Coating equipment and its applications

Abstract

The present invention provides a coating apparatus for coating the surface of a substrate, the apparatus comprising a raw material supply device and an apparatus main body, and its applications. The raw material supply device is connected to the apparatus main body and includes a gas supply device connected to the apparatus main body for delivering a gaseous gas raw material to the apparatus main body, and a liquid supply device connected to the apparatus main body for delivering a gasified gas raw material to the apparatus main body, and the apparatus main body produces a film from the gas raw material. The same coating apparatus can produce a variety of films or film layers with different performances or types on the surface of the substrate.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of coatings, and more particularly to a coating device capable of producing films and its applications. [Background technology]

[0002] With the development of electronic products, coating processes have become indispensable for improving various performance characteristics of electronic products, such as strength, scratch resistance, abrasion resistance, heat dissipation, waterproofness, corrosion resistance, and low friction. By applying a waterproof film or waterproof nanofilm layer to the surface of an electronic device using this coating process, the waterproofness of the electronic product can be effectively improved, as exemplified by waterproof electronic products currently on the market, such as waterproof watches and waterproof mobile phones. When the waterproof electronic product is immersed in water, the waterproof film or waterproof nanofilm layer can effectively prevent short circuits in the internal circuitry and external interfaces, such as USB ports and charging ports, and prevent corrosion of the circuit board or electronic components caused by water.

[0003] Substrates that require such a film layer include PCB circuit boards, electronic devices, mobile phones, keyboards, computers, etc. The type and performance of the film (or film layer) manufactured on the surface of the substrate vary depending on the type of substrate and application environment. For example, current 5G mobile phones, especially full-screen or curved full-screen mobile phones and flexible screen mobile phones, require high light transmittance, high hardness, abrasion resistance, and drop resistance, so the film manufactured for the screen or cover plate of such 5G mobile phones must satisfy performance such as high light transmittance, high hardness, abrasion resistance, or drop resistance.

[0004] Diamond-like carbon films (DLC films) are expected to be widely used in many fields due to their high hardness, low coefficient of friction, high wear resistance, good chemical stability, thermal conductivity, electrical insulation, optical transparency, and biocompatibility. DLC films have the advantages of low deposition temperatures, large deposition areas, simple deposition conditions, and flat, smooth film surfaces during the manufacturing process. Therefore, they are widely used in applications requiring low deposition temperatures and low surface roughness, such as protective films for computer hard drives and disks. Taking advantage of DLC films' high hardness, low coefficient of friction, and good wear resistance, they can be used as mechanical friction-reducing and wear-resistant protective coatings for blade coatings, magnetic media protective films, and space lubricants. Furthermore, DLC films' high breakdown voltage and high heat conductivity enable their use in high-temperature environments and high-power devices.

[0005] When manufacturing large-scale integrated circuits (ULSI) chips, DLC films can be used as masks for lithography circuit boards to prevent mechanical damage to the surface caused by repeated contact during handling, and also to enhance resistance to mechanical and chemical corrosion. Furthermore, DLC films have relatively low dielectric strength and dielectric constant, making them easy to deposit on large substrates. Therefore, they are expected to replace SiO2 as the dielectric material for next-generation integrated circuits. Furthermore, DLC films have low electron affinity and are excellent cold-cathode field-emission materials, making them suitable for use in field emission displays (FEDs).

[0006] The visible light absorption and infrared light transmission properties of DLC films can be utilized for anti-reflection films for germanium optical lenses and silicon solar cells. Furthermore, because DLC films have good light transmission properties and are suitable for deposition under low temperature conditions, they can be used as protective films for optical lenses, optical discs, eyeglass lenses, and windshields for automobiles.

[0007] Furthermore, DLC films are attracting increasing attention for their potential and widespread application in the biomedical field due to their chemical composition (carbon and hydrogen elements) that not only meets biocompatibility requirements, but also their high hardness, low friction coefficient, and chemical inertness. For example, depositing DLC ​​films on the surface of metallic artificial materials not only significantly improves compatibility with living tissue but also enhances the wear resistance of implanted components. Furthermore, depositing DLC ​​films on the stainless steel or titanium alloy surfaces of artificial heart valves simultaneously meets the requirements of mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. Depositing DLC ​​films on the surface of artificial joints is also expected to enhance wear resistance.

[0008] However, due to limitations of the equipment itself, conventional coating equipment has been unable to produce large-area films, and the type of film produced is limited, resulting in poor compatibility, meaning that the coating equipment can only produce one type of film or films with the same performance. To produce multiple layers of films with different performance properties on the surface of a substrate, multiple coating equipment models must be prepared and used to coat each corresponding substrate. Furthermore, some coating equipment can only produce films using gaseous raw materials, making liquid raw materials unsuitable for the coating device, or vice versa. This not only reduces applicability, but also increases costs and complicated handling, making it unsuitable for mass production.

[0009] Conventional coating equipment is equipped with a power supply type according to the type of coating object, and is generally divided into coating equipment using radio frequency power and coating equipment using pulse power. For example, when producing a film with two properties on the surface of a substrate to impart multiple properties such as waterproofness and high hardness, a coating equipment using radio frequency power must be used to produce the first film, and a coating equipment using pulse power must be used to produce the second film. Therefore, the first film and the second film cannot be produced on the surface of the substrate using the same coating equipment, which basically prevents integration and cost reduction.

[0010] Patent document CN1178263A discloses an apparatus and method for forming diamond-like carbon films. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber that maintains a predetermined vacuum level. The vacuum chamber is equipped with a substrate base, a substrate temperature adjustment mechanism, and a gas ion source facing the substrate. The substrate is connected to two bias means for applying voltage. The gas ion source is equipped with a reactive gas introduction chamber with an orifice, a thermionic emission means, a thermionic extraction electrode, and an acceleration electrode facing the substrate. As described above, the reactive raw materials used in the apparatus and method are gases, and some liquid reactive raw materials cannot be used. This has led to the discovery that the number of film types available is relatively limited, making it impossible to produce a variety of films with different performances, and therefore has limited applicability. Summary of the Invention

[0011] One advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its application that can produce a film or film layer on the surface of a substrate, thereby achieving large-area coating and thereby achieving mass production of films.

[0012] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its application that can produce various films or film layers with different properties or types on the surface of the substrate using the same coating apparatus.

[0013] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its application having a radio frequency power source and a pulse power source for applying corresponding radio frequency fields and / or pulse voltages in the production of films with different performances or types.

[0014] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its applications that can produce films with different properties on the surfaces of substrates of different types or product numbers, i.e., can coat substrates of different types or product numbers using the same coating apparatus, and can diversify the performance of the films, improve compatibility, and reduce costs.

[0015] Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a coating apparatus and its applications that can produce the film using gaseous and / or liquid raw materials, in other words, can produce one type of film using gaseous raw materials and another type of film using liquid raw materials.

[0016] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its applications that can produce multiple layers of films with different types or performance on the surface of the same substrate, thereby improving the performance of more types of the substrate.

[0017] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its application that can etch and activate the surface of a substrate and contribute to producing the film on the surface of the substrate.

[0018] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its application that can complete coating at room temperature or low temperature, require a short time, and are advantageous in terms of low cost.

[0019] Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a coating apparatus and its application that can coat some substrates that cannot withstand high temperatures and that is less likely to damage the substrate during the coating process.

[0020] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its application that can detect the reaction temperature in real time and further ensure the safety of the substrate.

[0021] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its application that can realize the production of said film in combination with radio frequency and / or pulse voltage.

[0022] Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a coating apparatus and its application that allows for good process control during the film production process and is advantageous for quickly producing target films.

[0023] Another advantage of the present invention is that it provides a coating apparatus and its application that is simple in construction, easy to clean, and has a long service life. [Means for solving the problem]

[0024] According to one aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for producing a medicament for the treatment of a pulmonary arthritis, comprising: A coating apparatus for coating a surface of a substrate, comprising: A raw material supply device; a main body of the coating apparatus, the main body producing a film using the gas raw material; a gas supply device connected to the main body of the coating apparatus for transporting a gaseous gas raw material to the main body; and a liquid supply device connected to the main body of the coating apparatus for transporting the gas raw material that has been gasified from a liquid state to the main body.

[0025] In some embodiments, the liquid supply device includes at least one gasifier for gasifying a liquid raw material and at least one first transport pipeline, and the liquid raw material is gasified into a gas raw material by the gasifier and transported to the device body via the first transport pipeline.

[0026] In some embodiments, the liquid supply device further includes at least one liquid reservoir for storing a liquid raw material, the liquid reservoir being connected to the device main body via the first transport pipeline, and the liquid raw material being gasified into a gas raw material by the gasification device and transported to the device main body.

[0027] In some embodiments, the gasifier is disposed between the first pipeline and the liquid reservoir.

[0028] In some embodiments, the gasifier is disposed between the first transport pipeline and the apparatus body.

[0029] In some embodiments, the gasifier is disposed between opposite ends of the first pipeline.

[0030] In some embodiments, the gasifier is implemented as a heating device or a pressure reducing device.

[0031] In some embodiments, the gas supply device includes at least one second transport line communicating with the device body for transporting a gaseous raw material to the device body.

[0032] In some embodiments, the gas supply device further comprises at least one gas reservoir for storing a gaseous raw material, the gas reservoir being in communication with the device body via the second transport pipeline for transporting the gaseous raw material to the device body.

[0033] In some embodiments, the apparatus body further comprises a power supply device and a cavity, the cavity having a chamber, the liquid supply device and the gas supply device are both connected to the chamber of the cavity to transport a gas source to the chamber, and the power supply device supplies a voltage to act on the gas source in the chamber, thereby producing the film on the surface of the substrate by chemical vapor deposition.

[0034] In some embodiments, the power supply comprises a radio frequency power source that provides a radio frequency electric field to act on the gas feedstock within the chamber.

[0035] In some embodiments, the power supply comprises a pulsed power supply that provides a pulsed voltage to act on the gas source in the chamber.

[0036] In some embodiments, the radio frequency power supply supplies a radio frequency electric field to discharge the gas feedstock in the chamber so as to form a plasma environment and cause the reactive gas to be in a highly energized state, and the pulsed power supply supplies a pulsed voltage to deposit the highly energized gas particles to form the film.

[0037] In some embodiments, the apparatus body further includes a holder, the holder being disposed in the chamber of the cavity to support the substrate, a positive terminal of the pulsed power supply being electrically connected to the cavity and grounded, a negative terminal of the pulsed power supply being electrically connected to the holder, and the holder being insulated from the cavity.

[0038] According to another aspect, the present invention further provides a coating method for a coating apparatus, comprising step A of producing a first film layer on a surface of a substrate, said step A comprising: Step A1 of transporting a gaseous raw material to the apparatus body; and step A2 in which the apparatus main body produces the first film layer on the surface of the substrate using a gaseous raw material.

[0039] In some embodiments, step A is replaced by step B of producing a second film layer on the surface of the substrate, step B comprising: Step B1 of gasifying a liquid raw material into a gaseous raw material and transporting the gaseous raw material to the apparatus body; and step B2 in which the apparatus main body produces the second film layer on the surface of the substrate using a gaseous raw material.

[0040] In some embodiments, the coating method includes performing step A and step B in sequence to sequentially produce the first film layer and the second film layer on the surface of the substrate, or performing step A after step B to sequentially produce the second film layer and the first film layer on the surface of the substrate.

[0041] In some embodiments, step A is replaced by step C of producing a third film layer on the surface of the substrate, step C comprising: a step C1 of transporting a gaseous raw material to the main body of the apparatus and gasifying a liquid raw material into a gaseous raw material and transporting the gaseous raw material to the main body of the apparatus; and step C2 in which the apparatus main body produces a third film layer on the surface of the substrate using a gaseous raw material.

[0042] In some embodiments, the coating method includes performing step A and step C in sequence, or performing step A after step C.

[0043] In some embodiments, step A1 includes step A11 of storing a gaseous raw material in a gas reservoir, and step A12 of transporting the gaseous raw material to a chamber of the apparatus body.

[0044] In some embodiments, step B1 includes step B11 of storing a liquid raw material in a liquid reservoir, and step B12 of gasifying the liquid raw material into a gaseous raw material and transporting it to a chamber of the apparatus main body.

[0045] In some embodiments, step C1 includes step C11 of storing a liquid raw material in a liquid reservoir and storing a gaseous raw material in a gas reservoir, step C12 of transporting the gaseous raw material to a chamber of the apparatus body, and step C13 of gasifying the liquid raw material and transporting it to the chamber.

[0046] In some embodiments, step C12 is performed after step C13, or step C12 and step C13 are performed simultaneously.

[0047] In some embodiments, the liquid feedstock is gasified into a gaseous feedstock by heating or reducing pressure.

[0048] In some embodiments, step A2 includes providing a radio frequency electric field acting on a gaseous source material to produce the first film layer.

[0049] In some embodiments, step B2 includes providing a pulsed voltage acting on a gaseous source material to produce the second film layer.

[0050] In some embodiments, step C2 includes applying a radio frequency electric field to discharge the gaseous raw material so as to form a plasma environment and the reactive gas is in a highly energized state, and applying a pulse voltage to deposit the highly energized gas particles to form the third film layer. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0051] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a coating apparatus according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram of the coating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a raw material supply device of the coating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a cavity of the coating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a power supply device of the coating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6A] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a raw material supply device of the coating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6B] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of another modified embodiment of the raw material supply device of the coating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6C] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of yet another modified embodiment of the raw material supply device of the coating apparatus according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0052] The following description discloses the present invention to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. The following preferred embodiments are given by way of example only, and other obvious variations may occur to those skilled in the art. The basic principles of the present invention defined in the following description may be applied to other embodiments, variations, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0053] In the present disclosure, the directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as "longitudinal," "lateral," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer" are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are intended to explain or simplify the present invention, but should be understood by those skilled in the art to not necessarily indicate or imply that such devices or elements necessarily have a particular orientation or must be positioned and operated in a particular direction. Therefore, such terms should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0054] It should also be understood that the term "one" should be interpreted as "at least one" or "one or more." That is, in one embodiment, the number of one elements may be one, while in another embodiment, the number of such elements may be multiple. The term "one" should not be interpreted as limiting the number.

[0055] In the description herein, a description that refers to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that the particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, general expressions using such terms are not necessarily made to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, unless mutually inconsistent, those skilled in the art can combine or combine different embodiments or examples described herein, as well as features of different embodiments or examples.

[0056] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6C, a coating apparatus 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown. The coating apparatus 100 coats at least one film or film layer on the surface of at least one substrate 600. The coating apparatus 100 can achieve large-area coating, thereby enabling simultaneous coating of a large number of films on the surfaces of the substrates 600. Furthermore, the same coating apparatus 100 can produce a variety of films or film layers with different properties or types on the surface of the substrate. The coating apparatus 100 can produce films with different properties on the surfaces of substrates 600 of different types or product numbers. This means that coating substrates 600 of different types or product numbers can be achieved using the same coating apparatus 100, resulting in diverse film performance, improved compatibility, and reduced costs.

[0057] In this embodiment, the coating apparatus 100 uses plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition to form the film or film layer on the surface of the substrate 600. That is, the film is deposited on the surface of the substrate 600 to improve the mechanical, optical, or chemical properties of the surface of the substrate 600. The substrate 600 may be a product to be coated having a predetermined shape and structure, such as, but not limited to, a PCB circuit board, a mobile phone, an electronic device, an electronic product cover plate, an electronic product display screen, a mobile phone glass screen, a computer screen, a mobile phone back cover, an electronic device housing, a keyboard film, or any other type of product to be coated. For example, by forming the film on the display screen of an electronic product, the coating apparatus 100 can effectively solve the problems of the display screen of the electronic product having reduced drop resistance and abrasion resistance and high surface reinforcement costs.

[0058] Furthermore, the coating apparatus 100 can produce films with different properties on the surfaces of different types or product numbers of substrates 600, i.e., different types or product numbers of substrates 600 can be coated using a single coating apparatus 100, thereby diversifying the performance of the films, improving compatibility, and reducing costs. Optionally, the film includes a film, thin film, or nanofilm layer coated on the surface of the substrate 600. Optionally, the film may be implemented as a diamond-like carbon film (DLC film), an inorganic film, an organic film, an organic silicon nano-protective film layer, an organic silicon hard nano-protective film layer, a composite structure highly insulating hard nano-protective film layer, a highly insulating nano-protective film layer with a modulated structure, a plasma polymerized film layer, a liquid-repellent film layer with a gradient increasing structure, a liquid-repellent film layer with a gradient decreasing structure, a film layer with a controllable cross-linking degree, a waterproof click-through resistant film layer, a low-adhesion corrosion-resistant film layer, a liquid-repellent film layer with a multi-layer structure, a polyurethane nano-film layer, an acrylamide nano-film layer, an antistatic liquid-repellent nano-film layer, an epoxy nano-film layer, a high-transparency low chromatic aberration nano-film layer, a high-adhesion anti-aging nano-film layer, a silicon-containing copolymer nano-film layer, or a polyimide nano-film layer. Accordingly, to improve the surface properties of the substrate 600, the coating apparatus 100 may be implemented to coat any one or more of the films or film layers on the surface of the substrate 600, but the examples are not limited thereto.

[0059] Furthermore, according to different types or performances, the films can be divided into first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc. layers. Examples include waterproof films, diamond-like carbon films, organic films, and other films with other properties. For example, the coating apparatus 100 can produce the first and second film layers on the surface of the substrate 600. Specifically, the coating apparatus 100 first produces the first film layer on the surface of the substrate 600, and then produces the second film layer on the surface of the first film layer of the substrate 600. That is, the first film layer is formed on the surface of the substrate 600, and the second film layer is formed on the surface of the first film layer. As a result, two types of film layers are produced on the surface of the substrate 600. Optionally, the second film layer is formed on the surface of the substrate 600, and the first film layer is formed on the surface of the second film layer. Optionally, the third film layer may be further formed on the surface of the first film layer or the second film layer, resulting in three types of film layers being produced on the surface of the substrate 600. Optionally, only the fourth film layer and / or the fifth film layer, etc. may be produced on the surface of the substrate 600, but this is not limited thereto.

[0060] As an example, the first film layer is prepared by the coating apparatus 100 based on a gaseous raw material, the second film layer is prepared by the coating apparatus 100 based on a liquid raw material, and the third film layer is prepared by the coating apparatus 100 based on both liquid and gaseous raw materials.

[0061] Preferably, the coating apparatus 100 includes a raw material supply device 110 and an apparatus main body 120. Here, the raw material supply device 110 is connected to the apparatus main body 120, which is used to produce the film on the surface of the substrate 600. The raw material supply device 110 is used to transport a gaseous and / or liquid gas raw material to the apparatus main body 120, which produces the film on the surface of the substrate 600 using the gas raw material. In other words, when producing the first film layer, the raw material supply device 110 transports the gaseous raw material to the apparatus main body 120, and the first film layer is produced by the apparatus main body 120. When producing the second film layer, the raw material supply device 110 gasifies the liquid raw material into a gaseous raw material and transports it to the apparatus main body 120 to produce the second film layer. When producing the third film layer, the raw material supply device 110 transports gaseous raw materials to the device main body 120, and also gasifies liquid raw materials into gaseous raw materials and transports them to the device main body 120, thereby producing the third film layer.

[0062] Furthermore, the raw material supply device 110 includes a liquid supply device 111 and a gas supply device 112. The gas supply device 112 is in communication with the device main body 120 to deliver a gaseous raw material to the device main body 120, and the liquid supply device 111 is in communication with the device main body 120 to deliver a liquid gasified gas raw material to the device main body 120.

[0063] This embodiment further provides a coating method, which includes the steps of placing the substrate 600 in the device body 120 and producing the first film layer on the surface of the substrate 600. Step S10: Send a gaseous raw material (gas raw material) to the device main body 120; Step S20: The apparatus main body 120 produces the first film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 using a gaseous raw material.

[0064] Optionally, when producing the second film layer, step S10 is replaced by step S11, that is, a liquid raw material is gasified into a gaseous raw material (gas raw material) and sent to the apparatus main body 120. Also, step S20 is replaced by step S21, that is, the apparatus main body 120 produces the second film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 based on the gaseous raw material (gas raw material).

[0065] Optionally, when producing the third film layer, step S10 is replaced by step S12, i.e., a gaseous raw material (gas raw material) is sent to the apparatus main body 120, and a liquid raw material is gasified into a gaseous raw material (gas raw material) and sent to the apparatus main body 120 for mixing, i.e., each of the gaseous raw materials is sent into the same chamber of the apparatus main body 120. Also, step S20 is replaced by step S22, i.e., the apparatus main body 120 produces the third film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 based on the gaseous raw material (gas raw material).

[0066] The coating method further includes the step of continuing to fabricate the second film layer on the surface of the first film layer of the substrate 600, i.e., Step S30: The liquid raw material is gasified into a gaseous raw material (gas raw material) and sent to the apparatus main body 120; Step S40: The apparatus main body 120 produces the second film layer on the surface of the first film layer of the substrate 600 together with the gaseous raw material (gas raw material), that is, the first film layer and the second film layer are formed to be laminated on the surface of the substrate 600. Optionally, the positions of the first film layer and the second film layer can be interchanged.

[0067] The coating method further includes the step of continuing to fabricate the third film layer on the surface of the second film layer, i.e. Step S50: A gaseous raw material (gas raw material) is sent to the device main body 120, and a liquid raw material is gasified into a gaseous raw material (gas raw material) and sent to the device main body 120; Step S60: The apparatus main body 120 produces the third film layer on the surface of the second film layer based on the gaseous raw material (gas raw material). That is, the first film layer, the second film layer, and the third film layer are laminated on the surface of the substrate 600. Optionally, the positions of the first film layer, the second film layer, and the third film layer can be arbitrarily interchanged.

[0068] That is, the coating apparatus 100 can sequentially produce the first film layer, the third film layer, and the second film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 by coating three times, or the coating apparatus 100 can sequentially produce the second film layer, the first film layer, and the third film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 by coating three times, or the coating apparatus 100 can sequentially produce the second film layer, the third film layer, and the first film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 by coating three times, or the coating apparatus 100 can sequentially produce the third film layer, the first film layer, and the second film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 by coating three times, or the coating apparatus 100 can sequentially produce the third film layer, the second film layer, and the first film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 by coating three times.

[0069] 2, the apparatus body 120 preferably includes a cavity 10, at least one air extraction device 30, at least one air extraction pipe 40, a power supply device 50, and at least one holder 60, wherein the cavity 10 includes a sealable chamber 101, the holder 60 is disposed in the chamber 101 of the cavity 10, and the holder 60 is used to support the substrate 600. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid supply device 111 includes at least one gasifier 1111 and at least one first transport pipe 201, the gasifier 1111 is used to gasify a liquid raw material into a gaseous raw material, and the liquid raw material is gasified into a gaseous raw material by the gasifier 1111 and transported to the apparatus body 120 via the first transport pipe 201. The gas supply device 112 includes at least one second transport line 202, through which gaseous raw materials are transported to the apparatus body 120. Examples of the gas raw materials include plasma source gases such as nitrogen gas, carbon tetrafluoride gas, or inert gases such as helium gas or argon gas; reactive gases such as hydrogen gas or hydrocarbon gas; and auxiliary gases such as doping elements such as N, Si, F, and B. The air extraction device 30 communicates with the chamber 101 of the cavity 10 through the air extraction line 40 and continuously extracts gas from the chamber 101 through the air extraction line 40 to control the air pressure within the chamber 101. The power supply device 50 applies radio frequency and / or pulse voltage to the gas within the chamber 101, thereby enabling the coating apparatus 100 to prepare the film or film layer on the surface of the substrate 600 by chemical vapor deposition.

[0070] Optionally, the first transport pipeline 201 can be connected to a reservoir for storing a liquid raw material, where the liquid raw material is stored in the reservoir, and the liquid raw material is transported through the first transport pipeline 201 under a certain pressure, and is gasified into a gas raw material in the gasification apparatus 1111, and then transported to the apparatus main body 120. Optionally, the second transport pipeline 202 can be connected to a reservoir for storing a gas raw material, and the gas raw material is transported to the apparatus main body 120 through the second transport pipeline 202 under a certain pressure.

[0071] In order to reduce the amount of pipeline usage and the space occupied by the pipeline and to achieve low costs, the first pipeline 201 and the second pipeline 202 can be partially shared.

[0072] It should be understood that by controlling the type or amount of doping element auxiliary gas added, the coating apparatus 100 can produce films or film layers with different properties or types. That is, in one coating process, one substrate 600 is introduced into the chamber 101 of the coating apparatus 100 for coating, and one film is produced on the surface of the substrate 600 by controlling the added raw materials. Then, in the next coating process, another substrate 600 is introduced into the chamber 101 of the coating apparatus 100 for coating, and another film is produced on the surface of the different type of substrate 600 by controlling the added raw materials. This makes it possible to produce films with different properties or types using the same coating apparatus 100.

[0073] 4, the cavity 10 further has at least one air extraction port 11, at least one air intake port 12, and at least one raw material supply port 13 communicating with the chamber 101, where the transport pipeline (i.e., the first transport pipeline 201 or the second transport pipeline 202) includes at least one gas source pipeline 21, at least one hydrogen gas pipeline 22, and at least one reactive raw material pipeline 23. The air extraction port 11 is connected to the air extraction pipeline 40 so that the air extraction device 30 can extract gas in the chamber 101 through the air extraction pipeline 40. The air intake port 12 is connected to the gas source pipeline 21 so that an inert gas or plasma source gas such as nitrogen gas, carbon tetrafluoride, helium gas, or argon gas can be introduced into the chamber 101. The raw material supply port 13 is connected to the hydrogen gas pipeline 22 and the reactive raw material pipeline 23. The hydrogen gas pipeline 22 is used to introduce hydrogen gas into the chamber 101, and the reactive raw material pipeline 23 is used to introduce a reactive raw material, such as a hydrocarbon gas, into the chamber 101. The hydrocarbon gas may be, for example, one or more combinations of gaseous raw materials, such as alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes, each having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or one or more combinations of gaseous raw materials obtained by gasifying a liquid hydrocarbon raw material having a larger carbon atom number. That is, the reactive raw material pipeline 23 can deliver a liquid reactive raw material, and then the gasified reactive raw material can be introduced into the chamber 101 through the raw material supply port 13. It should be understood that the gas source pipeline 21, the hydrogen gas pipeline 22, the reactive raw material pipeline 23, and the doping raw material pipeline 24 may each be provided with an on-off valve for controlling the opening and closing of the pipeline to allow or block the flow of gas, or the on-off valve can control the flow rate of the gas delivered into the chamber 101, but this is not limited thereto.

[0074] Furthermore, the raw material supply inlet 13 may be implemented as two inlets, one of which is connected to the hydrogen gas pipeline 22 and used to supply only hydrogen gas into the chamber 101, and the other is connected to the reactive raw material pipeline 23 and used to supply only reactive gas into the chamber 101. Optionally, the raw material supply inlet 13 may be implemented as one inlet, and the hydrogen gas pipeline 22 and the reactive raw material pipeline 23 are connected to the same raw material supply inlet 13 so as to introduce hydrogen gas or reactive raw materials into the chamber 101, respectively, through the same raw material supply inlet 13.

[0075] More preferably, the transport pipeline further includes a doping source pipeline 24 connected to the source supply port 13 for delivering auxiliary gases of doping elements such as N, Si, F, and B into the chamber 101. For example, reactive sources of doped Si elements include, but are not limited to, silicon-containing organic compounds including one or more combinations of organic linear siloxanes, cyclosiloxanes, alkoxysilanes, and unsaturated carbon-carbon double bond-containing siloxanes, and are further selected from hexamethyldisiloxane, tetramethyldivinyldisiloxane, hexamethylcyclotrisiloxane, and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane. For example, auxiliary gases of doped N elements include, but are not limited to, N and nitrogen-containing hydrocarbons. For example, auxiliary gases of doped F elements include, but are not limited to, fluorocarbon compounds, and are further selected from carbon tetrafluoride and tetrafluoroethylene. For example, the auxiliary gas for the doped B element includes, but is not limited to, borane having a boiling point of less than 300° C. at normal pressure, and further selected from pentaborane and hexaborane.

[0076] Optionally, the doping source pipeline 24 may be connected to a separate, independent source supply port 13 to separately supply auxiliary gas of the doping element into the chamber 101. Alternatively, the doping source pipeline 24 may share the same source supply port 13 with the hydrogen gas pipeline 22 or the reactive source pipeline 23 to separately supply gases into the chamber 101.

[0077] It is worth noting that when producing the film, the atomic ratio of the doping element content in the film is preferably less than 10%. In the film produced by the coating apparatus 100, the doping element content is less than 40%, and the film thickness is preferably 10-800 nm. It should also be understood by those skilled in the art that the doping content of elements such as Si, Cu, N, F, and Al should not be too high, as these doping elements may bond with carbon in the film, destroying the original microstructure of the film and changing the growth mode during deposition. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should understand that a higher doping element content may cause phase separation or completely change the diamond-like carbon structure in the film, resulting in a loss of the film's wear resistance and high hardness. Furthermore, depending on the requirements of different coating processes, the auxiliary gas for the doping element can also improve the ionization rate of the carbon-containing gas source, which is advantageous for achieving coating.

[0078] In this embodiment, the air extraction port 11 is located at the center of the chamber 101 of the cavity 10, and the air inlet 12 and the raw material supply port 13 are both located on the side walls of the chamber 101 of the cavity 10, so that gas is introduced through the air inlet 12 and the raw material supply port 13 on the side walls of the chamber 101 and extracted from the air extraction port 11 located at the center of the chamber 101, thereby maximally diffusing the introduced gas onto the surface of each substrate 600, and as a result, maximally uniformly coating the film on the surface of each substrate 600.

[0079] Optionally, the air bleed port 11 may be provided in the center of the bottom wall or top wall of the chamber 101, and the air bleed port 11 may also be connected to an air bleed column located in the center of the chamber 101. Here, the air inlet 12 and the raw material supply port 13 may be located on the same side wall of the chamber 101, or may be located on different side walls of the chamber 101. Optionally, the air bleed port 11 may be located on a side wall of the chamber 101, and the air inlet 12 and the supply inlet 13 may be located in the center of the chamber 101, on the side wall opposite to the air bleed port 11, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

[0080] It should be understood that the relative positions of the air extraction port 11, the air intake port 12 and the raw material supply port 13 in the chamber 101 can be preset according to actual requirements, in order to best meet the needs of uniformly coating a large amount of the substrate and ensure specification integration.

[0081] In order to prevent the occurrence of physicochemical reactions between the raw materials due to doping before transportation, the raw materials can be stored independently and transported through the independent transport pipelines. Alternatively, for some raw materials that do not react easily with each other when mixed together, these raw materials that do not react easily with each other can be transported through the same transport pipeline.

[0082] Furthermore, the liquid supply device 111 further comprises at least one liquid storage device 1112, which is used to store a liquid raw material and deliver the liquid raw material to the first transport pipeline 201. The gas supply device 112 further comprises at least one gas storage device 1121, which is used to store a gaseous raw material and deliver it to the chamber 101 via the second transport pipeline 202.

[0083] Preferably, the gas reservoir 1121 includes a container for storing a plasma gas source, a container for storing hydrogen gas, and a container for storing a gaseous reactive raw material, and is connected to the plasma gas source pipeline 21, the hydrogen gas pipeline 22, and the reactive raw material pipeline 23, respectively. Furthermore, the liquid reservoir 1112 includes a container for storing a liquid reactive raw material and is connected to the reactive raw material pipeline 23, and the gasifier 1111 is connected to the reactive raw material pipeline 23 to gasify the reactive raw material transported from the reactive raw material pipeline 23. Of course, the liquid reservoir 1112 may also include a container for storing liquid hydrogen gas or other liquid raw materials, etc., but is not limited thereto. In other words, the raw materials stored in the gas reservoir 1121 and the liquid reservoir 1112 are both raw materials for preparing organic or inorganic films, etc.

[0084] As an example, the gasifier 1111 is implemented as a heating device for gasifying a liquid raw material into a gaseous raw material by heating or increasing the temperature, or as a decompression device for reducing the pressure of a liquid raw material to gasify it into a gaseous raw material.

[0085] 6B, the gasification device 1111 is connected between the liquid storage device 1112 and the first transport pipeline 201, and as a result, the liquid raw material stored in the liquid storage device 1112 is gasified into a gas raw material by the gasification device 1111 and transported from the first transport pipeline 201 into the chamber 101. That is, the first transport pipeline 201 transports only the gas raw material, and there is no need to transport the liquid raw material, so that it is possible to prevent the liquid raw material from remaining in the first transport pipeline 201 and clogging it, or from freezing in the first transport pipeline 201 in a cold environment. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6A, the gasification device 1111 is disposed between the cavity 10 and the first transport pipeline 201, so that the liquid raw material stored in the liquid reservoir 1112 is transported via the first transport pipeline 201 and is gasified by the gasification device 1111 to become gas raw material, which is then sent into the chamber 101. In the case of some liquid raw materials that are less likely to clog the first transport pipeline 201, the first transport pipeline 201 can transport the liquid raw material, which reduces the material requirements for the first transport pipeline 201 and reduces costs. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6C, the gasification device 1111 may be disposed between both ends of the first transport pipeline 201 (e.g., at a central position), so that the liquid raw material can be gasified into gaseous raw material and transported to the chamber 101. Furthermore, since the gasification device 1111 is not directly connected to the liquid reservoir 1112 or the chamber 10, the requirements for the installation process are low, and installation and disassembly can be easily performed independently, but this is not limited to this.

[0086] Furthermore, in the coating method, when producing the first film layer, the step S10 includes the following steps: S101: A gaseous raw material is stored in the gas reservoir 112. S102: The gaseous raw material is transported to the chamber 101 of the cavity 10 of the apparatus body 120.

[0087] Furthermore, when manufacturing the second film layer, the step S11 includes the following steps: S111: storing a liquid raw material in the liquid reservoir 1112; S112: The liquid raw material is gasified into a gaseous raw material and transported to the chamber 101 of the cavity 10 of the apparatus main body 120.

[0088] Furthermore, when manufacturing the third film layer, the step S12 includes the following steps: S121: storing a liquid raw material in the liquid reservoir 1112 and a gaseous raw material in the gas reservoir 112; S122: The gaseous raw material is transported to the chamber 101; S123: The liquid raw material is gasified into a gaseous raw material and transported to the chamber 101.

[0089] Optionally, the step S122 is performed after the step S123, or the step S122 and the step S123 are performed simultaneously.

[0090] Furthermore, the liquid raw material can be gasified into the gas raw material by heating or reducing the pressure.

[0091] The element types of the gaseous source material and the liquid source material may be the same or different. That is, the gaseous source material obtained by gasifying the liquid source material may be the same or different from the gaseous source material stored in the gas reservoir 112, but this is not limited thereto. Preferably, the air extraction device 30 includes at least one first vacuum pump 31 and at least one second vacuum pump 32, where the first vacuum pump 31 and the second vacuum pump 32 are each connected to the air extraction port 11 via the air extraction pipe 40. Here, the second vacuum pump 32 serves as a fore-pump for the first vacuum pump 31 and cooperatively performs a negative pressure operation, such as evacuation, on the chamber 101 via the air extraction pipe 40, while maintaining the air pressure in the chamber 101 within a predetermined range. Furthermore, gas is extracted from the chamber 101 to a near-vacuum state, and preferably the air pressure in the chamber 101 is reduced to 0.01 Pa or less, or even 0.001 Pa or less. During the coating process, the air extraction device 30 is used to continuously extract gas from the chamber 101 through the air extraction line 40 to maintain the gas concentration in the chamber 101 within a specific range, and preferably the air pressure in the chamber 101 is maintained between 0.01 and 100 Pa.

[0092] Before coating with the coating apparatus 100, an operator opens the chamber 101 of the cavity 10, places the substrate 600 on the holder 60, and places the holder 60 in the chamber 101. Next, an operator airtightly closes the chamber 101 of the cavity 10, and then starts the coating apparatus 100 to perform coating.

[0093] Furthermore, this embodiment further provides a coating method using the apparatus body 120 of the coating apparatus 100, which includes the following steps.

[0094] Step S01: A negative pressure generating operation such as evacuation is performed on the chamber 101. When coating is performed, the air extraction device 30 extracts air from the chamber 101 until the air pressure in the chamber 101 reaches a preset air pressure range, thereby minimizing the effect of air remaining in the chamber 101 on coating quality.

[0095] Step S02: The process proceeds to a step of performing a surface etching process or a surface cleaning and activation process on the surface of the substrate 600. Specifically, to perform the surface etching process on the substrate, gas is continuously fed into the chamber 101 through the gas source pipeline 21. Preferably, argon gas or helium gas is introduced into the chamber 101 through the gas source pipeline 21. The flow rate of the introduced gas is approximately 10 sccm to 1000 sccm, preferably 80 or 100 sccm. Simultaneously, the air extraction device 30 continuously extracts a constant amount of gas from the chamber 101 and maintains the air pressure within the chamber 101 within a range of 0.01 to 100 Pa, preferably 8 Pa, 10 Pa, or 100 Pa. Simultaneously, the power supply device 50 supplies a pulse voltage to the gas within the chamber 101 to clean and activate the surface of the substrate 600, thereby etching the surface of the substrate 600. Preferably, the power supply device 50 provides a high voltage pulse bias of -100V to -5000V, with a duty ratio of 1% to 90%, and a power supply time of 1 to 60 minutes (the power supply time is the time for cleaning and activating the surface of the substrate 600 in step S02). Preferably, the power supply device 50 provides a voltage of -3000V, with a duty ratio of 20% or 30%, a frequency of 10 kHz or 40 kHz, and a power supply time of 5, 10, 20, or 30 minutes, etc.

[0096] Optionally, after completing step S02, the gas source pipeline 21 is closed to stop the gas from being fed into the chamber 101. Specifically, the gas source pipeline 21 has the on-off valve, which is used to control the opening and closing of the gas source pipeline 21 and realize the opening and closing of the gas source pipeline 21.

[0097] Optionally, after completing step S02, gas can continue to be introduced into the chamber 101 through the gas source pipeline 21, so that the film can be subsequently produced on the surface of the substrate 600 by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Optionally, the flow rate of the gas introduced into the chamber 101 can be appropriately changed.

[0098] It is worth noting that, in the step of cleaning and activating the surface of the substrate 600, the flow rate of the gas fed into the chamber 101 via the gas source pipeline 21 can be preset within a reasonable range to prevent the phenomenon that the flow rate of the gas fed into the chamber 101 is too high or too low, which would affect the ionization effect on the surface of the substrate 600. The pulse voltage supplied by the power supply device 50 is preset within a reasonable range to prevent the voltage from being too low to achieve a good cleaning and activation effect on the surface of the substrate 600 or too high to damage the substrate 600. The power supply time of the power supply device 50 is preset within a reasonable range to prevent the power supply time from being too short to achieve a good cleaning and activation effect on the surface of the substrate 600 or too long to lengthen the cycle of the entire coating process, resulting in unnecessary waste.

[0099] Step S03: Coating the surface of the substrate 600. Specifically, the gas is fed into the chamber 101 through the gas source pipeline 21, hydrogen gas is fed into the chamber 101 through the hydrogen gas pipeline 22, and a reactive source such as hydrocarbon gas or gasified hydrocarbon gas is fed into the chamber 101 through the reactive source pipeline 23, or an auxiliary gas of a doping element is further fed into the chamber 101 through the doping source pipeline 24. Preferably, the flow rates of the gases fed into the chamber 101 are 10-200 sccm, the flow rate of hydrogen gas is 0-100 sccm, the flow rate of the reactive source such as hydrocarbon gas is 50-1000 sccm, or the flow rate of the auxiliary gas of a doping element is 0-100 sccm. At the same time, the air extraction device 30 continuously extracts a constant amount of gas from the chamber 101 to maintain the air pressure in the chamber 101 within a range of 0.01 to 100 Pa, preferably 8 Pa, 10 Pa, or 100 Pa. At the same time, the power supply device 50 supplies a radio frequency electric field and / or a high voltage pulse bias to support a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process to produce the film on the surface of the substrate 600, wherein the power of the radio frequency voltage supplied by the power supply device 50 is 10 to 800 W, or the pulse bias voltage supplied is -100 V to -5000 V, the duty ratio is 10% to 80%, and the power supply time by the power supply device 50 is 5 to 300 minutes, i.e., the time for coating the substrate 600 in step S03 is approximately 5 to 300 minutes.

[0100] It should be understood that in step S03, the voltage or power of the power supply device 50 can be preset, and under the action of the voltage provided by the power supply device 50, all gases in the chamber 101 can essentially be ionized into plasma, so that a plasma environment is formed in the chamber 101, and as a result, the coating apparatus 100 can produce the film on the surface of the substrate 600 by chemical vapor deposition.

[0101] In step S03, the power supply device 50 may apply a radio frequency and / or high-voltage pulse bias to act on the gas in the chamber 101. The power supply device 50 applies a radio frequency electric field to discharge the gas in the chamber 101 so that the chamber 101 is in a plasma environment and the reactive gas source is in a high-energy state. The power supply device 50 applies a strong voltage in the high-voltage pulse bias to generate a strong electric field in the chamber 101. The high-energy active particles are then rapidly deposited on the surface of the substrate 600, forming an amorphous carbon network structure. The power supply device 50 applies a null or low voltage in the high-voltage pulse bias to allow the amorphous carbon network structure deposited on the surface of the substrate 600 to undergo free relaxation. The carbon structure transforms into a stable phase—a curved graphene sheet layer structure—through thermodynamics and is embedded in the amorphous carbon network, thereby forming the film on the surface of the substrate 600.

[0102] It is worth mentioning that in step S03, the gas source pipeline 21 can be closed to stop the gas supply to the chamber 101, or the gas flow rate of the gas supplied to the chamber 101 through the gas source pipeline 21 can be preset within a reasonable range. The hydrogen gas pipeline 22 can be closed to stop or discontinue the supply of hydrogen to the chamber 101, or the gas flow rate of the hydrogen gas supplied to the chamber 101 through the hydrogen gas pipeline 22 can be preset within a reasonable range. The reactive source pipeline 23 is controlled to open and close, and the gas flow rate of the reactive source supplied to the chamber 101 through the reactive source pipeline 23 can be preset within a reasonable range. The doping source line 24 can be closed to stop or discontinue the supply of the auxiliary gas of the doping element to the chamber 101, or the gas flow rate of the auxiliary gas of the doping element supplied to the chamber 101 through the doping source pipeline 24 can be preset within a reasonable range.

[0103] It should be understood that the ratio of the flow rates of the gas to be ionized (e.g., nitrogen gas or helium gas), the hydrogen gas, the reactive source gas, or the auxiliary gas of the doping element fed into the chamber 101 determines the atomic ratio in the film, thereby affecting the quality of the film. By presetting parameters such as the magnitude of the power or voltage of the radio frequency and / or pulse bias supplied to the power supply device 50, it is possible to adjust or control related parameters in the coating process, such as the magnitude of the temperature, ionization rate, or deposition rate. Alternatively, by presetting the power supply time of the power supply device 50, it is possible to prevent phenomena such as the film becoming thin or losing hardness due to an excessively short coating time, or the film becoming thick and affecting transparency due to an excessively long coating time.

[0104] That is, in step S03, by either not supplying hydrogen gas at different flow rates into chamber 101 or supplying a predetermined amount of hydrogen gas into chamber 101, DLC films with different hydrogen contents can be prepared. DLC films with higher hydrogen contents have better lubricity and transparency than DLC films with lower hydrogen contents. Furthermore, supplying a certain amount of hydrogen gas into chamber 101 in step S03 is beneficial for forming SP3 bonds during the coating process and can improve the hardness of the film to a certain extent. However, as the hydrogen content increases, the hardness of the film gradually decreases. Therefore, it should be understood that, in step S03, a predetermined amount of hydrogen gas can be selectively supplied into chamber 101 via hydrogen gas pipeline 22 according to different coating needs.

[0105] Accordingly, in step S03, a specific doping element reactive material can be selectively fed in a certain amount into the chamber 101 through the doping material pipeline 25. For example, by feeding a reactive material containing fluorine into the chamber, the produced film can have a higher hydrophobic effect and transparency, but if the content of fluorine atoms exceeds 20%, the hardness of the film will be significantly reduced (Mohs hardness will be 4H or less).

[0106] Step S04: When the coating time in step S03 is over, the on-off valves of the gas source pipeline 21, the hydrogen gas pipeline 22, the reactive raw material pipeline 23, and the doping raw material pipeline 24 of the transport pipelines (i.e., the first transport pipeline 201 and the second transport pipeline 202) are all closed, the power supply device 50 is closed, and the air extraction device 30 is closed. Furthermore, the transport pipelines further include an air transport pipeline 25, where the cavity 10 further has at least one air suction port 14 communicating with the chamber 101, and the air transport pipeline 25 sends air into the chamber 101 to restore the chamber 101 to a normal pressure. That is, a certain amount of air is sent into the chamber 101 through the air transport pipeline 25 to restore the chamber 101 to a normal pressure. Then, the operator opens the chamber 101 and removes the substrate 600, completing one coating process. In the whole coating process, the coating apparatus 100 has advantages of better control over the process during film preparation and quick production of target films.

[0107] Throughout the coating process, the chamber 101 can be kept at room temperature or a low temperature. That is, the coating apparatus 100 can complete the coating at room temperature or a low temperature, which shortens the coating time and contributes to cost savings. That is, the coating apparatus 100 can be used to coat some substrates that cannot withstand high temperatures, making the substrate less likely to be damaged during the coating process. Compared to methods that achieve coating using physical vapor deposition methods such as magnetron sputtering, the coating apparatus 100 according to the present invention can keep the substrate 600 at a relatively low temperature throughout the coating process without excessively raising the temperature of the substrate 600.

[0108] Preferably, the coating apparatus 100 further includes an exhaust gas treatment device 70 connected to the air extraction line 40. The exhaust gas treatment device 70 treats and discharges the gas extracted from the air extraction device 30. The exhaust gas treatment device 70 performs recovery or non-contamination treatment on gases including, but not limited to, the nitrogen gas or helium gas, reactive raw materials such as hydrogen gas and hydrocarbon gas, or auxiliary gases for doping elements, and then discharges the gases to the outside to prevent environmental pollution and enable recycling.

[0109] Furthermore, the first vacuum pump 31 is implemented as a molecular pump, and the second vacuum pump 32 includes a Roots pump and a dry pump, and the extraction port 11 of the chamber 101, the first vacuum pump 31, the Roots pump, the dry pump, and the exhaust gas treatment device 70 are all connected via the air extraction pipe 40. Specifically, gas in the chamber 101 is extracted in order by the dry pump, the Roots pump, and the molecular pump. That is, the second vacuum pump 32 extracts air from the chamber 101 as a forepump, and the first vacuum pump 31 further evacuates the chamber 101 as a backpump. The gas extracted from the chamber 101 is treated or recovered by the exhaust gas treatment device 70 and then discharged to the outside.

[0110] The second vacuum pump 32 includes at least one mechanical pump and functions as a forepump to extract air from the chamber 101, and the molecular pump functions as a secondary pump set to further draw a vacuum on the chamber 101, thereby maintaining the air pressure in the chamber 101 as low as possible.

[0111] In this embodiment, the model number parameter of the pipeline between the chamber 101 and the Roots pump is DN100, and the interface is IOS100. The model number parameter of the pipeline between the Roots pump and the dry pump is DN63, and the interface is not limited. Here, the model number parameter of the pipeline of the exhaust gas treatment device 70 is NB32, and the interface is not limited. As will be well known to those skilled in the art, the model specifications of the pipeline between the chamber 101 and the Roots pump, the pipeline between the Roots pump and the dry pump, and the pipeline of the exhaust gas treatment device 70 can be preset according to actual coating needs, but are not limited thereto.

[0112] The power supply device 50 further includes a radio frequency power supply 51 and a pulse power supply 52. ​​The radio frequency power supply 51 is applied directly to an electrode plate to generate a radio frequency electric field in the chamber 101 of the cavity 10, which acts on the gas in the chamber 101. The pulse power supply 52 is used to provide a high-voltage pulse bias to act on the gas in the chamber 101. Specifically, during coating, the radio frequency power supply 51 provides a radio frequency electric field to discharge the gas in the chamber 101 so that the chamber 101 is in a plasma environment and the reactive gas source is in a high-energy state. The pulse power supply 52 provides a strong voltage in the high-voltage pulse bias to generate a strong electric field in the chamber 101. As a result, highly energized active particles (i.e., positive ions) are rapidly deposited on the surface of the substrate 600 under the action of the strong electric field, and an amorphous carbon network structure is formed. The pulse power supply 52 provides a state of no voltage or low voltage in a high-voltage pulse bias, so that the amorphous carbon network structure deposited on the surface of the substrate 600 undergoes free relaxation, and the carbon structure transforms into a stable phase—a curved graphene sheet layer structure—through thermodynamic action, which is embedded in the amorphous carbon network, thereby forming the film on the surface of the substrate 600.

[0113] The radio frequency power supply 51 can also be used as a plasma support power supply, where the radio frequency power supply 51 is composed of a radio frequency power source, an impedance matcher, and an impedance power meter, and is mounted in the cavity 10 to provide a radio frequency electric field to act on the gas in the cavity 10. The radio frequency power provided by the radio frequency power supply 51 is preferably 13.56 MHz.

[0114] Furthermore, the radio frequency power supply 51 can directly apply a radio frequency voltage to an electrode plate disposed in the cavity 10 to form the radio frequency electric field in the chamber 101 of the cavity 10, which acts on the gas in the chamber 101, thereby satisfying the coating needs. Optionally, the radio frequency power supply 51 can also be implemented to generate an AC magnetic field in the chamber 101 through the inductive coupling action of a coil, i.e., ICP, to ensure that the gas in the chamber 101 is completely and uniformly ionized by the rapidly changing magnetic field, thereby also satisfying the coating needs of the coating apparatus 100, but is not limited thereto.

[0115] Furthermore, when preparing films with different performance or types, the radio frequency power supply 51 and the pulse power supply 52 of the power supply device 50 can be selectively turned on. In other words, the device main body 120 can produce the films by simultaneously supplying voltages from the radio frequency power supply 51 and the pulse power supply 52 to act on the gas source in the chamber 101. Optionally, the device main body 120 can also produce other types of films. For example, when producing one type of film, the radio frequency power supply 51 of the device 50 is turned on and the pulse power supply 52 is turned off, and only a radio frequency field is provided to act on the gas source in the chamber 101 to produce the one type of film. Alternatively, when producing a different type of film, the pulse power supply 52 of the power supply device 50 is turned on and the radio frequency power supply 51 is turned off, and only a pulse voltage is provided to act on the gas source in the chamber 101 to produce the other type of film.

[0116] As an example, when producing the first film layer, the radio frequency power supply 51 provides a radio frequency electric field to act on the gas source in the chamber 101, thereby producing the first film layer on the surface of the substrate 600. When producing the second film layer, the pulsed power supply 52 provides a pulsed voltage to act on the gas source in the chamber 101, thereby producing the second film layer on the surface of the substrate 600. When producing the third film layer, the radio frequency power supply 51 provides a radio frequency electric field, and the pulsed power supply 52 provides a pulsed voltage to act on the gas source in the chamber 101, thereby producing the third film layer on the surface of the substrate 600. Optionally, when producing the first film layer, the pulsed power supply 52 provides a pulsed voltage to act on the gas source in the chamber 101, thereby producing the first film layer on the surface of the substrate 600. Optionally, when producing the first film layer, a radio frequency electric field is provided by the radio frequency 51 and a pulse voltage is provided by the pulse power supply 52 to act on the gas source in the chamber 101 and produce the first film layer on the surface of the substrate 600.

[0117] 5, the pulse power supply 52 is preferably implemented as a unidirectional negative pulse power supply, where the pulse power supply 52 has a negative terminal 521 and a positive terminal 522, the negative terminal 521 is electrically connected to the holder 60 to provide negative pressure, and the positive terminal 522 is electrically connected to the cavity 10 and is grounded to a positive polarity or zero potential. Both the holder 60 and the cavity 10 are made of conductive materials such as metal materials, and the holder 60 and the cavity 10 are insulated from each other. That is, during the coating process, the entire holder 60 is negative and has negative pressure, the entire cavity 10 is grounded to a positive polarity, and the holder 60 and the cavity 10 are insulated from each other, so that the entire chamber 101 is in a strong electric field. The substrate 600 is placed on the holder 60, and under the action of the strong electric field, the active particles in a highly energetic state are rapidly deposited on the surface of the substrate 600, thereby achieving coating.

[0118] In addition, the pulsed power supply 52 ionizes the gas in the chamber 101 through a glow discharge effect, and at the same time, has the effect of directional attraction and acceleration of the positive ions in the chamber 101, so that the positive ions have an impact effect and are quickly deposited on the surface of the substrate 600, resulting in the production of a dense and hard film on the surface of the substrate 600.

[0119] As can be seen from this, since the holders 60 are all negative terminals, the holders 60 can provide the maximum space for mounting and arranging a large number of the substrates 600, and all the substrates 600 placed on the holders 60 can be coated in a single coating process, thereby realizing large-area coating and mass production of films.

[0120] It is worth noting that in step S03, the radio frequency power supply 51 and the pulse power supply 52 jointly provide a voltage to act on the gas in the chamber 101, among which the low-power radio frequency discharge provided by the radio frequency power supply 51 maintains a plasma environment in the chamber 101 and suppresses arc discharge during the high-voltage discharge process. (Arc discharge is a discharge form in which glow discharge is further strengthened, and the instantaneous current can reach tens or hundreds of amperes or more. If this photocurrent flows on the surface of the substrate, it may damage the substrate. Therefore, arc discharge during the coating process must be suppressed to ensure the safety of the substrate 600.) In addition, the pulse power supply 52 increases the energy of positive ions when they reach the surface of the substrate 600, thereby enabling the production of a dense and transparent film.

[0121] In addition, the power supply device 50 in this preferred embodiment is composed of the radio frequency power supply 51 and the pulse power supply 52 to meet coating needs. Under selectable circumstances, according to different coating needs, the power supply device 50 can also be implemented as only one of the radio frequency power supply 51 or the pulse power supply 52. ​​It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the power supply device 50 can also be implemented as other power supplies, such as a microwave power supply, to meet coating needs.

[0122] It is worth noting that the radio frequency voltage power and power supply time of the radio frequency power source 51 can be adjusted or preset according to the coating needs of different substrates. Here, the radio frequency voltage power of the radio frequency power source 51 is preferably 10 to 800 W. Correspondingly, the pulse bias, pulse frequency, duty ratio, and power supply time provided by the pulse power source 52 can all be adjusted or preset. Here, the pulse bias voltage provided by the pulse power source 52 is -100 V to -5000 V, the pulse frequency is 20 to 300 KHz, and the duty ratio is 10% to 80%, but is not limited thereto.

[0123] The magnitude of the negative pressure bias value provided by the pulsed power supply 52 is directly related to the ionization rate of the gas in the chamber 101 and the ability of positive ions to migrate to the surface of the substrate 600. Therefore, the higher the negative pressure voltage of the pulsed power supply 52, the higher the energy of the positive ions, resulting in a harder film. However, it should be noted that the higher the energy of the positive ions, the higher the impact energy on the surface of the substrate 600. At the microscale, impact craters may form on the surface of the substrate 600, accelerating the temperature rise of the surface of the substrate 600. Therefore, to prevent excessive temperature rise of the surface of the substrate 600 and damaging the substrate 600, the negative pressure voltage of the pulsed power supply 52 should not be too high. In addition, a higher pulse frequency of the pulsed power supply 52 can prevent continuous accumulation of charge on the insulating surface of the substrate 600, thereby suppressing large arcing and increasing the deposition thickness limit of the film.

[0124] The coating apparatus 100 further includes a temperature detector 80. The temperature detector 80 detects the reaction temperature within the chamber 101 during the coating process and provides feedback to the operator by displaying the temperature on a screen or sounding an audio alarm to prevent the substrate temperature from becoming too high. Specifically, the temperature detector 80 includes a thermocouple, which is disposed on the holder 60 at a position equivalent to the substrate 600. The thermocouple detects the reaction temperature within the chamber 101. The temperature detector 80 determines whether the substrate 600 exceeds its temperature threshold based on the reaction temperature detected by the thermocouple. If the temperature exceeds the threshold, the temperature detector 80 outputs an abnormal signal indicating that the temperature is too high, prompting the operator to take immediate action or halting operation of the coating apparatus 100. If the temperature does not exceed the threshold, the reaction temperature on the surface of the substrate 600 is considered normal, i.e., the substrate 600 is safe.

[0125] Preferably, the holder 60 is implemented as a metal plate with a multi-layer structure, where a certain amount of the substrate 600 can be arranged in each layer, and the holder 60 has at least one insulating member 61, which is arranged between the holder 60 and the wall of the cavity 101, so that the holder 60 is insulated from the cavity 10. Preferably, the insulating member 61 is implemented to be made of an insulating material such as polytetrafluoroethylene.

[0126] In another embodiment of this preferred embodiment, the chamber 101 is not connected to the pulsed power supply 52. ​​Therein, the holder 60 is implemented as a multi-layer metal plate, and adjacent layers are insulated from each other. The positive terminal 522 and the negative terminal 521 of the pulsed power supply 52 are alternately electrically connected to the metal plates of each layer of the holder 60, so that adjacent metal plates in the holder 60 have positive and negative poles to each other. Furthermore, the pulsed power supply 52 can be implemented as a positive-negative bidirectional pulsed power supply, so that each metal plate of the holder 60 alternately forms a positive pole or a negative pole, and adjacent metal plates always have positive and negative poles to each other, so that the substrate 600 can be placed on the metal plates of each layer, and the film can be coated on the surface of the substrate 600 on all the metal plates, and the quality of the film is better.

[0127] Optionally, the pulsed power supply 52 can be implemented as a symmetrical bidirectional pulsed power supply, i.e., the positive and negative pressure values ​​provided by the pulsed power supply 52 are the same, or as an asymmetrical bidirectional pulsed power supply, in which the negative pressure value provided by the pulsed power supply 52 is greater than the positive pressure value, which can improve the quality of the film, but is not limited thereto.

[0128] The shape and structure of the holder 60 are not limited, and the shape, size, and number of the holders 60 can be adjusted as appropriate within the volume of the chamber 101. Preferably, the size of the cavity 10 is 800 mm x 638 mm x 740 mm, and the material is stainless steel. Furthermore, the cavity 10 has an openable and closable sealing door 15 so that an operator can open and close the cavity 101 airtightly to place and remove the substrate 600 from the cavity 101.

[0129] Furthermore, the holder 60 is removably supported in the chamber 101 so that it can be removed from the chamber 101. This allows an operator to pre-attach the substrates 600 to the holder 60 outside and then place the holder 60 in the chamber 101. After one coating process is completed, the operator can remove the holder 60 and take out all of the substrates 600, thereby minimizing damage to the substrates 600 and ensuring the safety of the substrates 600, while also facilitating cleaning of the chamber 101 and the holder 60. Furthermore, the holder 60 is reusable; that is, during a second coating, the holder 60 can be used to re-attach another batch of substrates 600 and then placed in the chamber 101 to achieve re-coating, which contributes to mass production.

[0130] For example, the parameters of the coating apparatus 100 during the coating process are as follows: air intake: Ar / N2 / H2 / CH4: 50-500 sccm, C2H2 / O2: 10-200 sccm; vacuum level of the chamber before coating (i.e., step S02): 2×10 -3Pa or less; vacuum level of the coating chamber 101 during coating (i.e., step S03): 0.1 to 20 Pa; coating voltage: -300 to -3500 V, duty ratio: 5 to 100%, frequency: 20 to 360 KHz; coating time: 0.1 to 5 hours, and the thickness of the film is less than 50 nanometers, which are merely examples and do not limit the present invention.

[0131] Furthermore, the coating apparatus 100 further includes a casing 90, in which the cavity 10, the raw material supply device 110, the transport pipeline (i.e., the first transport pipeline 201 or the second transport pipeline 202), the air extraction device 30, the air extraction pipeline 40, the power supply device 50, the exhaust gas treatment device 70, and the temperature detection device 80 are all mounted in the housing 90. Furthermore, the housing 90 has a control panel, which is used by an operator to control the on / off or operating state of the air extraction device 30 and the power supply device 50, and to display the progress and related parameters of the coating process of the coating apparatus 100.

[0132] Furthermore, this embodiment also provides the film, wherein the film is prepared by the coating apparatus 100 and formed on the surface of the substrate 600. It should be understood that the film may be one or more layers of film formed on the surface of the substrate 600 by applying one or more coatings by the coating apparatus 100.

[0133] Furthermore, this embodiment also provides a method for preparing multiple layers of films with different types or performances on the surface of the same substrate using the coating apparatus 100. Step S10: The substrate 600 is placed in the chamber 101 of the coating apparatus 100, and the coating apparatus 100 produces a first film on the surface of the substrate 600 using the above coating method. Step S20: Using the coating apparatus 100, the above coating method is again used to produce a second film outside the first film on the surface of the substrate 600, thereby achieving the production of two layers of film on the surface of the substrate 600 using the same coating apparatus.

[0134] That is, in step S10, the coating apparatus 100 produces a layer of the first film on the surface of the substrate 600, and then, after step S10 is completed, the parameters of the coating apparatus 100 are set or the type or amount of reactive raw material re-added to the chamber 101 is controlled to coat the substrate 600 a second time in step S20, thereby depositing and forming the second film outside the first film on the substrate 600.

[0135] Furthermore, step S30 may be included after step S10 and before step S20, i.e., cleaning the chamber 101 of the coating apparatus 100 to remove gas remaining in the chamber 101 after coating is completed in step S10, thereby preventing it from interfering with the coating process in step S20 or affecting the performance of the second film. Optionally, an example of the cleaning method in step S30 is to blow air into the chamber 101 to exhaust the gas remaining in the chamber 101.

[0136] Of course, the method for producing a multi-layer film on the surface of the same substrate using the coating apparatus 100 can further include step S40, i.e., using the coating apparatus 100 again to produce a third film on the surface of the substrate 600 outside the second film using the above coating method, thereby achieving the production of a three-layer film on the surface of the substrate 600 using the same coating apparatus. It should be understood that the same coating apparatus 100 can also continue to produce four, five, or even more films on the surface of the substrate 600.

[0137] It is worth noting that by setting the parameters of the coating apparatus 100 or controlling the type or amount of added reactive raw materials each time coating is performed, the first film, the second film, and the third film can have the same type or performance, or two of the first film, the second film, and the third film can have the same type or performance and another one can have a different type or performance, or the first film, the second film, and the third film can have different types or performances from each other, but this is not limited thereto.

[0138] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are given by way of example only and are not intended to limit the present invention. The objects of the present invention have been fully and effectively achieved. The functional and structural principles of the present invention have been shown and explained in the examples. Various variations and modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from said principles.

Claims

1. A coating method using a coating device for coating a surface of a substrate, comprising: The coating device comprises: A raw material supply device; a device main body, the raw material supply device is connected to the apparatus main body and includes a gas supply device communicating with the apparatus main body for transporting a first gaseous raw material to the apparatus main body, and a liquid supply device communicating with the apparatus main body for transporting a second gaseous raw material gasified from a liquid raw material to the apparatus main body, and the apparatus main body produces a film using the first and / or second gaseous raw materials, the liquid supply device includes at least one gasifier for gasifying a liquid raw material and at least one first transport pipeline; the liquid supply device further includes at least one liquid reservoir for storing a liquid raw material, the liquid reservoir being in communication with the device body via the first transport pipeline; the gasification device is provided between the first transport pipeline and the liquid reservoir, or the gasification device is provided between the first transport pipeline and the apparatus main body, or the gasification device is provided between both ends of the first transport pipeline; The coating method using the coating apparatus includes a step A of producing a first film layer on the surface of the substrate, the step A comprising: A step A1 of transporting a first gaseous raw material to the apparatus body; and a step A2 in which the apparatus main body produces the first film layer on the surface of the substrate using the first gaseous raw material, The coating method using the coating apparatus includes a step B of producing a second film layer on the surface of the substrate, the step B comprising: Step B1 of gasifying the liquid raw material into a second gaseous raw material and transporting the second gaseous raw material to the apparatus body; and step B2 in which the apparatus main body produces the second film layer on the surface of the substrate using the second gaseous raw material, The coating method using the coating apparatus includes a step C of producing a third film layer on the surface of the substrate, the step C comprising: a step C1 of transporting a first gaseous raw material to the apparatus body and gasifying a liquid raw material into a second gaseous raw material and transporting the second gaseous raw material to the apparatus body; and step C2 in which the apparatus main body produces the third film layer on the surface of the substrate based on the first and second gaseous raw materials, Step A2 includes providing a radio frequency electric field to act on the first gaseous raw material to produce the first film layer; Step B2 includes a step of supplying a pulse voltage to act on the second gaseous raw material to produce the second film layer; Step C2 includes applying a radio frequency electric field to form a plasma environment and to cause reactive gases contained in the first and second gaseous sources to be in a highly energized state, and applying a pulse voltage to deposit the highly energized gas particles to form the third film layer. A coating method using a coating device.

2. 2. A coating method using the coating apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: performing step A and step B in order to sequentially produce the first film layer and the second film layer on the surface of the substrate; or performing step A after step B to sequentially produce the second film layer and the first film layer on the surface of the substrate.

3. 2. A coating method using the coating apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: performing the step A and the step C in that order; or performing the step A after the step C.

4. 2. The coating method using the coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein step B1 includes step B11 of storing a liquid raw material in a liquid reservoir, and step B12 of gasifying the liquid raw material into a second gaseous raw material and transporting the second gaseous raw material to a chamber of the apparatus main body.

5. 2. The coating method using the coating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein step C1 includes step C11 of storing a liquid source material in a liquid reservoir and storing a first gaseous source material in a gas reservoir, step C12 of transporting the first gaseous source material to a chamber of the apparatus body, and step C13 of gasifying the liquid source material into a second gaseous source material and transporting the second gaseous source material to the chamber.

6. 6. The coating method using the coating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the step C12 is performed after the step C13, or the step C12 and the step C13 are performed simultaneously.

7. 6. A coating method using the coating apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the liquid raw material is gasified into the second gaseous raw material by heating or reducing pressure.

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