and the film F cannot be released from the main roller 33. Furthermore, if the electrostatic attraction force is high when the film F begins to wrap around the main roller 33, the film F will stick to the main roller 33 in a wrinkled state. If the electrostatic attraction force between the main roller 33 and the film F is weakened to solve this problem, the film F may be deformed by heat during film formation, or film formation characteristics such as film quality and film distribution may change, and the original function of increasing the adhesion between the main roller 33 and the film F cannot be ensured.

[0040] In view of the above circumstances, in this embodiment, the electrode layer 332 is divided into multiple electrode portions E so that the electrostatic attraction force of the main roller 33 with respect to the film F can be adjusted for each region of the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33. As will be described later, the multiple electrode portions E are arranged along the circumferential direction or width direction of the main roller 33, or along both the circumferential direction and width direction.

[0041] The power supply unit 40 is for supplying power for electrostatic attraction to the electrode layer 30, and as shown in FIG.

[0042] The power supply circuit 41 supplies a predetermined power (voltage) to each electrode part constituting the electrode layer 332 via the relay unit 333. The main roller 33 has a plurality of wiring parts that connect each electrode part constituting the electrode layer 332 to the relay unit 333. The relay unit 333 is composed of, for example, a slip ring brush or a contactless power supply unit attached to the rotation shaft 33A of the main roller 33 (see FIG. 5).

[0043] The control unit 42 periodically and individually controls the magnitude of the power (voltage) supplied to each electrode part constituting the electrode part 332 in accordance with the rotation phase of the main roller 33. The rotation phase of the main roller 33 is detected by a rotation sensor 334 such as an encoder attached to the rotation shaft 33A of the main roller 33 (see FIG. 5).

[0044] [Power supply details] Next, the power supply unit 40 will be described in detail.

[0045] (Configuration example 1: electrode layer is divided in the circumferential direction of the main roller) Fig. 4 is a schematic side view of the main roller 33 illustrating the electrode structure of the electrode layer 332, Fig. 5 is a front view thereof, and Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the power supply unit 40. In this configuration example 1, a configuration example in which the electrode layer 33 is divided in the circumferential direction of the main roller 33 will be described.

[0046] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, in this configuration example 1, the electrode layer 332 is composed of eight electrode groups (first electrode groups) divided at 45° intervals along the circumferential direction of the main roller 33. For convenience, the electrode portions are referred to as electrode portions E1 to E8 in order along the rotation direction. The number of electrode portions E constituting the first electrode group is not limited to eight, and may be, for example, four or more. Furthermore, depending on the opening size of the mask, such as the opening 14a, and the embrace angle of the substrate, the electrode layer 332 may be divided into two or more portions.

[0047] The first electrode group E1 to E8 is divided into electrode portions (electrode portions E3, E4, E5, and E6 in the example of FIG. 4) that belong to a film-forming angle region (the region indicated by angle α in FIG. 4), which is an angular region of the outer peripheral surface of the main roller 33 that faces the film-forming unit 20, and electrode portions (electrode portions E1, E2, E7, and E8 in the example of FIG. 4) that belong to a non-film-forming angle region, which is an angular region of the outer peripheral surface of the main roller 33 other than the film-forming angle region.

[0048] The film-forming angular region is the range of irradiation of the evaporation material incident from the film-forming unit 20 through the opening 14a onto the main roller 33. In the example shown in FIG. 4, it is an arc-shaped region (with a central angle α) between two points b and c on the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33 (hereinafter also referred to as film-forming angular region bc). In this embodiment, an electrode portion at least partially present in the film-forming angular region bc is referred to as an electrode portion belonging to the film-forming angular region bc. In addition, the non-film-forming angular region is an arc-shaped region (with a central angle of (360°-α)) between four points c, d, a, and b on the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33 (hereinafter also referred to as non-film-forming angular region cb). In this embodiment, the electrode portion belonging to the non-film-forming region cb refers to an electrode portion other than the electrode portion belonging to the film-forming angular region bc.

[0049] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first electrode group E1 to E8 are divided into electrode portions belonging to the non-film-forming angle region cb (electrode portions E1, E2, E7, E8 in the example of Figure 4), electrode portions belonging to the substrate support region, which is the angle region of the outer peripheral surface of the main roller 33 that comes into contact with the film F (electrode portions E2, E7 in the example of Figure 4), and electrode portions belonging to the non-substrate support region, which is the angle region of the outer peripheral surface of the main roller 33 other than the substrate support region (electrode portions E1, E8 in the example of Figure 4).

[0050] As described above, the substrate support region is the region on the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33 that comes into contact with the film F in the non-film-forming angle region cb. In the example shown in Fig. 4, these regions are two arc-shaped regions between two points a and b and two points c and d on the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33 (hereinafter also referred to as the entrance-side substrate support region ab and the exit-side substrate support region cd). The entrance-side substrate support region ab is the region on the side where winding of the film F around the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33 begins, and the exit-side substrate support region cd is the region on the side where the film F separates from the outer circumferential surface. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the non-substrate support region is the arc-shaped region (33w) (at a central angle β) between two points d and a on the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33 (hereinafter also referred to as the non-substrate support region da).

[0051] Of course, the film-forming angle region bc, the non-film-forming angle region cb, the entrance-side substrate supporting region ab, the exit-side substrate supporting region cd, and the non-substrate supporting region da are unchanging regions that do not depend on the rotation of the main roller 33, and their sizes (ranges) are determined according to the diameter of the main roller 33, the distance between the main roller 33 and the film-forming unit 20, the opening width of the opening 14a, the positions of the auxiliary rollers 34 and 35, etc.

[0052] As shown in Fig. 6, the power supply circuit 41 has a switching circuit 411 and a power supply circuit 412. For convenience, the switching circuit 411 is shown here as a plurality of switches connected to each of the electrodes E1 to E8. The switching circuit 411 switches between supplying and cutting off power to each of the electrodes E1 to E8 in accordance with the rotation phase (0° to 360°) of the main roller 33, based on a control command from the control unit 42. The power supply circuit 412 is a circuit that adjusts the magnitude of the power (voltage) supplied to each of the electrodes E1 to E8 via the switching circuit 411, based on a control command from the control unit 42.

[0053] As will be described later, the switching circuit 411 may be disposed as part of the main roller 33, for example, inside the roller body 331. Similarly, the control unit 42 may be disposed as part of the main roller 33, for example, inside the roller body 331.

[0054] The control unit 42 is realized by hardware elements used in a computer, including a processing element such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), as well as necessary software. The control unit 42 periodically and individually controls the magnitude of power supplied to the plurality of electrode units E1 to E8 in accordance with the rotation phase of the main roller 33.

[0055] 7 is a timing chart showing the change in voltage supplied to each of the electrode portions E1 to E8, in which the vertical axis indicates the magnitude of the voltage and the horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle along the rotation direction of the main roller 33.

[0056] Here, the 12 o'clock direction (upward) of the main roller 33 in Figure 4 is defined as 0°, and the range from -22.5° (337.5°) to 22.5° corresponds to the non-substrate supporting area da, the range from 22.5° to 112.5° corresponds to the entrance-side substrate supporting area ab, the range from 112.5° to 247.5° corresponds to the film formation angle area bc, and the range from 247.5° to 337.5° corresponds to the exit-side substrate supporting area cd.

[0057] In this embodiment, a voltage of 2 kV is applied to the electrode parts belonging to the film-forming angular region bc, a voltage of 1 kV is applied to the electrode parts belonging to the entrance-side substrate-supporting region ab and the exit-side substrate-supporting region cd, and a voltage of 0 kV is applied to the electrode parts belonging to the non-substrate-supporting region da. Note that the magnitude of the voltage in each region is not limited to this and can be set arbitrarily.

[0058] As shown in Figure 7, the control unit 42 is configured to supply more power to the electrode parts (electrode parts E3 to E6 in Figure 4) of the first electrode group (electrode parts E1 to E8) belonging to the film formation angle region bc than to the electrode parts (E1, E2, E7, E8 in Figure 4) belonging to the non-film formation angle region cb.

[0059] This ensures a large electrostatic attraction force between the main roller 33 and the film F in the film formation angle region bc, thereby suppressing deformation of the substrate and changes in film formation characteristics due to heat radiation (heat flux) from the film formation unit 20. Furthermore, because the electrostatic attraction force in the exit-side substrate support region cd is smaller than that in the film formation angle region bc, the film F can be stably released from the main roller 33 without causing wrinkles in the film F. Similarly, because the electrostatic attraction force in the entrance-side substrate support region ab is smaller than that in the film formation angle region bc, the film F can be properly attached to the main roller 33 without causing wrinkles in the film F.

[0060] Furthermore, control unit 42 is configured to supply less power to the electrode units (E1 and E8 in FIG. 4) belonging to the non-substrate supporting region da than to the electrode units (E2 and E7 in FIG. 4) belonging to the entrance-side substrate supporting region ab and the exit-side substrate supporting region cd. This creates a gradient in the electrostatic attraction force between the entrance-side substrate supporting region ab and the non-substrate supporting region da, and between the exit-side substrate supporting region cd and the non-substrate supporting region da, allowing film F to make contact with and separate from main roller 33 more smoothly.

[0061] In particular, in this embodiment, the power supplied to the electrode portions (E1 and E8 in FIG. 4) belonging to the non-substrate supporting region da is set to zero, which makes it possible to eliminate static electricity from the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33 in the non-substrate supporting region da. This allows for more stable contact of the film F with the main roller 33 in the inlet-side substrate supporting region ab.

[0062] (Configuration example 2: The electrode layer is divided into the circumferential direction and width direction of the main roller) 8 is a schematic front view of the main roller 33 illustrating the electrode structure of the electrode layer 332, and a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the power supply unit 40. In this configuration example 2, a configuration example in which the electrode layer 33 is divided in the circumferential direction and width direction of the main roller 33 will be described.

[0063] In this configuration example 2, each electrode portion is formed by a first electrode group divided in the circumferential direction of the main roller 33 and a second electrode group divided in the width direction of the main roller 33. In this configuration example, the first electrode group (E1 to E8) divided into eight in the circumferential direction of the main roller 33 is further divided into three in the width direction of the main roller 33 to form the second electrode group.

[0064] 8, the second electrode group has central electrode portions (E1a, E2a, . . . , E8a) located at the center in the width direction of the main roller 33, and outer electrode portions (E1b, E2b, . . . , E8b) located on both sides of the central electrode portions in the width direction. Here, the number of divisions in the width direction of each of the electrode portions E1 to E8 is three, but it is not limited to this and may be four or more.

[0065] The switching circuits 411 are connected to the respective electrode portions E1a,b to E8a,b, and switch between supplying and cutting off power to the respective electrode portions E1a,b to E8a,b in accordance with the rotational phase (0° to 360°) of the main roller 33, based on a control command from the control unit 42. The power supply circuit 412 adjusts the magnitude of the power (voltage) supplied to the respective electrode portions E1a,b to E8a,b via the switching circuits 411, based on a control command from the control unit 42.

[0066] 9 is a timing chart showing changes in the voltage supplied to each of the electrode portions E1a,b to E8a,b. In this diagram, as in FIG. 7, the vertical axis represents the magnitude of the voltage, and the horizontal axis represents the rotation angle along the rotation direction of the main roller 33.

[0067] 9, the control unit 42 is configured so that the power supplied to the central electrode portions E1a-E8a is greater than the power supplied to the outer electrode portions E1b-E8b. By making the electrostatic attraction force acting on the central portion of the width direction of the film F greater than the electrostatic attraction force acting on both ends in the width direction, the occurrence of wrinkles at both ends of the film F can be suppressed, and the entire surface of the film F can be brought into close contact with the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33, effectively suppressing thermal deformation. Note that the magnitude of the voltage supplied to each electrode portion is not limited to this and can be set arbitrarily.

[0068] 8, the central electrode portions E1a to E8a may be formed in a V-shape with an apex P that protrudes in the direction of rotation of the main roller 33. This increases the electrostatic adsorption force from the center of the film F toward the outside when the film F is brought into contact with the main roller 33 in the entrance-side substrate support region ab, for example, and further reduces the occurrence of wrinkles in the film F on the main roller 33. The shape of the apex is not limited to a V-shape and may be other shapes such as a U-shape.

[0069] Alternatively, for example, the voltage applied to each electrode portion may be controlled so that the voltage gradually increases from the central electrode portion toward the outer electrode portion as the film F moves in the direction of travel in the entrance-side substrate support region ab. This method can also achieve the same effects as the electrode shape shown in FIG. 8 , and the greater the number of electrode divisions in the width direction, the greater the degree of freedom in adjusting the voltage gradient from the central portion toward the outer portion. Furthermore, this method can also be applied to, for example, a case where film formation is performed by reversing the rotation directions of the unwinding roller 31, the winding roller 32, and the main roller 33. In this case, the exit-side substrate support region cd shown in FIG. 4 becomes the entrance-side substrate region, and the voltage applied to each electrode portion in this region may be controlled so that the voltage gradually increases from the central electrode portion toward the outer electrode portion, as described above.

[0070] Furthermore, in this configuration example, as in the above-described configuration example 1, the power supplied to the electrode units belonging to the film-forming angular region bc is configured to be greater than the power supplied to the electrode units belonging to the non-film-forming angular region cb. This ensures a large electrostatic attraction force between the main roller 33 and the film F in the film-forming angular region bc, thereby suppressing deformation of the substrate (film F) and changes in film formation characteristics due to heat radiation (heat flux) from the film-forming unit 20. Furthermore, because the electrostatic attraction force in the exit-side substrate support region cd is smaller than that in the film-forming angular region bc, the film F can be stably released from the main roller 33 without causing wrinkles in the film F. Similarly, because the electrostatic attraction force in the entrance-side substrate support region ab is smaller than that in the film-forming angular region bc, the film F can be properly attached to the main roller 33 without causing wrinkles in the film F.

[0071] (Configuration example 3: reverse bias) 10 and 11 are timing charts showing another example of changes in voltage supplied to each of the electrode portions E1a,b to E8a,b. In this configuration example, the control unit 42 is configured to supply power of a first polarity (positive voltage) that generates an adsorptive force on the film F to the electrode portion (E2 in FIG. 4) belonging to the entrance-side substrate support region ab, and to supply power of a second polarity (negative voltage) opposite to the first polarity to the electrode portion (E7 in FIG. 4) belonging to the exit-side substrate support region cd.

[0072] In this way, by applying a voltage of the opposite polarity (reverse bias) to the exit side substrate support area cd compared to the entrance side substrate support area ab, it is possible to remove the charge remaining in the exit side substrate support area cd on the main roller 33, thereby making it easier to remove the film F from the exit side substrate support area cd.

[0073] The magnitude (absolute value) and application period of the reverse bias input to the exit-side substrate supporting region cd are not particularly limited. For example, the magnitude (absolute value) of the reverse bias may be the same as the voltage (1 kV) of the entrance-side substrate supporting region ab, or may be a voltage approximately half that magnitude (-0.5 kV) as shown in Figure 10. Furthermore, the application period of the reverse bias may be the same as the voltage application time of the entrance-side substrate supporting region ab, or may be half that period as shown in Figure 11.

[0074] The electrode portions to which the reverse bias is applied include not only the central electrode portions E1a to E8a but also the outer electrode portions E1b to E8b. In this case, the magnitude of the reverse bias input to the outer electrode portions E1b to E8b may be the same as that of the central electrode portions E1a to E8a, or may be smaller than that.

[0075] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and that various modifications can be made.

[0076] For example, in the above embodiment, the number of electrode portions (first electrode group) arranged in the circumferential direction of the main roller 33 is eight, but this number may be increased. This allows the electrostatic adsorption force of the main roller 33 to the film F to be adjusted more finely for each region of the outer circumferential surface of the main roller 33.

[0077] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the film forming unit 20 is an evaporation source for vacuum deposition, but instead, a sputtering target may be used.

[0078] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the film-forming angular region bc is the region where a high voltage (e.g., 2 kV in FIG. 7) is applied, but the film-forming angular region and the high-voltage application region do not have to completely coincide. For example, a high voltage may be applied to a region slightly wider than the film-forming angular region, and the applied voltage may be reduced after the substrate has sufficiently cooled. Alternatively, if the film-forming angular region is very wide (or the heat input is not so great), the application of the high voltage may be terminated in a region slightly narrower than the film-forming angular region, allowing the substrate to safely separate from the main roller.

[0079] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the power supply unit 40 is disposed outside the vacuum chamber 10, but this is not limiting, and for example, the power supply circuit 41 that constitutes the power supply unit 40 may be disposed inside the main roller 33. Similarly, the control unit 42 that constitutes the power supply unit 40 may also be disposed inside the main roller 33. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 10...Vacuum chamber 14a...Opening 20...Film forming unit 33...Main roller (transport roller) 40…Power supply section 42...Control unit 100...Film deposition equipment 332...electrode layer

Claims

1. a vacuum chamber; a conveying roller having a roller body that is rotatably disposed inside the vacuum chamber and supports a film-like substrate, and an electrode layer for electrostatic attraction that is provided on a circumferential surface of the roller body; a film-forming unit that generates vapor deposition particles to be deposited on the surface of the substrate supported by the transport roller; a power supply unit that supplies power to the electrode layer; Equipped with the electrode layer is divided into a plurality of electrode portions arranged along at least one of a circumferential direction and a width direction of the conveying roller, The power supply unit has a control unit that periodically and individually controls the magnitude of the power supplied to the plurality of electrode units in accordance with the rotation phase of the conveying roller. Film deposition equipment.

2. 2. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, the plurality of electrode portions include a first electrode group that is an electrode portion arranged along a circumferential direction of the conveyance roller, The control unit increases the power supplied to the electrode portions of the first electrode group that belong to a film-forming angular region, which is an angular region of the outer circumferential surface of the conveying roller that faces the film-forming unit, compared to the power supplied to the electrode portions that belong to a non-film-forming angular region, which is an angular region of the outer circumferential surface other than the film-forming angular region. Film deposition equipment.

3. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, the plurality of electrode portions include a second electrode group having a central electrode portion located at the center of the conveying roller in the width direction and outer electrode portions located on both sides of the central electrode portion in the width direction, The control unit controls the power supplied to the central electrode portion to be greater than the power supplied to the outer electrode portion. Film deposition equipment.

4. 4. The film forming apparatus according to claim 3, The central electrode portion has a top portion that protrudes in the direction of rotation of the conveying roller. Film deposition equipment.

5. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, The control unit reduces the power supplied to the electrode parts belonging to the non-substrate supporting area, which is an angular area of ​​the outer circumferential surface of the conveying roller other than the substrate supporting area, compared to the power supplied to the electrode parts belonging to the non-film-forming angular area, which is an angular area of ​​the outer circumferential surface of the conveying roller that comes into contact with the substrate. Film deposition equipment.

6. 6. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5, the substrate support region has an entrance-side substrate support region, which is a region on the side where winding of the substrate around the outer peripheral surface of the conveying roller starts, and an exit-side substrate support region, which is a region on the side where the substrate is released from the outer peripheral surface, The control unit supplies, to the electrode portion belonging to the entrance-side substrate supporting region, power of a first polarity that generates an attraction force on the substrate, and supplies, to the electrode portion belonging to the exit-side substrate supporting region, power of a second polarity opposite to the first polarity. Film deposition equipment.

7. 6. The film forming apparatus according to claim 5, The control unit controls the power supplied to the electrode portion belonging to the non-substrate supporting region to zero. Film deposition equipment.

8. 3. The film forming apparatus according to claim 2, The first electrode group is formed of four or more electrode portions. Film deposition equipment.

9. a roller body rotatably disposed inside the vacuum chamber and supporting a film-like substrate; an electrode layer for electrostatic attraction provided on the peripheral surface of the roller body; a power supply unit that supplies power to the electrode layer; Equipped with the electrode layer is divided into a plurality of electrode portions arranged along at least one of the circumferential direction and the width direction of the roller body, The power supply unit periodically and individually controls the magnitude of the power supplied to the plurality of electrode units in accordance with the rotation phase of the roller body based on a control command from a control unit. Conveying roller.

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