Vacuum Processing Equipment

Abstract

To provide a vacuum processing device capable of continuously carrying out a vacuum processing process during a supply or discharge process, thereby achieving continuous vacuum processing without interruption. The vacuum process apparatus is designed to have multiple chambers, such as a process chamber 20, a supply chamber 10, and an exhaust chamber 30. When a first internal valve 42 and a second internal valve 43 associated therebetween are closed, the vacuum level of the process chamber is higher than the vacuum levels of the supply chamber and the exhaust chamber. This allows the supply chamber and the exhaust chamber to perform supply or exhaust while maintaining the vacuum level of the process chamber at a level required for the process.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a process device, and more particularly to a vacuum process device that is applicable to vacuum processing and is capable of performing processing and production continuously without interruption. [Background technology]

[0002] Vacuum is a state of matter where the pressure is less than atmospheric pressure. With the advancement of science and technology, the configuration of a process chamber having a certain level of vacuum has been widely applied to various fields, such as detection devices such as Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), thin film deposition devices, and even processes such as lithography and etching, and can reduce contaminants in non-vacuum environments, such as moisture, dust, or gas in the workpiece, thereby obtaining favorable detection or product accuracy and yield.

[0003] If you want to maintain a vacuum state in a process, you need to place the workpiece in the vacuum device, evacuate it to a vacuum state, and then process it. After completing one cycle of processing, you need to stop the machine and perform loading and unloading, and then continue with procedures such as evacuation and processing. However, not only does it take time and energy to evacuate, but it also requires stopping the machine to load and unload, which reduces the overall production capacity and operating rate of the vacuum process. In addition, it is necessary to evacuate the process equipment by consuming a considerable amount of extra energy, which significantly increases the cost of the entire process.

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE In view of the above, the present invention provides a novel vacuum process apparatus to address the above-mentioned shortcomings. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The main object of the present invention is to provide a vacuum process device that can perform vacuum process processing continuously without stopping, effectively improving the operating rate of the vacuum process, and significantly reducing the manufacturing costs of the vacuum process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention provides a vacuum process apparatus including a supply chamber, a process chamber and a first exhaust chamber. A first supply device is provided in the supply chamber. The process chamber is connected to the supply chamber via a first internal valve that can be opened and closed. A second supply device, a first exhaust device, and a processing area installed between the second supply device and the first exhaust device are provided in the process chamber. The first exhaust chamber is connected to the process chamber via a second internal valve that can be opened and closed. A second exhaust device is provided in the first exhaust chamber. The second supply device has at least two replaceable supply area work receivers, and when a workpiece to be processed is attached to one supply area work receiver and input into the processing area, the other supply area work receiver holds or receives another workpiece to be processed that is transferred and carried in from the first supply device via the first internal valve. The first discharge device has at least two replaceable discharge area work receivers, and when one discharge area work receiver receives a processed workpiece or waste processed in the processing area, the other discharge area work receiver transfers the processed workpiece or waste it carries to the second discharge device via the second internal valve, and when the first internal valve and the second internal valve are closed, the vacuum degree of the process chamber is higher than the vacuum degrees of the supply chamber and the first discharge chamber.

[0007] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail using specific embodiments, so that the objectives, technical contents, characteristics and effects achieved by the present invention can be easily understood. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a vacuum processing device according to the present invention; [Figure 2A]2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a supply processing process in the vacuum processing device of the present invention; [Figure 2B] 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a supply processing process in the vacuum processing device of the present invention; [Figure 2C] 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a supply processing process in the vacuum processing device of the present invention; [Figure 2D] 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a supply processing process in the vacuum processing device of the present invention; [Figure 3A] 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the processing completion and exhaust process in the vacuum processing device of the present invention; [Figure 3B] 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the processing completion and exhaust process in the vacuum processing device of the present invention; [Figure 3C] 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the processing completion and exhaust process in the vacuum processing device of the present invention; [Figure 3D] 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the processing completion and exhaust process in the vacuum processing device of the present invention; [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a vacuum processing apparatus in accordance with the present invention; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] In order to make the advantages, spirit and features of the present invention easier and clearer to understand, the present invention will be described in detail and discussed below with reference to the drawings using examples. It should be clear that these examples are merely representative examples of the present invention, and do not limit the scope of the present invention and claims to be limited only to the aspects of these examples. These examples are merely provided for the purpose of making the disclosure of the present invention clearer and easier to understand.

[0010] The terms used in the various embodiments disclosed in the present invention are merely intended to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the various embodiments disclosed in the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise clearly indicated, the singular form used includes the plural form. In addition, unless otherwise limited, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the various embodiments disclosed in the present invention. In addition, unless otherwise clearly limited in the various embodiments disclosed in the present invention, the above terms (e.g., terms limited in a commonly used dictionary) are interpreted to have the same meaning as the contextual meaning in the same technical field, and are not interpreted as idealized meanings or overly formal meanings.

[0011] In the present specification, the description of "an embodiment", "a specific embodiment", etc. means that the combination of the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Also, in the present specification, general descriptions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. And the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments.

[0012] Please refer to FIG. 1. The vacuum process apparatus disclosed in the present invention includes a supply chamber 10, a process chamber 20, and a first exhaust chamber 30. A first supply device 11 is provided in the supply chamber 10. The supply chamber 10 has an openable supply valve 41 that communicates with the outside. The process chamber 20 communicates with the supply chamber 10, and the two are connected to each other by an openable first internal valve 42. A second supply device 21, a first exhaust device 23, and a processing area 22 disposed between the second supply device 21 and the first exhaust device 23 are provided in the process chamber 20. The first exhaust chamber 30 communicates with another side of the process chamber 20, and the two are connected to each other by an openable second internal valve 43. A second exhaust device 31 is provided in the first exhaust chamber 30. The first exhaust chamber 30 has an openable first exhaust valve 44 that communicates with the outside.

[0013] In actual operation, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A. First, the supply valve 41 is opened. At this time, the first internal valve 42 between the supply chamber 10 and the process chamber 20 is kept in a closed state. Next, the workpiece 71 to be machined is placed from the supply valve 41 to the first supply device 11. After placement, the supply valve 41 is closed, and the inside of the supply chamber 10 is evacuated using the vacuum exhaust module 101, so that the degree of vacuum inside the supply chamber 10 is made to be close to or equal to the degree of vacuum inside the process chamber 20. Then, the first internal valve 42 between the supply chamber 10 and the process chamber 20 is opened. Here, please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2B together. At this time, the workpiece 71 to be machined is transferred to the second supply device 21 by utilizing the characteristic of the first supply device 11 that it can move between the supply valve 41 and the first internal valve 42 (see FIG. 2C). Here, to be particularly described, the movement of the first supply device 11 is not limited to back and forth or left and right, but may be vertical up and down movement. And the first supply device 11 is disposed in the supply chamber 10 together with the moving mechanism.

[0014] Please refer to FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D. The second supply device 21 has at least two replaceable supply area work receivers 211. That is, after the right supply area work receiver 211 receives the workpiece 71 to be processed, it can be replaced to the left position and put into the processing area 22 for processing. At this time, the right supply area work receiver 211 becomes empty and can hold or receive another workpiece 71 to be processed that is delivered and carried in from the first supply device 11 via the first internal valve 42. The above-mentioned replacement method can be rotation, movement, transportation, etc., and is not particularly limited here. In addition, although only two supply area work receivers 211 are shown in the drawings, in reality, the number may be increased as necessary. In addition, in the processing process, the process chamber 20 maintains the vacuum degree required for the processing process from start to finish by the vacuum exhaust module 201.

[0015] Please refer to Figures 3A and 3B. The first discharge device 23 has at least two replaceable discharge area work receivers 231. As shown in the figure, the right discharge area work receiver 231 can receive the processed workpiece 72 or waste processed in the processing area 22, and then move it to the left discharge area work receiver 231 to replace it. At this time, the right discharge area work receiver 231 can continue to receive the next processed workpiece 72 or waste processed in the processing area 22. Also, as shown in Figure 3C, the inside of the first discharge chamber 30 is evacuated using the vacuum exhaust module 301, so that the vacuum degree inside the first discharge chamber 30 is made to be close to or equal to the vacuum degree inside the process chamber 20. Then, the openable second internal valve 43 between the first discharge chamber 30 and the process chamber 20 is opened. At this time, the second discharge device 31 receives the machined workpiece 72 or waste on the left discharge area work receiver 231 in the first discharge device 23 by utilizing the characteristic of the second discharge device 31 being movable between the first discharge valve 44 and the second internal valve 43. The movement of the second discharge device 31 is not limited to forward / backward or left / right, but may be vertically up / down. In addition, the second discharge device 31 is provided in the first discharge chamber 30 together with the moving mechanism. In other words, referring to Figs. 3B to 3D, the left discharge area work receiver 231 in the first discharge device 23 can deliver the machined workpiece 72 or waste it carries to the second discharge device 31 via the second internal valve 43. After the machined workpiece 72 or waste is delivered to the second discharge device 31 via the second internal valve 43, the second internal valve 43 is closed again, and then the first discharge valve 44 is opened, so that the machined workpiece 72 or waste is carried out to the outside via the first discharge valve 44.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the supply area work receiver 211 of the second supply device 21 throws the workpiece 71 to be processed into the processing area 22 and processes it. The processed workpiece 72 or waste is received by the discharge area work receiver 231 of the first discharge device 23. At the same time, after the first supply device 11 of the supply chamber 10 receives the new workpiece 71 to be processed, the supply valve 41 is controlled to be closed. Then, the supply chamber 10 is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust module 101, and the first internal valve 42 is controlled to be opened, thereby supplying the new workpiece 71 to the other supply area work receiver 211 of the second supply device 21 (i.e., the right side in the figure). Therefore, when a workpiece 71 to be processed is attached to one supply area work receiver 211 (left side in the figure) and placed into the processing area 22, the other supply area work receiver (right side in the figure) holds or receives another workpiece 71 to be processed that is handed over and transported from the first supply device 11 via the first internal valve 42.

[0017] Similarly, for the first discharge chamber 30, the second internal valve 43 is controlled to be opened after the first discharge chamber 30 is evacuated by the vacuum exhaust module 301. This allows the second discharge device 31 to receive the machined work 72 or waste on the discharge area work receiver 231 of the first discharge device 23. At this time, the machined work 72 or waste is received by the discharge area work receiver 231 on the left side in the figure, so the discharge area work receiver 231 on the right side can operate normally and receive the next machined work 72 or waste machined in the processing area 22. In other words, when one discharge area work receiver 231 (on the right side in the figure) receives the machined work 72 or waste machined in the processing area 22, the other discharge area work receiver 231 (on the left side in the figure) delivers the machined work 72 or waste it carries to the second discharge device 31 via the second internal valve 43. After the second discharge device 31 receives the machined workpiece 72 or waste, the second internal valve 43 is closed and the first discharge valve 44 is controlled to open, and then the machined workpiece 72 or waste is removed.

[0018] Therefore, as is clear from the above description, the processing area 22 of the process chamber 20 performs processing continuously and does not stop due to loading and unloading, so that the purpose of processing continuously and producing without stopping is achieved. valve The first internal valve 41 and the first exhaust valve 42 open and close asynchronously, and the first exhaust valve 44 and the second internal valve 43 open and close asynchronously. In other words, when the first internal valve 42 and the second internal valve 43 are closed, the degree of vacuum in the process chamber 20 is higher than the degree of vacuum in the supply chamber 10 and the first exhaust chamber 30. As a result, during supply and exhaust, it is only necessary to evacuate the supply chamber 10 or the first exhaust chamber 30, and it is not necessary to evacuate the entire vacuum process apparatus, so that the time and energy consumed for evacuation can be significantly reduced, and the process cost can be effectively reduced.

[0019] Also, please refer to FIG. 4. The processing area 22 may further include a cutting device 51. The cutting device 51 cuts the processed workpiece 72 according to the dimensional standard to obtain a sheet-like part 73. The processing area 22 also includes a receiving box 24, which receives the sheet-like part 73 cut by the cutting device 51. Since this is a processed finished product of a different form, the processing area 22 may further include a second discharge chamber 60 for discharging the sheet-like part 73. The second discharge chamber 60 communicates with the process chamber 20. In addition, a third discharge device 61 is provided in the second discharge chamber 60. The third discharge device 61 is used to receive the sheet-like part 73 from the receiving box 24. In this case, the first discharge device 23 is designed to receive waste after cutting the processed workpiece 72.

[0020] The second exhaust chamber 60 further includes an openable third internal valve 45 disposed between the process chamber 20 and the second exhaust chamber 60. The sheet-like part 73 is delivered from the process chamber 20 to the third exhaust device 61 via the third internal valve 45. The second exhaust chamber 60 further includes an openable second exhaust valve 46 for carrying out the sheet-like part 73 and delivering it to the outside of the vacuum process device. In terms of process control, the second exhaust chamber 60 is similar to the first exhaust chamber 30 described above. When the third internal valve 45 is closed, the second exhaust chamber 60 is evacuated using the vacuum pumping module 601 until the vacuum level inside is close to or equal to the vacuum level inside the process chamber 20. Then, the third internal valve 45 is opened, and the sheet-like part 73 is received by the third exhaust device 61. Next, the third internal valve 45 is controlled to be closed, and then the sheet-like part 73 is delivered to the outside of the second exhaust chamber 60 by the second exhaust valve 46. Therefore, the second exhaust valve 46 and the third internal valve 45 open and close asynchronously. As a result, when the first internal valve 42 and the third internal valve 45 are closed, the degree of vacuum in the process chamber 20 becomes higher than the degree of vacuum in the supply chamber 10 and the second exhaust chamber 60.

[0021] The vacuum processing device of the present application can be applied to thin-film coating manufacturing processes. For example, the processing area can be used to coat the electrode layer of a battery or related assemblies, utilizing the vacuum environment to reduce air bubbles generated during the coating process, air bubbles in the paste, or contamination of the environment. However, this is merely an example, and the present application cannot be limited to use only in thin-film coating processes. In addition, the above-mentioned workpieces to be processed, processed workpieces, or waste materials can be in sheet or roll form, or can be combined or mixed. For example, the workpieces to be processed are rolled materials, the processed workpieces are in sheet form, and the waste materials are rolled materials.

[0022] In summary, the present invention utilizes the design of the supply chamber, process chamber and discharge chamber, and combines the control of internal and external valves to control the vacuum state of each chamber, thereby achieving the purpose of evacuating each area and supplying and discharging the workpieces. This makes it possible to realize continuous vacuum process processing without stopping the line, thereby providing a vacuum process apparatus that greatly improves production capacity and operating rate and effectively reduces manufacturing costs of the vacuum process.

[0023] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent changes or modifications made based on the features and spirit described in the claims of the present utility model are intended to be included in the scope of the claims of the present utility model. [Explanation of symbols]

[0024] 10 Supply Chamber 101 Vacuum Exhaust Module 11 1st supply device 20 Process Chamber 201 Vacuum Exhaust Module 21 Second supply device 211 Supply area work receiver 22 Processing Area 23 1st discharge device 231 Discharge Area Work Receiver 24 Receiving Box 30 First exhaust chamber 301 Vacuum Exhaust Module 31 2nd discharge device 41 Supply valve 42 First internal valve 43 Second internal valve 44 First discharge valve 45 Third internal valve 46 Second discharge valve 51 Cutting device 60 Second exhaust chamber 601 Vacuum Exhaust Module 61 Third discharge device 71 Workpiece to be processed 72 Machined Workpiece 73 Sheet-like parts

Claims

1. 1. A vacuum process apparatus comprising: a supply chamber in which the first supply device is disposed; a process chamber connected to the supply chamber via a first internal valve that can be opened and closed, the process chamber including a second supply device, a first discharge device, and a processing area disposed between the second supply device and the first discharge device; a first exhaust chamber connected to the process chamber via a second internal valve that can be opened and closed, and having a second exhaust device disposed therein; The second supply device has at least two replaceable supply area work receivers, and when a workpiece to be processed is attached to one of the supply area work receivers and input into the processing area, the other supply area work receiver holds or receives another workpiece to be processed that is delivered and carried in from the first supply device via the first internal valve; The first discharge device has at least two replaceable discharge area work receivers, and when one of the discharge area work receivers receives a processed work or waste processed in the processing area, the other discharge area work receiver transfers the processed work or waste carried thereon to the second discharge device via the second internal valve; A vacuum process apparatus, wherein when the first internal valve and the second internal valve are closed, the degree of vacuum in the process chamber is greater than the degree of vacuum in the supply chamber and the first exhaust chamber.

2. 2. The vacuum process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the supply chamber has an openable and closable supply valve, and the workpiece to be machined is placed on the first supply device via the supply valve.

3. The vacuum process apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first supply device is capable of transferring the workpiece to be machined to the second supply device by moving between the supply valve and the first internal valve.

4. 3. The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 2, wherein said supply valve and said first internal valve open and close asynchronously.

5. 2. The vacuum process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first exhaust chamber has a first exhaust valve that can be opened and closed, and the processed workpiece or waste is discharged from the first exhaust chamber by the second exhaust device via the first exhaust valve.

6. 6. The vacuum process apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the second discharge device is capable of receiving the processed workpiece or waste of the first discharge device by moving between the first discharge valve and the second internal valve.

7. 6. The vacuum process apparatus of claim 5, wherein said first exhaust valve and said second internal valve open and close asynchronously.

8. 2. The vacuum process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing area further includes a cutting device for cutting the processed workpiece into sheet-like parts as required by dimensional standards.

9. 9. The vacuum processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processing area further includes a receiving box for receiving the sheet-like parts.

10. The vacuum process apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a second discharge chamber communicating with the process chamber, a third discharge device provided within the second discharge chamber, the third discharge device receiving the sheet-like parts from the receiving box, and the first discharge device receiving the waste material after cutting the processed workpiece.

11. 11. The vacuum process apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second exhaust chamber further includes a third internal valve that can be opened and closed and is disposed between the process chamber and the second exhaust chamber, and the sheet-like part is transferred from the process chamber to the third exhaust chamber via the third internal valve.

12. The vacuum process apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second exhaust chamber further includes an openable / closable second exhaust valve for transferring the sheet-like part to the outside of the vacuum process apparatus, and the second exhaust valve and the third internal valve open and close asynchronously.

13. 2. The vacuum process apparatus according to claim 1, wherein either the workpiece to be machined and the machined workpiece or the waste material is a roll material.

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