Thin film manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a thin-film manufacturing apparatus that reduces takt time. The thin-film manufacturing apparatus (501) of the present disclosure includes an ultrasonic atomizer (101), a heating mechanism (201), and a substrate rotation mechanism (301). The substrate rotation mechanism (301) performs a substrate rotation process by driving a rotary belt drive motor (30) to rotate a cylindrical substrate (15) including a film formation unit (15m). The substrate rotation process sets the cylindrical substrate (15) to one of a first and a second arrangement state. The ultrasonic atomizer (101) performs a mist supply process on the film formation region of the film formation unit (15m) set to the first arrangement state. When the film formation region of the film formation unit (15m) is set to the second arrangement state, the heating mechanism (201) performs a heating process to heat the film formation region in the second arrangement state after the mist supply process.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a thin-film manufacturing apparatus used in manufacturing electronic components, solar cells, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] A mist coating film-forming apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an example of a conventional thin film manufacturing apparatus that performs mist supply processing and heat processing.

[0003] The mist coating film-forming device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a device that turns a raw material solution, which is a nanoparticle dispersion solution or a nanofiber solution, into mist, applies a liquid film of the raw material solution onto a plate-shaped substrate, and then forms a thin film through a baking and drying process using a heat treatment.

[0004] Conventional mist coating film-forming equipment applies a uniform film of the dispersion solution as a liquid film of the raw material solution to a plate-shaped substrate by carrying out a mist supply process, and then transports the plate-shaped substrate to the device for the baking and drying process, which is a separate heating process. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2018 / 011854 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Conventional thin film manufacturing equipment, such as the mist application film-forming equipment described above, performs the mist supply process and the heating process (baking and drying process) in separate processes that require the substrate to be transported, which increases the number of processes involved in the transport process and therefore increases the manufacturing time.

[0007] In other words, conventional thin-film manufacturing equipment that performs mist supply processing and heat processing performs the baking and drying process, which is a heat treatment, as a separate process that requires a transport process. This increases the process time, number of processes, and equipment scale required for thin-film manufacturing, resulting in problems such as increased equipment costs and takt time.

[0008] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a thin-film manufacturing apparatus that solves the above-mentioned problems and at least reduces the takt time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to the present disclosure is a thin film manufacturing apparatus that supplies a raw material solution mist to a substrate to form a thin film, wherein the substrate has a cylindrical structure with at least a portion of its side surface set in a film formation region, and the raw material solution mist is obtained by misting the raw material solution. The thin film manufacturing apparatus includes: a substrate rotation mechanism that performs a substrate rotation process to rotate the substrate so that the film formation region is in a first arrangement state or a second arrangement state different from the first arrangement state without moving the substrate; a mist supply mechanism that performs a mist supply process to supply the raw material solution mist to the film formation region in the first arrangement state; and a heating mechanism that performs a heating process to heat the film formation region in the second arrangement state after the mist supply process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus of the present disclosure, while the substrate is rotated by the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism, a mist supply process is performed in which a raw material solution mist is supplied to a film formation region in a first arrangement state by the mist supply mechanism, and then a heating process is performed in which the film formation region in a second arrangement state is heated by the heating mechanism, thereby forming a thin film on the film formation region.

[0011] The time required to change from the first arrangement state to the second arrangement state is the time required for the substrate rotation process, which rotates the substrate without moving it, so the time lag between the mist supply process and the heat process for the same film formation area can be minimized.

[0012] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus of the present disclosure can reduce the takt time and form a thin film on the film formation area of ​​the substrate.

[0013] The objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of a thin-film manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view (part 1) that schematically shows the planar structure of a heating mechanism and a substrate rotating mechanism in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 4 is a plan view (part 2) schematically showing the planar structure of the heating mechanism and the substrate rotating mechanism in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the cross-sectional structure taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged region of interest in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a rotating state of the film forming unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional structure of a substrate rotation mechanism employed in a modification of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a plan view schematically showing the planar structure of one cylindrical substrate heating unit used in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus of the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross-sectional structure taken along the line CC in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 10 is a plan view schematically showing the planar structure of a group of cylindrical substrate heating units and a substrate rotating mechanism used in a thin-film manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] <First Embodiment> Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. An XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is depicted in Fig. 1. The XYZ Cartesian coordinate system shown in Fig. 1 primarily indicates the positional relationship between the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101, the cylindrical substrate 15, and the cylindrical substrate support jig 16 of the heating mechanism 201.

[0016] 2 and 3 are plan views each showing a schematic planar structure of the heating mechanism 201 and the substrate rotation mechanism 301 in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic cross-sectional structure along the AA cross section in Fig. 3. An XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is shown in Figs. 2 to 4.

[0017] As shown in these figures, a thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501, which is the basic configuration of the first embodiment, includes an ultrasonic atomization device 101, a heating mechanism 201, and a substrate rotation mechanism 301 as main components.

[0018] The ultrasonic atomization device 101 includes an atomization container 1, a gas supply unit 4, a mist supply pipe 5, and a nozzle 7 as main components.

[0019] The atomization container 1 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101 contains a raw material solution (not shown) in an internal space 1H. An ultrasonic vibrator (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface of the atomization container 1. The raw material solution may be, for example, a carbon-based material dispersion liquid, a thermosetting resin solution, or the like.

[0020] A gas supply unit 4, which is a carrier gas supply pipe, is provided on the top of the atomization container 1, and a carrier gas G4 is supplied from the gas supply unit 4 to the internal space 1H of the atomization container 1. A gas control device (not shown) is attached to the gas supply unit 4, and the flow rate of the carrier gas G4 supplied to the atomization container 1 is controlled by the gas control device.

[0021] In the ultrasonic atomization device 101 configured as described above, when an ultrasonic vibration operation is performed in which ultrasonic vibrations are applied from the ultrasonic vibrator to the internal space 1H of the atomization container 1, the ultrasonic vibration energy from the ultrasonic vibrator is transmitted to the raw material solution in the atomization container 1.

[0022] As a result, the raw material solution turns into mist, and raw material solution mist MT is obtained within the internal space 1H of the atomization container 1. In this way, by performing ultrasonic vibration operation using the ultrasonic vibrator, raw material solution mist MT is generated within the internal space 1H of the atomization container 1 by atomizing the raw material solution.

[0023] The raw material solution mist MT generated in the atomization container 1 during ultrasonic vibration operation is supplied to the nozzle 7, which functions as a mist spray unit, via a mist supply pipe 5, which serves as a mist transport path, by a carrier gas G4 supplied from a gas supply unit 4.

[0024] As a result, a raw material solution mist MT is sprayed from the mist outlet 7a provided at the bottom of the nozzle 7 along the mist spraying direction DM (-Z direction).

[0025] In this way, the ultrasonic atomization device 101, which is a mist supply mechanism, performs a mist supply process of supplying the raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 to the cylindrical substrate 15, which is the target of film formation.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the heating mechanism 201 includes a cylindrical substrate support jig 16, a stage 17, and a heating jig 18 as main components.

[0027] A heating jig 18 is provided on a stage 17 serving as a support base, and the heating jig 18 is made of a material such as aluminum, which has good thermal conductivity.

[0028] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the pair of cylindrical substrate support jigs 16 of the heating mechanism 201 rotatably support the pair of holders 15s of the cylindrical substrate 15 from below.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 4, the heating jig 18 has a heating jig heating heater 18h inside. The heating jig heating heater 18h has a rod shape (cylindrical shape) extending in the Y direction inside the heating jig 18. By raising the temperature of the heating jig heating heater 18h, the entire heating jig 18 can be heated and heat can be generated from the heating surface S18 on the surface. The shape of the heating jig heating heater 18h is not limited to a cylindrical shape and may be another shape such as a hexagonal pillar.

[0030] In this way, the heating mechanism 201 having the heating jig 18 performs the heating process by transferring the heat generated by the heating jig heater 18h upward from the heating surface S18 on the surface. As shown in Fig. 4, the cross-sectional structure of the heating surface S18 has an arc-shaped recessed shape.

[0031] 1 to 4, cylindrical substrate 15, which serves as the base material for the cylindrical structure (columnar structure) on which a film is to be formed, includes, as its main components, a film formation section 15m and a pair of holding sections 15s. Film formation section 15m is cylindrical, and has a pair of circular bottom surfaces and side surfaces S15 provided between the pair of bottom surfaces. At least a portion of the cylindrical side surfaces S15 is set in the film formation region, and the direction in which the pair of bottom surfaces face each other corresponds to the height direction of cylindrical film formation section 15m.

[0032] The film forming section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 having such a configuration is disposed above the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18, with the height direction being parallel to the horizontal Y direction. That is, the cylindrical film forming section 15m is disposed above the heating jig 18 in a horizontal position.

[0033] Therefore, the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18 in the heating mechanism 201 is provided at a position facing the lower part of the side surface S15 of the film forming section 15m in the horizontally placed state.

[0034] In this manner, the cylindrical substrate 15 having the film forming portion 15m is disposed between the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101 and the heating jig 18 of the heating mechanism 201.

[0035] 4, the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101 is disposed above the top 15p of the side surface S15 of the film forming unit 15m. That is, the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 is provided at a position facing the upper part of the side surface S15 of the film forming unit 15m.

[0036] The pair of holding parts 15s each have a cylindrical shape and are connected to both bottom surfaces of the film forming part 15m such that the center of the bottom surface of the holding part 15s coincides with the film forming part center point 15c on the bottom surface of the film forming part 15m.

[0037] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the substrate rotating mechanism 301 includes a rotating belt driving motor 30, a clamp jig 31, a roller with bearing 32, a roller with bearing support jig 33, and a rotating belt 39 as main components.

[0038] The rotating belt drive motor 30 is attached to the rotating belt 39 so that, when rotating counterclockwise, the upper portion of the rotating belt 39 moves along the belt advance direction D39 (-X direction). Note that the rotation direction of the rotating belt drive motor 30 may be set clockwise, and the belt advance direction D39 may move along the +X direction.

[0039] The majority of the bearing-equipped roller 32 is disposed on the upper portion of the rotary belt 39 so as to be rotatable in conjunction with the movement of the rotary belt driving motor 30 along the belt travel direction D39.

[0040] One end portion of the bearing roller 32 on the -Y direction side is not in contact with the rotating belt 39, and is rotatably supported from below by a bearing roller support jig 33. The other end of the bearing roller 32 is connected to a clamp jig 31, and the clamp jig 31 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the bearing roller 32.

[0041] The clamp jig 31 is connected to the holding portion 15s on the −Y direction side of the pair of holding portions 15s. The holding portion 15s rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the clamp jig 31.

[0042] The substrate rotating mechanism 301 configured as described above can perform a substrate rotation process by driving the rotary belt driving motor 30 .

[0043] The upper portion of the rotating belt 39 moves along the belt travel direction D39 due to the driving of the rotating belt drive motor 30. The bearing roller 32 rotates clockwise in conjunction with the movement of the rotating belt 39. The clamp jig 31 and one of the holding portions 15s rotate in conjunction with the rotation of the bearing roller 32.

[0044] As a result, in conjunction with the rotation of one of the holding parts 15s, the film forming part 15m and the other holding part 15s also rotate, causing the cylindrical substrate 15 to rotate clockwise. Therefore, the cylindrical substrate 15 is rotated by the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 301. At this time, the film forming part 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 rotates around a center line extending along the Y direction, which is horizontal from the film forming part center point 15c, as its rotation axis.

[0045] The cylindrical substrate 15 does not move when the substrate rotation process is performed. That is, even when the substrate rotation process is performed, the positional relationship of the film forming unit 15m with respect to the nozzle 7 and the heating jig 18 remains constant without change.

[0046] In this way, the substrate rotation mechanism 301 in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 can perform a substrate rotation process of rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 including the film formation section 15m by driving the rotary belt drive motor 30. The substrate rotation process by the substrate rotation mechanism 301 is a process of rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 around the central axis of the film formation section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 as the rotation axis.

[0047] The ultrasonic atomization device 101, which is a mist supply mechanism, performs a mist supply process on the film formation region of the film formation unit 15m on the cylindrical substrate 15. The mist supply process performed by the ultrasonic atomization device 101 will be described below.

[0048] By executing the mist supply process, the raw material solution mist MT generated from the atomization container 1 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101 is carried to the nozzle 7 through the mist supply pipe 5 by the carrier gas G4 sent from the gas supply unit 4. The nozzle 7 sprays the raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a in the mist spraying direction DM along the -Z direction.

[0049] In this way, the ultrasonic atomization device 101 performs a mist supply process of spraying the raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 onto the cylindrical substrate 15 that is the target for film formation.

[0050] The thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of embodiment 1 includes, in addition to the ultrasonic atomization device 101, a substrate rotation mechanism 301 that rotates the cylindrical substrate 15, and a heating mechanism 201 that includes a heating jig 18 arranged below the cylindrical substrate 15.

[0051] Hereinafter, the first arrangement state will be defined as a state in which the film formation area provided on the side surface S15 of the film formation section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 is arranged upward, i.e., in the upper semicircular portion of the side surface S15 shown in Figure 4, and there is space above but no space below.

[0052] On the other hand, a second arrangement state is when the film formation region is located below, that is, in the lower semicircular portion of side surface S15 shown in FIG. 4, with space below and no space above.

[0053] In this way, the first arrangement state is a state in which the film formation area is located in the upper semicircular portion of side S15, with space above but no space below, and the second arrangement state is a state in which the film formation area is located in the lower semicircular portion of side S15, with space below but no space above.

[0054] The mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 is disposed above the side surface S15 of the cylindrical substrate 15 (film forming unit 15m). Therefore, in the ultrasonic atomization device 101, which is a mist supply mechanism, the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 is provided at a position facing the film forming region of the film forming unit 15m in the first arrangement state.

[0055] The ultrasonic atomization device 101 performs a mist supply process to supply raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a of the nozzle 7 to the film formation area of ​​the film formation unit 15m in a first arrangement state in which there is space above but no space below.

[0056] On the other hand, the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18 in the heating mechanism 201 is disposed below the side surface S15 of the cylindrical substrate 15. Therefore, the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18 in the heating mechanism 201 is provided at a position facing the film formation region of the film formation unit 15m in the second arrangement state in which there is a space below but no space above.

[0057] The heating mechanism 201 performs a heating process to heat the film formation region of the film formation unit 15m in the second arrangement state after the mist supply process.

[0058] In the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 configured as described above, the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 301 sets the film formation region provided on the side surface S15 of the film formation unit 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 to a first arrangement state. That is, the film formation region is located within the upper semicircle of the side surface S15.

[0059] When the film formation area of ​​the film formation unit 15m is set to the first arrangement state, the ultrasonic atomization device 101 executes a mist supply process to apply a film of the raw solution mist MT onto the film formation area of ​​the film formation unit 15m set to the first arrangement state.

[0060] For example, when the raw material solution of the raw material solution mist MT is a carbon-based material dispersion liquid, the application temperature during the mist supply process is set to about 50 to 60°C. The application temperature refers to the temperature of the film formation area provided on the side surface S15 of the film formation unit 15m during the mist supply process. As a method for setting the application temperature, for example, it is possible to heat the film formation area in the second arrangement state in advance to set it to the application temperature, and then change the arrangement state to the first arrangement state by performing the substrate rotation process.

[0061] Thereafter, the substrate rotation process by the substrate rotation mechanism 301 changes the setting of the film formation region of the film formation unit 15m from the first arrangement state to the second arrangement state. The second arrangement state is a positional state obtained by rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 including the film formation unit 15m halfway from the first arrangement state. The substrate rotation process changes the setting of the cylindrical substrate 15 from the first arrangement state to the second arrangement state without moving it. In other words, the substrate rotation process does not change the position of the cylindrical substrate 15 relative to the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101 and the heating jig 18 of the heating mechanism 201.

[0062] In addition, by adjusting the spray amount of the raw solution mist MT in the mist supply process, it is possible to prevent the film of raw solution applied to the film formation region of the film forming unit 15m in the second arrangement state from falling downward. The spray amount of the raw solution mist MT can be adjusted taking into consideration the fact that the film of raw solution applied to the film formation region becomes less likely to fall as the supply amount of the raw solution mist MT per unit time decreases.

[0063] When the film formation region of the film formation unit 15m is set to the second arrangement state, the heating mechanism 201 performs a heating process to heat the film formation region in the second arrangement state after the mist supply process.

[0064] That is, the heating mechanism 201 performs a heating process in which the film of the raw material solution on the film formation area that has been applied by executing the mist supply process is heated from below (baked and dried) using heat generated from the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18, thereby forming the desired functional film as a thin film.

[0065] The desired functional film may be a thin film made of a raw material solution by evaporating the solvent in the film by heat treatment, or a thin film made of a raw material solution by heat treatment and hardening it. All of these thin films are formed without chemical reactions.

[0066] The heating temperature in the heat treatment is set to 80 to 100° C. when the raw material solution is a carbon-based material dispersion liquid, and to about 30 to 100° C. when the raw material solution is a thermosetting resin solution. For the same raw material solution, the heating temperature is set higher than the application temperature.

[0067] In this way, a film of the raw material solution is applied onto the film formation area by the mist supply process of the ultrasonic atomization device 101, and a thin film is formed from the film of the raw material solution on the film formation area of ​​the film formation unit 15m by the heating process after the mist supply process. At this time, the heating process by the heating mechanism 201 is performed without being affected by the mist supply process.

[0068] In the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, a mist supply process is performed to supply a raw material solution mist MT to a film formation region in a first arrangement state while rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 by a substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, and then a heating process is performed to heat the film formation region in a second arrangement state, thereby forming a thin film on the film formation region. The mist supply process is performed by the ultrasonic atomization device 101, which is a mist supply mechanism, and the heating process is performed by the heating mechanism 201.

[0069] The time required to change from the first arrangement state to the second arrangement state is the time required for the substrate rotation process, which rotates the cylindrical substrate 15 half a turn without moving the cylindrical substrate 15. Therefore, the time lag between the mist supply process and the heating process for the same film formation region can be minimized.

[0070] As a result, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 having the basic configuration of the first embodiment can form a thin film on the film formation region provided on the side surface S15 of the film formation section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 while reducing the takt time.

[0071] In the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment, the substrate rotation process by the substrate rotation mechanism 301 is a process of rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 around the central axis of the film forming section 15m as the rotation axis, and therefore the substrate rotation process does not move the cylindrical substrate 15. In other words, the position of the cylindrical substrate 15 relative to the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101 and the heating jig 18 of the heating mechanism 201 does not change due to the substrate rotation process.

[0072] Therefore, when changing the film formation region from the first arrangement state to the second arrangement state, the only process that is substantially required is the substrate rotation process by the substrate rotation mechanism 301. In other words, when changing the arrangement state from the first arrangement state to the second arrangement state, there is no need to move the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101, which is the mist supply mechanism, and the heating jig 18 of the heating mechanism 201.

[0073] As a result, after the mist supply process is performed, the heating mechanism 201 quickly performs the heating process on the film forming unit 15m in the second arrangement state, thereby further reducing the takt time.

[0074] Additionally, in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment, the cylindrical substrate 15 is disposed between the nozzle 7 of the ultrasonic atomization device 101 and the heating jig 18 of the heating mechanism 201, and the nozzle 7 and the heating jig 18 can be disposed close to the cylindrical substrate 15. Therefore, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment can have a compact device configuration and can reduce the device cost.

[0075] In the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment, even if the mist supply process by the ultrasonic atomization device 101 and the heating process by the heating mechanism 201 are performed in parallel, the mist supply process and the heating process do not affect each other.

[0076] In the first arrangement state, there is no space below the film formation region, so when a mist supply process is performed on the film formation region in the first arrangement state, there is almost no influence of the heating process from the heating mechanism 201 below. In addition, in the second arrangement state, there is no space above the film formation region, so when a heat process is performed on the film formation region in the second arrangement state, the supply of the precursor solution mist MT to the film formation region from above is cut off. Therefore, as described above, the mist supply process and the heat process do not influence each other.

[0077] As a result, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment can deposit a thin film on the film deposition area provided on the side surface S15 of the film deposition section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 with high precision.

[0078] Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an enlarged view of the region of interest R1 in Fig. 4. An XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is shown in the figure.

[0079] As shown in the figure, the XZ cross section of the side surface S15 of the cylindrical film formation unit 15m is circular, and the XZ cross section of the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18 has an arc-shaped (semicircular) recessed shape, and they are set so that the heating spatial distance d1 is constant. That is, the radius of the circle defining the heating surface S18 is set longer by the heating spatial distance d1 than the radius of the circle defining the side surface S15.

[0080] A pair of holding parts 15s that are connected to both side surfaces of the film forming part 15m and hold the film forming part 15m are supported on a pair of cylindrical substrate support jigs 16, so that the heating space distance d1 is secured and the side surface S15 of the film forming part 15m does not come into contact with the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18, allowing the film forming part 15m to be positioned above the heating surface S18.

[0081] The heating spatial distance d1 is set in the range of 0.1 to 10 (mm). That is, the heating mechanism 201 is disposed so that the distance between the side surface S15 of the film formation section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 and the heating surface S18 is in the range of 0.1 to 10 (mm).

[0082] The larger the heating spatial distance d1, the lower the temperature rise rate (temperature rise rate, temperature rise rate) on the side surface S15 of the film forming portion 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15. The smaller the heating spatial distance d1, the higher the temperature rise rate in the firing process by heat treatment.

[0083] When the side surface S15 comes into contact with the heating surface S18, the film of the raw material solution is destroyed by friction, so the lower limit of the heating spatial distance d1 is set to 0.1 mm. The lower limit of 0.1 mm is set in consideration of the difficulty of setting dimensions on the order of 10 microns due to the processing precision required to form the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18. The upper limit of 10 mm for the heating spatial distance d1 is set in consideration of the fact that the rate of temperature rise on the side surface S15 of the film formation section 15m becomes too low when the heating spatial distance d1 exceeds 10 mm.

[0084] The heating mechanism 201 in the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of embodiment 1 is positioned so that the distance between the side surface S15 of the film forming section 15m on the cylindrical substrate 15 and the heating surface S18 is in the range of 0.1 to 10 (mm), so that the heating surface S18 is positioned close to the side surface S15 of the film forming section 15m without contacting it.

[0085] In this way, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of embodiment 1 can perform a heating process that efficiently heats the film of raw material solution from the heating surface S18 of the heating jig 18 without damaging the film of raw material solution applied to the film formation area by the mist supply process.

[0086] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment can form a thin film on the film formation region with high precision by the heat treatment that is performed after the mist supply treatment.

[0087] 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the rotation state of the film forming unit 15m, in which an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is shown.

[0088] As shown in the figure, the cross-sectional shape of the side surface S15 on the XZ plane is a circle with the center at the center point 15c of the film-forming unit and a substrate radius r15. When the film-forming unit 15m is rotated at an angular velocity ω15 by the substrate rotation process, a rotational velocity v15 (= r15 × w15), which is the linear velocity of the side surface S15 of the film-forming unit 15m, is determined.

[0089] The substrate rotation mechanism 301 in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment sets the rotation speed v15, which is the linear speed along the tangential direction of the side surface S15 of the film formation section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15, to 30 (mm / sec) or less. The rotation speed v15 can be set by driving and controlling the rotation belt drive motor 30.

[0090] In the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment, the rotation speed v15, which is the linear speed in the substrate rotation process performed by the substrate rotation mechanism 301, is set to 30 (mm / sec) or less, so that a film of the raw material solution can be applied accurately onto the film formation area when the mist supply process is performed. The above-mentioned properties hold regardless of the type of raw material solution of the raw material solution mist MT.

[0091] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501 of embodiment 1 can heat the film of raw material solution that has been well applied on the film formation area by the heating process performed after the mist supply process, thereby forming a thin film on the film formation area with high accuracy.

[0092] If the rotation speed v15 is set to a speed exceeding 30 mm / sec, the application of the raw material solution mist MT onto the film formation area of ​​the side surface S15 cannot be performed accurately, and the heating process (baking and drying process) is then performed by the heating mechanism 201. This makes it difficult to form a thin film of the desired functional film. Therefore, the rotation speed v15 is set to 30 mm / sec or less.

[0093] (Extended configuration) In the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment, an extended configuration is possible in which the substrate rotation process by the substrate rotation mechanism 301 performs a multiple rotation process in which the cylindrical substrate 15 is rotated two or more times.

[0094] Hereinafter, an expanded configuration of the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 of the first embodiment will be described as a thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501A.

[0095] The substrate rotation mechanism 301 of the thin-film manufacturing equipment 501A performs a plurality of rotation processes as a substrate rotation process. By the plurality of rotation processes of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, the first and second arrangement states of the film formation region are each set a plurality of times.

[0096] The ultrasonic atomization device 101, which is the mist supply mechanism of the thin film manufacturing apparatus 501A, performs the mist supply process multiple times in response to multiple first arrangement states set for the same film formation area, and the heating mechanism 201 performs the heating process multiple times in response to multiple second arrangement states set for the same film formation area.

[0097] Hereinafter, the operation of the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501A will be described assuming that the number of rotations is K (K≧2). By the multiple rotation processes of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, the film formation region changes in the order of the first arrangement state for the first time, the second arrangement state for the first time, the first arrangement state for the second time, the second arrangement state for the second time, ..., the first arrangement state for the Kth time, and the second arrangement state for the Kth time.

[0098] The ultrasonic atomization device 101, which is a mist supply mechanism, executes the first to Kth mist supply processes when the arrangement state of the film formation region is set to the first arrangement state for the first to Kth times.

[0099] The heating mechanism 201 performs the first to Kth heating processes when the arrangement state of the film formation region is set to the second arrangement state for the first to Kth times.

[0100] In this way, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501A, which is an expanded configuration of the first embodiment, can perform the combination of the mist supply process and the heat process K times in succession. As a result, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501A can form a thin film with a stacked structure of K layers, thereby making it possible to sufficiently increase the thickness of the thin film that is finally formed.

[0101] In this way, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501A, which is an expanded configuration of the first embodiment, can relatively easily form a thin film with a relatively thick film thickness by continuously performing a combination of the mist supply process and the heat process multiple times.

[0102] The heating temperature is set higher than the coating temperature. Therefore, after the (j-1)th (j=2 to K)th heating process is performed and the jth first arrangement state is set, it is desirable to confirm that the temperature of the film formation region has decreased from the heating temperature to the coating temperature before performing the jth mist supply process.

[0103] (Variation) Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram that schematically shows the cross-sectional structure of a substrate rotation mechanism 302 employed in a thin-film production apparatus 501B, which is a modified example of the thin-film production apparatus 501. Fig. 7 shows the cross-sectional structure along the BB cross-sectional structure of Fig. 3, and an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is depicted in Fig. 7. The modified thin-film production apparatus 501B is an apparatus in which the substrate rotation mechanism 301 in the thin-film production apparatus 501 of the basic configuration is replaced with a substrate rotation mechanism 302.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 7, the substrate rotating mechanism 302 includes a rotating substrate driving motor 40 and a clamping jig 41 as main components.

[0105] The rotary substrate driving motor 40 is connected to one end of the clamping jig 41 and can perform a rotational operation to rotate the clamping jig 41 clockwise. The rotational direction of the rotary substrate driving motor 40 may be counterclockwise. The clamping jig 41 is connected to the holding portion 15s on the -Y direction side of the pair of holding portions 15s.

[0106] The substrate rotating mechanism 302 configured as described above can perform substrate rotation processing by driving the rotating substrate driving motor 40 .

[0107] The clamping jig 41 rotates clockwise when driven by the rotary substrate driving motor 40. In conjunction with the rotation of the clamping jig 41, one holding unit 15s, the film forming unit 15m, and the other holding unit 15s also rotate, causing the cylindrical substrate 15 to rotate clockwise.

[0108] In this way, the substrate rotation mechanism 302 in the modified thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501B performs a substrate rotation process of rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 including the film formation unit 15m by driving the rotating substrate drive motor 40. Similar to the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 301, the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 302 is performed around the central axis of the film formation unit 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 as the rotation center.

[0109] Thus, thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501B, which is a modification of the first embodiment in which substrate rotating mechanism 301 is replaced with substrate rotating mechanism 302, also provides the same effects as thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501, which has the basic configuration of the first embodiment.

[0110] Furthermore, since the substrate rotation mechanism 302 can also perform a rotation process multiple times like the substrate rotation mechanism 301, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501B has the same effect as the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501A.

[0111] Furthermore, the rotation speed v15 can be set to 30 (mm / sec) or less in the substrate rotating mechanism 302. That is, the rotation speed v15 can be set by controlling the driving of the rotating substrate driving motor 40.

[0112] <Embodiment 2> Fig. 8 is a plan view schematically showing the planar structure of one cylindrical substrate heating unit 50 used in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 of embodiment 2. Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the cross-sectional structure at cross section CC in Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a plan view schematically showing the planar structure of the cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500 and substrate rotation mechanism 303 used in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 of embodiment 2. An XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is depicted in each of Figs. 8 to 10.

[0113] Hereinafter, the same components as those in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 501 (501A, 501B) of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description will be omitted as appropriate, and the description will focus on the features of the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment.

[0114] The thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment has a plurality of cylindrical substrates 15 as film formation targets, and is provided with a plurality of nozzles 7 and a plurality of heating jigs 18 in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of cylindrical substrates 15 .

[0115] As shown in FIG. 8, the cylindrical substrate heating unit 50 includes a heating mechanism 202 and a group of rotation mechanism auxiliary members 303p as main components.

[0116] The heating mechanism 202, like the heating mechanism 201 of the first embodiment, includes a cylindrical substrate support jig 16, a stage 17 (see FIG. 1), and a heating jig 18 as main components.

[0117] As shown in FIG. 8, the rotation mechanism auxiliary member group 303p includes a clamp jig 31, a bearing roller 32, and a bearing roller support jig 33 as main components.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 9, the nozzle 7 is disposed above the film forming section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 of the cylindrical substrate heating unit 50.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 10, a thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 according to the second embodiment includes a cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500, a rotary belt driving motor 300, and a rotary belt 390 as main components.

[0120] The cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500 is configured by N (=4) cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 arranged adjacent to each other along the X direction. The cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 correspond one-to-one to the N cylindrical substrates 15.

[0121] Each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 has the same configuration as the cylindrical substrate heating unit 50 shown in Fig. 8. Therefore, the arrangements of the heating mechanisms 202 and rotation mechanism auxiliary member groups 303p in the Y and Z directions of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 are the same.

[0122] The thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment includes N cylindrical substrates 15 and N heating jigs 18 in a cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500. In addition, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 includes N nozzles 7 corresponding to the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 in the cylindrical substrate heating unit group 500.

[0123] The N nozzles 7 and N heating jigs 18 are provided corresponding to the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54. Therefore, the N cylindrical substrates 15, the N nozzles 7, and the N heating jigs 18 are in one-to-one correspondence.

[0124] Each of the N nozzles 7 is arranged so as to spray a raw material solution mist MT from a mist spraying port 7a toward a corresponding one of the N cylindrical substrates 15 in a mist spraying direction DM.

[0125] Each of the N heating jigs 18 is disposed on a corresponding one of the N cylindrical substrates 15 so as to heat the side surface S15 of the film formation portion 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 from the lower heating surface S18.

[0126] 1, or the mist supply pipe 5 serving as the mist transport path in one ultrasonic atomization device 101 may have an N-distribution structure, and the N nozzles 7 may be connected to the N-distribution structure mist supply pipe 5. For convenience of explanation, the ultrasonic atomization device 101 having N nozzles 7 will be referred to as an "N-nozzle ultrasonic atomization device" below.

[0127] As described above, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment has a plurality of nozzles 7 and a plurality of heating jigs 18 for forming films on a plurality of cylindrical substrates 15 (film forming sections 15m). The plurality of cylindrical substrates 15, the plurality of nozzles 7, and the plurality of heating jigs 18 are in one-to-one correspondence.

[0128] The plurality of nozzles 7 are arranged so as to spray the raw material solution mist MT from the mist nozzles 7a onto the corresponding cylindrical substrates 15 out of the plurality of cylindrical substrates 15, respectively.

[0129] Each of the plurality of heating jigs 18 is disposed for a corresponding one of the plurality of cylindrical base materials 15 so as to heat the lower part of the side surface S15 of the cylindrical base material 15 from the heating surface S18.

[0130] The rotating belt drive motor 300 is attached to the rotating belt 390 so that, when rotating counterclockwise, it moves the upper portion of the rotating belt 390 along the belt movement direction D39 (-X direction). Note that the rotation direction of the rotating belt drive motor 300 may be set clockwise, and the belt movement direction D39 may be set to the +X direction.

[0131] Most of the bearing-equipped rollers 32 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 are disposed on the upper portion of the rotary belt 390 so as to be rotatable in conjunction with the movement of the rotary belt drive motor 300 along the belt travel direction D39.

[0132] In each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54, one end portion of the bearing-equipped roller 32 is not in contact with the rotating belt 390 and is rotatably supported from below by a bearing-equipped roller support jig 33. In each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54, the other end of the bearing-equipped roller 32 is connected to a clamping jig 31, and the clamping jig 31 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the bearing-equipped roller 32.

[0133] In each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54, the clamping jig 31 is connected to one of the pair of holding parts 15s on the -Y direction side. In each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54, one of the holding parts 15s rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the clamping jig 31.

[0134] Therefore, in each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54, the film forming section 15m and the other holding section 15s also rotate in conjunction with the rotation of one holding section 15s, thereby rotating the cylindrical substrate 15 clockwise.

[0135] The rotation mechanism auxiliary member group 303p of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 described above, the rotation belt drive motor 300, and the rotation belt 390 constitute the substrate rotation mechanism 303.

[0136] The substrate rotating mechanism 303 configured as described above can perform a collective rotation process as a substrate rotation process by driving the rotary belt driving motor 300 .

[0137] Drive of the rotary belt drive motor 300 moves the upper portion of the rotary belt 390 along the belt travel direction D39. In conjunction with the movement of the rotary belt 390, the bearing-equipped roller 32 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51-54 rotates clockwise. As the bearing-equipped roller 32 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51-54 rotates, the cylindrical substrate 15 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51-54 rotates.

[0138] As a result, in each of cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54, film formation portion 15m of cylindrical substrate 15 rotates clockwise.

[0139] In this way, the substrate rotation mechanism 303 in the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment performs a collective rotation process of collectively rotating N cylindrical substrates 15 (film formation sections 15m). That is, the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 303 includes a collective rotation process of collectively rotating a plurality of cylindrical substrates 15.

[0140] The substrate rotation mechanism 303 described above can perform collective rotation processing by driving the rotary belt drive motor 300. In collective rotation processing, each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 rotates around the central axis of the film formation section 15m.

[0141] By the collective rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 303, the N cylindrical substrates 15 can be collectively set to the first arrangement state or the second arrangement state.

[0142] The N-nozzle ultrasonic atomization device performs a mist supply process of supplying raw material solution mist MT from seven nozzles 7 toward the film formation regions of N cylindrical substrates 15, each of which is set in the first arrangement state.

[0143] The heating mechanism 202 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 performs a heat treatment on each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 to heat the film formation region of the film formation section 15m in the second arrangement state after the mist supply treatment.

[0144] In the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment having such a configuration, the film formation regions provided on the side surface S15 of the film formation section 15m of each of the N (=4) cylindrical substrates 15 are set to a first arrangement state by the collective rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 303. That is, the film formation regions of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 are located within the upper semicircle of the side surface S15, with a space above and no space below.

[0145] Then, when the film formation area of ​​the film formation unit 15m of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 is set to the first arrangement state, the N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizer executes the mist supply process. The mist supply process will be described in detail below using an N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizer employing a mist supply pipe 5 with an N-distribution structure as an example.

[0146] By executing the mist supply process, the raw material solution mist MT generated from the atomization container 1 of the N-nozzle ultrasonic atomization device is transported to seven nozzles 7 through the mist supply pipe 5 with an N distribution structure by carrier gas G4 sent from the gas supply unit 4. Each of the N nozzles 7 sprays the raw material solution mist MT from its mist outlet 7a in the mist spraying direction DM along the -Z direction.

[0147] In this way, the N-nozzle ultrasonic atomization device executes a mist supply process of spraying the raw material solution mist MT from the mist outlet 7a of each of the N nozzles 7. Therefore, each of the N nozzles 7 can apply a film of the raw material solution mist MT onto the film formation region of the film formation unit 15m for a corresponding one of the N cylindrical substrates 15 set in the first arrangement state.

[0148] Thereafter, the film formation regions of the film formation units 15m of the N cylindrical substrates 15 are changed from the first arrangement state to the second arrangement state by a collective rotation process using the substrate rotation mechanism 303. That is, the film formation regions of the N cylindrical substrates 15 are located within the lower semicircle of the side surface S15, with a space below and no space above.

[0149] Next, the heating mechanism 202 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 performs a heating process (baking / drying process) on the corresponding cylindrical substrate 15 among the N cylindrical substrates 15 set in the second arrangement state, to heat the film of the raw material solution applied to the film formation area of ​​the film formation section 15m.

[0150] As a result, the film of the raw material solution applied on the film formation area by executing the mist supply process is heated, and a desired functional film is formed as a thin film on the film formation area of ​​the film formation section 15m of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15.

[0151] In this way, the mist supply process of the N-nozzle ultrasonic atomizer applies a film of the raw material solution onto the film formation region of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15, and the heating process by the heating mechanism 202 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 forms a thin film from the film of the raw material solution on the film formation region of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15. At this time, the heating process by the heating mechanism 202 of each of the cylindrical substrate rotation units 51 to 54 is carried out without being affected by the mist supply process.

[0152] The thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure rotates N cylindrical substrates 15 collectively by the collective rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism 303, and also performs the following mist supply process and heating process to form a thin film on the film formation area.

[0153] The mist supply process is a process of supplying raw material solution mist MT collectively to the film formation areas in the first arrangement state for N cylindrical substrates 15 by an N-nozzle ultrasonic atomization device including N nozzles 7. The heating process is a process of heating the film formation areas in the second arrangement state for N cylindrical substrates 15 collectively after the mist supply process is performed.

[0154] For N cylindrical substrates 15, the time required to change from the first arrangement state to the second arrangement state without moving the N cylindrical substrates 15 is the time required to rotate the N cylindrical substrates 15 collectively by half a turn through the substrate rotation process. Therefore, the time lag between the mist supply process and the heat process for the same film formation region on each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 can be minimized.

[0155] As a result, the thin-film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment can form a thin film on the film formation region provided on the side surface S15 of the film formation section 15m of each of the N cylindrical substrates 15 while reducing the takt time.

[0156] Furthermore, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment has a plurality of nozzles 7 and a plurality of heating jigs 18 each corresponding one-to-one to a plurality of cylindrical substrates 15, and the substrate rotation mechanism 303 performs a collective rotation process on the plurality of cylindrical substrates 15.

[0157] As a result, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of the second embodiment can simultaneously form thin films on the film formation regions of the plurality of cylindrical substrates 15 by performing the mist supply process and the heat process on the plurality of cylindrical substrates 15 in parallel.

[0158] Furthermore, since the substrate rotation mechanism 303 can perform multiple rotation processes on multiple cylindrical substrates 15, the thin film manufacturing apparatus 502 of embodiment 2 can relatively easily form multiple thin films with relatively thick film thicknesses in the film formation regions of each of the multiple cylindrical substrates 15.

[0159] <Other> In the above-described embodiment, the state in which the side surface S15 (film formation area) of the film formation section 15m is arranged in the upper semicircular portion is defined as the first arrangement state, and the state in which the side surface S15 (film formation area) of the film formation section 15m is arranged in the lower semicircular portion is defined as the second arrangement state, and the second arrangement state is an arrangement state in which the cylindrical substrate 15 is rotated half a turn from the first arrangement state.

[0160] However, the first and second arrangement states may be arrangement states other than those described above. For example, the relationship between the first and second arrangement states may be reversed, with the first arrangement state being a state in which the side surface S15 of the film forming unit 15m is arranged in the lower semicircular portion, and the second arrangement state being a state in which the side surface S15 of the film forming unit 15m is arranged in the upper semicircular portion. In this case, the mist supply process is a process in which the raw material solution mist MT is supplied from below upward, and the heating process is a process in which heating is performed from above.

[0161] In this way, the first and second arrangement states can be set arbitrarily, provided that the heating process by the heating mechanism 201 (202) is performed without being affected by the mist supply process. For example, a shielding member may be provided above the cylindrical substrate 15 so that only the top 15p of the film formation section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 has openings at and near the top 15p, and the first arrangement state may be a state in which the raw material solution mist MT can be supplied from the openings of the shielding member, and other states may be the second arrangement state.

[0162] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the thin film manufacturing apparatuses 501 and 502 employ a mist coating (coating) method that performs a raw material solution (film) coating process using a mist supply process and a baking and drying process using a heat treatment. The mist coating method is a manufacturing method that does not involve a chemical reaction.

[0163] The thin film manufacturing equipment may be configured to use the CVD mist method instead of the mist coating method. The CVD mist method is a method of forming a thin film on a film formation area by causing a chemical reaction through a combination of mist supply processing and heat processing.

[0164] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the film forming section 15m of the cylindrical substrate 15 has a cylindrical shape, but the substrate may have a shape other than a cylinder as long as it has a rotatable tube (pillar) structure.

[0165] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the above description is illustrative in all respects and does not limit the present disclosure to the above. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0166] 1 Atomization container 7 nozzles 7a Mist nozzle 15 Cylindrical substrate 15m film forming section 18 Heating jig 50~54 Cylindrical substrate rotation unit 101 Ultrasonic atomization device 201,202 Heating mechanism 301~303 Substrate rotation mechanism 303p Rotation mechanism auxiliary parts group 500 cylindrical substrate heating units 501,501A,502,503 Thin film manufacturing equipment S15 side S18 heating surface

Claims

1. A thin film manufacturing apparatus for forming a thin film by supplying a mist of a raw material solution to a substrate, the substrate having a cylindrical structure with at least a portion of a side surface set in a film formation region, the raw material solution mist being obtained by atomizing a raw material solution; The thin film manufacturing apparatus includes: a substrate rotation mechanism that performs a substrate rotation process of rotating the substrate without moving the substrate so that the film formation region is in a first arrangement state or a second arrangement state different from the first arrangement state; and a mist supply mechanism that performs a mist supply process to supply the raw material solution mist to the film formation region in the first arrangement state; a heating mechanism that performs a heating process to heat the film formation region in the second arrangement state after the mist supply process, a film of the raw material solution is applied onto the film formation area by the mist supplying process; the thin film is formed from the film of the raw material solution on the film formation region by the heat treatment without accompanying a chemical reaction; The substrate includes a cylindrical substrate having a cylindrical structure; the substrate rotation process by the substrate rotation mechanism is a process of rotating the cylindrical substrate around a central axis of the cylindrical substrate as a rotation axis, the second arrangement state is an arrangement state in which the cylindrical base material is rotated half a turn from the first arrangement state, the mist supply mechanism includes a nozzle that sprays the raw material solution mist from a mist outlet along a mist spraying direction, the heating mechanism includes a heating jig having a heating surface, and the heating treatment is a treatment of heating a side surface of the cylindrical base material from the heating surface; the cylindrical base material is disposed between the nozzle of the mist supply mechanism and the heating jig of the heating mechanism, the mist outlet of the nozzle is provided at a position facing the film formation region in the first arrangement state, the heating surface of the heating jig in the heating mechanism is provided at a position facing the film formation region in the second arrangement state; Thin film manufacturing equipment.

2. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, the substrate rotation mechanism performs the substrate rotation process in a state where the central axis of the cylindrical substrate is parallel to a horizontal direction, the first arrangement state is a state in which a space exists above the film formation region and no space exists below the film formation region, the second arrangement state is a state in which a space exists below the film formation region and no space exists above the film formation region, the mist outlet of the nozzle is disposed above a side surface of the cylindrical base material, and the mist spraying direction includes a direction from the mist outlet toward the side surface of the cylindrical base material; the heating surface of the heating jig in the heating mechanism is disposed below the side surface of the cylindrical base material; Thin film manufacturing equipment.

3. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, The substrate rotation process is performed at a linear velocity of 30 (mm / sec) or less along a tangential direction of the side surface of the cylindrical substrate. Thin film manufacturing equipment.

4. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, a cross-sectional structure of the heating surface of the heating mechanism has an arc-shaped recessed shape; The heating mechanism is arranged so that the distance between the side surface of the cylindrical substrate and the heating surface is in the range of 0.1 to 10 (mm). Thin film manufacturing equipment.

5. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the substrate rotation process by the substrate rotation mechanism includes a multiple rotation process of rotating the substrate multiple times, and the first and second arrangement states of the film formation region are each set multiple times by the multiple rotation process; the mist supply mechanism executes the mist supply process a plurality of times in response to a plurality of first arrangement states in which the film formation region is set; the heating mechanism performs the heating process a plurality of times in response to a plurality of second arrangement states in which the film formation region is set. Thin film manufacturing equipment.

6. The thin film manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the cylindrical substrate includes a plurality of cylindrical substrates; the nozzle includes a plurality of nozzles; the heating jig includes a plurality of heating jigs, and the plurality of cylindrical substrates, the plurality of nozzles, and the plurality of heating jigs correspond one-to-one to each other; the substrate rotation process of the substrate rotation mechanism includes a collective rotation process of collectively rotating the plurality of cylindrical substrates, the plurality of nozzles are each arranged to spray the raw material solution mist from the mist outlet onto a corresponding one of the plurality of cylindrical substrates; each of the plurality of heating jigs is disposed on a corresponding one of the plurality of cylindrical base materials so as to heat a side surface of the cylindrical base material from the heating surface; Thin film manufacturing equipment.

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