Long sheet processing device, long sheet processing method, carbon nanotube manufacturing device, and carbon nanotube manufacturing method

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a long sheet processing device, a long sheet processing method, a carbon nanotube manufacturing device, and a carbon nanotube manufacturing method, with all of which it is possible to seal a portion between two chambers that are in communication with each other. [Solution] A long sheet processing device provided with a plurality of processing mechanisms for processing a belt-like long sheet conveyed in a conveyance line, the long sheet processing device comprising: a speed adjustment mechanism for changing the conveyance speed of the long sheet between upstream and downstream of the conveyance line; and a plurality of valve mechanisms that are disposed upstream and downstream of the conveyance line with the speed adjustment mechanism interposed therebetween, and that adjust the pressure difference between adjacent chambers by opening and closing gate parts that pinch the long sheet from the obverse and the reverse thereof.

Description

Long sheet processing apparatus, long sheet processing method, carbon nanotube manufacturing apparatus, and carbon nanotube manufacturing method

[0001] The present invention relates to a long sheet processing apparatus, a long sheet processing method, a carbon nanotube manufacturing apparatus, and a carbon nanotube manufacturing method.

[0002] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-103862, filed with the Japan Patent Office on June 27, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Conventionally, carbon nanotube production apparatuses equipped with a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) device for forming carbon nanotubes on the surface of a strip-shaped substrate have been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this carbon nanotube production apparatus, a catalyst is applied to the surface of the substrate in a pretreatment chamber, and carbon nanotubes are formed on the catalyst-coated surface of the substrate by a CVD method in a downstream heating chamber.

[0004] JP 2013-032248 A

[0005] Incidentally, when a conveying line is formed within a device by connecting multiple chambers using a long sheet, it is necessary to close the gate valve with as much force as possible in order to seal the space between the two communicating chambers.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a long sheet processing apparatus, a long sheet processing method, a carbon nanotube production apparatus, and a carbon nanotube production method, which are capable of sealing the space between two communicating chambers.

[0007] That is, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides, for example, the following means.

[0008] [1] A long sheet processing apparatus provided with a plurality of processing mechanisms for processing strip-shaped long sheets transported on a conveying line, characterized in that it comprises: a speed adjustment mechanism for changing the transport speed of the long sheets upstream and downstream of the conveying line; and a plurality of valve mechanisms arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line, sandwiching the speed adjustment mechanism between them, for adjusting the pressure difference between adjacent chambers by opening and closing gate sections that sandwich the long sheets from the front and back.

[0009] [2] The long sheet processing apparatus of [1], characterized in that the gate portion is a cylindrical or columnar member, and the sides of the cylindrical or columnar member come into contact with the front and back of the long sheet to clamp the long sheet.

[0010] [3] The long sheet processing apparatus of [1] or [2], characterized in that the speed adjustment mechanism includes a first speed adjustment mechanism and a second speed adjustment mechanism that is arranged downstream of the first speed adjustment mechanism on the conveying line and is smaller than the first speed adjustment mechanism, and the valve mechanisms are arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line, sandwiching the second speed adjustment mechanism therebetween.

[0011] [4] A long sheet processing method including a plurality of processing steps for processing a strip-shaped long sheet transported on a conveying line, characterized in that the long sheet processing method includes a speed adjustment step of changing the transport speed of the long sheet upstream and downstream of the conveying line, an attachment step of attaching a predetermined attachment to the long sheet, and a pressure adjustment step of adjusting the pressure difference between adjacent chambers when attaching the predetermined attachment by opening and closing gate portions that sandwich the long sheet from the front and back in valve mechanisms arranged respectively upstream and downstream of the conveying line across a speed adjustment mechanism.

[0012] [5] The long sheet processing method of [4], characterized in that the pressure adjustment step includes a take-up step of winding the long sheet, from which the adhesions have been removed, onto a take-up machine and taking it up; a first adjustment step of opening the gate portion of a first valve mechanism adjacent to the upstream side of the speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line and closing the gate portion of a second valve mechanism adjacent to the downstream side of the valve mechanism in the conveying line before the adhesion step to maintain a vacuum upstream of the conveying line; a second adjustment step of closing the gate portion of the first valve mechanism after the adhesion step and opening the gate portion of the second valve mechanism to convey the long sheet accumulated in the speed adjustment mechanism to the conveying line; and a third adjustment step of closing the gate portion of the second valve mechanism after the take-up step to reduce the pressure inside the speed adjustment mechanism.

[0013] [6] The long sheet processing method of [5], characterized in that the speed adjustment mechanism includes a first speed adjustment mechanism and a second speed adjustment mechanism that is arranged downstream of the first speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line and is smaller than the first speed adjustment mechanism, and when the first valve mechanism is adjacent to the upstream of the second speed adjustment mechanism and the second valve mechanism is adjacent to the downstream of the second speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line, the method further includes a speed adjustment addition step of opening the gate portion of the first valve mechanism and closing the gate portion of the second valve mechanism and accumulating the long sheet of a length required to collect the adhesions, which is conveyed out of the first speed adjustment mechanism, in the second speed adjustment mechanism.

[0014] [7] The long sheet processing method of [4], characterized in that the pressure adjustment process includes: a first adjustment process, before the attachment process, of opening the gate portion of a first valve mechanism adjacent to the upstream side of the speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line, and closing the gate portion of a second valve mechanism adjacent to the downstream side of the speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line to maintain a vacuum upstream of the conveying line; and a second adjustment process, after the attachment process, of closing the gate portion of the first valve mechanism and creating a vacuum downstream of the first valve mechanism in the conveying line, and then opening the gate portion of the second valve mechanism to convey the long sheet accumulated in the speed adjustment mechanism to the conveying line.

[0015] [8] A carbon nanotube manufacturing apparatus comprising: a sputtering chamber that forms a catalyst layer on a strip-shaped base sheet transported on a transport line; a CVD chamber that forms a layer of carbon nanotubes on the catalyst layer of the base sheet by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method; an accumulator that is arranged between the sputtering chamber and the CVD chamber and adjusts the transport speed of the base sheet on the transport line so that the transport speed of the base sheet in the sputtering chamber is different from that in the CVD chamber; and a plurality of gate valves that are arranged upstream and downstream of the transport line, sandwiching the accumulator between them, and adjust the pressure difference between adjacent chambers by opening and closing gate sections that sandwich the base sheet from the front and back.

[0016] [9] The carbon nanotube production apparatus of [8], characterized in that the gate section is composed of a pair of cylindrical or columnar members, and the sides of the pair of cylindrical or columnar members contact the front and back of the base sheet to sandwich the base sheet.

[0017]

[10] The carbon nanotube production apparatus of [8] or [9], characterized in that the accumulators include a first accumulator and a second accumulator that is smaller than the first accumulator and is arranged downstream of the first accumulator on the conveying line, and the gate valves are arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line, sandwiching the second accumulator.

[0018]

[11] A carbon nanotube manufacturing method comprising: a catalyst layer forming process in a sputtering chamber for forming a catalyst layer on a strip-shaped substrate sheet transported on a transport line; a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process for forming a layer of carbon nanotubes on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet; a speed adjustment process for adjusting the transport speed of the substrate sheet on the transport line using an accumulator so that the transport speed of the substrate sheet on the transport line differs between the CVD process and the catalyst layer forming process; and a pressure adjustment process for adjusting the pressure difference between adjacent chambers when forming the layer of carbon nanotubes on the catalyst layer by opening and closing gate portions that sandwich the substrate sheet from the front and back in gate valves arranged upstream and downstream of the transport line across the accumulator.

[0019]

[12] The carbon nanotube production method according to

[11] , characterized in that the pressure adjustment process includes: a first adjustment process, before the CVD process, of opening the gate portion of a first gate valve adjacent to the upstream side of the accumulator in the transfer line and closing the gate portion of a second gate valve adjacent to the downstream side of the accumulator in the transfer line to maintain the sputtering chamber at a vacuum; a second adjustment process, after the CVD process, of closing the gate portion of the first gate valve and opening the gate portion of the second gate valve to transfer the base sheet accumulated in the accumulator to the transfer line; and a third adjustment process, after a take-up process, of winding the base sheet from which the carbon nanotubes have been recovered onto a take-up machine and taking it up, of closing the gate portion of the second gate valve to reduce the pressure inside the accumulator.

[0020]

[13] The carbon nanotube production method of

[12] , characterized in that the accumulator includes a first accumulator for accumulating the base material sheet transported from the sputtering chamber, and a second accumulator smaller than the first accumulator and arranged downstream of the first accumulator on the transport line, and when the first gate valve is adjacent to the upstream of the second accumulator on the transport line and the second gate valve is adjacent to the downstream of the second accumulator, includes an additional speed adjustment step of opening the gate portion of the first gate valve and closing the gate portion of the second gate valve and accumulating in the second accumulator the base material sheet of a length required to recover the carbon nanotubes transported from the first accumulator.

[0021]

[14] The carbon nanotube production method according to

[11] , characterized in that the pressure adjustment process includes: a first adjustment process, before the CVD process, of opening the gate portion of a first gate valve adjacent to the upstream side of the accumulator in the transfer line, and closing the gate portion of a second gate valve adjacent to the downstream side of the accumulator in the transfer line to maintain a vacuum in the sputtering chamber; and a second adjustment process, after the CVD process, of closing the gate portion of the first gate valve and evacuating the downstream side of the first gate valve in the transfer line, and then opening the gate portion of the second gate valve to transfer the base sheet accumulated in the accumulator to the transfer line.

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a long sheet processing apparatus, a long sheet processing method, a carbon nanotube manufacturing apparatus, and a carbon nanotube manufacturing method, which are capable of sealing the space between two communicating chambers.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a carbon nanotube production apparatus according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the opening and closing states of a gate valve when a CNT layer is formed on a substrate sheet in the carbon nanotube production apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the opening and closing states of a gate valve after a CNT layer has been formed on a substrate sheet in the carbon nanotube production apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the opening and closing states of a gate valve when a vacuum is created inside an accumulator in the carbon nanotube production apparatus according to the first embodiment; FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of a carbon nanotube production apparatus according to a second embodiment; FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the opening and closing states of a gate valve when a CNT layer is formed on a substrate sheet in the carbon nanotube production apparatus according to the second embodiment; FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the opening and closing states of a gate valve after a CNT layer has been formed on a substrate sheet in the carbon nanotube production apparatus according to the second embodiment;

[0024] 1 , the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2 includes a first roll chamber 4, a sputtering chamber 6, a first gate valve 9a, an accumulator 10, a second gate valve 9b, a first storage chamber 12a, a first heat shield 14a, a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) chamber 16, a second heat shield 14b, a second storage chamber 12b, and a second roll chamber 22. Here, the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2 configures a transport line that transports one base sheet 24 consistently from the first roll chamber 4 to the second roll chamber 22.

[0025] The carbon nanotubes may be either single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) or multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), or a mixture of these. Single-walled carbon nanotubes have a single tube layer, while multi-walled carbon nanotubes have a multi-layer structure with two or more tube layers, for example, 2 to 20 layers, 2 to 10 layers, preferably 2 to 8 layers, and more preferably 3 to 7 layers.

[0026] The first roll chamber 4 contains a roll 4a around which the base sheet 24 to be unwound is wound. In the conveying line, the base sheet 24 wound around the roll 4a is unwound first (unwinding process). The base sheet 24 is a long, stainless steel foil having a uniform width of 200 to 1200 mm, preferably 200 to 400 mm, and has a thin, strip-like shape extending in one direction. The length of the base sheet 24 is 200 to 600 m, preferably 200 to 400 m, and the thickness of the base sheet 24 is 10 to 300 μm, preferably 20 to 150 μm, and more preferably 30 to 90 μm.

[0027] The material of the base sheet 24 does not necessarily have to be stainless steel, and materials other than stainless steel can be used as long as they have heat resistance that can withstand the high temperatures inside the CVD chamber 16 and can be transported repeatedly.

[0028] The sputtering chamber 6 is a space for performing a process of forming a catalyst layer by sputtering on the strip-shaped substrate sheet 24 that is unwound from the roll 4a and transported to the transport line. A known device is used as the sputtering device disposed in the sputtering chamber 6. The chamber pressure in the sputtering chamber 6 at this time is, for example, 1×10 －２ to 1×10 Pa, preferably 1×10 －１ Pa to 1 Pa, for example, 3×10 －１ Pa ~ 8 x 10 －１ It is Pa.

[0029] Examples of materials that can be used to form the catalyst layer include metals such as iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), and alloys thereof, or precursors thereof (oxides or compounds).

[0030] A buffer layer may be formed between the substrate sheet 24 and the catalyst layer. In this way, when a buffer layer is formed as the first layer and a catalyst layer is formed as the second layer, the material constituting the buffer layer is preferably silica (SiO ２ ), alumina (Al ２ O ３ ), silicon nitride (SiN), zinc oxide (ZnO), copper oxide (Cu ２O), nickel oxide (NiO), etc.

[0031] In the sputtering chamber 6, a catalyst layer can be formed on one or both sides of the base sheet 24 (catalyst layer forming step). Furthermore, when a buffer layer is formed on the base sheet 24, a double layer consisting of a buffer layer as a first layer and a catalyst layer as a second layer may be formed on one or both sides of the base sheet 24.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case where the catalyst layer and buffer layer are sputtered onto the base sheet 24 is exemplified, but instead of sputtering, the catalyst layer and buffer layer may be coated onto the base sheet 24.

[0033] Alternatively, the catalyst layer or buffer layer may be formed by PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) other than sputtering. Examples of PVD other than sputtering include evaporation, ion plating, and ion beam sputtering. Methods other than sputtering also include liquid phase deposition (e.g., plating) and CVD. Sputtering is preferred from the viewpoint of controlling the process and the quality (e.g., thickness, density, crystallinity, adhesion, etc.) of the resulting catalyst layer or buffer layer.

[0034] The gate valves 9 are valve mechanisms that adjust the pressure difference between adjacent mechanisms on the upstream and downstream sides of the transfer line, and are disposed upstream and downstream of the transfer line, sandwiching the accumulator 10. In this regard, a first gate valve 9a is disposed adjacent to the upstream side of the accumulator 10 on the transfer line, and a second gate valve 9b is disposed adjacent to the downstream side of the accumulator 10. The first gate valve 9a is disposed between the sputtering chamber 6 and the accumulator 10, and the second gate valve 9b is disposed between the accumulator 10 and the first storage chamber 12a.

[0035] By using these gate valves 9, it is possible to block the movement of gas between the sputtering chamber 6 and the CVD chamber 16 so that the chamber pressure in the sputtering chamber 6 is lower than the chamber pressure in the CVD chamber 16.

[0036] Here, first gate valve 9a and second gate valve 9b each have a gate portion 7 disposed therein that blocks the movement of gas between adjacent chambers by sandwiching base sheet 24 from the front and back. Gate portion 7 includes first gate portion 7a that moves from above downward to contact the front surface of base sheet 24 when gate portion 7 is closed, and second gate portion 7b that moves from below upward to contact the back surface of base sheet 24. Note that Fig. 1 shows an open state in which gate portion 7 of first gate valve 9a is open, and a closed state in which gate portion 7 of second gate valve 9b is closed.

[0037] The first gate portion 7a and the second gate portion 7b, which are paired vertically, are each made of a cylindrical or columnar member. The cylindrical or columnar member may be made of metal, plastic, rubber, or the like. To protect the base sheet 24 from damage, it is preferable to use a material that is softer than the base material for at least the surface of the side of the cylindrical or columnar member that comes into contact with the base sheet 24.

[0038] In addition, each chamber that makes up the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2 is not sealed separately in order to create a continuous transport line, and a slit-like gap is formed to allow the substrate sheet 24 to be transported from one chamber to another.

[0039] The accumulator 10 is disposed between the sputtering chamber 6 and the CVD chamber 16, and is a speed adjusting mechanism that adjusts the transport speed of the base sheet 24 transported from the sputtering chamber 6 to the CVD chamber 16. Inside the accumulator 10, multiple hanging rolls 11 are disposed at the top and bottom, for alternately hanging the transported base sheet 24 in a serpentine manner. The hanging rolls 11 are a first roll 11a located on the ceiling side of the accumulator 10 and a second roll 11b located on the floor side, and are arranged alternately above and below. At least one of the first roll 11a and the second roll 11b is arranged to be movable in the vertical direction.

[0040] Here, we will explain the speed adjustment process for adjusting the speed of the base sheet 24 in the accumulator 10. First, the base sheet 24 on which the catalyst layer has been formed in the sputtering chamber 6 is transported into the accumulator 10 at the same speed, and after repeatedly snaking up and down within the accumulator 10, is processed in the CVD chamber 16.

[0041] The base sheet 24 is arranged on the transport line so as to be capable of being rewound multiple times (described later), and there is no speed adjustment step in the initial transport of the base sheet 24. That is, in the initial transport, the base sheet 24 on which the catalyst layer has been formed in the sputtering chamber 6 does not need to be meandered using the first roll 11 a and the second roll 11 b, but passes through the accumulator 10 and is introduced linearly into the CVD chamber 16.

[0042] In the CVD chamber 16, the base sheet 24 is usually stopped during processing. Therefore, when the base sheet 24 is continuously unwound from the roll 4a without stopping, it becomes necessary to adjust the transport speed of the base sheet 24 so that the transport speed of the base sheet 24 differs between the CVD chamber 16 (CVD process) and the sputtering chamber 6 (catalyst layer formation process).

[0043] At this time, at least one of the first roll 11a and the second roll 11b moves vertically inside the accumulator 10, and the first roll 11a and the second roll 11b gradually move apart. As a result, the base sheet 24 transported into the accumulator 10 is accumulated in the accumulator 10 over time, and the transport speed of the base sheet 24 can be made different between upstream and downstream on the same transport line, making it possible to adjust the feed amount appropriately.

[0044] The transport speed of the base sheet 24 in the CVD chamber 16 can also be made faster than the transport speed of the base sheet 24 in the sputtering chamber 6. For example, particularly when the CVD process is once completed and the base sheet 24 in the CVD chamber 16 is replaced, the base sheet 24 is transported at a speed faster than that of sputtering. This shortens the time when no processing is performed in the CVD chamber 16, thereby improving the productivity of carbon nanotubes produced by the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2.

[0045] In this case, the first roll 11a and the second roll 11b are gradually moved closer to each other, and the base sheet 24 stored in the accumulator 10 is discharged.

[0046] The CVD chamber 16 is an attachment mechanism that attaches a predetermined attachment to the base sheet 24, and performs a process (CVD process) to form a carbon nanotube layer (hereinafter referred to as a CNT layer) on the catalyst layer of the transported base sheet 24. The CVD chamber 16 is equipped with a supply port (not shown) for supplying raw material for carbon nanotubes (hereinafter referred to as CNTs). When forming the CNT layer, the process is usually performed with the base sheet 24 stopped.

[0047] Examples of raw materials supplied to the CVD chamber 16 include hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane, ethylene, and acetylene, alcohols, and carbon-containing source gases such as carbon monoxide. Hydrocarbons are preferred as the source gas. The CNT layer is formed in the CVD chamber 16 by first evacuating the CVD chamber 16 by gas-phase substitution, then heating it to the temperature described below, and supplying nitrogen, hydrogen, and the raw materials from a cylinder (not shown).

[0048] The temperature in the CVD chamber 16 when forming the CNT layer is preferably 600 to 850° C., more preferably 650 to 800° C. The chamber pressure in the CVD chamber 16 at this time is, for example, 1×10 ４ ~1 x 10 ６ Pa, preferably 8×10 ４ ~2 x 10 ５ Pa, for example, one atmosphere (1×10 ５ ~1.1 x 10 ５ Pa).

[0049] The heat shields 14 are provided upstream and downstream of the conveying line sandwiching the CVD chamber 16, respectively, and function to allow the base sheet 24 to pass while insulating it from the high temperature within the CVD chamber 16. Here, the heat shields 14 include a first heat shield 14a adjacent to the upstream side of the CVD chamber 16 in the conveying direction of the base sheet 24, and a second heat shield 14b adjacent to the downstream side of the CVD chamber 16. As a specific example, the first heat shield 14a and the second heat shield 14b are provided with multiple slits (not shown) on the top and bottom, and the base sheet 24 passing through the slits is sandwiched between clamping components from above and below, thereby insulating it from the high temperature within the CVD chamber.

[0050] At least one of first heat shield 14a and second heat shield 14b may have, in addition to the heat shielding function, a function of sealing the inside of CVD chamber 16 to prevent leakage of raw materials supplied from the cylinder. Furthermore, first heat shield 14a and second heat shield 14b can control the partial pressure (proportion of each gas component) inside and outside CVD chamber 16. The clamping member may be of a type that clamps only from above or only from below.

[0051] 1, one base sheet 24 is folded back alternately at both ends in the CVD chamber 16 in the transport direction, forming a serpentine shape and multiple vertical layers within the CVD chamber 16. FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which one base sheet 24 forms seven layers within the CVD chamber 16. One base sheet 24 within the CVD chamber 16 may have, for example, 3 to 15 layers, and preferably 5 to 11 layers. A CNT layer is formed on one or both sides of the seven layers of the base sheet 24 using raw material supplied from a cylinder.

[0052] The storage chambers 12 are provided at positions sandwiching the heat shields 14 located on both sides of the CVD chamber 16 in the conveyance direction of the base sheet 24. That is, the storage chambers 12 include a first storage chamber 12a adjacent to the upstream side of the first heat shield 14a in the conveyance direction of the base sheet 24, and a second storage chamber 12b adjacent to the downstream side of the CVD chamber 16.

[0053] Here, in the first storage chamber 12a, first folding rolls 18a for folding back the base sheet 24 are stored alternately in multiple tiers at the top and bottom, and in the second storage chamber 12b, second folding rolls 18b for similarly folding back the base sheet 24 are stored alternately in multiple tiers at the top and bottom.

[0054] These turn-back rolls 18 transport the base sheet 24 in a serpentine manner, alternately turning back and forth from upstream to downstream of the CVD chamber 16 and from downstream to upstream of the CVD chamber 16. Specifically, the base sheet 24 transported from the accumulator 10 passes through the first storage chamber 12a and the first heat shield 14a, is transported into the CVD chamber 16, and then passes through the second heat shield 14b before being turned back by the uppermost second turn-back roll 18b in the second storage chamber 12b.

[0055] The base sheet 24 folded back by the second folding back roll 18b passes from the second storage chamber 12b through the second heat shield 14b, the CVD chamber 16, the first heat shield 14a, and the first storage chamber 12a, and is then folded back by the uppermost first folding back roll 18a in the first storage chamber 12a. In the same manner, the base sheet 24 is folded back multiple times between the first storage chamber 12a and the second storage chamber 12b, and is then wound around the take-up machine 22a in the second roll chamber 22 and taken up (details will be described later).

[0056] After being folded back by the first folding roll 18a and the second folding roll 18b, the base sheet 24 is stopped in the CVD chamber 16 or transported at a slower speed than the speed in the sputtering chamber 6, and the base sheet 24 is processed.

[0057] In addition, in the storage chamber 12, a collection section 20 equipped with a collection tool (not shown) for collecting CNTs on the base sheet 24 is arranged near the return roll 18. Specifically, the first collection section 20a and the second collection section 20b are located near the inside (CVD chamber 16 side) of both return rolls 18 in FIG. 1. The first collection section 20a may be provided separately as a collection chamber between the first storage chamber 12a and the first heat shield 14a, and similarly, the second collection section 20b may be provided separately as a collection chamber between the second storage chamber 12b and the second heat shield 14b.

[0058] The recovery tool may, for example, be one that scrapes off CNTs from the transported base sheet 24 using a spatula-shaped scraping part and has a storage part (not shown) that stores the scraped CNTs. Alternatively, it may be one that blows off the CNTs on the base sheet 24 and sucks up the blown-off CNTs to collect them in the storage part. The CNTs stored in the storage part are collected by workers.

[0059] The second roll chamber 22 is equipped with a take-up machine 22a for taking up the base sheet 24 after the CNTs formed on the catalyst layer of the base sheet 24 have been collected, and the base sheet 24 is wound around the take-up machine 22a (take-up process).

[0060] Here, the take-up machine 22a in the second roll chamber 22 becomes larger in diameter as the base sheet 24 is wound around it, while the roll 4a in the first roll chamber 4 becomes smaller in diameter as the base sheet 24 that was wound around it is completely unwound.

[0061] In this state, a rewinding operation is performed to return the base sheet 24 to its original state (rewinding process). That is, the base sheet 24 wound around the take-up machine 22a is unwound in the direction opposite to the original conveyance direction, conveyed, and wound around the roll 4a. For one base sheet 24, the forward feeding operation to form and recover a CNT layer and the rewinding operation to rewind the base sheet 24 from which the CNTs have been recovered are repeated multiple times, for example, 1000 times.

[0062] As a rule, such repeated feeding and rewinding operations are carried out with both ends of the base sheet 24 fixed, i.e., with one end of the base sheet 24 fixed to the roll 4a and the other end fixed to the take-up machine 22a.

[0063] Specifically, both ends of the substrate sheet 24 are fixed to the roll 4a and the take-up machine 22a, regardless of whether the CNT layer is formed on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24 in the CVD chamber 16 or after the CNT layer is formed on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24.

[0064] This allows the base sheet 24 to be easily transported in both the forward and reverse directions on the transport line when the feeding and rewinding operations are repeated.

[0065] Next, the opening and closing operation of the gate portion 7 of the gate valve 9, which is a key part of the invention according to the first embodiment, will be described with reference to the drawings. First, the inside of the sputtering chamber 6, which is the mechanism for forming the catalyst layer on the substrate sheet 24, must be maintained in a vacuum state at all times. On the other hand, when forming the CNT layer on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24 (CVD process), the inside of the CVD chamber 16 is maintained at a pressure close to atmospheric pressure, and when gas replacement is performed, the pressure fluctuates between vacuum (reduced pressure) and close to atmospheric pressure.

[0066] Therefore, when forming a CNT layer on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24 in the CVD process, the pressure difference between the adjacent chambers upstream and downstream of the gate valve 9 on the transfer line is adjusted using the gate valve 9 to prevent gas from moving through the slit-like gaps formed between the chambers that make up the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2 and to prevent changes in the pressure inside the sputtering chamber 6 (pressure adjustment process).

[0067] 2, before the CVD process, in order to maintain a vacuum state inside the sputtering chamber 6, a control unit (not shown) opens the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a and closes the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9b (first adjustment process). Because the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a is open, the base sheet 24 on which the catalyst layer has been formed inside the sputtering chamber 6 continues to be transported into the accumulator 10 at the same speed, and continues to be accumulated in the accumulator 10 (speed adjustment process).

[0068] Here, the base sheet 24 connects the multiple chambers to form a transfer line within the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2. Therefore, by closing the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9 b, the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2 is separated into different chamber pressure regions consisting of a vacuum region A upstream of the second gate valve 9 b and an atmospheric pressure region B downstream of the second gate valve 9 b.

[0069] In this state, a CNT layer is formed on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24 stopped in the CVD chamber 16 (CVD process).

[0070] When the CVD process is completed, the control unit closes the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a and opens the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9b (second adjustment process). In this case, as shown in Figure 3, the upstream side of the transfer line, with the first gate valve 9a as the boundary, becomes a vacuum region A, and the downstream side of the transfer line becomes an atmospheric pressure region B. Note that the pressure in the atmospheric pressure region B may fluctuate between reduced pressure (vacuum) and near atmospheric pressure by gas replacement or the like.

[0071] In this state, the portion of base sheet 24 accumulated in accumulator 10 is transported toward CVD chamber 16. Furthermore, from the portion of base sheet 24 on which the CNT layer has been formed in CVD chamber 16, CNTs are recovered by recovery unit 20, and then base sheet 24 from which the CNTs have been recovered is wound around recovery machine 22a (recovery process).

[0072] This allows the substrate sheet 24 accumulated in the accumulator 10 to be transported into the CVD chamber 16 while the inside of the sputtering chamber 6 is maintained in a vacuum state, and the CNT layer can be formed thereon.

[0073] When the portion from which the CNT layer has been collected is wound onto the take-up machine 22a, the control unit closes the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9b again (third adjustment step), and the vacuum unit (not shown) reduces the pressure inside the accumulator 10 until a vacuum is reached.

[0074] When the inside of the accumulator 10 is evacuated, the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a is opened, and the process returns to the first adjustment step, in which the CVD step of forming a CNT layer on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24 can be performed.

[0075] That is, in the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, a CNT layer is successively formed on the portion of the strip-shaped substrate sheet 24 located within the CVD chamber 16 (CVD process), and during this time, the substrate sheet 24 unwound from the roll 4a continues to accumulate in the accumulator 10 (speed adjustment process).

[0076] Then, after the CNTs have been collected, the portion on which the new CNT layer has been formed is wound around a take-up machine 22a (take-up process), and the wound length is unwound from the accumulator 10 toward the CVD chamber 16.

[0077] In this way, the first adjustment step, speed adjustment step / CVD step, second adjustment step, take-up step, and third adjustment step are repeated sequentially for a predetermined length of the base sheet 24 until the unwinding step is reached.

[0078] According to the invention of the first embodiment, gate valves 9 are arranged adjacent to each other on the upstream and downstream sides of the transfer line, sandwiching accumulator 10 therebetween, and by sequentially opening and closing gate portions 7 of both gate valves 9 each time a CNT layer is formed on the catalyst layer of substrate sheet 24, it is possible to reliably prevent gas from moving from CVD chamber 16 to sputtering chamber 6 through the slit-like gaps formed between the chambers that make up carbon nanotube production apparatus 2. As a result, the inside of sputtering chamber 6 can be constantly maintained in a vacuum state with high precision.

[0079] Furthermore, by using cylindrical or columnar members for the first gate portion 7a and the second gate portion 7b, the two communicating chambers can be sealed while reducing the risk of cutting the base sheet 24.

[0080] In the first embodiment described above, the pressure inside CVD chamber 16 is maintained at a pressure close to atmospheric pressure even after the CVD process, forming atmospheric pressure region B downstream of second gate valve 9b, but the downstream side of second gate valve 9b (region B) may be evacuated after the CVD process. In this case, the pressure inside sputtering chamber 6 and CVD chamber 16 are both in a vacuum state after the CVD process, and pressure balance is achieved between the upstream and downstream sides of second gate valve 9b in the transfer line.

[0081] In the second adjustment step, the second gate valve 9b is opened in this pressure-balanced state. This makes it possible to omit the third adjustment step of reducing the pressure inside the accumulator 10, thereby improving the efficiency of the carbon nanotube production process. In this modified embodiment, the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a may be either closed or open.

[0082] Next, a carbon nanotube production apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, a case where one accumulator 10 is used in the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2 is illustrated, but in the second embodiment, a case where multiple accumulators 13 are used in the carbon nanotube production apparatus 200 is illustrated. In the following description, detailed description of the same components as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and only the different parts will be described in detail. Furthermore, the same components as in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

[0083] 5, in addition to the first accumulator 13a, a second accumulator 13b, which is smaller than the first accumulator 13a, is disposed downstream of the first accumulator 13a in the transfer line. The second accumulator 13b is sized to accommodate a length of one shelf of base sheet 24 in the CVD chamber 16.

[0084] In this case, the gate valves 9 are disposed upstream and downstream of the transfer line, sandwiching the second accumulator 13b. That is, the first gate valve 9a is adjacent to the upstream side of the second accumulator 13b on the transfer line, and the second gate valve 9b is adjacent to the downstream side of the second accumulator 13b. The first gate valve 9a is disposed between the first accumulator 13a and the second accumulator 13b, and the second gate valve 9b is disposed between the second accumulator 13b and the first storage chamber 12a.

[0085] When the second accumulator 13b is provided, the pressure adjustment step is performed as follows. That is, before forming a CNT layer on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24 in the CVD step, the control unit opens the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a and closes the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9b to maintain a vacuum state inside the sputtering chamber 6, as shown in Fig. 6 (first adjustment step). During this time, the substrate sheet 24 on which the catalyst layer has been formed in the sputtering chamber 6 continues to be transported into the accumulator 10 at the same speed and continues to accumulate in the accumulator 10 (speed adjustment step).

[0086] Furthermore, because the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a is open, the substrate sheet 24 having a length equivalent to one stage in the CVD chamber 16, which is the length required to collect the CNTs, is transported from the first accumulator 13a to the second accumulator 13b and accumulated in the second accumulator 13b (additional speed adjustment process).

[0087] This separates the chamber into different pressure regions, namely, a vacuum region A on the upstream side of the second gate valve 9b and an atmospheric pressure region B on the downstream side of the second gate valve 9b.

[0088] In this state, a CNT layer is formed on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24 stopped in the CVD chamber 16 (CVD process).

[0089] When one CVD process is completed, the control unit closes the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a and opens the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9b (second adjustment process). In this case, as shown in Fig. 7, the upstream side of the transfer line, with the first gate valve 9a as the boundary, becomes a vacuum region A, and the downstream side of the transfer line becomes an atmospheric pressure region B. Note that the pressure in the atmospheric pressure region B may fluctuate between reduced pressure (vacuum) and near atmospheric pressure by gas replacement or the like.

[0090] In this state, the required length of base sheet 24 accumulated in the second accumulator 13b is transported to the CVD chamber 16, and the newly transported portion of base sheet 24 into the CVD chamber 16 is positioned at the top of the CVD chamber 16.

[0091] In the second accumulator 13b after the accumulated base sheet 24 has been transported, the upper and lower hanging rolls 15 move to the center as shown in Figure 7, and the base sheet 24, which had been meandering up and down, is deformed into a horizontal shape.

[0092] Then, within the CVD chamber 16, the substrate sheet 24, which is the length of one layer, moves in a serpentine manner, while the recovery section 20 recovers CNTs from seven layers of the substrate sheet 24, and after the CNTs have been recovered, the substrate sheet 24 is taken up by the take-up machine 22a and wound up (take-up process).

[0093] When the substrate sheet 24 from which the CNTs have been collected is wound around the take-up machine 22a, the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9b is closed again (third adjustment step) as shown in Fig. 8, and the pressure inside the second accumulator 13b is reduced to a vacuum by a vacuum unit (not shown). Once the second accumulator 13b is evacuated, the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a is opened again as shown in Fig. 6, and the process returns to the first adjustment step, in which the CVD step of forming a CNT layer on the catalyst layer of the substrate sheet 24 can be performed.

[0094] Thereafter, the first adjustment step, speed adjustment step, additional speed adjustment step, CVD step, second adjustment step, take-up step, third adjustment step, feeding step, and catalyst layer formation step are sequentially repeated for each layer of base sheet 24 in CVD chamber 16. That is, in the embodiment shown in Figures 5 to 8 in which seven layers of base sheet 24 are positioned in CVD chamber 16, the above-mentioned steps are repeated seven times.

[0095] When the entire length of the base sheet 24 has been recovered from the CNTs and wound around the take-up machine 22a, the control unit performs a rewinding operation to return the base sheet 24 to its original state (rewinding step).

[0096] In this way, if a second accumulator 13b smaller than the first accumulator 13a is provided in addition to the first accumulator 13a, the volume of the space to be evacuated can be reduced in the third adjustment step, thereby reducing the load on the vacuum section when evacuating the second accumulator 13b.

[0097] Of course, the same effect as when there is only one accumulator 10 can also be achieved.

[0098] In the second embodiment described above, the first adjustment step, speed adjustment step, speed adjustment additional step, CVD step, second adjustment step, take-up step, third adjustment step, pay-out step, and catalyst layer formation step are sequentially repeated for a single-layer length of base sheet 24 in CVD chamber 16. However, the CVD step may be excluded from the series of steps until a CNT layer is formed on the catalyst layer of base sheet 24 and all of the recovered portions are carried out of CVD chamber 16 and wound around take-up machine 22a. Specifically, in an embodiment in which seven layers of base sheet 24 are positioned in CVD chamber 16, the CVD step is performed only in the first round, and not in the remaining six rounds. Then, the CVD step is included in the series of steps in the eighth round after all of the portions of base sheet 24 that originally formed seven layers in CVD chamber 16 have been wound around take-up machine 22a.

[0099] This prevents the quality of the recovered CNTs from becoming unstable due to the CNT layer being formed multiple times on the same portion of the substrate sheet 24 in the CVD chamber 16 .

[0100] Furthermore, in the second embodiment described above, after the CVD process, the downstream side of the first gate valve 9a may be evacuated. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7 , a base sheet 24 having a length equivalent to one stage is transported within the CVD chamber 16, and CNTs are collected from seven stages of the base sheet 24 by the collection unit 20. After that, with the gate unit 7 of the first gate valve 9a closed, the downstream side of the first gate valve 9a (region B) in the transport line is depressurized to a pressure substantially similar to that of the sputtering chamber 6. Thereafter, the gate unit 7 of the first gate valve 9a is opened, and the seven stages of the base sheet 24 are replaced in the CVD chamber 16.

[0101] This makes it possible to omit the third adjustment step of depressurizing the inside of accumulator 10, thereby improving the efficiency of the carbon nanotube production process. Furthermore, if the pressure downstream of first gate valve 9 a is depressurized to approximately the same level as that of sputtering chamber 6, gate portions 7 of first gate valve 9 a and second gate valve 9 b can be opened simultaneously, reducing the labor required to transport substrate sheet 24 of one stage length within CVD chamber 16 and open and close gate portion 7 each time CNTs are recovered from substrate sheet 24.

[0102] When the pressure downstream of the first gate valve 9a is reduced to approximately the same as that of the sputtering chamber 6, the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a and the second gate valve 9b can be alternately opened and closed to repeatedly transport the substrate sheet 24 of one stage length within the CVD chamber 16 and recover CNTs from the substrate sheet 24. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a is opened and the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9b is closed to maintain a vacuum state within the sputtering chamber 6 (first adjustment step), and then, while the substrate sheet 24 is being accumulated in the accumulator 10 (speed adjustment step), the substrate sheet 24 of one stage length within the CVD chamber 16 is accumulated in the second accumulator 13b (additional speed adjustment step).

[0103] 7, the gate portion 7 of the first gate valve 9a is closed and the gate portion 7 of the second gate valve 9b is opened (second adjustment step), and the substrate sheet 24 from which the CNTs have been collected in the CVD chamber 16 is taken up by the take-up machine 22a (take-up step). Next, the process returns to the first adjustment step, and thereafter, the first adjustment step, speed adjustment step, additional speed adjustment step, CVD step, second adjustment step, and take-up step are repeated. By repeating these steps seven times, the substrate sheet 24 in the CVD chamber 16 can be replaced.

[0104] In each of the above-described embodiments, a cleaning chamber may be provided immediately before the second roll chamber 22 for wiping the substrate sheet 24 with a cleaning roll, a brush, or a solution.

[0105] In each of the above-described embodiments, a mechanism for observing the state of the catalyst layer may be provided upstream of the sputtering chamber 6, and sputtering may be omitted if it is determined that there is no problem with the catalyst layer.

[0106] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the control unit performs the opening and closing operations of the gate unit, but these operations may be performed via an operator.

[0107] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the recovery section 20 is illustrated as being located near the inside of both return rolls 18 (on the CVD chamber 16 side) in Figures 1 and 5, respectively, but the recovery section 20 may also be located near the outside of both return rolls 18 (on the opposite side from the CVD chamber 16) in Figure 1.

[0108] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example is given in which the first storage chamber 12a stores the first turn-back roll 18a and the first recovery section 20a, and the second storage chamber 12b stores the second turn-back roll 18b and the second recovery section 20b, but it is also possible that the first storage chamber 12a stores only one of the first turn-back roll 18a and the first recovery section 20a, and the second storage chamber 12b stores only one of the second turn-back roll 18b and the second recovery section 20b.

[0109] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, when the feeding operation and the rewinding operation are repeated, there are the following three modes for using the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200. By appropriately combining the following three modes, it is possible to extend the life of the base sheet 24 that is repeatedly reused.

[0110] <First Aspect> In the first aspect, the same flow as the first cycle is repeated from the second cycle (one cycle is from when the base sheet 24 is unwound from the roll 4 a to when it is taken up by the take-up machine 22 a). If the usage of the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200 is simply limited to the first aspect, a buffer layer and a catalyst layer will be formed on the base sheet 24 with each cycle, and the thickness of the base sheet 24 will increase.

[0111] <Second Aspect> In the second aspect, a catalyst layer removal mechanism (not shown), such as an etching device, is disposed in the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200, and the catalyst layer is removed from the base sheet 24. For example, the catalyst layer removal mechanism is disposed between the second storage chamber 12b and the take-up machine 22a shown in FIG. 1 , and the old catalyst layer formed in the first cycle is removed before the base sheet 24 from which the CNTs have been collected is taken up by the take-up machine 22a. When the base sheet 24 from which the old catalyst layer has been removed is rewound onto the roll 4a, a new catalyst layer is again formed on the base sheet 24 in the second cycle. The new catalyst layer is removed before the base sheet 24 is taken up by the take-up machine 22a. The same process is repeated from the third cycle onwards.

[0112] When the catalyst layer removal mechanism is used, the settings of the sputtering chamber 6 are adjusted so that only the catalyst layer is formed on the substrate sheet 24 from the second cycle onwards.

[0113] In this way, by providing the catalyst layer removal mechanism in the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200, it is possible to suppress an increase in the thickness of the base sheet 24 from the second cycle onwards.

[0114] The catalyst layer removal mechanism does not necessarily have to be disposed between the second storage chamber 12b and the take-up machine 22a, but may be disposed at any location between the roll 4a and the take-up machine 22a. Therefore, as long as the old catalyst layer is removed in the unwinding process, the catalyst layer removal mechanism may be disposed at any position between the roll 4a and the take-up machine 22a.

[0115] Alternatively, the old catalyst layer may be removed in a new cycle. In this case, for example, a catalyst layer removal mechanism is disposed between the roll 4a and the sputtering chamber 6. In the second cycle, when the base sheet 24 with the old catalyst layer still formed thereon is unwound from the roll 4a, the old catalyst layer is immediately removed by the catalyst layer removal mechanism, and a new catalyst layer is again formed on the base sheet 24 in the sputtering chamber 6.

[0116] <Third Aspect> In the third aspect, a layer removal mechanism (not shown) is provided in the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200 to remove the catalyst layer and the buffer layer from the substrate sheet 24. The third aspect is similar to the second aspect in that the location of the layer removal mechanism, the timing of removing the old layer, and the layer removal mechanism mainly uses an etching device, a polishing device, or the like. When the layer removal mechanism is used, the settings of the sputtering chamber 6 are adjusted so that both the catalyst layer and the buffer layer are formed on the substrate sheet 24 from the second cycle onwards.

[0117] Furthermore, in each embodiment of the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200 described using Figures 1 to 8, an example is shown in which a forward feed operation and a reverse rewind operation are repeated, but it is not necessarily necessary to repeat the forward and reverse repetitive operations.

[0118] For example, the base sheet 24 may be replaced after each cycle. Specifically, when all of the base sheet 24 wound around the roll 4a has been taken up by the take-up machine 22a, the roll 4a is released. Then, after the entire base sheet 24 has been wound up by the take-up machine 22a, the base sheet 24 is collected together with the take-up machine 22a. After one cycle is completed, a new take-up machine 22a is attached to the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200, and initial settings are performed to set the base sheet 24 along the entire conveyance line from the roll 4a to the take-up machine 22a. This is repeated each time a cycle is completed.

[0119] The base sheet 24 needs to be fixed to the take-up machine 22a, but does not necessarily need to be fixed to the roll 4a.

[0120] As another embodiment that does not require repeated feeding and rewinding operations, a method of joining new and old base sheets 24 as needed can also be considered. Specifically, when one cycle is completed, the entire base sheet 24 is taken up by the take-up machine 22a. Here, when the base sheet 24 wound around the roll 4a runs out, a new base sheet 24 is replenished onto the roll 4a. Then, the downstream end of the new base sheet 24 unwound from the roll 4a is joined to the upstream end of the existing base sheet 24. Specific joining methods include welding. Note that instead of replenishing the roll 4a with new base sheet 24, the entire roll 4a may be replaced with a new one.

[0121] Then, on the downstream side, a new take-up machine 22a is prepared, the existing take-up machine 22a is removed together with the wound base sheet 24, and the new take-up machine 22a is installed.

[0122] Specifically, a predetermined amount of the base sheet 24 is wound around the existing take-up machine 22a, and when the diameter of the base sheet 24 increases, the base sheet 24 is cut and collected together with the existing take-up machine 22a. Note that the cut portion of the base sheet 24 does not necessarily have to be the welded portion.

[0123] Next, a new take-up machine 22a is attached to the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200, and the downstream end of the base sheet 24 set in the apparatus is fixed to the new take-up machine 22a.

[0124] This allows a series of processes to be continued without repeating the forward and rewind operations. In this case, the initial setting can be performed only once.

[0125] In this regard, if a base sheet (hereinafter referred to as a "long base sheet") longer than the base sheet 24 used in each embodiment is used, the weight of the long base sheet tends to be excessive, making it difficult to operate the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200 without any problems. Furthermore, stopping the operation of the carbon nanotube production apparatus 2, 200 every time a long base sheet is used, preparing a new base sheet, and performing initial setup to set the long base sheet along the entire conveying line requires a great deal of time and effort. However, as described above, by replenishing the base sheet 24 onto the roll 4a as needed and joining the old and new base sheets 24 as needed, a series of processes can be performed without repeating the feeding and rewinding operations.

[0126] Furthermore, in each of the above-mentioned embodiments, carbon nanotube production apparatuses 2, 200 are exemplified which are equipped with an accumulator 10 that adjusts the transport speed of the base sheet 24 transported from the sputtering chamber 6 to the CVD chamber 16, but the speed adjustment mechanism that adjusts the transport speed is not necessarily limited to the accumulator 10, and the devices that make up the series of transport lines are not necessarily limited to the carbon nanotube production apparatuses 2, 200.

[0127] A long sheet processing device equipped with a conveying line for conveying a long, strip-shaped sheet similar to the base sheet 24 may also be used for purposes other than the production of carbon nanotubes, such as producing thin films for integrated circuits or organic EL panels on the front or back of the long sheet.

[0128] In this case, such a long sheet processing device may include, for example, a payout roll that pays out the strip-shaped long sheet transported along the conveying line, a speed adjustment mechanism (speed adjustment process) that changes the transport speed of the long sheet upstream and downstream of the conveying line, and multiple valve mechanisms (pressure adjustment process) that are arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line on either side of the speed adjustment mechanism and adjust the pressure difference between adjacent chambers by opening and closing gate sections that clamp the long sheet from the front and back, and multiple processing mechanisms (processing processes) that process the long sheet, such as a payout roll that recovers the long sheet.

[0129] Here, the speed adjusting mechanism is not limited to the accumulators 10 and 13 described in the above-described embodiments, as long as it has a function of changing the conveying speed of the long sheet between the upstream and downstream of the conveying line.

[0130] As an example of a speed adjustment mechanism, similar to the accumulator 10 shown in Figure 1, a configuration can be considered in which multiple suspension rolls are provided at the top and bottom of the speed adjustment mechanism to alternately suspend the long sheet being transported so that it snakes, and at least one of the suspension rolls at the top and bottom of the speed adjustment mechanism moves vertically to change the transport speed of the long sheet upstream and downstream of the transport line.

[0131] The processing mechanism (processing step) for processing the long sheet includes an attachment mechanism (attachment step) for attaching a predetermined attachment material to the long sheet by CVD or the like. Examples of the attachment mechanism include mechanisms for CVD, PVD (physical vapor deposition), and coating. Examples of PVD include evaporation, molecular beam epitaxy, ion plating, ion beam deposition, and sputtering.

[0132] There may be a plurality of deposition mechanisms, and the plurality of deposition mechanisms may be different mechanisms. Specifically, CVD may be overlapped, such as CVD, PVD, and CVD. Of course, a plurality of identical deposition mechanisms may be provided in series.

[0133] In addition, when a layer to be recovered is formed on a long sheet, such as CNT, the processing mechanism (processing step) that processes the long sheet may include a take-up mechanism (take-up step) that winds the long sheet, after the recovery target has been recovered, onto a take-up machine and takes it up.

[0134] The valve mechanism is a mechanism for adjusting the pressure difference between adjacent mechanisms on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying line, and may include gate portions arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line with the speed adjustment mechanism in between, and which block the movement of gas between the mechanisms by sandwiching the long sheet from the front and back. Here, a first valve mechanism is adjacent to the upstream side of the speed adjustment mechanism on the conveying line, and a second valve mechanism is adjacent to the downstream side of the speed adjustment mechanism (see Figure 1).

[0135] In the pressure adjustment process, a cylindrical or columnar member is used for the gate portion, and the sides of the cylindrical or columnar member come into contact with the front and back of the long sheet to block the movement of gas between the mechanisms.

[0136] The pressure adjustment process includes a first adjustment process (see Figure 2) in which the gate portion of the first valve mechanism is opened and the gate portion of the second valve mechanism is closed to maintain a vacuum upstream of the conveying line before the attachment process in which CVD or the like is attached to the long sheet; a second adjustment process (see Figure 3) in which the gate portion of the first valve mechanism is closed and the gate portion of the second valve mechanism is opened after the attachment process to convey the long sheet to the conveying line within the speed adjustment mechanism; and a third adjustment process (see Figure 4) in which the gate portion of the second valve mechanism is closed after the take-up process to reduce the pressure inside the speed adjustment mechanism.

[0137] In this case, the series of conveying lines may be configured in the same manner as the configuration of the first storage chamber 12a to the second storage chamber 12b described using Figure 1, with the attachment mechanism sandwiched between them, and the first storage chamber located upstream of the attachment mechanism and the second storage chamber located downstream of the attachment mechanism may each store multiple tiers of folding rolls for folding back the long sheet.

[0138] The first storage chamber and the second storage chamber each store a folding roll for folding the conveyed long sheet alternately so that the sheet snakes in the horizontal direction.

[0139] The long sheet is alternately folded back in the horizontal direction by the turn-back roll from the upstream side of the adhering mechanism to the downstream side and from the downstream side of the adhering mechanism to the upstream side, while the adhering material is adhered to the long sheet in the adhering mechanism.

[0140] The turn-back rolls may be disposed above and below the attachment mechanism, so that one long sheet is turned back alternately above and below the attachment mechanism in a meandering manner.

[0141] Of course, a speed adjustment mechanism with multiple stages of hanging rolls arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line so that the long sheet snakes horizontally may be provided, and turn-back rolls may be arranged above and below the attachment mechanism, so that a single long sheet snakes by being alternately turned above and below the attachment mechanism.

[0142] The storage chamber may house both the turn-back roll and the recovery mechanism, or may house only one of them.

[0143] Furthermore, a layer forming mechanism may be provided that forms a layer to facilitate the formation of a layer such as a catalyst layer or a buffer layer on at least one of the front and back surfaces of the long sheet before the predetermined deposit is attached to the long sheet. In this case, the layer forming mechanism is not limited to the sputtering chamber 6.

[0144] The long sheet processing device may also include a recovery mechanism that recovers the deposits that have been adhered to the long sheet by the adhesion mechanism. The recovery mechanism may include a spatula-shaped scraper that is disposed near the turn-back roll and scrapes off the deposits from the conveyed long sheet, and a storage unit that stores the deposits scraped off by the scraper.

[0145] In addition, in a long sheet processing device, when the conveying speed of a long sheet is changed using a speed adjustment mechanism, at least one of the upstream and downstream hanging rolls in the conveying direction may be arranged so that it can be moved in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle from a conveying direction other than a vertical or horizontal direction, such as an oblique direction.

[0146] In addition, in the long sheet processing method, a vacuum may be created downstream of the second valve mechanism after the attachment step. In this case, the pressure adjustment step includes a first adjustment step of opening the gate of the first valve mechanism and closing the gate of the second valve mechanism before the attachment step to maintain a vacuum upstream of the conveying line, and a second adjustment step of closing the gate of the first valve mechanism after the attachment step, creating a vacuum downstream of the first valve mechanism in the conveying line, and then opening the gate of the second valve mechanism to convey the long sheet accumulated in the speed adjustment mechanism to the conveying line. In this aspect, when opening the gate of the second valve mechanism, the gate of the first valve mechanism may be opened or closed. This makes it possible to omit the third adjustment step of reducing the pressure inside the speed adjustment mechanism, thereby improving the efficiency of the long sheet processing step.

[0147] In addition, in a long sheet processing device, the speed adjustment mechanism may include a first speed adjustment mechanism and a second speed adjustment mechanism that is arranged downstream of the first speed adjustment mechanism and is smaller than the first speed adjustment mechanism, and valve mechanisms may be arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line across the second speed adjustment mechanism (see Figure 5).

[0148] In this case, after the speed adjustment process, a process (speed adjustment addition process) is added in which the gate portion 7 of the first valve mechanism located upstream of the second speed adjustment mechanism is opened and the gate portion 7 of the second valve mechanism located downstream of the second speed adjustment mechanism is closed, and the long sheet transported from the first speed adjustment mechanism and of a length required to collect the adhesions is accumulated in the second speed adjustment mechanism.

[0149] 2, 200 Carbon nanotube production apparatus 4 First roll chamber 4a Roll 6 Sputtering chamber 7 Gate section 7a First gate section 7b Second gate section 9 Gate valve 9a First gate valve 9b Second gate valve 10, 13 Accumulator 11, 15 Hanging roll 11a First roll 11b Second roll 12 Storage chamber 12a First storage chamber 12b Second storage chamber 13a First accumulator 13b Second accumulator 14 Heat shield section 14a First heat shield section 14b Second heat shield section 16 CVD chamber 18 Turn-back roll 18a First turn-back roll 18b Second turn-back roll 20 Recovery section 20a First recovery section 20b Second recovery section 22 Second roll chamber 22a Take-up machine 24 Base sheet A Vacuum region B Normal pressure region

Claims

1. A long sheet processing device provided with multiple processing mechanisms for processing long strip sheets transported on a conveying line, characterized in that it comprises: a speed adjustment mechanism that changes the transport speed of the long sheet upstream and downstream of the conveying line; and multiple valve mechanisms that are arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line, sandwiching the speed adjustment mechanism between them, and adjust the pressure difference between adjacent chambers by opening and closing gate sections that sandwich the long sheet from the front and back.

2. The long sheet processing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the gate portion is a cylindrical or columnar member, and the sides of the cylindrical or columnar member come into contact with the front and back of the long sheet to clamp the long sheet.

3. The long sheet processing apparatus described in claim 1, characterized in that the speed adjustment mechanism includes a first speed adjustment mechanism and a second speed adjustment mechanism that is arranged downstream of the first speed adjustment mechanism on the conveying line and is smaller than the first speed adjustment mechanism, and the valve mechanisms are arranged upstream and downstream of the conveying line, sandwiching the second speed adjustment mechanism.

4. A long sheet processing method including a plurality of processing steps for processing a strip-shaped long sheet transported on a conveying line, characterized in that it includes a speed adjustment step of changing the transport speed of the long sheet upstream and downstream of the conveying line, an attachment step of attaching a predetermined attachment to the long sheet, and a pressure adjustment step of adjusting the pressure difference between adjacent chambers when attaching the predetermined attachment by opening and closing gate sections that sandwich the long sheet from the front and back in valve mechanisms arranged respectively upstream and downstream of the conveying line across a speed adjustment mechanism.

5. The long sheet processing method according to claim 4, characterized in that the long sheet processing method includes a taking-up process in which the long sheet from which the adhesions have been removed is wound onto a take-up machine and taken up, and the pressure adjustment process includes a first adjustment process in which, before the adhesion process, the gate portion of a first valve mechanism adjacent to the upstream side of the speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line is opened and the gate portion of a second valve mechanism adjacent to the downstream side of the valve mechanism in the conveying line to maintain a vacuum upstream of the conveying line, a second adjustment process in which, after the adhesion process, the gate portion of the first valve mechanism is closed and the gate portion of the second valve mechanism is opened to convey the long sheet accumulated in the speed adjustment mechanism to the conveying line, and a third adjustment process in which, after the take-up process, the gate portion of the second valve mechanism is closed to reduce the pressure inside the speed adjustment mechanism.

6. The long sheet processing method described in claim 5, characterized in that the speed adjustment mechanism includes a first speed adjustment mechanism and a second speed adjustment mechanism that is arranged downstream of the first speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line and is smaller than the first speed adjustment mechanism, and when the first valve mechanism is adjacent to the upstream of the second speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line and the second valve mechanism is adjacent to the downstream of the second speed adjustment mechanism, the method further includes a speed adjustment addition step of opening the gate portion of the first valve mechanism and closing the gate portion of the second valve mechanism and accumulating the long sheet of a length required to collect the adhesions, which is conveyed out of the first speed adjustment mechanism, in the second speed adjustment mechanism.

7. The long sheet processing method according to claim 4, characterized in that the pressure adjustment process includes a first adjustment process in which, before the attachment process, the gate portion of a first valve mechanism adjacent to the upstream side of the speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line is opened and the gate portion of a second valve mechanism adjacent to the downstream side of the speed adjustment mechanism in the conveying line is closed to maintain a vacuum upstream of the conveying line, and a second adjustment process in which, after the attachment process, the gate portion of the first valve mechanism is closed and the downstream side of the first valve mechanism in the conveying line is evacuated, and then the gate portion of the second valve mechanism is opened to convey the long sheet accumulated in the speed adjustment mechanism to the conveying line.

8. A carbon nanotube manufacturing apparatus comprising: a sputtering chamber that forms a catalyst layer on a strip-shaped base sheet transported on a transport line; a CVD chamber that forms a layer of carbon nanotubes on the catalyst layer of the base sheet by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method; an accumulator that is arranged between the sputtering chamber and the CVD chamber and adjusts the transport speed of the base sheet so that the transport speed of the base sheet on the transport line differs between the sputtering chamber and the CVD chamber; and a plurality of gate valves that are arranged upstream and downstream of the transport line across the accumulator and that adjust the pressure difference between adjacent chambers by opening and closing gate sections that sandwich the base sheet from the front and back.

9. The carbon nanotube manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the gate section is composed of a pair of cylindrical or columnar members, and the sides of the pair of cylindrical or columnar members come into contact with the front and back of the base sheet, thereby sandwiching the base sheet.

10. The carbon nanotube manufacturing apparatus described in claim 8, characterized in that the accumulators include a first accumulator and a second accumulator that is smaller than the first accumulator and is located downstream of the first accumulator on the conveying line, and the gate valves are located upstream and downstream of the conveying line, sandwiching the second accumulator.

11. A carbon nanotube manufacturing method comprising: a catalyst layer forming process in a sputtering chamber for forming a catalyst layer on a strip-shaped substrate sheet transported on a transport line; a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process for processing the substrate sheet to form a layer of carbon nanotubes on the catalyst layer; a speed adjustment process for adjusting the transport speed of the substrate sheet on the transport line using an accumulator so that the transport speed of the substrate sheet on the transport line differs between the CVD process and the catalyst layer forming process; and a pressure adjustment process for adjusting the pressure difference between adjacent chambers when forming the layer of carbon nanotubes on the catalyst layer by opening and closing gate portions that sandwich the substrate sheet from the front and back in gate valves located upstream and downstream of the transport line across the accumulator.

12. The carbon nanotube production method according to claim 11, characterized in that the pressure adjustment process includes: a first adjustment process, before the CVD process, of opening the gate portion of a first gate valve adjacent to the upstream side of the accumulator on the transfer line and closing the gate portion of a second gate valve adjacent to the downstream side of the accumulator on the transfer line to maintain a vacuum in the sputtering chamber; a second adjustment process, after the CVD process, of closing the gate portion of the first gate valve and opening the gate portion of the second gate valve to transfer the base sheet accumulated in the accumulator to the transfer line; and a third adjustment process, after a take-up process, of winding the base sheet from which the carbon nanotubes have been recovered onto a take-up machine and taking it up, of closing the gate portion of the second gate valve to reduce the pressure inside the accumulator.

13. A carbon nanotube production method as described in claim 12, characterized in that the accumulators include a first accumulator that accumulates the base material sheet transported from the sputtering chamber, and a second accumulator that is smaller than the first accumulator and is arranged downstream of the first accumulator on the transport line, and when the first gate valve is adjacent to the upstream side of the second accumulator on the transport line and the second gate valve is adjacent to the downstream side of the second accumulator, the method further includes an additional speed adjustment step of opening the gate portion of the first gate valve and closing the gate portion of the second gate valve and accumulating in the second accumulator the length of the base material sheet that has been transported from the first accumulator, the length required to recover the carbon nanotubes.

14. The carbon nanotube production method according to claim 11, characterized in that the pressure adjustment process includes a first adjustment process in which, before the CVD process, the gate portion of a first gate valve adjacent to the upstream side of the accumulator on the transfer line is opened and the gate portion of a second gate valve adjacent to the downstream side of the accumulator on the transfer line is closed to maintain the sputtering chamber at a vacuum, and a second adjustment process in which, after the CVD process, the gate portion of the first gate valve is closed and the downstream side of the first gate valve on the transfer line is evacuated, and then the gate portion of the second gate valve is opened to transfer the substrate sheet accumulated in the accumulator to the transfer line.

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